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Firewalk with Me (Madam Mim x EvelynWillows)

E

EvelynWillows

Guest
Story synopsis thus far:

Nearly thirty years ago in the United Kingdom of Green Isles a duke was found responsible for the death of King Alastair's wife and only son, young prince Duncan, who was only 18 months old. In penance for the inattention that led to the tragedy, the guilty Duke Bertrad Esaul de Perigod was ordered to send his infant son to be tutored by Duke James Murdock Chester, a man thought to be a fair mediator among his 'brother dukes'.

A few years later the United Kingdoms went to war over a difference in belief; those who believed in the 'old' gods stayed loyal to King Alastair. These were the dukedoms of the north primarily. Those who chose to follow the 'new' singular God pilgrims spoke of united under Chester, now renamed Duke High Chester but regarded by many as the King of the South. Hence the Northern and Southern kingdoms were created, and Duke Perigod chose to keep his son under the tutelage of Duke High Chester.

What Duke High Chester and King Alastair did not know was that the boy they both believed was Jacques de Perigod, eldest son of the 'traitor duke', was in fact Prince Duncan.

Years passed. Jacques grew up with Duke High Chester's son Charles. They both came of age and went to war with King Alastair in what would be known as the Seven Years' War. Upon their return they discovered that Charles' little ragamuffin sister had blossomed from the gangly, tom-boyish thing she was when they left, into a gorgeous woman full of poise and spunk. Lady Althea was everything a young lady should be, and both Jacques and Charles found themselves drawn to her charms.

Unfortunately the war had ended with a truce meant to unite the kingdoms once again that required Lady Althea to be wed to King Alastair.

Our story begins here, six weeks after the Seven Years' War has ended, with Sir Charles and Sir Jacques having escorted Lady Althea nearly the entire distance from High Chester to the capital city of Ellington. During the journey Sir Jacques and Lady Althea both revealed to each other their mutual affection, and Lady Althea had hidden from him the fact that her brother had betrayed her. Sir Charles had acted upon his own lust for his sister and had molested her under threat of retribution if she revealed his actions to anyone. We are currently in the city of Perigod, Jacques' home, where his own 'father' has jailed him for unlawfully withholding names of the soldiers who had died under his command so that their families would continue to receive part of their pay. With Jacques in the dungeon, Sir Charles has just entered Lady Althea's room with the intent of having his way with her once again before they reach Ellington...

* * *

Sir Edward stalked the castle searching for Althea. Finally he found a steward with the key to her suite, and he gathered a few things before approaching the door. Unlike at home there was no guards stationed in the corridor. His own men had the night off and were busy entertaining themselves with the castle wenches; they would neither hinder or help the Highchester children tonight.

Edward found his sister's door and carefully slid the long, hard key into the slot. The fit was tight, but quiet. A strong, steady pressure to the left and the pins in the lock slid into place and released the bolt in the lock. He pushed the door open and quietly stepped inside. Knowing Althea she had her huge dog in the inner rooms with her, but Edward was prepared for that. If Apollo got in the way Edward was prepared to stop him, but the knight was hopeful that Althea wouldn't risk her dog like that. He hated the thought of giving up one of his blackmailing points just to have one night with her.

But if he had to...Edward was prepared to kill the mutt. He smiled to himself as he caught sight of Althea's slim form on the bed. Sure enough that damned dog was on the bed with her.
 
Mistress's breath had just grown heavier. She was asleep. Apollo could finally relax his vigil, just a little bit, but still sleep with his ears pricked. He let the muscles in his neck relax as he laid under the covers with Mistress with his head on a pillow and sighed deeply. He wanted to go home; he liked walks and hunts, but this was too long and they stayed in too many strange-smelling places. He missed his patch of the garden he'd won from the gardener, his chair in Mistress's tower room, and the wide grounds of Highchester Castle. His paw twitched as he dreamed of chasing one of the rabbits that lived in the garden and digging up the hole to its hutch.

Then the lock clicked.

In an instant Apollo was awake at the tiny noise and his head jerked up to look at the door. Whoever it was either wanted to be sneaky or not to wake Mistress, but he had an idea of who was trying to get to her. His suspicions were confirmed when the bad man's scent preceded him into the room...and he was in heat. Not this time! This time there were other people around, someone other than just Apollo to hear his Mistress scream at the pain the bad man caused her. He growled softly at the door to warn him off.

When the bad man came in anyway, Apollo stood on the bed, putting his front paws on one side of his Mistress's body and his back paws on the other to create a sort of barrier. He growled louder, but she only awoke when he barked at the man coming closer to the bed.

"Apollo, knock it off," Althea moaned, but the dog barked again and she opened her eyes. He was growling at her brother. "Edward...no. Please. Not tonight," she begged, petting Apollo to try and get him to stop barking. She wanted him here to protect her but she didn't want him waking the entire castle.
 
Sir Edward smiled at his sister. "Dear Althea, if not tonight then when? After all, I know you want comforting on a night such as this." He frowned at the large Shepherd growling at him from the bed. "I swear, Althea, if you don't shut that damn dog up I'll kill him myself." He waited for his sister to do something before continuing.

"I thought you'd like to know that you and I will be traveling to Ellington alone from here on out. Well, as alone as we can be with my guards. See... Jack has been stealing from our father, dear sister, and his deeds have just caught up with him. Father knows about all the money he's been stealing and, well... he's going back to High Chester to be tried and hanged as the traitor he is." He smoothed down the front of his shirt. "Of course there's always the slim chance that Jack could escape, but it's highly unlikely. At least not with some outside help." He raised his eyebrows at Althea. "You do want someone to help him, don't you?"
 
"If you want to kill him, you'll have to kill me first and them you'll never know the truth about your son," Althea threatened, stronking down the hairs standing in Apollo's back.

When Edward explained the situation, however, Althea sighed. Edward had the upper hand and he knew it. Running her hand through her hair, she weighed her options.

"You have to promise you'll help him," she said firmly. Then, with a sigh, "get down, Apollo." The dog woofed in protest. "I said get down! Go on, boy. Go lay down."

The Shepherd knew her body language contradicted her commands, but got down with a whine of protest. He stood immediately be the bed, looking over the edge and watching the bad man closely. With a tired sigh, Althea rolled onto her stomach and pressed her breasts against the mattress. Maybe if she didn't give him as much of a reaction he wouldn't enjoy himself as much.and just stop. It was unlikely, however; Ellington was just a day's ride from here. Edward would be wanting to make their last time together for a while as good for him as possible.
 
"Oh my dear Althea, you just don't seem that convincing to me." Sir Edward drew a hand through his blond hair and smiled a dimpled smile at his sister. He walked around the bed, his fingertips trailing over her nightgown and touching parts of her skin through the sheer fabric. He walked to the side that she was nearest and stood next to the mattress. "Surely you can be more convincing. I know you understand the things I like by now. After all, we've been together often enough for you to stop calling me Jack in your sleep and to moan out my name instead." He twisted his fingers through her blond hair and tightened his grip.

His other hand stole down her back and pulled up her shift so that the white soft mound of her ass above her perfect thighs was revealed to him in the moonlight. "On your hands and knees, Althie. You're ransoming your champion's life; let's pretend that you actually want the traitor's son to live."
 
Althea winced as her hair was yanked. Obediently she got to her hands and knees, pushing her ass out for her brother. He was right; she did know what he liked. She felt like such a whore.

"Edward, please," she begged quietly, but she knew it was no use. Her brother would have his way. Edward always got his way.

With a tired sigh she pulled the nightdress the rest of the way off, leaving her pleas unfinished in favor of again giving him no reaction. It wasn't as terrifying as usual, but that was only because she was still drunk from dinner and the following argument with the duke. If only she could be this drunk every time...

Althea rocked up onto her elbows and knees, waiting for her brother to just get it over with. She braced herself with her elbows, though not before putting one of the pillows between her head and the headboard so she wouldn't bump her head once Edward began to push against her tight ass. Once he had nearly concussed her that way. Apollo, at the opposite edge of the bed as Edward, remained silent but tense, staring at him.
 
Edward didn't like the way she seemed resigned to just...take it. His presence seemed to be little more than an inconvenience for her; a delay in her beauty rest at the least. "No, not your lovely ass, Althie. Your mouth. And show some enthusiasm lest I decide to take not just your ass later but your maidenhood as well. We'll simply tell your betrothed that you were set upon by rogues when you and Jack ran off." He grinned. "Or if you'd like, we can blindfold you and you can pretend that it's your champion taking your virginity if you'd like. It's all the same to me." He smacked her ass and pushed her hips over to help her turn around.

His thick cock sprung out of his breeches when it was freed. The dark purple glans glistened with precum in the moonlight, and his scent filled the room. "I know you like to play make-believe little sister. Start making like you want this; your wet cunt belies your pretense at indifference."


In Castle Perigod's deepest depths the guards shoved Sir Jacques into a small cell and slammed the gate shut. Sir Edward's lead guard, Hector, tossed his blond hair back and smiled cruelly at the disgraced knight. He leaned against the bars and spat on the cell floor.

"I understand your infatuation with the king's bride," he taunted. "Her perfect skin, those tits... that ass..."

"Shut your mouth cretin." Jacques slowly eased his way to his feet. The bruises and cuts that the guards saw fit to bestow upon him on his way to the dungeon stung, but no injury hurt so badly at the way Lady Althea had ignored him when she stormed out of the sitting room earlier.

"...her mouth." Hector chuckled. "It's almost sweeter having to keep her virginity intact when we fuck her; it's more of a challenge."

"Damn you." The knight growled as he limped over to the bars where the huge blond was still taunting him.

"She likes it." He flashed a grin, his eyebrows arching.

Jacques looked to the left and to the right, as if making sure that they were along. He grinned back. "Do you know what she really likes?"

Hector cocked his head. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, I'm going to hang anyway. Why not tell you how to have more fun?" He smiled again, winking at the guard. He lowered his voice and moved closer to the bars. "I'll tell you how to make her howl."

"Yeah?" He leaned in close as well, his face nearly pressed against the bars. "Howl like a dog?" His eyes were eager.

Jacques brought his fist up short in a quick undercut, breaking Hector's jaw and sending him unconscious to the floor. "That usually works," he said softly to himself.
 
Althea fell over with little resistance when her brother pushed at her hips. She was resigned to it by now. Putting up a struggle only made it hurt more for her in the end. She turned and looked up at her brother with her eyes.

"Better be nice to me, Edward," she warned. "Or I won't tell you what you need to know about your son."

With a self-satisfied smirk, she lowered her eyes and slowly wrapped her lips around her brother's throbbing member. Althea braced herself with one hand while the other went up to gently massage his balls. The quicker she could make him cum and swallow up his seed the way he liked, the quicker he could get out and she could get to sleep. She would almost certainly be hung over in the morning; not a good first impression for her husband. Slowly she drew her mouth up his shaft until it touched the back of her throat, then back down to the tip. If Edward ever tried thrusting harder into her mouth he always triggered her gag reflex, but she was learning to control it. As her lips dragged along his stiff cock she moaned, sending vibrations along his shaft and hopefully faking enough enthusiasm to keep him from taking her virginity.

"Mummy?"

Althea gasped and nearly choked before sliding her lips off of Edward's glistening shaft and looking up to see a little boy in the doorway of her bedroom. She looked up at Edward before quickly throwing on a robe and scooping the little boy up into her arms and situating him on her hip. With another glance back at her brother--who hadn't the decency to cover himself even in front of his own son--she swept out of the room and down the hall to her little boy's room. A toy horse stood watch in one corner and a scale model of Ellington castle was under the window with toy knights scattered about and a stuffed dragon perched on the West Tower, where King Alastair's chambers were.

"Mummy what were you and Uncle Edward doing?" The boy was still blissfully ignorant that the king was not his real father.

"Nothing, sweetheart. It was nothing." Althea laid her son back down in his own bed. "Why're you up so late, hmm?" she asked gently, sitting on the edge of the bed and smoothing back the three-year-old's golden bangs. "Bad dream?" He nodded. "What about?"

"I had a brother."

Althea went cold, but pushed a smile onto her face. "Well that's not so bad. You'd have someone to play with."

But the boy shook his head. "But his daddy wasn't my daddy, and you liked him better. Then he tore up my dragon and stabbed me." He put a hand on Althea's belly. "Better just kill him now."

Afraid, Althea removed her son's hand from her stomach and held it with both of hers. Last night she had been with Jacques, but there was no way for anyone, even herself, to know if she was pregnant again. After soothing her son's worries and singing him back to sleep she returned to her room where her brother waited for her.

"Bitch!" Edward back-handed her across the face, sending her sprawling, before flipping her onto her back and pulling her legs apart. "Thought if you left the door unlocked Jack could come in and rescue you, huh?" He laid over her, pulling her thighs up beneath his arms.

Althea reeled backwards and fell onto the bed, gasping and choking. She had had several visions before, but this was the first time it had happened while she was awake. She looked up at her brother with wide eyes, shaking and unaware whether she had been doing what he wanted the entire time. She needed time to think.

"Please Edward," she said in a small, shakey voice. "Please just take my ass. As hard and fast as you want." She would regret saying that in the morning, but she could afford to look like she wasn't mentally present when he took her from behind, and he always came quicker than when she just sucked him off. The combination of the two meant he would probably cum quicker and leave her alone so she could think. It made her feel sick to think that any child, especially her own, would ever see any of this; it frightened her to know that her gift would be passed on to the son bent on destroying the kingdom.
 
Edward wrapped his hand around Althea's hair and pulled her tightly against his cock, forcing her lips to brush his stomach as she stroked his shaft with her lips. He ran his other hand along her back and pulled back her thick, golden mane so that he could watch her better. It felt good to penetrate her like this, and unlike her ass, her mouth was wet and slick. It was almost as good as taking her in her cunt.

Oh, how he longed for her to get married already so that he could fuck her properly. Sir Edward was certain that the old king wouldn't be able to impregnate her, but he would. Over and over again, and his sons would rule the kingdom while the king wasted away and inevitably died. Edward's thick, vascular cock throbbed harder with the thought of ruling the United Kingdoms. He groaned, pulling his sister harder against his body and slamming into the back of her throat.

She struggled and then pushed back, a wild look in her eyes.

"Please Edward," she said in a small, shakey voice. "Please just take my ass. As hard and fast as you want."

Edward grinned. His twisted mind took her request to mean that she was aroused by him and wanted him as badly as he wanted her. He grabbed her hips and climbed on the bed behind her. Shoving her face down into the mattress and pulling her ass towards him he obliged. His slick cock pushed hard into her tight hot, popping past the opening and then forcing itself into her ass.

"Yeah, that feels perfect Althie," He groaned and began to slide back and forth, taking her hard and fast, just like she wanted. It wasn't long before his passion burst through and he came inside of her body. The ample creme leaked past his cock and down the back of her thigh. He slid his fingers along her cunt, teasing her clit with the slick cum that coated his fingers. "Soon I'll be taking you here. You're going to like that even more, Althea. You're going to love it."


Sir Jacques jerked Hector's limp body closer to the cell bars and grabbed the keys. A moment later he had the door open and Hector in the corner, a thin blanket wrapped around him to look like a sleeping prisoner. Jacques climbed the stairs and found a rank cloak on a peg to cover himself with. This disguised his appearance and his smell, much to his dismay. The sour garlicky stench was bound to stay with him for days to come.

Ducking his head and acting like he had someplace to be, he walked out of the dungeons and into the upper corridors of the castle. Halfway down another hallway he was able to trade the reeking guardsman's cloak for one of the castle pages. This one smelled only slightly less offensive, but the hood was larger.

Sir Jacques began to make his way towards the guest hallway. Though he was born in Perigod he didn't know the castle well. He'd grown up in High Chester castle, with Edward and Althea. This place was as foreign to him as he supposed the capital city of Ellington would be. After a few turns he was close to the guest quarters and he began to slow his pace lest he run into someone who recognized him.
 
Althea moved obediently as her brother pulled and pushed like a spoiled child playing rough with a puppy. She winced as his head pressed against her tight sphincter, but she took a deep breath and relaxed enough for his shaft to force its way through to her ass. She cried out in pain, though to Edward it might have sounded like pleasure, and gripped the sheets as he began to thrust into her. It hurt, though not as much as it had the first time he'd done it, and she was able to concentrate on things other than her expression.

Her eldest son, for one. Perhaps there was a way to save him, to make sure he didn't turn out like his father. Althea had long ago resigned herself to the fact that she would bear her brother a son, to be both mother and aunt to the little fair-haired child. She had hoped that.Edward would stop coming to her once she had given him a son, but apparently that wouldn't happen. Perhaps she could somehow use her power as queen to constantly send him out on quests to keep him away from their son and have Jacques be an avuncular figure to him instead.

The future queen grunted quietly as her brother came inside her, stinging her ass. She gripped the sheets harder and didn't notice Apollo quietly cross from his post by the bed over to the door, his ears pricked. Her cheeks burned as Edward's seed ran down the back of her thigh. His finger played with her clit and she gasped.

"Maybe it'll be even better than when you take my ass," she mumbled into the pillow, "better" meaning "less painful."

Still, as Edward's finger slid along her snatch she had to bite back a moan. Her being wet before had just been his imagination, but now it wasn't. He loved making her body betray her and it usually worked very well, being unused to a gentle or loving touch. It was when Edward did this that Althea had to close her eyes and pretend it was Jacques.

"That's the only reward I'll ever get for being a good sister, isn't it?" she asked quietly, "Just a touch?"
 
"Maybe it'll be even better than when you take my ass," Edward heard Althea mumble into the pillow. He had just cum harder than he had in a long time and should have been depleted, but her words, seemingly of approval, aroused him further. His finger felt her snatch twitch and swell as he brushed across her body.

"That's the only reward I'll ever get for being a good sister, isn't it?" she asked quietly, "Just a touch?"

"You want more, sweet Althea? I'll be glad to give you more." He slid along her body and rolled her over to face him. His wet, rehardened cock rubbed across her thigh as he moved to mount her face to face. "I'm happy to make my good girl cum, especially after she's been so obedient for me. And if you're really good, Althie, then when your old husband is rotting in the ground I'll make you my wife and fuck you twice a day. In public, if I so desire, so everyone can watch their sweet queen's expression as she cums for the kingdom."

He began to slide his hard shaft across her wettened slit, his cock rubbing across her entryway and then to her clitoris in long, luxurious strokes. His balls tapped the base of her ass with each thrust, and his throbbing, hard rod seemed to be only moments away from penetrating her maidenhood.

Sir Edward arched his back enough to lower his mouth onto her nipple. Slowly, with great skill and patience, his tongue and lips began to tease her sensitive pink nubs.
 
That had been a mistake. When would she ever learn to keep her mouth shut? Althea had meant that perhaps being left alone for a while for being good and compliant might be a future reward for her. But now she had to put up with this. She sighed and closed her eyes as he rolled her over.

"The council would never allow it," she said quietly when he threatened to marry her once King Alastair was dead. I would never allow it.

Althea felt sick as her body reacted to Edward. To his mouth on her nipples, to his slick cock on her snatch. Afraid for a moment he was about to penetrate her, Althea's hand shot down to wrap around her brother's shaft.

"No Edward don't!" Her eyes opened and she looked at him, letting go of him slowly. "Just...please be careful. We don't want to give the king any reason to put either one of us to death for treason." Not until I can convince him that it's against my will and I can watch you eviscerated. Her hand returned up near her head as her brother's wet cock slid against her sensitive clit and her chin trembled. "Blindfold me, Edward," she said softly. "It's so much better when you blindfold me." It was so much easier to pretend it was Jacques and suppress her gorge at how she was allowing her own brother to touch her.
 
"The council," Sir Edward laughed, "the council will do what we tell it to do. And if we tell it to approve our marriage and sanction our public fucking then it will." He groaned as her hands reached down to grab him. It was nice when she touched him; it increased the illusion that she lusted for him as much as he lusted for her.

"I'll be careful Althea. I know how to control my cock." He grinned at her as he pulled back slightly and let his shaft thump against her clit twice. He reached over her head and yanked the pillow case off the pillow. He pressed it over her eyes and tied it roughly behind her head. "Better to pretend it's not me I assume. That's fine. Imagine it's everyone in your royal guard, lined up to fuck you one after the other as you lay there, moaning and squirming under their hot, sweaty bodies." He bent down and kissed her hard, thrusting his tongue into her mouth and sucking on her lips.

His hips began to move over her open thighs and draw his cock over her body sensually. He seemed to enjoy teasing her opening and taunting her with the prospect of imminent penetration. As his shaft split her swollen folds he reached down and began to lightly twist and tease her nipples with one hand. He began to lick her neck and suck on her shoulder as his body molested hers. She was so sweet... and in a few month she'd be married to the king and thereafter available for complete fucking. He ached to fill her cunt with his seed and make her swell with his child.
 
If he would just stop talking the illusion would be nearly complete. Althea imagined not her royal guard as her brother had suggested, but her own true lover. It was Jacques who held her between his body and the bed, Jacques who kept coming so close to being inside her. She gasped every time her opening was threatened by Edward's cock. If it really had been Jacques, the danger would have made it sexy. As it was, it was nothing short of terrifying.

"Mmm Gods..." Althea moaned, despite herself. "Oh yeah..."

When Edward kissed her she pressed just as hard back, entwining her tongue with his. He didn't kiss even a little bit like the same was Jacques did, bit that had been the point of the blindfold. Pretend. Her hands gripped her brother's shoulders as she lost herself completely to the fantasy.

"Oh darling please don't," she begged. "You know how much I want you inside me, but we can't. Not yet."
 
Sir Jacques paused outside of Lady Althea's room. He rested his head against the cool wood as he collected his thoughts. What could he tell his lady love that would make all the misunderstandings fade away?

"Oh darling please don't, you know how much I want you inside me, but we can't. Not yet."

His face grew cold at the sound of Lady Althea's voice. He felt his heart begin to race. It couldn't be... could it? He turned his head and listened more intently.

..."I love fucking you Althea. Your lips, the way you moan," A man's voice came through the wall accompanied by the steady thump-thump-thump of bodies thrusting in a large bed.

Althea moaned. "Mmm Gods....oh yeah..."

Sir Jacques pulled back like he'd been bit. He stared at the wall. There was no denying it; his love was engaged in intimate acts with another. Her passionate voice was unmistakable to his ears. He pulled the hood up over his head and moved away. Briskly he walked out of the hallway and down to the main level, his heart hardened by what he had just heard.

Sir Edward moved his mouth down from Althea's lips and began to suckle on her nipples, his body increasing in speed and force as he began to grow in arousal again and approach his second orgasm of the night.
 
She couldn't fake it. She had tried that before and Edward had hit her and given it to her worse; he always knew when she was faking. No, Althea knew she had to cum for real and along with the blindfold her own wanton words helped it along. If she said it enough she could maybe fool herself into believing it.

As Edward sped his cadence, Althea gasped and shifted her hips. He had hit a spot; if he could hit it again, just...there! The lady mewled and clenched her fists tightly. Suddenly becoming jerky.her hips bucked up against his a she panted and gasped. Her orgasm wasn't quite so loud as usual, as was bound to happen every so often. But as she came against her brother's greedy cock, one thing was clear, and that was what she called out in triumphant ecstasy.

"Oh God my love! Oh Jacques!" She hadn't realized it had slipped out, but it had and it was all up to waiting to see what Edward would do to her.
 
He loved making her cum. It proved to him what he always knew; that his little sister loved being with him as much as he did, though she was embarrassed to admit it. They would change the way people looked at what they were doing, though, once they understood that keeping the blood pure kept the power strong. Sir Edward was a pureblood. He was blessed with powers that the common man could not understand, and powers that the ignorant feared. Even his own father, Duke Highchester, feared those who wielded magic. They thought it came from the 'evil' ancient poly-dieties of the barbarians, but Edward understood that it was something that the chosen were given.

One day he would create a child with his sister. A pure child. And that child would rule over the United Kingdoms, wielding magical power openly and being hailed as the true king he was meant to be.

Sir Edward felt his sister writhe underneath him as her lewd lust burst forth and caught her up in a powerful orgasm. As Lady Althea began to mew and gasp, her brother bent forth and licked her from nipple to neck, spewing his own passion over her snatch and leaking on her previously perfect bedsheets. He ended his lingua feast with a kiss on her ear. He could feel the walls of her labia twiching against his balls, and he knew that one day soon they would be clinging desperately to his cock as she came for him.

Then she called out Jacques' name.

Edward stilled himself at the sound of his previous commander's name. He recoiled from her body and scowled at her blindfolded face. "Sir Jacques? Still!" He reached down and cruelly twisted her nipple until she cried out in pain. "If I ever hear you call out his name again, Althea, I swear I'll slit his throat myself. Do you understand? There is nothing for you with that mutt! His blood is tainted! He's a disgrace to our people and one day soon he will rot in the ground!"

He climbed off of her and began to dress in disgust, sickened by the thought that his sister could desire someone who was obviously of lesser blood. Not only was Sir Jacques the traitor's son, but he was a cock-sucking man-lover as well. Edward spit on the floor. He was disgusted that he had spent so many years befriending the whelp when Jack was secretly lusting over both him and his sister. The, the... Edward couldn't think of a word lowly enough to describe the man.

He turned to his sister. "We're leaving right after breakfast. Be ready." He didn't think he could get it up again for his sister that night after hearing her call out for Jacques. He decided to seek out a castle maid or some such to quell his anger. Someone... expendable.

Down in the dungeons two guards went to check on their newest prisoner. It was odd to think of the Duke of Perigod imprisoning his own son, and his firstborn at that, but the lad had spent his entire youth and adulthood raised by Duke Highchester. In many ways he was not a Perigod.

They saw the man lying in the corner, a blanket wrapped around his body and his back to the door.

"Hey, Jacques," one called out, clanging a metal plate on the bars, "dinner's served."


They waited for a moment. When the prisoner didn't move, he clanged the plate louder. "Hey asshole! I don't have all day! Dinner's served!"

He looked at the other guard after another still moment passed. "Go check it out."

"Why do I have to do it?" asked his partner?

"Because I have a bigger sword, that's why! Now go wake the bastard."

The other man shot his partner a glare and then went inside. He prodded the prisoner but there was no movement. He kicked him. Still nothing. Finally he turned the man over.

Both guards recognized Hector, the leader of Sir Edward's guards. Both men also recognized the look a dead man had. They looked at each other in fear. The prisoner had escaped, and they would be the ones to hang since it happened on their watch. That was...if it was ever known that the prisoner had escaped. Quietly in mutual agreement, they poured oil over the body and the straw that littered the floor and set a fire. Then they ran upstairs and waited for the eventual alarms to sound.
 
Althea winced as Edward spat out her lover's name as though it were poison. She yelped as he twisted her nipple painfully and yanked off the pillow case. Didn't he see that she didn't want him and never would?

"You may not let me call for him, but I'll never call for you," she growled venemously.

Apollo had scratched at the door when he smelled the Mate on the other side. He whined when he heard him moving away. Didn't he understand that the bad man was in here?? But he was leaving, and the German Shepherd moved aside to let him go, nipping threateningly at his heels. He even growled at the door after it had closed. The sound of soft weeping, however, made him look up.

Althea laid back in bed, on her side to avoid putting any more pressure on her raw ass. Cum leaked out of her sore cavity still and spread across her hips as she rolled to the side. Carefully she wiped herself off with the top sheet and moved to a different part of the bed to sleep. Apollo jumped up onto the bed to comfort her as she gently cried herself back to sleep, wishing to God that drunkeness and anger were still her only problems.

Apollo was convinced he wouldn't be allowed to sleep tonight. Mistress had fallen asleep quickly after the bad man had left, and he soon after. About twenty minutes later, however, he was woken again though this time by a smell. Smoke. Jumping off the bed he went to the door to investigate. Surely enough, the fire had spread quickly from the dungeon to the guest wing of the castle.

Althea was woken again by barking. This time, however, it was almost immediately clear what was wrong. Quickly she threw on her shift and ran barefoot into the hall. A flickering Orange light glowed at one end; the only way out was to go down through the main foyer. Althea headed that way, running past Edward's room. Maybe he would burn alive...
 
Smoke billowed about and filled the hallways. Although the main structure of the castle was stone there was plenty of wood, carpets and draperies to carry the flames through the building. The windows had been closed up to keep out the cold of the winter, and now these same windows were being smashed open by desperate servants vying for an escape route. Screams echoed above the roar of fire and the crack of wooden beams failing in the chaos.

Sir Edward nearly ran right into his sister. "Althea! Thank God! Come on!" He helped her to cover her face with a wet cloth to block the smoke and sheltered her from the flames with his own body. "Most of the castle has evacuated. I came back when I saw you were missing." He kicked a fallen beam out of their way. A wall of fire seemed to rise up before them. "We have to go through!" He shouted, "It's the only way out!"

People lined up with buckets to dowse the flames. The south end of the castle had collapsed, but the northern end looked unscathed. Off to the north of the town a loan rider rode towards the wind, his dark cloak billowing behind him. Riding as he was no scent of fire or sight of flame called him back to Perigod castle. His eyes fixed northward, to the last place he might be welcome.

Back at the castle of Perigod the Duke and Dutchess collected their children all about themselves. "What of Jacque?" Asked Lord Johan. He looked to his father for information about the older brother he barely knew.

The Duke shook his head. "The entire dungeon is lost, I'm afraid. He can only be presumed to be dead."
 
Apollo led the way down the hall through the smoke, pausing every few steps and barking as he followed his nose towards fresh air. This way, Mistress! Follow me! He pulled up short and growled at Edward's sudden appearance. He was a good dog, leading his mistress to safety; they didn't need his help.

"Edward!" Althea staggered as she bumped into her brother. She had pulled her shift up over her nose, but it wasn't doing much so she was grateful for the damp cloth. Apollo ran beside them, but pulled up short and whimpered as flames sprung up in front of him. But Edward was right; the only way out was to run through them.

"Go on, Apollo!" The dog looked up at her and whined. "Go on! Go!"

Backing up a few steps, the German Shepherd ran through the flame with little problem except a bit of singed fur. Althea followed, wincing as a tongue of flame licked at her arm. The hem of her shift caught fire and she quickly had to smother it with more of the cloth, leaving one calf exposed and burned a shiny red. With Apollo and without waiting to see if Edward had made it, she sprinted down the main staircase and out the front door, joining the others huddled in the snow. She reached the Perigod family just in time to hear their emotionless exchange about the man she loved.

"Jacques?" Althea whimpered, covering her mouth. She shook her head and fell to her knees in the snow, tears spilling over her hand and running down to drip into her lap. "No...oh dear God no!" She sobbed quietly, hands covering her face, ignoring the burn and the freeze and the smouldering castle before them. It didn't mean anything; her love was lost. Not only was all hope for the kingdom gone, but the only light in her life had been snuffed out. She may as well just walk back into the burning building now; at least they'd have died together.
 
"Don't cry, dear." The Duchess wrapped her own cloak around the future queen. "Nothing is confirmed yet. Your champion may yet live." She looked up at her husband in a silent plea. Though they both knew the truth, that Jacques was not truly theirs, their other children did not know of the ruse. No one did. Those who had aided in the deception had long since passed away and taken the secret to the grave with them.

The castle herbalist came forward with a bottle of wine. He had added herbs to the elixer to help those traumatized by the fire to rest. "My Lady, Lord Duke, the northern sections of the castle have been deemed safe to sleep in. The guards and remaining servants are putting out the last of the flames. Perhaps it would be best if everyone concerned get some rest; tomorrow will work its way out."

Sir Edward nodded. Several of the noble women, including the Duchess, were going to sleep together in a room. "Go with the other women, Althea. You'll be safe with them." He looked towards the smouldering flames, apparently unaware of the irony in his words.

"Yes dear," the Duchess agreed, "come with us. I'll have the musicians play us some soothing music. It will be alright. You'll see."

Thick, large snow flakes began to fall. It helped to cover evidence of the flames' destruction and also to cover any tracks that might have been laid down in the past hour's time. Apollo seemed content to keep near his mistress, but the fire and the crowds were making him miss home more and more.
 
Althea was inconsolable. The Duchess suggested that her love might still be alive despite having been in the part of the castle which had gotten it worst. She wished people would quit lying to her. Apollo began to lick gently at the burn on her leg, causing her to wince.

"Apollo, no," she said weakly through her sobs. The dog whined and settled for rolling in the snow to get rid of the singed fur.

With a sniffle and a nod, the lady agreed to staying with the other women in one of the rooms in the north wing; the servants would bring up her clothes tomorrow. Fortunately most of her luggage had still been down in the north stables with Maggie and Laddie. Laddie...she supposed it would be her duty to look after her love's horse now.

Mattresses and comforters were brought in and the women settled down. Spiced wine and honeyed mead were brought to calm their nerves and help them sleep; Althea had a glass of each. She yawned and snuggled down on one of the mattresses on the floor after her burns had been dressed.

"I'm sorry, Your Grace," she said with a sleepy yawn. "I'm afraid I've been more nuisance than house guest."
 
The Duchess and her ladies were settled in with Althea, sipping on tea and ruminating about what might have caused the fire. She looked over at Lady Althea and shook her head. "No, no child - do not think that way. I'm just grateful that you were not harmed in the fire. Lord knows King Alastair might have thought it was a purposeful act!" She took a sip of mulled wine. "You and your brother are safe. That is what is important."

Lady Rhianna Perigod, Jacques' sister-in-law, eased herself over to where Althea was laying down. She put her pillow near the future queen's and laid with her face towards her. "I'm sorry about your champion," she whispered. "I know you cared very much for him." She glanced to where the Duchess was laying down with her favored ladies. "Johannes was on his way to visit his brother when the fire was discovered," she shared. "He's distraught as well; all these years without his older brother around, and now to lose him when he is finally returned to us, well... it wounded him greatly." She dabbed at her eyes.

"Tell me, my lady, what was he like? I'd like to be able to tell my husband what his brother was like, to at least give him that much to remember."
 
Althea was disgusted by the Duchess. Her home had been set on fire, her eldest son killed, and all she could think about was politics. The lady could appreciate her position as wife to the "traitor duke," but this was her son for God's sake! She wasn't even crying for him!

When Lady Rhianna laid down and mentioned that she knew how much Althea cared for her knight, she wondered if gossip about them had already started. Not that she cared; it was always just gossip and could easily be discredted if the king ever mentioned it but still. And when the woman who was once her sister-in-law seemed unsure of the way the Duchess handled it too, Althea decided she just liked her that much more.

"He was the best man I ever knew, even above my own father and brother," she said quietly, watching Rhianna's face for any sort of reaction. "He'd been my dearest friend since childhood. Jacques, when he was around before and after the war, was always there to protect me and comfort me. He was...so kind. You may have heard that he was jailed for stealing money from my father; it wasn't stealing. He avoided reporting men dead so that their families could continue to receive stipends. There's nothing dishonorable in that."

The lady sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I cared very much for him...I don't know how I'll be able to handle his being gone." She sniffed again then looked at Rhianna. "Earlier you asked for an audience with me, my lady. What about?"

Just then Apollo, who had shaken his fur off at the door politely and had been enjoying the attentions of the other ladies, trotted over to lay down next to his Mistress. She was the only one crying; she was the only one who needed a good dog right now.
 
Rhianna wiped a tear from her eyes as she listened to Althea speak. "He sounds like a good man. I suppose he and my husband are much alike, even if they resemble little of each other on the outside." She smiled sadly. "I ah... well, I knew that you'd be leaving soon. I wanted to ask you if Johannes and I could visit you after the wedding so that he could get to know Jacques. It seemed obvious that you'd keep him close, and the Duke had been planning to pass Jacques over in succeeding him in ruling Perigod, so I thought it would be good for the men to talk. Johan never expected to be given governership of Perigod. He always assumed that Jacques would come home one day and do it, but recent changes have made us all have to reevaluate, hasn't it?"

He smiled when Apollo came and laid down next to them. "I should let you sleep, Lady. Thank you for indulging me tonight. I know that you must be tired as well."

She tucked her slim hands underneath the cool pillow and smiled at Althea. "Rest well, my Lady."
 
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