An Epic Story: Hannon and Binti

I woke up hours later to darkness. Slowly, I sat up, as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. The moonlight streaming from outside my window was the only source of light in the room.

How long had I been out? Why had no one awoken me? I felt a chill wind caress my skin, causing goosebumps to rise over it. I shuddered.

I rose from the bed, and turned toward the window, finding it open. Of course that was the source of the cool air. The Medira Kingdom was much colder than Adavi, my father had mentioned that in the one hour he had dedicated to teaching me of the kingdom he had sold me to.

Yes, I had only gotten one hour of teachings to serve me for months of my life at least.

I walked over to the window, and reached out to lock it when I found it open. The soft click of the lock filled the room, and then blissful silence.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up." I yelped at the male voice that cut through the silence, recognising it as Hannon's. I turned towards the bed, and found his large form watching me with amusement in his eyes.

"My Queen..."

I opened my eyes to find Niasse's soft blue gaze. She stepped away quickly once she saw I was awake.

The brightness of the room told me it was daytime. How long had I slept? And what was that...? I immediately sprang from the bed, turning toward the opposite end wildly just in case Hannon was in it. The sigh of relief that escaped my lips when I noticed it was empty could be heard three rooms away.

I turned to Niasse once again, and found her staring at me in concern, "My queen, are you well?" She asked.

I had a retort hanging at the tip of my tongue. How could I be well? I was in a strange land, surrounded by people who looked nothing like me, with pale skins and coloured eyes, people who did not share my culture. I did not have a familiar face to look to or a familiar voice to calm me. How could I be well?

"How long was I asleep for?" The retort would have to wait, as well as her question.

"You slept through what was left of yesterday and the entire night." Niasse responded, "The king asked us to let you rest, that is why I didn't come to let you know of dinner." She said with a soft smile on her face.

I wondered if she expected me to express gratitude for the king's thoughtfulness. I wondered if she knew her king was a foul-mouthed creature. Her innocent smile was an indictment of her poor knowledge in just how vile that man I had seen was.

His words echoed in my mind. I was his bedmate, brought to satisfy his sexual needs and bear him children.

I planned to do neither. Hannon would learn that I wasn't the average princess. He would suffer for addressing me the way he had in the presence of all those strangers.

"So, why are you here now?" I asked.

She stared at me like I had asked a foolish question, "My Queen, you have not had a meal since yesterday. I'm here to invite you to breakfast. It is being set up as we speak, you will also need your bath."

Breakfast? Usually, the thought of food filled me with excitement, but I had a feeling this breakfast would not be served in the privacy of my bedroom. If this kingdom was anything like mine, there would be a whole table of guests...maybe even some of those who had witnessed Hannon humiliate me yesterday.

"I'd rather not be part of that breakfast." As soon as the words left my lips, my stomach cried out in protest.

Niasse glanced at my stomach, and I wrapped my arms around myself in embarrassment. Such great timing.

She smiled softly, reminding me of my mother's smile whenever she thought I was bluffing, "Let me take you to the bath house first. We can talk about breakfast once you have cleaned up."

I couldn't argue with Niasse on the idea of having my bath. I was curious to see what this bath house looked like, and the thought of warm water against my skin rather appealed to me right now.

*****

"Is she having her bath?"

The demure palace servant nodded in response to his question, "Yes, your Highness. She likes the bath house it may seem, but she isn't keen on breakfast."

Hannon couldn't say if he wanted Binti to eat, or if he wanted her to be stubborn about her own need for nutrients. One option promised the possibility of him force feeding her, and the thought of that didn't repulse him as much as he thought it would.

Shaeed had mentioned his daughter could be difficult, but it had been pegged to youthful exuberance, something she would grow out of. That was four seasons ago. Perhaps she was yet to grow out of it.

He nodded, "Thank you, Niasse." He responded, "You may leave."

The servant bowed and quickly left his room. Hannon soon followed, curiosity, leading him to the bath house.

He had been kind enough to leave the princess be after her arrival. They had not gotten off on the right foot, thanks to her insolence. Hannon did not care for appealing to her, and her words had shown his approval was the least of her concerns as well.

Sadly, she didn't have the advantage between them. His mind traveled to his discussion with Khan last night.

"She barely spoke the entire journey, and only ate after I forced her to." His Chief Warrior had informed him, in a gruff voice.

Khan did not like the task of bringing Binti over. He had been surprised to learn Hannon had assigned that task to him, but had not questioned it. But once the princess had been delivered, one of the first things he did was register his displeasure concerning her behaviour.

"She may be an incredibly beautiful woman my Lord, but if I may, I do not think she is worth the stress."

Hannon agreed that Binti was indeed a beautiful woman, whether she was worth the stress or not remained to be seen. He was under no impressions that they were going to have a happy marriage. He wasn't the most patient man, nor was he tolerant.

If the Adavi princess proved to be too stubborn for her own good, he would have to return her to her father. He had gotten numerous offers of marriage from some other kings. He was not lacking women who would easily step into Binti's shoe....

Hannon had only thought to stroll to the bathhouse to speak to Binti. Yes, the plan was to find her in her most vulnerable state, so that she would have no other choice but to remain and listen to him, but by the gods this was not the state he expected to find her in.

Binti slowly stepped out of the pool of water, unaware of the one-man audience she had captivated. Hannon's hungry eyes devoured her curvy form. Her rounded buttocks jutted out invitingly, in ways he had never imagined he would see. Droplets of water clung desperately to her dark skin.

He caught a glimpse of her full breasts as she reached for a cloth with which to dry her skin, still unaware of his presence. A droplet of water hung onto a dark, pebbled nipple, just before it dropped.

Hannon gulped, feeling his length stiffen. The heavens help him she was a sight to behold!

And then she wasn't...

Binti glanced his way, and shrieked loudly, as she frantically wrapped the cloth around herself, effectively ending his perusal of her form. Her angry eyes stared at him heatedly, "What the hell are you doing here? How dare you? Niasse said I would be alone!" She fired at him all at once.

"This is my castle princess, I can be wherever I choose to be, and you are my wife, your body is mine to gaze upon." He responded, more smoothly than he thought himself capable of presently. He had never wanted to claim someone as desperately as he wanted to claim Binti Shaeed in this moment. Every nerve in his body begged him to demand she do away with that cloth covering her body, and present herself to him.

Yet, he stood rooted to the spot, willing his growing erection to calm. Even while the thin cloth kept her slightly covered, he could still see most of her thick thighs, and those damned nipples still pebbled.

Binti scoffed so loudly, it echoed, "Your wife? Just because you had your brute uproot me from my kingdom, does not make me your wife! There has been no ceremony in my home or yours to establish such a relationship. And you have no right invading my privacy in this manner." She spat.

Hannon knew she was right. Indeed there could be no claim on her until she was formally presented as his wife to all of his subjects. But that was a small matter... "There will be a ceremony of our wedding tonight, princess. By the end of today, you will be my wife, and you will submit to me and keep your disrespectful words to yourself." He stated firmly.

She scoffed, "I will never submit to you."

Hannon cocked his brows, "Is that a challenge?"

"It's a promise."

A challenge it was then.

And he was ready to let her know just how much she had erred in thinking she would never submit to him. Hannon had not become king of his kingdom when he was barely twenty years of age, and kept the kingdom together, by bowing to any man. He had fought hard against foes far more terrifying than the 5'ft6 princess of Adavi Kingdom. If she thought she could challenge him, she would soon learn the folly in such a thought.

"I thought a long rest would cure you of a few misconceptions of yours, princess, but I now see that I overestimated your intelligence..." he began, as he slowly approached her, "...you do not have any advantages in this union. You do not determine the direction it goes, you are merely a participant." He said.

Her eyes followed him warily, much like he imagined a defenseless prey would follow an approaching predator. Perhaps, with the same naivete a defenseless prey would possess, she remained unmoving as he approached, clearly thinking he was someone she could take on.

He would enjoy dispelling all her misconceptions.

"You will soon find you're the only participant in a union of one." She responded. He respected her instinct to fight back. There was a bite to her words and a fieriness to her tone that was strange, but oddly satisfying to his ears. The last time he had known a woman to display any form of defiance towards authority was his mother, but even then, his memories of such were thin. He had been vaguely aware of altercations between his parents, he might have heard his mother's raised voice as she charged through the palace halls to challenge his father, but he had been kept away from such displays as a child.

As an adult, defiance was not something he had ever encountered, certainly not in a woman. It was rather fitting that the one woman who now gave hints of such a character was a foreigner he had brought to his kingdom under the guise of marriage.

"You will soon find you have made a great mistake if you think your petulance will return you to your father's palace untouched." Hannon stated.

He noticed a rather brief flash of fear in her eyes at that statement, and it caused a smirk to rise against his lips. Oh, so, she had thought he was going to ship her back to Adavi if she proved too stubborn to control. Indeed, she had a lot of learning to do.

"What's wrong princess?" He asked, an amusement to his tone, "Have you suddenly lost your bark?"

Not only had she lost that, she had also lost her concentration long enough to allow him reach her. That question jerked her conscious, but Hannon didn't let her move away before he was reaching out to grab her arm.

In one swift move he pulled her to his body, a gasp spilling from her full lips, as her head shot up to look him in the face.

Those beguiling dark eyes of hers called out to him, as her lips parted in shock. By the gods, she was exquisite! He could feel the softness of her body against his, even as she held onto the flimsy fabric that had protected her form from his gaze, as one would hold on to their last morsel of bread.

He raised his free hand up to her face, tipping her jaw lightly, as he pressed his thumb to her lower lip, "Your father traded you for his kingdom. As long as we're married, I won't have to invade Adavi and conquer it. As long as you keep me happy, he won't have to answer to me as his overlord. I suggest you drop this impetuous attitude of yours, and start making me happy, princess." He said, as his eyes traveled over her face, taking note of her high cheek bones, pretty button nose and her defined brows. Surely, no artiste could have created a better masterpiece than Princess Binti's face.

He noticed her eyes narrow in anger, "Perhaps, it is my father whose body you should be seeking to conquer then, not mine."

Hannon couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his throat. He rather enjoyed her wittiness, he would most appreciate finding other means to use that very sharp tongue of hers, "Perhaps..." he agreed, "...maybe if he had a bottom that could fill my hands this way..." he said, as his hand slipped lower past her waist, to grab onto her full butt. Her eyes widened at his audacity, but this time, she was mindful to keep from making any sound as she glared at him as if she wanted to gouge his eyes out.

Too bad her hands were occupied trying to hold onto that useless little cloth.

Hannon kneaded at her soft bottom, his length thickening at the feel. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like, slipping himself into her wet haven as he grabbed onto her butt. He was almost certain he would find out by the end of the night.

"...sadly, your father doesn't possess the necessary gifts that appeal to me." Hannon paused his familiarisation with Binti's behind with a sharp spank that pulled a yelp of surprise from her lips.

"I guess you'll have to do." His voice was low, gruff, and half a second later, his eager lips crashed onto hers. Hannon had known the minute he stepped into this room that he wouldn't leave without a taste of his wife. He had been benevolent enough to allow her rest the entire night, but he needed to know that beyond her beauty, he found Binti attractive.

If seeing her naked had not quite convinced him, the moment his lips met hers, Hannon was sold. She grew stiff at the suddenness of his kiss at first, and while he hadn't expected much, considering her father had told him she had never been with a man, what he did get when she regained herself enough to realise what he was doing, was enough.

Her lips moved against his with the awkwardness that came with navigating something new. His tongue sought entry into her mouth, but he quickly learnt they wouldn't be going that far so quickly.

He painfully learnt.

It was like a switch came on in her mind; one moment she seemed ready to respond favourably to his kiss, the next, she was shoving him away and swinging her open palm to his face in a sharp slap.