Doe lit the candles and waited. She had once hated this room. Now she was merely indifferent to it. It was large, even for this castle. On one side of the room was a grand four poster bed, and opposite was a balcony that overlooked the square below. It was a room set for royalty.
Etiquette and decorum were the hallmarks of a good queen, and though a queen Doe was yet to be, it had been on her eighteenth birthday that duty dictated it was time she learnt the ways of the crown. There was once a time when she would resent the lessons. But she had quickly come to enjoy them, even if she felt she had better things to do. And as she had grown, she had realised her mother was, as much as she hated the fact, right after all. Diplomacy was an all-powerful tool when it came to dealing with people of influence, and when your family ruled the kingdom, it was more often than not people of influence that had to be dealt with.
She was just preparing for the lesson ahead when she heard the footsteps coming down the corridor, and a nervous knock at the door.
"Come in," she said.
The door opened. Sir Elinor was her usual teacher, but standing before her tonight was a knight she did not recognise.
"You're not my usual teacher," she grumbled.
"Sir Elinor is busy tonight, Ma'am," he said.
"Busy? What could he be doing that is more important than serving the princess?"
"I did not enquire, Ma'am."
"You know you didn't need to come. I do this every day, and have done since I was eighteen. I could have had just one day off."
"I'm afraid the Queen was most insistent, Ma'am, she said it's-"
"-Most important for me to learn the arts of the diplomat. Yes, yes, I know."
"Your mother went through this just as you are doing, Ma'am."
"As everybody keeps reminding me. She could have at least found me a reliable teacher. First Sir Molgrim, then Dagan, then Thomas, then Molgrim again. They kept forgetting what each other did with me. Elinor was the only real teacher I had, and now even he's got better things to do."
"I've been assured he'll be back shortly, Ma'am."
"And I guess in the meantime I shall have to make do with you, shall I?"
"Indeed, Ma'am."
She eyed him up and down and scowled. "You don't look like a good teacher."
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. Hopefully looks will be deceiving."
"Umm-hmmm," Doe said with scepticism. It was improper to argue. It was improper to be sarcastic. But despite her lessons, Doe had never let herself be rid of her cynicism. "I think you're in for a run for your money, Sir..." she let the sentence hang.
"Alfred. Sir Alfred, Ma'am."
"Well, Alfred, I suppose we'd better get started then, had we?" she sighed.
"Unless there's anything else, Ma'am."
"You can stop calling me Ma'am!"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Let's just get this over with."
Doe stood and untied the chord of her nightie. It was a single piece, and designed for removal at a second's notice. Her mother often made her liaise with the royal tailor and dress-fitter, who more often than not presented Doe with garments of lace and sequins so unnecessarily complex that she wouldn't have known where to start. This nightie was simple. A quick pull of the chord, and they could get started.
She shrugged the fabric off, letting it slide down her back to the floor. She watched Alfred's eyes widen as they flicked from her naked breasts to her bare midriff. And after a stern look from Doe he, too, began to undress. At least he hadn't come, like some substitutes had in the past, donning full armour. That made such a racket she'd had maids rushing in to see what the matter was, then leaving very quickly after they'd seen what the matter was. And the amount of clasps and fastenings she'd been so often roped in to unbuckle was an unrealistic ask.
When Alfred had taken his clothes off, she gave him the same appraisal he'd given her. He wasn't bad looking- you didn't get to be a knight if you didn't have the muscles to swing a solid steel sword like it was nothing. But, still, she didn't have much hope. She'd had better-looking men do a bad job on her, and she hardly held much hope for this second-rate soldier. And as she glanced down, to his exposed midriff. His dick was semi-erect, the dick he was about to put inside her. After all, that's what rich and powerful men wanted. Someone to shove their dick into. And that was what her lessons, for almost the last three years, had taught her how to do.
"Where would you like to do it?"
"Away from the window," Doe laid herself back on the bed and scowled. He could do all the work today. And he could have her in the blandest way possible. "When the days get longer the common-folk gather below in the hope of seeing their princess get fucked. And that's not something I wish them to see today."
"Well it's only a matter of time before you'll be doing it in front of more than just common-folk," Alfred said. "Just look at your mother, if it's not too bold to say so. It was only last month that she courted the Duke of Cavandare to help with land agreements."
"She didn't court him, Alfred. She fucked him. She might have fucked him well and hard, fucked him until the Duke couldn't even remember what land he started out with, but there was certainly no courting going on."
"My apologies."
"And STOP apologising! Alfred, everything you say is making me less and less, how do you say, in the mood. And the less in the mood I am, the harder your job is going to be. Now unless you've got any further advice, or anecdote about my mother whoring out her rear end in the name of politics, you're going to climb on top of me and shove your dick in my rear end. And you're going to do that until my legs go weak and I piss all over you. And let me tell you, I think even Elinor would struggle with that now all I can think of is my mother on all-fours letting that rat of a man have a go on her!"
"Yes Ma'am," he said tentatively. "Now, when you say your rear end..."
"The normal way, Alfred! The normal way!"
"Of course."
Alfred approached her on the bed, crawling towards her. Once positioned over her, he stroked her thigh, and higher, until his fingers were inches away. But instead of continuing, he lifted his hand to her ample breast, and caressed it, leaving a thumb to gently rub the nipple. And soon Doe felt her nipple harden, and as it did, Alfred plucked at it, then twisted it hard, making her gasp.
"Was that too hard?" he asked.
"No, no," she panted. "Carry on."