The Ing's Last Wish

Author's Note:

Welcome, dear readers. A big thanks for the positive response to my first two stories. The feedback has been immensely helpful and supportive.

Like my previous stories, this too takes place in India; during the 18th century, to be precise. But the central characters, this time around, are British, above the age of 18. I have tried for a slow build-up in this story, with hopefully, some believable internal conflicts. As always, my goal is to craft interesting stories, which reads like an erotica rather than written porn.

Hope you enjoy this story. I'll look forward to your votes and comments.

THE LOST KINGDOM OF TOSALI

Our former neighbors to the east, Tosali was a relatively new and small kingdom established by Nrusingha Dev, it's first king. Its capital was the grand city of Swarnavali. King Nrusingha Dev had setup lucrative trade relations with the kingdoms across the seas, with merchants undertaking voyages to Bali and Yawadvipa.

His untimely death in 1505 saw his son, Aditya Dev, ascend the throne at the young age of 19. King Aditya Dev was dearly loved by his citizens. The entire kingdom rejoiced when, a year later, he married his beloved, the beautiful Charuvaki. The love between King Aditya Dev and Queen Charuvaki was legendary. The king was strong, handsome, benevolent and wise for his age. The beauty and grace of the queen was unparalleled. Under their rule, Tosali prospered to greater heights.

Queen Charuvaki died in 1534, leaving the citizens heartbroken and the king devastated. In memory of his beloved wife, King Aditya Dev commissioned the construction of a grand temple in Swarnavali, right by the sea side. Artists and craftsmen from across the land were invited to build this monument of love.

The temple was formally inaugurated few years later on the royal couple's wedding anniversary. The day was henceforth celebrated as an annual festival, commemorating the love between the king and the late queen. People from across the kingdom journeyed every year to Swarnavali to be a part of this grand celebration, which took place within the temple premises.

In 1556, Tosali was attacked by pirates from the sea who entered Swarnavali stealthily at night, during the celebration of the annual festival. The pirates were heavily armed with deadly weapons. It was a massacre. The pirates pillaged the city and carried away valuable treasures, leaving Swarnavali destroyed and burning.

Very few survivors managed to escape. King Aditya Dev and his surviving citizens were granted refuge by our great monarch, King Aryamitra. Unfortunately, Aditya Dev had sustained severe injuries during his battle with the pirates and died shortly after. Without any heir, the line of the kings of Tosali ended and the kingdom was lost forever.

Over the next decade, King Aryamitra sent three separate expeditions to reclaim Swarnavali. Those explorers and soldiers never returned and no one heard from them ever again. Rumors grew that the lost city was cursed with the vengeful spirits of its massacred citizens. No more expeditions were sent, thereafter.

The dying wish of King Aditya Dev was for his ashes to be scattered in the sea, next to the temple in Swarnavali, so he could be reunited with his beloved wife. Alas, the king's last wish has remained unfulfilled to this day.

- Page 847, The History of Kausala

Year 1770. Kingdom of Kausala, India

Heather put down the heavy manuscript, The History of Kausala, having just read the page aloud to Jonathan. They were inside the archive of the royal palace of Kausala.

Heather Beckett and her son Jonathan were archaeologists working for the East India Company in the Indian subcontinent. Kausala, an erstwhile kingdom in eastern India had recently fallen under company rule after its last king had died without an heir. Heather & Jonathan had been sent to the kingdom to discover and report any sources of treasure, possibly hidden in the ancient palaces, monuments or temples, that could fill the company's coffers.

After a two month stay at Kausala, they were ready to wind up their work and report back to company headquarters in Calcutta. Few days before their planned departure, Jonathan had found an old trunk in the palace archive. Inside, was a majestic sword and a sealed bronze jar. The royal historian had informed them that the sword had belonged to King Aditya Dev of Tosali and the jar contained his ashes. On Heather's request, he had brought them old documents dating back almost two centuries, containing scant information on Tosali.

"What else do we know about this lost kingdom?" Jonathan asked the historian.

"Not much, Master Beckett. It's been more than two hundred years since it was destroyed. From what I learnt from my predecessors, the kingdom was secluded behind the hills and forests towards the east near the sea. I think there was a map somewhere here."

The historian sifted through the other documents and brought out an old map of the region. Pointing to the area towards the east of Kausala, he said, "Here it is. After multiple failed expeditions, nobody bothered about it again and happily forgot its existence."

***

Later that night, Heather and Jonathan relaxed on the plush chairs in their balcony, enjoying the cool summer breeze, post dinner. They had been provided accommodation in one of the larger palace rooms which had a large bedroom, a small study and its own private bath. Heather slept in the bedroom while Jonathan slept in the study. The spacious balcony overlooking the palace gardens was a favorite spot for the mother and son.

Heather looked lovingly at her 20-year-old son, who was lost in thought. She was so proud of the young man that Jonathan had grown up to be. Not only had he become mature and responsible, but also had grown up into a fine young male specimen. Almost 6' tall, he had filled up nicely in the past few years. He sat there across her, dressed in only his trousers, to beat the Indian summer heat, broad shoulders and bare chest on display

"What's on your mind, dear?" she asked.

"Tosali," he said, absent mindedly running his fingers through his blond hair.

"What about it?"

"Do you think we should go find the lost city? I mean, it is right next door, waiting to be explored. And we have the map too."

She nodded, considering his suggestion. "It does sound tempting."

"I can't stop thinking about the king's last wish, separated from his true love all these years. We should take his ashes with us, when we go. Scatter them in the sea, like he wanted," he said, with a distant look on his face.

"My son, the romantic!" she said, teasing him. "I am not sure, dear. We'll have to see how feasible it is to travel to that place."

"Why? Afraid the place might be haunted?" he asked, grinning.

"Rubbish. I've never believed in such tales. Fine! I'll talk to Lt. Jones about the travel arrangements."

After few minutes, Jonathan yawned and stretched.

"Go to bed, dear. You must be tired."

"Nah, I can spend some more time with a beautiful woman."

She blushed. "You need to start getting interested in young ladies your own age."

"There's only one lady I am interested in, and you know it." His brown eyes gazed into her face.

Her heartbeat quickened and she looked away. "You promised, dear, not to bring that up again," she said, softly, pain in her voice.

"Sorry, mum. I am just complementing your beauty, that's all." He tried to lighten her mood.

She smiled and said, "Well, I am truly flattered. Now, please, go to bed. Take some rest."

***

Lying on her bed, Heather couldn't sleep. She was 40 years old, having come to India from England, almost 15 years back, with her husband, Thomas. He had been a lieutenant in the British army, who had sadly died 2 years later in the battle of Plassey in 1757.

She had been devastated but instead of going back to England, she had decided to stay in India. Getting a job as an archaeologist in the East India Company had helped her with a steady source of income. She had raised Jonathan on her own and took him everywhere she went. He had soon picked up the trade, having learned history and archaeology from her. As he grew up, he had started assisting her in the field.

She had never sought companionship and neither had she remarried, although her beauty and youth attracted a lot of suitors. She had maintained cordial relations with everyone but had firmly declined any amorous advancements. Her one true love had been Thomas and his loss had shattered her. Part of the reason for not returning to England had been that it would remind her of Thomas and his absence in her life. Many of her admirers and potential suitors had been decent men, but none could take the place of Thomas in her heart.

And then, there was Jonathan. She always had a special connection with her son, having him as the only companion in this foreign land. As he had grown up into a young man, he resembled more and more like Thomas. Their relationship had always been different than the conventional mother and son. They were best friends and confidants. They could read each other's moods and minds. He had the sense of humor of his father and always cheered her up.

As Jonathan attained adulthood, his demeanor towards her had changed visibly. He had become more protective of her. He was no longer a child that she needed to care for. She had slowly realized that her son was deeply in love with her, romantically. She could see it his eyes and his mannerisms, that it wasn't simply some teenage infatuation or adolescent fantasy, but serious romantic love.

Of course, there were passion and lust as well. Being always near each other, sharing tents during archaeological expeditions, she was aware of his self-pleasuring activities. Many nights, she had heard him softly cry out "mum" when he pleasured himself in the tent, thinking her to be asleep. She knew her son's heart and body ached for her.

It felt good to be taken care of by a man, after being alone for so many years. She had started seeing her son in a new light and thinking about him as possibly something more. But she had never been able to let go of Thomas. These new emotions and feelings towards her son, though exhilarating, was at odds with the memories of her late husband and kept her awake at night.

And then there was the matter of Jonathan's confession...

***

Five days later, Heather and Jonathan set out from Kausala in search of Tosali. Lt. Jones had given them two horses and provisions for the journey. The bronze jar containing King Aditya Dev's ashes was safely stowed in Heather's luggage. Jonathan carried the ancient map which they'd use to find the old road that existed between the two kingdoms. As per the royal historian, it took four days on horseback to travel between the two cities in the days of old.

They kept a steady pace on the horses as the road till the outskirts of Kausala was in good shape. Heather's mind wandered to that eventful day, few months earlier.

She and Jonathan had been in the princely state of Gwalior, leading an excavation with a team of archaeologists. On the final day, the group had celebrated that evening with delicious food and wine. She drank little but had felt melancholic towards the end. It had been one of those times when the absence of Thomas hit her hard. She had excused herself and taken a walk towards the edge of the site for some solitude. As the sky turned dark, sitting on a rock, she had started crying, remembering her life with Thomas and feeling utterly lonely.

Few minutes later, she had heard Jonathan approach. He sat next to her. She had leaned and rested her head on his shoulder as he put his arm around her. He had always been perceptive enough to remain silent and to just let her cry on his shoulders till she felt better. That evening however, he had spoken.

"Mum, how long will you be this way? You know I hate to see you cry."

She wiped away her tears and tried to smile. "It's nothing, dear. Silly old me. I just miss your father so much."

"I know. But father's been gone for a long time now."

She had looked at his face in the fading light.

With slight tremble in his voice, he had said, "I love you mum. Can I not fill that void in your heart?"

"You already do, dear. You're all I have got, my son."

"I can be much more than that, mum, if you let me." He had gazed intently into her blue eyes.

Getting off the rock, he had knelt before her, taking her hands into his own.

"You've never let yourself love any man like you loved father. I can't replace him, but I can be that man for you, mum."

She gasped. "Jonathan..." She had looked away, unable to meet his eyes, unable to speak.

"Mum, please say something. Your silence is killing me."

"I can't, Jonathan. I can't give you what you ask for. It's not right, son."

"Please, mum. Don't say that. I know you love me too," he had said, squeezing her hands desperately.

Tears had filled her eyes. "My dear boy, you're young. This is just a misplaced infatuation. One of these days you'll meet a nice young lady who'll be your soulmate. I am not the one."

His eyes too had filled with tears. There was hurt and disappointment on his face. "No, mum. Please don't say that. I love you."

"I am afraid, son. I am not ready for this, yet. I beg you, please don't bring up this topic again. Can we just go back to being mother and son, best friends and companions? Please, son." She squeezed his hands and looked at him with pleading eyes.

He had nodded. "As you wish, mum. I promise I won't speak of this again until you're ready. But please know this, you'll always be my one true love."

***

"What does it say?" Heather asked.

Jonathan stared at the map with a frown on his face.

It was the morning of the second day of their journey. They had completely left the territories of Kausala and were in uncharted lands now. Following the old road, they had entered the forests but the road had ended abruptly after few miles.

"As per this map, the road should continue ahead," he said, pointing forward.

She looked ahead. The old road seemed completely gone, engulfed by the forest. All they could see were deer trails. The land was starting to go downhill.

"Do you want to follow any of these trails?" she asked.

"Let's do that for now. The map shows the old road ran parallel to the river somewhere ahead. We'll try to get to the river and then follow alongside."

They continued forward, following the trail. There were steep, rocky, declines at few places where they had to get down and lead the horses on foot. Few hours later they came across the river and found the remnants of the old road again. They continued on the road, alongside the river for few more hours till they reached a small waterfall. With dusk approaching, they decided to call it a day and make camp. There was a nice clearing inside the forest. Heather set up the tent while Jonathan took the horses to graze. As the light started to fail, he returned with sticks and branches and started a campfire. As night fell, they ate their packed food for dinner. Tired of the day's journey, they quickly went to bed.

***

Heather woke up early next morning. Jonathan was still asleep on his bedroll. She exited the tent and looked around. It was pre-dawn and the sun wasn't up yet. The sky was a beautiful purple and birds had just started to chirp in the trees.

She wandered off towards the waterfall which looked quite tempting to her. It wasn't too high and the fall of water was gentle. She took off her boots and stripped off her blouse and skirt. Dressed only in her knee length shift, she stood on the rocks, contemplating. There was no one around for miles and Jonathan was asleep back in their tent. Feeling adventurous, she took off her shift, enjoying the cool morning air on her naked, pale white skin. With her 5'9" frame completely nude from head to toe, she entered the pool underneath the waterfall.

She waded through the pool and stood under the waterfall. It felt refreshing to wash off the dirt, grime and weariness of the journey. She washed her luscious brown hair and cleaned her body. Moving her hands all over her body, she cupped her 34" round perky breasts and pinched her pink nipples gently. She slowly moved her hands along her flat tummy, washing her light brown pubic hairs and finally touching her outer labial lips.

She carefully sat down, lining the stream of water with her pussy. The sensation felt delightfully pleasurable. She cupped her entire pussy with her palm, rubbing it, massaging it. It had been long since she had last pleasured herself. Her body desperately ached for a sexual release. With the torrent of water falling on her nether regions, she moved her fingers over her clitoral hood, teasing out the pleasure nub. She was slowly slipping into a comfortable, enjoyable state of ecstasy when she faintly heard Jonathan's voice calling out to her.

"Shit!" she swore loudly in frustration of being denied her pleasure. Rushing out from under the waterfall, she snatched her shift from her clothes pile and pulled it over her naked body. She sat down in the pool with her back against a rock.

Few seconds later, Jonathan wandered into view looking around, calling for her.

"Jonathan! Over here!" she called out. She stood up and waved to catch his attention.

She saw her son freeze for a moment as his eyes fell on her. She suddenly became aware that the wet shift was plastered to her skin, revealing the outlines of her erect nipples. Feeling conscious, she quickly sat down again, submerged in the water up to her upper chest.

He regained his composure, smiled at her and approached nearer.

"Come on in. It feels really good," she said.

He nodded and undressed. She watched with curious anticipation as his shirt and trousers came off revealing his muscular body. He stripped down to his drawers, entered the pool and sat across her.

"I had been searching for you."

"Sorry dear. Didn't want to wake you up. The water looked tempting. I lost track of time."

"That's fine. It does feel good." He relaxed, soaking in the cool water.

She was seeing her son in such a state of undress after a long time and much to her embarrassment, she liked what she saw. She struggled not to ogle at his body. Likewise, she could see that he was openly awestruck seeing her in her underclothes. His gaze kept flicking back to her chest. Feeling conscious, she ducked further into the water till her neck.

"I am going under the waterfall," he said and excused himself.

As he got up to his feet, she gasped softly seeing a prominent bulge in her son's drawers. She smiled as he walked awkwardly towards the fall, trying to hide his obvious arousal. Standing under the water, he washed himself, facing sideways from her. Seeing the near naked body of her son suddenly made her cheeks flush and nether regions tingling. After Thomas' death, she had never been with another man, resorting to self-pleasure to satisfy her itch. She missed the touch of a male body. Her pussy became moist at the sight of his muscular body as he stood under the waterfall, streams of water bouncing off his gleaming skin. His wet drawer clung to his thighs, teasing tight buttocks at the back and a well-defined bulge at the front.

An overwhelming urge came over her to be near this fine specimen of male physique.

He's your son, for God's sake! Get a grip on yourself!

Ignoring her inner voice, she stood up and walked up to him. She placed a hand on his back, softly touching his skin. He looked back, curious.

"Let me wash your back, dear."

He nodded. She rubbed his shoulders and back, massaging and feeling the toned muscles under her fingers. She felt his tight muscles relax as she worked on them. Her mind buzzing with passion, she placed light kisses all over his back. He sighed. She moved to his front and washed his chest and abs, placing light kisses all over. Her mind was getting fuzzy with overwhelming lust and she couldn't think straight. She looked down to see his drawers, stretched outwards to the max with a massive tent.