Princess of Everdale

Talia sat on the edge of her bed, playing nervously with the skirt of her powder blue dress as she tried not to look at the clock upon her mantlepiece for the tenth time in as many minutes. She was excited, her heart fluttering in her chest as she strained her ears for any sound of movement beyond her bedroom door.

It was early, the sun only just creeping over the distant hills to warm the back of her neck. She could hear pigeons cooing atop the castle's chimney pots and the faraway calls of merchants preparing their market stalls for the morning rush. She glanced again at the clock. Five minutes to go.

She looked down at the bag resting on the floor by her feet and the letter that rested atop it. Alec's spidery writing was visible atop the folded paper, the note instructing her to have her bag packed and be ready to leave at seven o'clock sharp. He had said she wouldn't need much and so she had packed light, taking just a second dress and some spare underwear. It wasn't as though she was expecting to be wearing much over the coming weekend anyway.

A sudden knock on the door caused her to jump, her eyes darting immediately to the clock. Panic began to creep over her. It was too early and the knock had been too soft. Her throat felt dry as she turned back to the door.

"Who is it?" she managed.

"It's me, Princess."

She relaxed only slightly as she recognised her handmaiden's voice. Melissa sounded tired, maybe even a little concerned. Wondering why her handmaiden had arrived so early, Talia gingerly called for her to enter.

Melissa pushed open the door and hurried in. She had clearly got ready in a rush, wisps of hair trailing from her usual bun, a missed button on her pale green dress. There were bags under her eyes and as she entered she hurried to Talia's side.

"Are you alright?" she asked breathlessly.

"I'm fine," Talia said, frowning at her friend. "What's the matter?"

"The guards said you needed me," Melissa said, her own voice wavering with uncertainty. "They said you were ill."

"Ill?" Talia repeated. "No I'm fine. I don't..."

The Princess froze, her eyes growing wide as she watched slip silently into the room. He was dressed in riding fatigues; long leather boots polished to perfection, black breeches and a scarlet tunic with gold buttons over a white top. He put his finger to his lips as Talia watched him and stepped silently behind Melissa.

"Princess?" her handmaiden said, squeezing her arm.

Alec leaned in close to Melissa and whispered something in her ear. Talia felt the heat momentarily leave the room and watched in horror as Melissa's eyes rolled back in her head and her whole body became rigid.

"What have you done?" Talia gasped, struggling to keep her voice down.

"She is fine," Alec replied. "I have stunned her, nothing more."

Talia hissed under her breath, unable to keep the worry from her face as she looked at Melissa. She had witnessed Alec use his powers to manipulate people before but this was something new and she found it to be quite unsettling.

"Are you ready?" Alec asked.

She nodded, nudging her bag with her toes.

"Good," he replied. "I have a coach waiting outside and a clear path through the castle."

"What about Mel?" Talia asked.

"All part of the plan," Alec replied. He leant forwards and whispered in Melissa's ear again. After a few moments and another rush of cold air, Talia's friend appeared to relax. She blinked several times before she turned around and walked lucidly towards the door.

"Handmaiden?" Alec called, forestalling Talia's question with a wave of his hand. "Where is the Princess?"

Despite Talia being int he same room as her, Melissa did not even glance at her as she said, "Regrettably, the Princess is unwell. She has requested not to be disturbed."

Alec nodded, a smug smile on his face as Melissa turned and walked calmly out of the room. "I have already informed the royal physician and your guards. Given your father's hunting trip this weekend and your mother's packed schedule, I am confident no one will come prying."

Talia shook her head in disbelief. "How do you know mother's schedule?" she asked.

A wry smile and a shrug. "I know who to ask," he replied.

As was so often the case with Alec, Talia was not sure whether to be scared or flattered that he had gone to so much trouble to ensure they were undisturbed over the weekend. She watched as he reached down and picked up her bag, offering her his arm as he met her gaze with his steady grey eyes.

"Shall we?"

Talia looked at his proffered arm and the promise that it held. Her heart was racing. He had told her his truth, revealing to her that he was possibly the last surviving Vampire in Everdale and freely admitting that he had killed people in his many, many years on earth. It dawned on her that if she went with him, no one would know where she had gone. No one would know where to look for her if the trust she had placed in him proved misplaced. The thought made her pause, but only briefly. She knew Alec. She knew how she felt about him and she was starting to think she knew how he felt about her. She smiled at him, her confidence rising as she took his arm and allowed him to lead her out of her bedroom.

They passed quickly through the castle, the halls and corridors blissfully quiet as the sun continued to rise steadily higher in the clear sky. Talia glanced at her reflection as they passed a mirror hanging halfway along a corridor, smirking as she saw her blonde hair reflected as brown in the glass, her cheeks and jaw reshaped to her eyes by Alec's magic. It was comforting to know that even if they were spotted, no one would see that it was Everdale's own Princess stealing away with the Minister of the Vale.

The morning air was crisp as they exited the castle and a gentle breeze nipped at the hem of Talia's dress. As promised, a lone black coach was waiting for them, four great cob horses standing in pairs along the yoke of the coach. An old man dressed in a long black cloak and top hat sat hunched in the drivers seat as they approached the carriage and he bobbed his head respectfully as Alec opened the door and gestured Talia inside.

"Ready, Sir?" he croaked.

"At your leisure," Alec replied, climbing into the coach behind Talia.

The coach was spacious and comfortable. Two bench seats upholstered in rich black leather sat opposite each other whilst scarlet drapes hung at the windows. There were tables carved into the sides of the carriage and small oil lamps encased in glass bowls. Talia took the seat directly behind the driver, facing backwards and as she sat down she noticed, with a sense of nervous trepidation, two pairs of gold cuffs lying on the seat beside her.

Alec sat across from her, rubbing his eyes as he settled into his seat and pulling the curtains nearest to him shut.

"Are you alright?" she asked uncertainly.

"The sun," he muttered, blinking his eyes.

She nodded thoughtfully, drawing her own curtains as she felt the carriage lurch into motion beneath her. She knew the legends that surrounded vampires but she also knew that not everything that was claimed about their race was true. Her grandfather's reign had seen a great many lies spread about their kind prior to the purge that had eradicated most of the race.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

Alec chuckled. "You have questions," he said. "That is fair enough. But what will you give me for the answers?"

She blushed. "What do you want?"

His eyes travelled over her body and the simple dress that she wore. "Take off your dress," he ordered.

Talia obeyed, watching him watch her as she reached up and slowly began to unfasten the lace-up bodice of her dress. She slipped it down over her chest, exposing first her firm tits, then her smooth stomach, her hips and finally her long legs as she kicked the dress into the corner of the carriage. She saw his lips twitch into a smile as his eyes lingered on the pair of white thigh-high stockings she wore and the lace garter belt that they were attached to. She had snuck out of the castle a few days ago and bought them as a surprise for him for the weekend and he didnt have to say anything for her to know that he approved.

"If I linger in the sun for too long it causes my skin to blister," Alec explained. "Some days are worse than others. It depends on how recently I have fed."

She tilted her head at his answer, resisting the urge to touch her neck. "How often do you need to feed?" she asked fearfully.

"Now, now," Alec replied with a small smile. "It's my turn. Put them on."

She looked down at the four individual cuffs resting on the seat beside her that he nodded to. Each was fastened with a small padlock, the key to which lay in one of the locks. She took them and secured them one by one first to her ankles and then to her wrists. The gold metal was cold against her skin but not uncomfortable.

Alec smiled approvingly. "I must eat as regularly as you, Princess," he replied. He reached into the top pocket of his tunic and withdrew a small vial that was clearly full of blood. "These sustain me most of the time, though once a month I require something... Fresher."

She swallowed nervously, her eyes lingering on the vial as he slipped it back into his pocket.

"Give me your hands," he instructed.

She did as he asked, her heart beating fast as he slid across to sit beside her. She could see the city trundling past outside through the gaps int he drapes; early morning shoppers and the like going about their business unaware of them or what they were doing as the coach rumbled past. Alec took her hands in his own, raising her wrists over her head and securing each cuff to a hook in the ceiling. He smiled as he ran his hands down her arms, her body trembling at his touch as he nuzzled her neck, his lips brushing her skin, causing her to moan softly. He pulled away, pushing her legs apart and securing her ankle cuffs one by one to hooks beneath the seat, resulting in her sitting in the shape of an 'x' before him.

"Your question, Princess," he said, sliding back into his seat with a smile.

She shifted, testing the cuffs and finding that they offered no amount of give to her limbs. "How long will it take us to reach the Vale?"

He raised an eyebrow. "As long as I want it to," he replied. "That wasn't much of a question though, so you may ask another."

She looked at him coyly. "What are you going to do with me?"

This made him smile. He leaned forwards, not touching her, just looking at her. "That depends," he said. "What do you want me to do?"

She flashed him a grin. "Whatever you want," she replied.

"Not good enough," Alec said, sitting back sharply. "I want to know what you want, Princess. Tell me what turns you on. Tell me what your heart has always desired."

She blushed, wishing he would just climb on top of her already. He had always been the dominant one. They had always done what he had wanted so why was he now asking her?

"I don't know..." she stumbled.

"I think you do," he said. "What about when you snuck out to the brothel? What did that make you feel? Why did you choose to go there?"

She thought back to that night. She had just had a particularly crap day, forced to participate in one of the church's pointless ceremonies with the Mother Superior breathing down her neck the entire time. Then that evening her mother had pressed her about one of the minister's sons who had been in attendance, all but demanding that they make arrangements to wed. Talia had lost her temper, shouting at her mother and storming off. She had needed some relief, a moment to herself and a place to not be the Princess of Everdale, so she had snuck out of the castle, wrapping herself in a thick cloak and wandering the streets of the city. She had listened to musicians in the street, tasted strange and wonderful foods unlike anything that came out of the palace kitchen and at some point she had met a woman her own age who, Talia did not doubt, saw right through her disguise. Much like Alec had, Talia had allowed the woman to lead her through the city and at some point they had ended up in a brothel. The air had been full of sweet smelling smoke, laughter and the sounds of people pleasuring one another. The woman had pulled her through the bar, laying her down on a sofa in full view of everyone and kissed her. It had felt so natural that Talia hadn't resisted, even as she gently pushed Talia's head down to her crotch and began moaning softly as the Princess' tongue teased her pussy. Talia wasn't sure what had come over her that night, but since being with Alec she thought she was beginning to understand.

She shifted in her seat, struggling to meet his gaze. "I don't want to be treated like a Princess by you," she whispered.

He smiled, apparently having anticipated this answer. "Go on," he encouraged.

She though about all those eyes watching her suck on the girl's pussy, and then to the nights she had spent with Alec in the Black Rose where he had fucked her in the middle of the tavern. People had watched her. They had seen her for who she really was, even if they didn't know it was really her. The thought of it made her shiver with excitement.

"I... I want you to humiliate me... And I don't care how." She could feel herself blushing and was unable to lift her eyes off of the floor. "You must think I'm ridiculous."

Alec leaned forwards once again, taking her chin between his thumb and finger and lifting her head to meet his gaze. "Princess," he replied, his voice tender yet not without its usual edge of sarcasm whenever he said her title. "I think you are brave and honest. And whilst you are with me, I will do everything in my power to make you happy."

He kissed her then, his lips pressing hard against her own. She moaned softly as his tongue slipped into her mouth and he ran his hand through her hair, the other grasping her thigh tightly. He held her for several long, passionate moments before pulling away from her and reaching into his pocket. He smiled at her as he withdrew a bright red ball gag and she opened her mouth willingly as he pressed it between her lips.

He began to play with her tits, his hands massaging her breasts as he sucked softly on her hard nipples. She exhaled through the gag, her back arching in pleasure as his fingers trailed down her stomach and over her wet pussy. A moan escaped her lips as she felt Alec slide one, then two fingers inside of her. She strained against her cuffs, her whole body shaking as Alec continued to tease her, bringing her to the brink of an orgasm before pulling his fingers from her pussy with a wicked smile.

"Urgh!" she growled through her gag.

Alec smirked, sitting up and unbuttoning his trousers. "Now, now, Princess," he hissed. "It wouldn't be fair for you to have all the fun."

She eyed his cock as he pulled it from his pants. It was already hard, a bubble of cum dribbling from the tip. She arched her back again, biting down on the gag in her mouth as she longed to feel him inside of her. Fortunately, he seemed just as eager as she was and he quickly slid over to her side of the carriage, lifting her off the seat and manoeuvring himself beneath her.

"Well, Princess?" he teased. "Show me what you want."

She grunted, her already taught restraints pulling tighter as she shifted over Alec's form. She felt his cock beneath her, its head grazing her ass as she struggled to position herself over him. He placed his hand on her hip, his fingers squeezing her reassuringly as he guided her down. She felt his cock push against her lips, her pussy hungrily taking his length in as she slid onto his shaft with a satisfied moan. She breathed through the gag, curling her fingers around the hooks that her cuffs were secured to, using them as levers to pull herself up and down on his dick. She heard him hiss softly behind her, his hands reaching round to grab her breasts and pinch her nipples. Talia bit down hard on her gag, moans of pleasure escaping her body as she felt an orgasm begin to build within her again. The coach rocked beneath them, every jolt and bump sending an unexpected jolt of pleasure lancing through her until she could hold it back no longer. She squealed into her gag, her eyes rolling back into her head as the world spun around her. She heard Alec gasp, felt his hands dig into her flesh as he shot his load into her in turn, his dick spasming over and over as he filled her with his cum.

They sat in silence for a long while before Alec eventually extracted himself from beneath her. Instead of crossing back to his side of the carriage, however, he paused in front of her, one leg still on the seat, his dick hovering close to her face. He reached out and pulled the gag from her mouth with a nasty smile.

"Suck it clean," he ordered.

Talia hesitated before leaning forwards, her already sore wrists burning as she pulled against her cuffs. His dick was warm in her mouth as she licked it clean of their combined juices. He smirked at her when she had finished before pushing the gag back into her mouth.

"Get comfortable, Princess," he said as he took his seat opposite her. "It's a long way to the Vale."

****

Talia awoke to Alec shaking her gently. She was lying with her head on his lap, her hands cuffed behind her back. She realised he must have released her from the hooks earlier but couldn't remember when that had been.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Late," Alec replied, helping her to sit up. "We are here, though."

She looked out of the window as the carriage trundled along. The sky was dark and full of clouds, the streets illuminated by black iron post from which hung braziers that burnt with orange flames. She saw humble houses and shops pass them by, all made of the same dark grey stone and tiled roofs. Trees bearing purple flowers lined the pavements and here and there she saw strange gargoyle like sculptures adoring the street corners.

"Have you been to the Vale before?" Alec asked.

She shook her head. The Vale was one of the smallest provinces in the Kingdom and was populated mostly by farmers. Apart from the gorgeous countryside there was little reason for outsiders to come to the region other than to pass through on the way to other destinations. She supposed that was probably why Alec had chosen to make his home there.

"We do things differently here to the capital," he said.

She nodded, watching the town pass by. She couldn't help but feel as she looked out of the window like they had stepped back in time. She wondered how much influence Alec had over the region and whether the aesthetic of the town was kept as a monument to his long, long life.

As the carriage turned into the main square she saw a raised stone dais in the centre of the square. Three stockades of varying shapes stood on the dais, though none were occupied. She turned to Alec who was watching her carefully, a twinkling in her eyes that made her tremble with nervous excitement.

"We are here," he said, without explanation.

The carriage turned again and passed through a pair of high wrought iron gates, each tipped with a single coiled dragon that she recognised as Alec's family crest. They passed under a row of gnarled wisteria trees, the hanging purple flowers giving way to a garden filled with rose bushes. Gravel crunched beneath the carriage wheels as they came about and Talia gasped as she found herself looking up at a modest sized manor house, gargoyles hanging from the rafters and a pair of lanterns glowing softly above the entrance.

"Is this your home?" she asked.

Alec nodded. "Yes," he said. "I will show you it properly later, but for now it is late and I have business to attend to. I will show you to your room."

She frowned. "I'm not staying with you?" she asked, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice.