The Witcher's Legacy: Part 3
This is my third foray into fan fiction and is a continuation of the larger story I have based in the world of Witcher 3. All characters are over 18 and this is a work of fiction. I do not own any of the intellectual property associated with the Witcher and if asked by those who do to remove it, I will do so. I ask that these stories not be displayed anywhere other than Literotica.
I rushed the first two works in this series and so my editing was not great. I sincerely hope this story begins to redeem my earlier efforts.
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In the days since the celebration Talus had seemed distracted.
Not all the time, Charlotte noticed, but there were times when he would disappear for several hours at a time with no explanation. Not that Charlotte would ever ask. She loved Talus and she knew, without question that he loved her too. Their bond gave Charlotte absolute trust that whatever he was doing, knowing it was all to make life better for them and everyone around them.
She could depend on Talus absolutely and without reservation.
Charlotte was aware that Talus was experienced. Unlike her, he had not grown up amongst the nobility. He was a tall, handsome man and a famous warrior. A hero. Before they had met, she knew, he had been with other women. There was nothing to forgive there. He was patient and caring and she knew that, when the time came, their first time would be magical.
As the Baron and ruler of Crow's Perch, Talus was responsible for the safety and well-being of everyone around him.
Charlotte knew that her soon-to-be husband was new to the title, but he was a natural ruler. He could be serious and responsible and he always...always, put the needs of others before his own.
Sometimes this meant that he had to place the safety and security of his people ahead of his and, by extension, Charlotte's.
The future baroness of Crow's Perch couldn't be prouder of the way Talus took care of things.
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Guilt was eating at Talus.
It was strange though. It was not guilt at the act itself.
The sex with the Lady of the Wood was the only thing protecting his new barony from being gruesomely punished by a being of power the likes of which he had never imagined. By rutting with Penni, he was keeping her happy and in return she was doing nothing to harm his people. She was also making sure, through magic (and occasional bouts of discretion, though these could hardly be trusted), that Charlotte was not exposed to what Talus was being made to do.
No, there was no real guilt over that.
He felt guilty because, despite being forced into this, repeatedly, Talus was experiencing sex like nothing he had ever experienced before. He couldn't help enjoying the act.
Sex with Penni was mind-blowing and she was not just absolutely insatiable, she was single-minded in her desire to fuck him and him alone. She was evil and she made clear that nothing had changed in that respect except that she intended to draw her power from fucking him and, she said, corrupting him, instead of butchering and probably eating people.
To fuck such a creature should be impossible. Everything about her was diabolical, except her body and her appetite for him. Penni was doing her level best to make herself the centre of his world. It took no effort whatsoever to conjure an image of her in his mind. In truth, he was having trouble keeping those images at bay. His body was increasingly reactive to her and her intense sexual desires.
His heart and soul belonged to Charlotte and he was certain that despite Penni's machinations, that would never change.
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In what passed for mercy, Penni had left Talus alone for an entire day and he had been able to spend time with Charlotte.
They had gone riding, found a village nearby and purchased some food at a local inn, sitting together and eating, two guards and a chaperone invited to join them. Charlotte's presence soothed him, calmed him.
They helped some villagers fit a wheel to a broken cart, Charlotte playing with the children as Talus and the guards heaved and lifted the laden cart while the bewildered cart-owner fitted his roughly-repaired wheel.
By lunchtime the small group stopped for a picnic and the chaperone was discreet enough to let the couple cuddle a little as she busied herself preparing food and setting the guards to work spreading a blanket.
"I am glad we took today to get out of the fort and just enjoy our new home. You seemed like you needed a little time away from everything." Charlotte shared, sitting beside him, but not too close, lest the chaperone have a fit. "You carry far too much on your shoulders."
Talus gazed over at her and felt his spirits lift a little, but his recent actions threatened to swallow him back down into what his mother would have called a 'mood'.
"This title, it comes with responsibilities that I could never have imagined, Charlotte. To protect the people, I have to do things I don't want to do. Things that make me betray myself. Things that make me feel like I am betraying you." Talus dropped his head in shame.
His big frame shuddered as he drew a ragged breath, staring at the ground between his boots. For a long time Charlotte was silent. Then he heard a tut of disapproval from the chaperone as her delicate hand slipped into his and gave him a reassuring squeeze.
"Talus, my love. I -- I cannot pretend to know what you have to face as the Baron, and I cannot pretend to like the idea that there is a gap between us, but I understand and I accept it." She leaned in and raised his chin to look deep into his eyes.
Her jaw tightened and her eyes sharpened.
"Now you listen to me. You are the Baron of Crow's Perch and the man I am to marry. You have responsibilities that do not allow for frailty. You are to do whatever it takes to keep us safe. You are to show no weakness, no hesitation and no guilt. Swear it."
Talus could see the sincerity in her eyes and hear it in her words.
"I swear."
As the day wore on, he relaxed and more, Charlotte's irrepressible spirit drew him out of the himself and he started to smile to engage.
The day drew to a close and the group returned to the Perch.
He drew Charlotte close and their lips touched lightly, the two of them grinning for a moment before pressing closer and deepening the kiss, his hands on her waist as time slowed and the rest of the world faded away.
