Behind the Tapestry

The queens hand maid accepted her new title of "friend" with the feelings of amazement and honor. As the next two months trekked on, she felt comfortable asking the queen questions. She would ask the queen how she should inform a young man that she was interested in that she liked him. "If you were in my place my queen." She would comment after every question she felt may be too personal.

The queen enjoyed answering her questions and cherished the time they had together. "You remind me that the king and I have not strayed too far away from being like young kids in love!" She told her one day as they were walking down the hallway. She smiled and said, "He tells me that I make his tummy tickle." She let out a slight chuckle. Then her face took on a look of mock sternness, "But you must never tell the king that I told you that!" She said then began to laugh.

"My queen, are you doing well? I have noticed that you have looked a little pale. Is there anything that I can do to help you?" She asked with a look of concern.

"Just be my friend is all I ask. After I talk to the king tonight, I believe having you as a friend will be a very important aspect of my life." The queen said with her eyes continuing to look forward as they walked.

The handmaid felt as if it would be best to not question the queen until the next day. She would wait until the queen talked with the king.

That night as they lay in bed, she rested her head on his chest as his arm wrapped around her. The queen began to cry. She was attempting to hold in her tears but they began to stream out and roll down his chest.

"My love, is something troubling you? Are you hurt? Did I make you sad or angry?" He said as she began to sob.

He sat up and cradled her. Her arms crossed on her chest and her head nestled into his neck. He began to rock forward and backwards the entire time while soothing her.

Once she controlled her sobbing she wiped her tears away and looked up at him. "My king. My love. These are tears of joy. I am not hurt my lover. I am with child."

The kings felt all of the blood rush from his face. After he swallowed he attempted to talk but no sound could be made from his dry throat. He swallowed again and when he attempted to speak he too began to cry. He covered her face with kisses and tears.

"Are you sure? Please tell me you are not teasing me! We are going to be parents?!" He said with his eyes wide and his smile even wider.

"You are going to be a daddy and I will be a mommy my king." She said as she kissed him again.

The announcement was made to the kingdom when the queen was in her third month of pregnancy. The royal couple had kept it a secret between the two of them until the official announcement was made for all to hear.

After the announcement, the king, queen and the hand maid walked in the garden discussing the future care for the queen during her pregnancy.

"My mother is pregnant too, your highness, I will ask her for advice." The hand maid said as they were walking.

"She is?!" Exclaimed the queen. "I would like to meet her. I am extending an invitation to her for dinner tonight. I would like for you both to be our guests." She said to the hand maid.

After dinner, they decided to go to bed early in order to relax from the excitement of making the announcement of the pregnancy. They reclined in their bed, talking, looking at and caressing one another. The reality that very soon it will no longer be the two of them.

The queen turned to her side, positioning her back towards the king. He rubbed her shoulders and back. Slowly and gently, but not too lightly. He raked his fingernails on her back, starting at the top of her shoulders where it transitions to her neck. Back and forth from the edge of one arm to the other he worked his way down to her bottom. He would then draw his hand from the top of her shoulder down to the back of her knees creating a crosshatch of red marks on her back.

"We have kindred spirits." The queen said suddenly.

"We do my queen." The king said as he stopped scratching her back then leaned in and kissed her shoulder.

"Of course we do my love, but I was speaking with my hand maids mother. We have kindred spirits. I have asked her to visit often. I need someone that understands what I am going through, physically and emotionally."

The king pulled away and laid on his back. He entwined his fingers to one another and rested them on his chest as he looked up to the ceiling.

After minutes of silence, the queen turned over to him and began to rub her hand on his chest.

"What is wrong love?" She said as she ran her finger on the side of his face.

"Nothing." He said quite shortly without turning and looking at her.

"There is something wrong. You are pouting." She said, matter of factly.

"I most certainly am not!" He said gruffly.

"Do not lie to me. You are pouting and you know you are pouting. Tell me why you have decided to act this way." She responded as she positioned herself in a sitting position.

The king continued to look toward the ceiling and remained quiet. He took a deep breath as if to answer then slowly exhaled. The queen waited. She knew this game. She knew that his love for her would not allow him to keep his feelings to himself. All she had to do was wait. She knew he did not want to disappoint her. She knew by keeping his thoughts or ideas to himself it would hurt her and make her feel like he did not trust her. He loved opening up to her with every part of himself begin exposed only to her. She did not like playing games, but she knew how to win this game.

She would wait.

She would be patient.

She would sit there and let him stew and pout.

He drew in a breath again. Held it for almost a minute then with control he released it through his nose.

It still amazed her how he could breathe in so quickly, appearing to take in a very small amount of air, but yet release so much air and with so much control. But she liked that about him. He always worked on controlling his emotions, his body and his words. She also liked the idea that she takes that control from him at times. He fights it so hard. But that just makes the release that much better.

"I feel that I am being replaced." He said after another minute of silence. "We are kindred spirits. I love you. I would die for you. You know more about me than anyone. My desire is to make you happy, to make you smile, to take your worries away, to protect you, to provide for you. But yet, you meet someone for a few hours and you state you are kindred spirits. Will you not share your thoughts with me any longer? Have I been replaced?"

It had taken so long for him to express his thoughts and emotions to her. To anyone. The king felt weak if he allowed people to see his emotions. If they could see his emotions, they could have control over him. His own emotions could be used to harm him or worse, the queen.

The queen knew his thoughts about expressing his emotions. She loved and became exasperated when he allowed his emotions to carry him away with his thoughts. She loved it because he would become very creative and surprise her with different ways to express his love to her. He would build a new toy behind the tapestry, take her to the waterfall and have a table set up ready for a dinner at dusk, have little notes left for her through out the room expressing his unfaltering and undying love for her.

The exasperation came when he would allow himself to travel down a dark path in his mind. This time he was walking down a grey path. She could see that he was fighting the darkness but she had to stop him before he allowed it to consume his thoughts.

She made him unclasp his hands then entwined her hand within his. She brought it to her lips and held it in place. He looked over to her as she held his hand. She knew he would look her way again. She knew he would stop walking that path and begin to look for her. He stated many times that when he finds himself walking that dark path he begins to look for her. It is his goal. To go to her and envelope himself within her.

"I have some questions for you." She said softly.

He continued to look at her. He did not want to miss a word she said through the lips she hid behind his hand.

"Do you think of me as a smart person?"

"Yes, you know I do!" He said

"Have I ever done anything to make you think that I would replace you?"

A tear had formed on the corner of his eye and glistened as it walked down the side of his face.

"No my love. You have not."

"Have you ever been pregnant?" She asked with a straight face.

He knew better than to chuckle at the thought because he could see by her face it was not meant to be a funny question.

"No, I have not." He said above a whisper.

"Neither have I. To be quite honest, I am frightened. But, tonight I have met someone that is pregnant and will give birth close to the same date as me. Plus, she has been pregnant before. I respect her not because she has been pregnant and is pregnant but because she has produced such a wonderful daughter. I consider her daughter a friend of mine. She is pregnant once again and is as excited this time as she was with her daughter.

She will be able to explain to me the many feelings that I have and will have because she has felt them too. She will help me in my thinking and emotions because she has felt them too. She will warn me of the aches and pains because she has felt them too. And, she will feel them all again.

You see, she is a kindred spirit. There will be things I will tell her that I will not tell you. Only because I know you will not and cannot understand. You are not being replaced. I know your commitment to me. I know the depth of your love for me. I know that you would sacrifice everything for me. But, my love, I need a friend that will understand exactly what I will be going through. I have found that friend."

The king felt his face flush out of embarrassment. Who was he to put his emotions, his false emotions at that, over the trust and love he has for his queen.

"Please forgive me of my arrogance." Was all he said.

"You are forgiven." She said as she kissed his hand. She laid down and curled herself into him.

"I love you." He said as he felt her relax into him.

"I love you too." She said as she felt him relax into her.

She could feel her body begin to wake as the light in the room began to increase in the morning. However, when she tried to stretch out she realized her hands, wrists and arms were bound together and secured. She attempted to extend her legs and realized they too were bound and secured.

She was bound tightly in the fetal position while still on the bed. How he was able to accomplish this feat while she slept amazed her. The delicate way he had to ensnare and encompass each of her limbs was a wonder. But, to be so delicate and yet to have her so bound so tightly truly amazed her.

She was not ready for the sharp bite of the paddle. It was not a hard impact, just unexpected. It was followed by another, then another and yet another. Each one with a little more force. She felt defiant. What has she done to deserve a punishment? As she turned her head to protest she felt a ball enter her mouth then a strap lash around her head. Once it was secured, she was gifted with more strikes. She could feel the heat from the impacts on her skin.

The king walked around the bed and knelt next to her face. He placed his hand on the side of her face then kissed her.

"You are not being punished my love." She said softly. I am taking away all of the anxiety and worry you are feeling. You had to reprimand me last night because of my selfishness and egotistical thoughts. You should have never had to do that. You have our baby growing in you and yet I seem to have forgotten how much strain that puts on your body. So, I am taking some of that away."

As he stood, he held a flogger in his hand. She could feel it ride against her toes then feet then nothing as it passed over the bindings until it reached the exposed skin by her knees then thighs. With a large and graceful arc he landed it on her back. Slowly he drew it across her side and up to her shoulders. She could see the many frills hang down in front of her face as she anticipated the next impact.

It became a blur as he swung again, then again. She could not prepare for the next swing because he did not swing with a rhythm. He was reading her, he would swing after she would relax. Sometimes immediately, other times he would wait. She could feel the tension and the feeling of being worn ebb from her body.

He began to stroke himself then stood in front of her face as she lay on the bed. Still bound. Heat rising from the markings he had given her. She could see his hardness fully erect. As his hand slowly rode up and down his shaft she saw a slight twinkle of a wet droplet form on his head. She began to drool. She wanted to use her tongue to lick his wetness. She wanted to feel his heat in her mouth, on her tongue and down her throat.

He began to stroke harder and faster. She could see his sack slamming against his clenched fist as it pulsated up and down his cock. Her moan was muffled through her gag and she attempted to plead with her eyes.

He walked out of her eyesight and then climbed on the bed. She felt his hand rest on her thigh then his other hand as it left its imprint on her bottom.

With a fluid motion, he sunk himself deep in her and grabbed the hair on the back of her head. He began to pump into her wetness with force and primal lust. The grip he had on her hair took away any control that she had to any body movement. She was totally under his control. She was being used for his lust. She was his toy and she welcomed the feeling. She was his and he was hers. She was lost in the fantasy that this was her reality. To be loved, wanted and needed so badly by the man she loved, wanted and needed that took her to a level of ecstasy she had never encountered.

When he came, his moan was mixed with a growl. He felt himself grow light headed as he continued to thrust. The head rush lasted only a second and he welcomed the feeling. He knew at that point he had given her everything he had.

He untied the gag then the bindings. He caressed the imprints each of the leather straps made on her skin. He kissed each mark then massaged her soul with his love and affection. His soft words of passion whispered in her ear. His lustful desires spoken in a flowing tongue that emanated from his heart.

They lay together and slept until the morning light brightened the room.

Part 9

The queens pregnancy was going as well as could be expected. The king doted on her "baby belly", the name she called her new tummy shape. He was amazed at the glow that appeared to shine from her as she grew closer to becoming a mommy. He accompanied her at every checkup the doctor performed. Figuratively and emotionally he walked with her through every change that her body and mind experienced.