"In courts of claw and silver tongue, loyalty is the first pawn sacrificed..."
*Some Hours Before The Banquet*
"What?! You want us to wait on princess Adrianna?" Lysette blurted out in disbelief.
Lyra nodded, "The king has ordered for the two of you specifically." she informed them, but her words did not seem to ease the tension in the room. Orelda tossed her books aside and folded her arms, her lips furled into a tight frown.
"I came to the castle because his majesty saw promise in my research, and not to pupsit some spoiled brat." she said, making her stance clear.
Lysette seconded, "I came because my family is poor, and his majesty promised us a better life through my rare ability, so why would he weave us in harem politics?"
Lyra could tell why they were frustrated, both young women showed immense promise, however, it was their uniquness that prompted this decision.
"His majesty has given the order, do you dare to against him?" her threatening tone made both women to back off. They had heard stories of how ruthless their king was, however, living in the castle for so long without a single incident happening must've made them forget he was the one who conquered all four continents.
Bowing their heads they chorused, "We wouldn't dare it."
Lyra sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair, "Listen, this marriage between the princess and his majesty isn't as transparent as it seems, but you two must already have guessed that. The wolves just like us are fueled by pride, I doubt they'd send their princess here just to maintain a peace treaty."
Orelda raised her head, "The princess might be a spy, I wouldn't put it past their kind to play yet another underhanded trick."
Lysette nodded, "Those wolves are nothing like us, we have honour and dignity, just the other day they raided our storehouse! Not just that, they attacked-" she was saying, but Lyra cut her off.
"The king is more than accostumed to how deceitful the wolves are, however, he doesn't want to incite any new tensions. We may be stronger, but if we engage in another full scale war, we lose valauble land, resources and food. A harsh winter is coming, we have the young to think of."
She straightened her back and looked staright ahead at both women. "Which is why he needs the two of you to keep a close eye on her, report directly to me if she does anything suspicous. Power is an ever shifting wind we must harness, no matter what we cannot be outdone by the wolves."
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At the banquet, talk went round about the wolf the king had welcomed into his harem. Some speculated what his motives could've been, and they all seemed to fall back on the most obvious reason.
"His majesty could not be that desperate for an heir, to lower himself to mate with some she-bitch." General Thayer pointed out, crossing his feet over the trembling woman on all fours. "We didn't go to war just to have the king pump his seed into the enemy."
An irriated look plastered on his face, Lieutenant, Galenor replied, "We surely did not go to war to further encourage your insatiable habits, I hear the West is as notorious as ever."
General Thayer grinned, "Plundering doesn't end after a war, no, that's when it begins. Besides, those bastards had it coming, you can't expect my men to so easily forget the wrongs done to them. Not everyone can be as weak-willed as the southern General."
Lt. Galenor reached for his sword holster, "You insolent child!" he would've charged at the general, but the older man sittting in front of him raised his right palm, thinning the tension.
"How much different would you be from the conqubines in the harem, if you lash out at every taunting remark. Galenor, the wiser man refrains from the slightest provocation." General Rykerath shifted his gaze from his fuming lieutenant, to the younger general. "And as for my stance on the king's decision, my loyalty forever remains with his majesty."
"Do you mean to say the rest of us are disloyal?"
Both heads turned to the man draped in a silver furcoat with gold tassels, he had on a necklace made of claws, and wore silver rings on both biceps. His tone resonant, General Grimgold challenged, "Just because we think differently, does that mean we do not hold his majesty's best wishes at heart?"
"His majesty's harem is none of our business, what happens on the battlefield is. You of all people would be the last person I expected to bury their nose where it does not belong." Old general Rykerath pointed out.
Picking up a cup of wine, he averted his gaze to the older man standing behind the general, just as the other lieutenants did. However, he far older than the rest of the lieutenants, in fact, he was older than his general.
Which of course made sense considering he was the one who instructed the insufferable General Grimgold.
Locking eyes with the old lieutenant he said, "Of course, we all are aware of how much you hold his majesty's best wishes at heart, had your lieutenant not requested it, the imperial harem would not have had its KhtonÌ" he took a sip of his wine, retaining his aloofness.
General Grimgold glared sharply, "And what are you insinuating? His majesty had a fondness of Thalassa from their first meeting, it was natural her status was elevated. However, in that regard, you must have the king's well wishes at heart as well. From a front lining warrior to the head of the harem, Kaidara must have her hands full as the Aethona."
Just as the old man was about to say something, Thayer slammed his foot hard on the back of the slave woman, earning a muffled whimper. She had sunken her teeth into her lowern lip so harshly it drew blood. Stealing their attention, he hissed, "You old dogs can sit on your arses and play harem politics for as long as you like, but I'm not about to watch the royal lineage be tainted by an inferior race." he said, bringing them back to the topic at hand.
General Grimgold seconded, "The king should not make a decision that could cause an uprising, his drive for an heir should be directed in the right path."
General Thayre responded with a laugh, "What path? None of the women in the harem have been able to hold the Alpha's seed long enough, perhaps he needs to chose a woman outside of you old geezer's choosing. Any woman would do, as long as he does not mate with a dog!"
"Oh? And just what would you do if his majesty does get the princess pregnant?" General Rykerath implored.
"That's impossible! A woman of an inferior race could never be able to nuture his seed, let alone survive bedding his majesty. We all know the rumours, that even your warrior daughter passed out after only the second day of the mating ceremony." he pointed out, slapping a sore spot of the old man.
The general of the North, Grimgold chimed, "That princess can never be accepted by me or my clan, our kind has always been pure, I am certain the current king would not disregared years of tradition over an inferior nobody."
General Rykerath shifted his gaze to an empty throne and then to the vacant seat at the harem's table, reserved for the Lysara, princess Adrianna. Stiring the wine in his cup, he replied, "Let's just hope you're right."
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Eira's chest pounded when the king slid his tongue into the cave of her mouth, rendering her body immobile. She closed her eyes, and let out soft moans as his fingers roughly massaged the back of her neck, bringing her in closer.
Eira could taste her blood on his lips and it made her dizzy, and as the kiss prolonged, she found herself punching his chest, fighting him off. The king grabbed her wrists and pinned them over her head, forcing her into lying down.
Her legs kicked furiously, as the air flowing to her lungs decreased, causing a churning swell in her stomach and a piercing headache. Eira wriggled under his massive body, fighting against his overwhelmimg scent tears flowing down the sides of her eyes. Just one kiss from the king and she was already knocking on death's door.
Fortunately, the king's lips hungrily trailed down her neck, licking and biting every inch of her skin.
Eira took short and fast pants, the cooling sensation of air filling her lungs. She arched her back when the king's lips moved to the fabric over her clevage. Before she could form a thought, he ripped her dress apart, exposing her chest.
Eira panicked, why was the king suddenly acting like a mad beast? Her hands free, she grasped a handful of his hair, and raised his head, bringing their eyes to meet.
However, in place of his mesmerizing hazel eyes, she was met with a pair of bloodshot red orbs, gazing at her with an intensity so maddening it made her insides quake with fear.