Preparations 3

The late-morning, summer sun warmed the princess' bare skin as she threw another dress in a pile in the corner and yelled in frustration. She had settled on a white under-bust corset that displayed her tits and hips perfectly, but she could not very well traipse around town without anything over it. The goods were a private matter. But all the gowns and dresses she owned were wrong. Too long, too tight, too loose. Or just... wrong!

This was to be Carina's first visit to Jon's ship, and everything needed to be perfect. It was absurd, really. The affair had continued for months now, but the lovers never met outside of the royal grounds. Yesterday Jon had, quite publicly, invited the princess to "inspect his ship" and discuss ship-building techniques. But now she stood in her dressing room, wearing nothing but an all-revealing corset, and feeling hopelessly lost.

She heard the door to her bedroom open, then she heard Lady Chamberlain Sophie say to someone else, "Just leave it on the table, and come back later to pick up the dishes. I'm sure the princess is very busy this morning."

Carina grabbed two new dresses. One was a tight red gown with a flair at the bottom and the other a light, seafoam-green dress with frills that would flutter in the wind. She leapt to the doorway separating her dressing room and bedroom and, holding one dress to each side, she cried out, "Sophie! Which dress should I wear?"

Sophie's mouth froze halfway open as if she was going to say something, but didn't know what it was. Beside her, the young maid's eyes opened wide, then she snapped her eyes on her toes and quickly set the tray of breakfast she was carrying on the table. Between the dresses hanging from her hands, the princess' guests had a clear view of the goods.

Realizing her mistake, Carina thought: Awkward, but not important right now! Sophie continued to hesitate, although it wasn't exactly confusion Carina detected in her expression. Still not important.

"Lady Chamberlain," Carina repeated, "I require assistance."

That brought Sophie to her senses, and she turned to shoo the maid from the room. The princess stepped back into the dressing room. Carina tossed the new dresses onto the pile in the corner and roared her frustration at her wardrobe. The lady chamberlain stepped into the room behind the princess and draped a robe around her shoulders. Carina thought she noticed hesitation when Sophie's finger brushed her shoulder. She briefly caught a nervous smile before Sophie turned toward the racks of clothes.

"Now, am I to presume you are dressing for your meeting with our friend, Jon?"

Carina nodded as Sophie brushed strands of her blond hair from her face.

"Well, first of all, if you will be traipsing around the docks, you don't want a long dress to catch on things." Sophie searched the princess' clothes and then pulled out a pleated tan skirt made of a heavy silk that reached just above Carina's knee when the lady chamberlain held it up to the princess. "This skirt will serve you much better," she said.

The skirt had narrow golden trim, but was lacking in frills and lace, and Carina glanced at it dubiously. As if to make up for it, Sophie then handed Carina a white blouse with wide lacing around the collar and frills at the wrist. The princess tried the outfit on and began to feel much better about the morning as Sophie nodded approvingly. The lady chamberlain went across the wardrobe to retrieve a pair of tan gloves and a matching pair of kitten-heeled boots with decorative shells in the laces.

Carina completed the outfit with a pair of white stockings. Looking over herself in the mirror, she found herself excited to get the day started. She suddenly turned toward Sophie and threw her arms around her friend, "Oh thank you so much. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Of course, your highness," the lady chamberlain said blushing and returning the princess' hug lightly. When Carina's grip relaxed, Sophie held her at arm's length and said, "Now, you will be expected soon, but you must eat breakfast first. Quickly, now. Your food is getting cold. I will have your coach and guards ready when you are finished eating."

--

Lady Chamberlain Sophie let out a deep sigh upon leaving the princess' chamber and leaned her back against the closed door, long fingers exploring the woodgrain. She allowed herself a moment to imagine the day in store for the princess and her lover. Sophie envied her the opportunity to enjoy some companionship. As she felt her hand creeping up her thigh, her attention suddenly snapped to the guard not far away who was absolutely not looking toward the lady chamberlain. She stood up straight, arranged her gown, and set off to gather the princess' guard detail.

Sophie walked to the Great Hall, where two servants were cleaning. An elderly woman dusted the sconces while a boy mopped the floor. The lady chamberlain called to him, "Boy, come here."

He leaned the mop against a table, and then jogged over to her. Although his mid-length, blonde hair gave him a youthful look as he bounded toward her, she noted that he moved like a grown man. Still a bit of a gangly teenager's build, as he grew closer, Sophie had to admit this was more young man than grown boy. He wore white trousers and tunic with laces up the front. They were well-tailored and clean as befitted a servant of the royal household. When he stood in front of Sophie, the young man bowed and asked, "'Ow may I serve, milady?"

"What is your name?" Sophie asked, struggling to sound conversational, not haughty. It was quite beyond her ability to remember the name of every servant, but she had found that nobles who never bothered to try experienced far more thievery, disrespect, and every form of disloyalty.

"James, milady."

"I need you to run to the guardhouse, James. Inform the watch officer that the princess' personal guard should be prepared immediately and await her here, in the great hall."

"Certainly milady," James said.

As he turned to leave, Sophie's mind drifted back to the princess' agenda for the day and she heard herself say, "Once you have done so, come call at my chambers. I have another task for you."

At the elderly maid's piqued interest, the lady chamberlain added, "The mopping can wait 'til later."

--

The bumping and jerking movement of the coach over the flagstone streets didn't make any difference to Carina today. She couldn't have sat still even if the road was smooth. She tried to lay back on her pillow, but she needed to look out the window. There was nothing but gray stone walls at the moment, so she closed the curtain and leaned against the side of the coach. The corset she wore didn't agree with this position, so she moved to the back wall. Still she had to move.

The corset didn't exactly improve her ability to relax, but Carina was pleased in spite of the discomfort. It pushed her breasts up just how she wanted, but left them completely exposed beneath her street clothes. The outfit she and Sophie had chosen was perfectly suited to preserve her respectability in front of her subjects while hiding nothing from her chosen suitor. After Sophie had left, Carina chose a wide-brimmed leather hat to which she affixed a bright red feather. As satisfied as she was with her outfit, it didn't calm her nerves a bit.

Now the sounds of the dock were apparent. Carina heard the creaking of the big wooden ships as they bobbed and swayed. Fish-mongers barked out their wares and travelers begged merchants for open berths. Carina brushed the curtain aside and looked out. The locals were just starting to notice the princess' entourage coming through. Some folks faced the coach and bowed as Carina passed, while most were still too focused on their own business. When Carina saw a little girl unashamedly looking her way, she smiled and waved. The girl excitedly waved back while jerking on the sleeve of the woman next to her.

After a few more minutes, the coach arrived at a ship that was quite different from the rest. It was short and broad, with round shields lining the gunnel. A tall staff rose from each end, and the staff on the front wore a fierce wolf head. Carina immediately spotted Jon. He seemed to be everywhere at once helping to tie a knot one second and then directing a crewman to stow some wares the next. He simultaneously yelled out a conversation with a woman standing at the back end of the ship. She was a striking figure; at least as tall as Jon, wearing the same clothes as the rest of the crew, but with dark brown skin and her head shaved clean. The crew of 30 or 40 seemed to be taking direction from her as much as from Jon, and she was the first on the ship to notice Carina's coach approaching. With a sharp cry and a whistle, she brought the whole crew, including Jon, to attention, and they made way for the captain to go ashore.

The coach pulled to a stop just as Jon stepped off the gangplank, and he wasted no time opening the door and offering his hand to the princess. Butterflies darted around in Carina's stomach as she took his hand and stepped into view of everyone on the dock. She was now standing side by side with Jon in public, and she hadn't missed that all eyes were now on her. She projected with a voice trained to carry over a crowd and enhanced slightly with magic, telling Jon, "What a fine and fascinating ship you have. Would you grant us the pleasure of a tour?"

"It would give me great pleasure, princess." The crowd couldn't make out Jon's words like they could hear Carina's with clarity, but with a flamboyant nod and a sweep of his arm, the body language was clear to all. He turned and hollered, "Make way, you whales' sons, and back to work!" and then, reached for Carina's hand.

As Carina took the offered hand without hesitation, she noted how dirty Jon was from working with ropes and stores all morning. It made her realize by contrast how meticulously clean he had always been previously. Now at arms length in the open, she imagined that she could smell him. Or was that the seaside air?

"This ship carries at least ten tons of cargo with a full crew complement, and she's outfitted for both ocean- and river-going."

"That is impressive." Carina tried to carry on intelligently even though her mind felt trapped in the space between her hand and Jon's. "It seems so much smaller than our cargo ships."

"The hull is lower, but you'll notice she has more girth than any of yours. We can fill the hull and the deck with cargo, and her draft would still be shallower than your fishmongers' skiffs."

They walked on a plank along the centerline of the boat, and in the gutters to each side were rows of benches for rowing. About half of the benches had boxes of goods stowed in the floorboards between and beneath them. They walked aft and Carina placed her hand on the mast as they walked past it. The wood knotted, but worn smooth by weather, and felt clammy due to the constant wet. She heard flapping above and looked up to see a triangle flag with purple and black spirals and white trim. At the rear of the ship, there was a low cabin about the height of Jon's waist.

"Here is where we store the sensitive cargo and sleep in shifts," Jon said, "Would you like to inspect our stores?"

Carina was dubious about the small cabin, but she agreed, "Certainly, sir. If we are to hire your services, we should know that our goods are taken care of."

John opened the cabin door and stepped down a ladder. He nearly disappeared in the darkness, but reached up a hand to help Carina down after. She took his hand and stepped down gingerly, glad that Sophie had chosen a skirt and not a long dress. Just as she stepped fully into the dark and her eyes began to adjust, Carina felt Jon's rough hands move to grab her bodily. The hand in hers moved to hold Carina's back under her arm, and the other hand swooped under her skirt and took hold of an ass cheek. Jon lifted her off the ladder and pulled her into him, their lips meeting and stifling a short squeak of surprise that the princess involuntarily emitted. They stayed close for only a moment before a commotion rose on the deck, thundering steps came toward the cabin, and one of the royal guards called down from the doorway, "Princess! Are you alright?"

"Yes, Milo," Carina called back while sharing a mutual grin with Jon, "I only slipped a short distance, and the good captain caught me safely."

"I'm at your side, your highness," Milo assured her.

"Thank you, that won't be necessary. Remain on deck. I will call if I need you."

"Of course, ma'am," said the soldier as he stood and turned away from the hatch.

Still looking at each other, Jon and Carina both reached in for a kiss. Jon's lips were drier than usual, and Carina could taste the salt of sweat on them. Their lips soon parted and the lovers shared their tongues, indulging their hunger for each other. Carina noted the slightly musty smell of the cabin, but that it was much drier than she would have expected.

"Can we be alone?" Carina asked the captain, turning her face down shyly, and looking up through her lashes. Jon's arms constricted her to him, and she could feel his manhood erect and throbbing against her.

"The cabin has only one compartment," he said, motioning around them, "and I doubt Milo would be happy with the door being closed."

Jon paused and then asked, "Princess, have you ever seen the waterfall south of the harbor?"

--

Sophie closed the door to her chamber and went to the window where she could watch the royal guard and the princess climb into the coach and set off into the town. While she removed her necklace and removed the pins holding up her hair in preparation for the caller she was expecting, she could hear the complaints of the king in her head, The princess needn't travel in the city! Something could go wrong! Assassins!

"You worry too much, old man," Sophie said out loud to the empty room. In the first few months, she had followed the king's wishes to the letter and ensconced the princess in the castle. But the princess needed to know the town and the people, and she needed to see and speak to other people. The courtiers and lords could never have kept her engaged.

Besides, she had her man. Not that they could do much with Milo and the guard following her every move, and the two of them out in the crush of the city. Then again, she was a sorceress, and a sneaky one. If there was any possibility that Carina could end the day sitting on the trader's face, she would certainly contrive it.

As she pulled her dress over her head, Sophie imagined a soft, wet tongue caressing her womanhood. Then she reached down beneath her cotton slip and softly teased between her labia with two fingers. Excitement ran up through her stomach and down her legs as her body suddenly tensed and then as suddenly relaxed against the bed-post. She spit a glob of saliva on her fingers and then ran gentle circles around her clitoris and hood. She was beginning to feel her wetness come in, when three violent knocks crashed into her chamber door, startling and distracting her.

"Who calls?" Sophie said, with a bit too much frustration evident in her voice.

"James," came the young man's voice from out in the hall. He waited just a little too long for decorum's sake to tack on, "milady," afterwards.

Sophie had almost forgotten her arranged tryst. She stood up straight, but made no move to put decent attire back on. "Come inside, James."

A heartbeat later, the door opened just enough for James to enter, and he crept through the crack,

while looking at the floor. While he had moved with a man's confidence in the Great Hall, now it seemed he was a boy of ten or eleven. Despite acting like a child, Sophie had to admit he looked even more like a man than she had first believed. His broad, hard shoulders and thick arm hair were obvious.

"Shut the door and come here," Sophie told him, and he obeyed. After closing the door, James finally looked up and was speechless on seeing her, his gaze lingering on her perky, pale breasts. "Am I pleasing to you?" she asked.

James swallowed hard and then nodded slowly, "Yes, milady."

"And have you been with a woman before?"

Another pause. Sophie doubted this was a good idea, and every second that dragged on tested her resolve. "Yes, milady," he finally said.

Sophie's heart fluttered with something between eagerness and trepidation. She feared what was about to happen, but she couldn't stop imagining what the princess was up to tonight. She was torn between her sexual frustration and sense of propriety. Without making a conscious decision, she finally shot out, "Make love to me."

Haltingly, James reached out to her, and he wrapped his arms around her with a light and awkward touch. Sophie responded similarly, touching his arm with her hand. She disliked the feeling of the hair on his arm and reached around to his back. He closed his eyes and moved in for a kiss, but Sophie panicked at the last minute and moved her head. James was surprised to land a kiss on her ear.

James stuttered, "Sorry, milady," and Sophie silenced him with a finger and then leaned in for a kiss herself. The last time Sophie had been kissed she and her partner were teens. Now she was eager to experience adult sensations. Her lips met his, and all she could think was how his chapped lips scratched hers. There was no energy and it only frustrated her further. When James' tongue began to probe Sophie's lips, she broke it off.

This wasn't beginning like Sophie had imagined, but she decided to follow through. She reached down and took hold of James' penis. Through his pants, she felt his stiff manhood and rubbed firmly. With a cattle-like grunt, James grasped her left arm and waist and squeezed hard. It hurt, and the way he held her tight twisted her right arm uncomfortably. She did her best to rub his member, as he buried his muzzle in her neck. She assumed he intended to kiss her, but Sophie would describe it as salivating on her neck. "Slow down, James," she said, "let's go to the bed."

He released her instantly and looked around with a dopey expression. Sophie gathered her slip as she turned around, and then pulled it over her head while she crawled onto her bed. With her back turned, she allowed her face to show a scowl and rolled her eyes at this man's inartful love making. Still on all fours, she felt him drop onto the bed on his knees, and taking hold of her hips, James prepared to enter her. Sophie let out a startled, "What!" and then, once she understood what was happening, she said, "Stop, I have to be ready first!"

James let go, and she turned, laying her head on the pillows. Sophie spread her legs and told the man in her bed, "Please me. Down there."

His expression told her that he had no idea what to do, but he followed orders. He reached for her sex and awkwardly probed this way and that. She tried to enjoy it where she could, but he didn't understand her body's cues, and his fingers were hard and calloused. Even when he glanced over her clit or her opening, it was too rough to really be pleasurable.

The tension in Sophie's throat tried to prevent her speaking at all, but she managed to squeak out, "Please, James, use your tongue." His face went from one of forced interest to terror for a flash, but then he again obeyed. As his tongue reached out for the first time, it brushed her hood. The sensation was the most enjoyable thing she had felt yet, and Sophie's body overreacted to it, like a person drinking from a fountain after days without water. As her hips launched upward, James started back, and she begged, "Please, James!"

But this was the high point of Sophie's sexual encounter. James lowered his face again and licked her sex softly, but not deeply. As he explored her more, he failed to find Sophie's clitoris, and when he pressed too deeply, his stubble scratched her soft parts. Sophie again tried to take the pleasure she could, but a short time later was too long to continue. She reached down, touching his chin, and said, "Enter me."