VIOLENT/NON-CONSENSUAL SEX WARNING/DISCLAIMER: It is a story portraying a Conqueror/slave relationship, so it would appear non-consensual at first. As for sexual violence, there are scenes (In parts 3 and 4) which are detailed and graphic, and may not suite some readers.
Other Disclaimers: See Part 1
SPECIAL THANKS : My humble most ardent gratitude to the excellent, most brilliant Beta reader nancyjean , whom I can't thank enough.
Comments & Feedback : MOST WELCOMED – The more you write me, the quicker I post.
http://www.angelfire.com/id/DarkAngel/stories.html
Part 14
It was five days before the wedding and the palace was yet again vibrant with commotion. As the Conqueror and Lady Gabrielle were about to vacate the Conqueror's chambers, the latter turned to her Lord and asked with a charming smile, " Will my Lord not grant me another kiss before we embark on the day ahead?"
The Conqueror gathered the smaller woman into her arms, leaned down and captured Gabrielle's lips with her own.
After the kiss had ended, not for lack of want on both parties, the Conqueror led Lady Gabrielle to a suite, still under construction, next to her own chambers.
"These will be your chambers, where you will be receiving those who wish an audience with you. Should you have any preferences regarding style and structure, you may convey your wishes to the builders," the Conqueror said.
"Thank you, my Lord," the Lady replied as she entered the suite and wandered around the various chambers with mesmerized eyes, till she came upon a private bedchamber with a large bed already made with mauve satin linens.
"Will my Lord not share a bed with me?" she asked with a pinch of disappointment.
"Your bedchamber is for your own convenience to either use or not. Mind you, I have every intention of enjoying my conjugal rights and yours as frequently and as zealously as possible," the Conqueror chuckled and was pleased to hear Lady Gabrielle's diminutive sigh of relief. "My bed is our bed."
"Thank you, my Lord," Lady Gabrielle hid a smile.
"You must also choose your ladies in waiting who are to attend you after the coronation."
"May I ask my Lord for a favor?" Gabrielle asked.
"What is it?"
"My Lord's chambermaid, Satrina," the Lady hesitated.
"What about her?"
"She's my Lord's slave, is she not?"
"She is."
"She has been kind to me over the years, and I wish to repay her with kindness. I would be grateful if my Lord freed her and allowed her to work as my lady in waiting with all the benefits such position entails, should she agree," Lady Gabrielle replied.
"Granted," the Conqueror said then looked around inspecting the crew's advancement. "This is going to be the greatest wedding the world has ever seen, with a grand feast and rivers of wine, jesters, bards and music and dance."
"I don't know how to dance, my Lord," whispered the Lady discomfited and halted her exploration of her new chambers.
"I have already arranged for an instructor to tutor you," the Conqueror said. "Is there anything else, my Lady?"
"No, thank you, my Lord," the future Queen smiled and watched as the Conqueror turned and left to continue about her day.
***
A night before the wedding the Conqueror and the Lady entered their bedroom and settled in for a night's sleep.
"How are your nerves, my Lady?" the Conqueror asked before she blew out the fire burning at the candlestick standing on top of the nightstand.
"Calm, my Lord," Lady Gabrielle replied quickly before she even had time to process the question she'd been asked.
"Get some rest. A grand day awaits you tomorrow," the Conqueror whispered before she closed her eyes.
As Lady Gabrielle was lying in the dark, feeling the Conqueror spooning her body and her sturdy arm draped over her waist and thigh, sleep eluded her and so she took stock of recent events in her life. Ever since Persia everything happened so fast. Such major events had taken place, that it felt like she had been sitting atop a loaded wagon hurdling down a steep slope with nothing to stop it.
She was about to become the Conqueror's wife tomorrow, and though she was ecstatic to be bonded in such way to her Lord, she could not ignore some murky phantoms lurking about the recesses of her mind. Since the unfortunate plight on the road back from Persia , the Conqueror seemed much more lenient with her and lavished her with a title and gifts, and facilitated a meeting with her sister, and still something laid heavy on her soul. As if to sooth her heart, she closed her eyes and reflected back on the words spoken to her by Princess Lao-Ling about the Conqueror bearing her great affection, and she found great solace in them.
***
On the morning of the wedding, Lady Gabrielle found herself standing atop a small platform in her own new chambers with her ladies in waiting dressing her with the most beautiful white wedding gown. Little diamonds adorned the gown, sown with silver gold threads into the rich thick fabric, which sparkled like stars in the night's sky with each of her tiniest movements. The breathtaking dress complimented the Lady's curvaceous figure, and elicited cries of appreciation from the ladies fussing around her.
While the Lady examined her reflection in the mirror, a knock on the door brought her out of her deep thoughts concerning how she barely recognized herself, yet how pleased she was with her appearance and how she hoped her Lord would be pleased as well.
"Come in," she said and the door was opened.
One of the Conqueror's servants currying a wooden chest entered her chambers and presented her with it.
"A gift to you from the Lord Conqueror," he said, bowing his head before her and opening the lid, exposing an elaborate silver gold necklace incrusted with diamonds and emeralds. The jewels were clear with dark yet vibrant color and exhibited a star pattern with ray-like spokes of dark carbon. Also inside the chest nestled a matching bracelet, earrings and a headpiece, all arrayed on a velvet pillow.
The ladies in waiting all gathered around the exquisite jewelries, emitting cries of awe and wonder.
The servant laid the chest down on a nearby table and said, "The Conqueror wishes to convey a message to you, my Lady, that the color of your eyes is more beautiful and more precious than these stones."
"Tell my Lord that the gesture has moved me beyond words and has touched my heart deeply," Lady Gabrielle said and governed her voice and expression to be conservative and moderated in front of her ladies.
He bowed before her and left.
It was at that moment exactly, Gabrielle would later realize, that her nerves began to torture her.
Once all preparations were concluded, the Lady was escorted to the palace's gates, where a chariot had been waiting to carry her to the Imperial seaport. She was helped onto a grand ship by one of the Imperial sailors and was brought up to the upper deck to where her Lord had been waiting for her.
She walked with cautious steps, trying to adjust herself to the rocky, unsteady ground beneath her small feet. She then saw the Conqueror standing on deck near the railing with the salty air playing with her dark mane, wearing white regal attire. A golden armor covered her chest, adorned by a relief of a lion's head; a golden ceremonial sword rested against her left thigh; and atop her brow rested a golden crown embedded with fine stones shimmering brightly in the morning sun.
“My Lady, you look magnificent,” said the Conqueror and took the Lady's hands in hers.
“My Lord is very handsome,” said Gabrielle and enjoyed the warmth of her Lord's hands, shielding hers from the morning chill at sea. “Where are we sailing to, my Lord?”
“Around Corinth , ” replied the Conqueror. “I want to show you off to my subjects, and let them feast their eyes on the most beautiful woman in the world.”
As they set sail closely around Corinth' shoreline, Gabrielle watched the commoners standing on shore bowing before them and then waving and clapping their hands with merriment, and it was the first time she felt the weight of her new status.
When they eventually stood before the High Priest of the Realm, Gabrielle felt as though she was but a spectator to the events that were in fact happening to her. Many thoughts streamed within her, but she could neither intercept nor process any of them. She could barely follow the words being spoken by the High Priest. She vaguely heard him say sentences such as “ May the Gods bless your union” and “Eternal unbreakable bond.” She heard herself vow to honor and worship the Lord Conqueror with her body and her soul, but it was the Conqueror's voice repeating the exact same vows that snapped her out of the current state of haze she was in.
Then a servant served the Conqueror with a silver platter on top of which laid a golden crown, encrusted with some of the best stones and its engravings were nothing short of superb craftsmanship. The Conqueror took the crown in both hands, turned to face her wife and declared: “I, Xena of Amphipolis, Conqueror of the Realm, hereby solemnly crown you, Gabrielle of Potidaea, daughter of Herodotus and Hecuba, as Queen of the Realm,” and gently put the crown on top of Gabrielle's head.
The Queen immediately felt the heavy, burdening weight of the crown upon her.
The Conqueror leaned down and placed a lingering gentle kiss on the Queen's lips.
As they walked together down the aisle, the Conqueror's arm stretched out and her hand resting on top of her Lord's forearm, Queen Gabrielle saw the noblemen' and highest ranking officer's and their wives' expressions, some of which seemed disapproving and condescending. She felt the urge to cling more firmly to her Lord but she knew it would be perceived as a sign of weakness, so she wore the mask her Lord had forced her to wear throughout her years of service.
Nearing their table, which stood at the head of the Great Hall before their thrones, Gabrielle felt the contact with her Lord's forearm had loosened. It took her a few fractions of a moment to realize where her Lord was.
The Conqueror had seen an untied shoelace on her Queen's left shoe, and so she kneeled down on one knee before the Queen, to the utter shock of her subjects, and tied up the shoelace. Upon seeing the Conqueror kneeling at her Queen's feet, all noblemen, ladies, highest ranking officers and other distinguished guests from all around the Realm, all present at the Great Hall, stilled all motion and pacified all chatter and with gaping eyes and dropped jaws bowed before their new Queen.
The Conqueror's public display of reverence towards her spoke volumes with the Queen, and had she been alone, she would have wept.
When they sat at their table, the Queen sensed all eyes were looking at her, scrutinizing her every gesture, so much so that she hardly sampled any of the cuisines that had been placed before her. She wasn't used to so much attention. Usually, she could move around within the palace's grounds scarcely noticeable by others. The only other time she was the center of everyone's attention had been when she had taken the stand in court all those years ago.
"How are you managing, my Lady?" Her Lord whispered discretely into her Queen's ear.
"Quite well thank you, my Lord, for your kind inquiry," the young Queen replied while she saw her sister, Lila and her family approaching the thrones.
"Congratulations, your Majesties," Lila curtsied.
"Thank you, dear Lila," Queen Gabrielle was so happy to see a familiar friendly face amongst the crowd.
"Who could have conceived it… My younger sister… my dear little sister… Queen of the Realm," Lila sighed.
"I am so very happy that you came to celebrate with us," Gabrielle replied.
"Indeed we are thankful to you and your family, dear Lila," said the Conqueror. "And now, if you'll excuse me, I should like to dance with my Queen." the Conqueror turned to Gabrielle. "Would you care to dance with me, my Lady?"
"With all my heart, my Lord," answered Gabrielle.
The Conqueror and the Queen stepped down from their thrones and walked to stand opposite each other at the center of the Great Hall.
The head musician nodded his head to give the cue to his fellow musician and they began to play.
"My Lady," the Conqueror bowed before the Queen with joyous eyes as a prelude to their dance.
"My Lord," the Lady curtsied deeply.
The Royal couple danced together in perfect unison like a monolithic entity and the crowed that gathered around them clapped in honor to them, keeping within the rhythm of the music.
In a far corner of the Great Hall, nobleman Marton and Nobleman Verosus were sitting together drinking ale and watching the Conqueror dancing with their new Queen.
"Forcing us to bow before a whoring slave…" spat nobleman Verosus. "And just think how much richer the two of us could have been had the Conqueror chosen Princess Lao-Ling…"
"Indeed," agreed nobleman Marton.
"We must find a way to get rid of that peasant cunt," hissed nobleman Verosus and absentmindedly placed his hand over his sword.
"That is treason punishable by death," nobleman Marton warned his fellow nobleman. "And if you value your head and the heads of your wife and children, you might consider a much safer, subtler way to go about it."
"Such as…"
"Dangling fresh meat before the lion's eyes when he's most hungry," nobleman Morton replied. "And I have just the right piece of meat in mind already."
“And if that fails?”
“It won't, but if it does, we must find another way to make the slave fall from the Conqueror's graces.”
When the dance ended, Cyrene and the Conqueror's brother Toris, accompanied by his wife, were next to offer heartfelt blessings. The Conqueror introduced her Queen to her brother, while the Queen studied the man before her, who was almost as tall as her Lord, with dark hair and blue eyes.
Cyrene , who was absolutely radiant with happiness, whisked her new daughter-in-law away from the Conqueror for a private exchange of words, leaving the Conqueror and her brother to their own private conversation.
"Your Majesty, thank you for making an old woman happy," Cyrene placed two kisses on each of the Queen's cheeks.
"You needn't thank me," Gabrielle embraced the older woman.
"But I do. I know the Conqueror, and I can only imagine the price you must pay for your affinity towards her. I am forever in you debt," ardently spoke the elderly woman and shook both the Queen's hands in hers.
Princess Lao-Ling was next to congratulate the new Queen.
On the other side of the Great Hall, the Conqueror was engaged in a conversation with her brother.
"I was sorry to hear about your child being lost at birth," the Conqueror offered her sincere condolences.
"It pains my wife and me that we have yet been able to birth children. After the last miscarriage, the healer informed us that my wife had been left barren. The grim news devastated us."
"That is most unfortunate, brother. In regards to the subject of children, I will further discuss the matter with you in due time."
When the wedding feast was over, the Conqueror and the Queen were escorted to their wedding bed by a procession of musicians, and children, who were spreading rose-petals in their wake, a few of the highest ranking noblemen and their wives and members of their families.
"We won't be needing an audience for our consummation," the Conqueror stated as they reached the Imperial chambers.
Alone in the Imperial bedchamber, in which hundreds of red and white roses were scattered all over, the Conqueror and the Queen stood toe to toe. The Conqueror looked at her wife while her fingers moved skillfully to undress her.
"Was the wedding to your satisfaction?" the Conqueror asked.
"I couldn't have asked for a better wedding and I thank you my gracious Lord with every fiber of my being," the Queen replied with luminous eyes, while her body began to respond to her Lord's skimming fingers against her skin.
"Tell me, My Queen, how would you like your pleasure tonight?" the Conqueror asked and began to disrobe.
"My Lord?"
"Over the years I have taken you any way imaginable that suited my pleasure. On this, your wedding night, my Lady, have you any specific desires I might fulfill?" the Conqueror spoke softly.
"As surely my Lord already knows…my Lord's pleasure is my pleasure," the Queen answered.
"So is there nothing…?"
The Conqueror assiduously examined the Queen's countenance, which suggested to her that there might be something after all. "So there is something…" she almost coerced her Queen to surrender her answer.
"Forgive me, my Lord, but it might not suit your predilections or station."
"Now you have really aroused my curiosity," the Conqueror's fingers glided down the valley between her bride's twin mounds.
"Well… some nights, when I wasn't summoned to my Lord's bed, I would lie in mine and I would have these fevering images…" An irrepressible blush colored her pale cheeks and she had half a mind to arrest her secret.
"What? Let us have it."
The Queen took a deep breath and gathered her resolve, "I would imagine my Lord kissing me between my thighs, and I would get so wet and aching…" The last couple of words were barely audible.
"Did you ever touch yourself when you were having these images?" the Conqueror pressed her body against her wife's and stroked her neck seductively, letting her know the truth was welcomed.
As the Queen looked into her Lord's eyes, she thought she had never seen such playful wicked glee in them before.
"I've never touched what is yours, my Lord," she replied.
The Conqueror thought she had never heard a more perfect answer being rendered.
The Conqueror's first kiss adored the Queen's forehead, making her heart melt. The second and the third passionate kisses caressed the Queen's eyelids. The fourth kiss traveled from the soft spot behind the Queen's ear down her throat, eliciting a sharp intake of breath when the tender flesh was being sucked into the Conqueror's warm mouth.
The Queen heard her Lord sizzling whisper vibrating against her skin, "Tonight I will be servicing you, my Lady."
When the Conqueror's fifth kiss found her lips, Gabrielle failed to register the loss of contact between her bare feet and the ground. Gabrielle opened her mouth and greeted her Lord's tongue hungrily seeking after hers.
The Conqueror gently deposited her wife and Queen on top of the bed and shifted herself to lie completely on top of her. The contrast between soft and hard, between custodial and amenable made both Lord and Lady inflamed with unequivocal desire.
The Conqueror's mouth left the Queen's and continued further down her body until they reached an engorged nipple and the Conqueror eagerly started suckling it while she softly pinched the other one between her thumb and forefinger. Gabrielle's nipples instantly hardened, shooting raging surges of fire to her sex.
The Conqueror moved her mouth to cover the other breast, sucking it and grazing its erect tip with her teeth, making the smaller woman beneath her lost in her mounting need.
A large warm hand slithered down between the Queen's thighs, coaxing her to spread them further and Gabrielle did. The hot moist tongue that lavished her nipples traveled further down and dipped into her naval.
Gabrielle's breath became shallow and fast with anticipation. It was as if row flame was licking her everywhere. In her heart was one wish: that the Conqueror would make good on her unspoken promise and reach the place she needed her most with her tongue.
At first the Queen felt her Lord's searing breath against the wetness between legs.
The Conqueror hovered over Gabrielle's soaking opening, inhaled her scent for her own pleasure and exhaled warm breath to prolong her Queen's want.
"Please, my Lord," the Conqueror's bride begged.
When she felt her Lord's tongue moving against the wet folds of her womanhood, a cry like no other escaped Gabrielle's throat, a cry that spoke of profound yearnings. She dug her heels into the bed and arched her back, desperate for a firmer contact with her Lord's tongue.
The Conqueror continued to tease the Queen's slit and hard nub, moving her tongue slowly, never staying enough time on the spot where Gabrielle needed her most. Then the Conqueror thrust her tongue inside of her wife's sex and lapped at the flux of nectar that greeted her.
The young Queen's hips were rocking unabatedly against her Lord's face, feeling immense pressure building inside of her, demanding an outlet. She felt her Lord cupping her buttocks beneath her while reaching inside of her with her tongue as deep as she could.
The Conqueror was rapidly bringing Gabrielle to the edge, but the moment she felt Gabrielle's inner tunnel start to contract around her, she abruptly withdrew, leaving her wife aching with disappointment.
The Conqueror slipped two long fingers into Gabrielle's sopping core, then hardened and flattened her tongue against the pulsating bundle of nerves, licking it hard and giving the much needed contact. When she looked up to see the Queen's face, she saw the young woman, blushed and sweating, kneading her own breasts almost violently and squeezing and pulling at her nipples. The erotic sight of her young Queen pleasuring her own breasts sent the Conqueror's desire soaring higher and made her blood boil in her veins.
Gabrielle's hips flew from the bed and she cried out as she was brought over and intense release flooded through her and tears trickled down the side of her face and onto the sheets beneath her.
Before she had time to recover, Gabrielle felt a large hand grabbing her by the side of her hips and roughly turning her over to lie on her belly. Next she felt teeth sinking into the plump flesh of her backside, then being clasped tightly by her ankles and being crudely dragged down in the direction of the foot of the bed, where her Lord had been.
The raw sensitive flesh of her centre was skewered by her Lords shaft, followed by deep urgent thrusts in and out of her. She felt her Lord's powerful loins pounding against her body and she heard her Lord's grunts and labored breath coming from above her.
The Conqueror's release came quickly and when it was over the Conqueror's body crashed down onto Gabrielle's, and when she rested her cheek over Gabrielle's she felt wetness against her skin and she sobered. It dawned on her that her wife had been sobbing.
The Conqueror immediately retreated, got off the Queen and sat besides her, prompting the smaller woman to turn and lie prone and look at her.
"It was my intention to pace myself and be tender and gentle for your pleasure on your wedding night, but my passion for you was too great for me to restrain. I didn't mean to cause you pain," her Lord said and collected one of her bride's tears with her finger.
Gabrielle was swollen with pride when she learned that she had made the Conqueror lose her legendary control over her desires.
"The tears are tears of joy, and I was glad to receive my Lord. Though I cherish and adore my Lord's gentleness, I also cherish my Lord's darkness and I crave my Lord's power and ownership over me always," a wide smile spread over Gabrielle's lips. She turned to the nightstand next to her side of the Imperial bed and took out her leather collar with the Conqueror's crest, which she had been wearing around her neck for years. She lifted her right leg up in the air and fastened the collar around her thigh like a garter.
"I will constantly wear it around this intimate place on my anatomy only my Lord is privy to, just as I have worn it around my neck. In these chambers, in this bed, I am also my Lord's ever willingly obedient, ever willingly submissive, ever willingly compliant servant."
The Conqueror fondly ran her palm over the collared thigh, deeply touched by the former body slave's meek and voluntary gesture. "I am pleased," she whispered in her Queen's ear, then unbuckled the harness and removed it from her pelvis. She laid her body next to Gabrielle and enveloped her in her arms. " I never thought tasting your distilled liquid lust would make me so hard and wanting. Had I known, I wouldn't have denied us this pleasure."
Delighted in her Lord's words, the Queen replied, "I like being the object and the inciter of my Lord's desires," and as she turned in her Lord's arms she went on to say, "My wedding night is not over yet, and if it pleases you, my charitable Lord, might you consider some form of compensation."