She awoke later that night. Without a window it was hard to tell the time, but she thought it might be after midnight. She stretched lithely, most of her body aches having faded with her rest. She realized she hadn't heard from the chancellor and wondered how his audience with the king had gone. Now that she was fed, watered, and rested, she let herself replay over the last few days. The memories of his hands and mouth all over her body caused her to shiver despite the warm coverlet. For someone that supposedly never took a pleasure slave he was remarkably talented with his appendages. Or maybe she was just easily satisfied - it wasn't like she had much prior experience for comparison. However, something told her that there was more to it than just eagerness.
Passing her hands over her breast to stimulate her nipple until it pebbled, she reenacted the feel of his large, warm hands. It didn't have the roughness of his calluses or his fluid dexterity, but it fed her arousal all the same. With her other hand, she trailed it slowly down her belly until it reached her pubic bone. She pinched her nipple with one hand, the other delving in between her folds. She brought a bit of her dampness to swirl around her clitoris and shuddered. It was still sensitive, but it heightened her pleasure to have that edge of rawness. She rubbed it slowly back and forth and then in a circle, recalling the feel of his lips along her neck, the tingle as he traced her clavicle. A solitary finger slipped into her dampening channel, slowly inserting back and forth. Avi thought of the feel of his silken length, the way it filled her up deeply. She added a second finger to try and recreate the sensation, then a third. The memory almost brought his scent into the room with her, hints of pine and sandalwood.
Remembering the overwhelming sensation of his presence over her, she let out a muffled moan. She pushed her fingers into herself deeper and faster, chasing the now familiar climb. But she needed
more
. His lithe body, his mouth, his hands, his cock in between her legs. Holding desperately to the memory of all of these things she managed a weak orgasm, a mere shadow of the floodgates she had recently experienced. It left her feeling even more unsatisfied.
Afterwards she laid there, contemplative. She felt like she had jumped from virgin to a sex-crazed vixen. Well, she never did like to do things halfway. Suppressing a yawn, she felt her eyes start to droop again. She was still exhausted, the subpar orgasm having worn her out further. Her eyes fluttered shut, her mind finally blissfully blank.
The next morning she awoke to a firm knock at the door. She roused nervously, unused to having any guests. The door opened and she curled under her blanket to cover her body. A guard in livery addressed her, different from the ones she saw a few days ago.
"The chancellor would like to see you now. Get dressed." He had the decency to step out as she hurriedly pulled a dress over her head, then tying the stays closed. It was dark in her room, but when she exited she could see the dawn light. A faint blue light was shimmering, clueing her into the chancellor's return. She followed the guard until they reached the main house, where he pointed her upstairs with a jerk of his head before taking his place at the main door.
Her small figure struck a lonely image as she ascended the stairs. She used the bannister to steady her hands as she took each stair step by step. As she neared his rooms, she could see the gradual darkening of the watery blue light. The chamber doors were open, framing a tall figure inside. As she got closer to him, the deep blue emanating from him darkened into a wide circle, starting about thirty feet away from him. She wondered if she would feel a difference in her bond as she entered the barrier, and toed one foot in to test the feeling. She tested this a few times, leaning forward and backwards on the tips of her feet to shift her body in and out of the region. It didn't seem to feel any different to her if she were in or out of the line, however.
"What are you doing? Miming jumping over a wall to try out for the players?" His voice drawled, eyeing her gingerly stepping forwards and backwards. She blushed and crossed the rest of the distance to him. She thought about asking him if he saw the same things she saw, when suddenly another thought occurred to her. Could it be this is what his Relic looked like now to her vision magic?
"What's your Relic?" She found herself coyly asking, congratulating herself on finding an indirect way to get him to answer her question. He eyed her suspiciously, "That's quite a personal question. Why not just ask someone what their favorite sexual position is?" That sounded like something useful she would want to know as well. She opened her mouth, "What's your favorite sexu..."
"Enough," he cut her off, his face stern. "The king has demanded an audience with us. He does not like to be kept waiting. Put these clothes on." He thrust some gauzy aquamarine silks into her arms with some bracelets. Bed slave clothes. 'Of course' she thought, with a grimace. She supposed she was a bed slave of a sort now, and would be expected to present that way at court. After eyeing the clothes warily, she gave a frown. They were very flimsy.
Despite him recently seeing, touching, and tasting her entire naked body, Avi still felt a little self conscious undressing in front of him. She gave him an imploring look, causing him to throw his hands up in the air in frustration, but he still turned around to give her some privacy. She hastily removed her secondhand dress, and tried to figure out where all the sheer scarves were supposed to lay on her body. The top appeared to be one shouldered, and secured so that her claiming marks would be on display. The bottom seemed to be long flowing pants of some sort, though the sheerness left little to the imagination. Her midriff was bare. She grimaced at the silver upper arm bangles meant to complete the look - did no one here care what color jewelry would bring out her olive skin tones? She guessed it was to match her collar though, and snapped them into place.
"Do I look all right," she ventured, letting him know it was ok to turn around. He ogled her for a moment which she took to mean 'yes' before he closed his jaw and said "I suppose it will be acceptable. Now come," and walked briskly out of the room. She pretended like she wasn't lightly jogging to keep up with his long strides. If he noticed he didn't comment, though he did slow down the tiniest modicum.
Once they were seated securely in his carriage, he turned to her. "He is furious about what has transpired, as suspected. He has asked that we both meet him this morning in front of the court. He will likely publicly reprimand me in some way. I think it is unlikely he would hurt you in my place. You are of little use to him now that you've been claimed. However, it is important to not make eye contact, obey all orders, and stay quiet. No matter what happens in there, do not draw his attention to yourself. Do you understand?" His eyes were deadly serious as they bored into hers, trying to impress on her the often malicious and mercurial nature of King Joren's court.
She merely nodded. There were many chilling stories circulating about the sorcerer king. Although most were likely to be exaggerations, she did feel very intimidated to be summoned into his presence. He was not, by public opinion, a kind or patient man.
The remainder of the carriage ride was quiet and somber, both lost in their thoughts at the upcoming meeting. Her bond hummed in his proximity though, and the flickering blue light felt comforting, like the warmth of a familial hearth fire. The carriage continued onwards, past the palace wall glittering in the light of an ironically beautiful morning. The softly singing birds in the fruit trees, the dewy petals on the summer roses, and the gentle murmur of a marble fountain provided a contrasting backdrop against the gnawing anxiety inside her stomach. It was hard to focus on the scenery when her heart was doing its best to pound out of her chest.
The pair exited the carriage, and she followed behind his black robes as he tread the familiar path to the great hall. The hallway decor seemed to feature palace guards, large windows, and carefully chosen works of art. With a start, she realized all the pieces were pilfered from the conquered. A few gold wrought pieces and tapestries from Acterus, some framed works and notable statues from Portaugh. The pit in her stomach grew further when she recognized a large oil painting that used to hang in a prominent church in Visgath, now on a blank wall between two vases. As their feet neared their destination, they could hear a quiet din of voices inside. Once they entered, everything stopped, and all eyes turned to them; the porter announced them, but it was unnecessary. It was clear everyone knew who they were.
Avi surveyed the scene from her lowered lashes, doing her best to act the part of an obedient slave. The chancellor was a surprisingly informal master, and she felt grateful that she only needed to pretend to be broken rather than the real thing. The hall was large and spacious, with majestic open arches leading to alcloves and other chambers. One side solely featured a startling mosaic of stained glass, the sun gently casting blues and greens into the room. The walls were freshly painted with frescos featuring notable natural areas around Balen. There were a few clusters of pompously dressed noblemen and women around the room, though the early morning meant it was only a small section of the full court. It would have been an eerily serene sight, if it weren't for the presence of the king.
