Chapter 36 -- The Pleasure of Elves
*****
Anora learned rather quickly at breakfast the next morning that the girls liked to chat about me, particularly about what I shared with Anora the previous night. She was a little taken aback at first before she figured out that any of my girls with me received the same sort of night, depending on what they wanted. Natia had no problem explaining the sort of different nights we had shared, comparing that to Solona, who would happily sleep with me without needing any sort of physical intimacy except lots of kisses and cuddles.
"Putting it simply, Anora, he won't just fuck you. He'll listen to what you want, but he can also read us all very well with us saying a word," Solona explained.
"And he'll pretty much do anything you want," Natia added, with a large grin in my direction, "He will ask you once if you're sure, but if you want it, he'll do it. Generally, he'll be quite happy to do it too."
"What about... um..." Anora trailed off, and it didn't take long for many of them to figure it out.
Solona leaned in close and whispered in her ear. Anora nodded. Solona broke out into an enormous smile. "Discuss it with him. I already have."
Anora looked immediately in my direction. "Sounds like we need another serious discussion, Anora. Sooner than I thought, but I really don't mind."
"Are you sure?"
"I expected it."
"What else did you talk about?" Leliana wondered.
"My life at the palace. It was not idyllic. I loved being queen of the people, and I always ruled in their best interests but..."
"The rumours were true?" Solona asked.
Anora nodded as she looked at me. "We talked about it last night," I replied, "I won't share details..."
"I don't mind," Anora stated, "I want them to compare you to him." I looked at her, an unasked question of 'Are you sure?' but the smile she returned suggested I could say whatever I wanted.
I looked around the dining table, surrounded by all my girls. "I've always been honest with you all, haven't I?" More nods of agreements. "I've never lied, at least never intentionally. I hope I've never done it at all. You've always known about each other. I let you know from day one. Anora... She did not have the same respect from Cailan. People will call me a philanderer for the life I lead. Some would call me a bastard and other names, believing I'm taking advantage of your good nature. Because all of you have good hearts and souls. You all make me want to be a better man, if not the
best
man I can be." I think they all wanted to hug me then and there, such was the look on their faces. "Cailan was a bastard and he was a fool. He had a beautiful young wife at his side, as his queen, a woman he should have loved and adored. Instead, he spends most of his time humping servants and gods know who else. I know we sound exactly the same..."
"You're not," Anora stated adamantly, "Because you are at least honest with me. And that's just the beginning of what I already think about you."
I gestured at her. "Look at Anora, and see this beautiful woman, and then understand that she was ignored by her husband. She admitted to me before we were together that it had been over a year. Granted, she was in mourning for some of that..."
"No wonder you were eager to have him last night!" Natia exclaimed.
"No wonder we could hear too," Solona added with a giggle.
Anora just started to blush. "I thought you'd be used to that by now?" I retorted. Solona just held up two fingers, most of the girls bursting into laughter.
Anora's jaw simply dropped before she asked, "So how does it work if I'm not with him?"
"You can have your own room or share with someone," Leliana replied, "To be honest, most of us share. Sereda and Natia even share a bed, though I think that's because our beds to them are enormous, so I guess it's not as awkward."
"Helps that Sereda is cute too," Natia added, throwing a wink in her direction.
"Are any of you... intimate?" Anora wondered.
"Generally, only if we're with him," Leliana stated, "But, trust me, if you join in with the fun, you won't be expected to do anything you won't feel comfortable with. The only thing you might have to get used to is female nudity, and perhaps a bit of female on female sex at the same time."
"Oh... Really?"
"Only some of us."
"What do you mean by 'generally'?" I wondered. Leliana looked immediately at Natia, who simply smirked at me, while Sereda looked like she wanted the ground to open up. "Seriously? Good for you. And I'm not even surprised, as I figured it would happen eventually."
"Sereda won't return the favour, of course, but I'll happily eat her out."
"I like what we share, Natia, but I'm not interested in doing that. Kissing you is fine, but the only thing going in my mouth is his cock."
"No complaints, princess. I'm happy to do it."
I'll admit, that though pretty much gave me an immediate erection. Eliza then cleared her throat, and glanced at Solona. "Who does who?" I just had to ask, surprised but also not at the same time.
Solona just blushed as Eliza replied, "Solona likes a few fingers inside her, Ragnar, as you already know. I think Solona will have her mouth on my pussy eventually. Maybe I'll just get her drunk first."
"I already enjoy what you do to me, Eliza, but you know I prefer him. I'm the same as everyone. If I could have him every night..." She trailed off before giggling to herself, "Maker, I'd be walking with a limp all the time!"
Eliza laughed before replying. "I know you're not that keen on returning the favour, sweetie, but it does leave me frustrated occasionally. I do finish off myself each time. Maybe you could offer your fingers every once in a while, at the very least."
Glancing at my elven girls, they all shook their head, before finally looking at Leliana. "Oh no, only when I'm with you at the same time, Ragnar. If I'm alone, I'll simply take matters into my own hands. My imagination does the job."
"And that thought alone excites me no end. So, can I assume that everyone is happy then?" Everyone readily agreed again, so that was a relief. And, if some of my girls did find some excitement in each other, then I'll admit a little relief as I wouldn't feel pressure all the time.
That first week with Anora was me simply learning the ropes. Sure, I had an idea of what to do but actually doing it was a whole other set of problems. The first thing we had to do was go through the books and check the city's finances, Anora explaining the differences between the governance of the monarchy compared to that of a local lord. She had no end of patience to many of my stupid questions, or so I thought, but I'll admit to a fair amount of nerves when she said one of my roles would be to open my doors to petitioners. The worst part of that, she admitted, would be telling people no. And I would say no far more often than I would say yes.
Aside from working, the five that were originally Wardens were now no longer Wardens. They sat down with Alistair, explained what they wanted, and even as king, there wasn't really much he could do. They hadn't undergone the Joining so hadn't officially joined. But news from Amaranthine was good, as the Orlesians arrived with enough Wardens, and apparently they were going on a recruiting drive anyway, so in the end, the five of them didn't really matter.
I was in a rather unique position. I was still the sworn warrior of Cerys Cousland, despite the fact my official role was above hers, and she was somewhat betrothed to Alistair. Ser Cauthrien, otherwise now known as Eliza to everyone, was my sworn warrior. And to make their lives easier, the five of them swore themselves to me. I found that a little strange, and I worried about taking advantage of the situation, but everyone, even Anora, simply assured me that it meant they couldn't be taken away, particularly those gifted with magic. That pleased me immensely.
During that first week, I finally had some time with Neria. It wasn't just a case of her coming to my room to fuck. I made sure we spent the afternoon together first, taking her on a walk outside the city walls, where we eventually enjoyed a picnic. She loved the fact I'd thought of something so simple, and the only thing either of us had to do was forget the fact I now had minders, otherwise known as bodyguards, which I simply didn't need but Anora insisted on me having. At least they kept back and we could forget about them.
Lying back together on a blanket, it was incredibly peaceful, surrounded by farmland, a small wooded area a couple of hundred metres away, with a river even closer. "Good thing I'm here with you. People don't like elves... you know, being free."
"That's something I can hopefully change."
That made her smile immediately. "You really care for us, don't you?"
"No-one should have to live in an alienage like that. I'm embarrassed by it. So, what I can do while I'm lord, is try and help however I can. But Anora's already warned me that doing too much will cause issues."