19.

Xael surprises Denrich with her choices.

19.

 

It took three chambermaids a quarter of an hour to clean the mess from the tub, and Denrich kept apologizing to them, though they didn’t seem to be particularly bothered by the assignment.

“They’re used to highjinks each night, Love,”  Xael whispered to him after he’d apologized for probably the fifth time, “alcohol and sex tend to lend themselves to messes.”

“Yes, but neither of those reasons fit in this case!”

Xael clicked her tongue, “Yeah, it might look a bit odd to them - we need to make them think it was a wild romp.”

She leaned against him, running her hand in a circle across his chest and playfully nibbling on his ear and neck.    

“What are you doing?”  He whispered.

“Shh!  I’m trying to give you a more appropriate reputation as the king’s son.”

“But-“

“Shut up, you idiot and either kiss and fondle me back or else try to look c**k-sure and smug about your masculinity.”

“What?”

“Just stand there, smile confidently and stop apologizing for the mess!”  She ordered in a whisper, and then resumed kissing his neck.

He felt her take his hand and place it on her hip.   Though he knew she was doing this as part of her ‘plan’ to make him seem as lecherous as the other men of the royal court, he was beginning to feel stimulated from all of her attention.

Everything in the royal court seemed to have double meanings, or hidden reasons which made it all seem fake.

People striving for power, wealth or lusting after someone made him doubt everyone and everything around him.   Certainly, Xael was arousing emotions within him that he had managed to suppress for his entire life.    But the reasons were not right and that knowledge troubled him.

His body didn’t care, however, why she was taking such an interest in him and so he stood there struggling with the conflict of it while the maids hurriedly cleaned up the water mess.

By the time they had finished, he was trembling with barely suppressed desire.   Thankfully, as soon as they left, she ceased her show of affection.

“See?   That didn’t take too long.   It’s just after midnight.   I’ll get a bath and we’ll go to bed.”   She left him standing there as she went back to the closet for a towel and night clothes.

He shook his head, taking a deep breath as if that would dispel the feelings that she had aroused in him.   Denrich went over to the window hoping to get some cool autumn air to clear his head, but to his dismay, the window seemed bolted shut with no way to open it.

“They’re all like that in the royal suites, to keep any assassins from sneaking inside,” Xael said, coming up behind him, “Each suite has Practical Magic temperature stabilizers cast upon them.   The temperature stays comfortable year round, and it even knows when a fire is made in the fireplace.   The temperature lowers when the fire begins to produce heat.     Do you need some fresh air, Love?” 

 

He turned to answer and found her completely naked.    When they had changed clothes before the maids were summoned, he had kept his eyes from her as they dressed.   But now she stood there, halfway to the tub, totally nude and as relaxed about it as if he was her sister or mother.

“Xael!”  He exclaimed, looking away, but he had already taken in her form and found it extremely pleasing.

“Just on my way to take a bath, Love,”  She replied, relishing his discomfort and greatly amused at his embarrassment.

“I’m going to find an open window or balcony,”  He announced, moving toward the door, but she caught his wrist.

“Relax, Love, just stay here - it’s late and this is the time when assassins are most active.   Remember what Lady Julia advised.”

“You’re driving me insane, Xael!”  Denrich groaned, “I just know that I’m going to do something really foolish and sinful that I’ll regret and will cause you to hate me.”

Xael’s eyes twinkled, “Well, that sounds interesting, Love!   That is a side of you that I’ve not seen yet.”

“I’m being serious, Xael.    You’re playing a dangerous game here!   What if I lost control of myself and forced myself upon you?”

She shrugged and pulled him after her toward the tub, “If you did, it would certainly be due to my tempting you, wouldn’t it?  So the blame would lie with me.”

Denrich couldn’t believe her reply, “Good Lord, Xael!   You are risking a lot, you know.”

She let go of his hand and began filling the tub again.   He stood there staring at the ceiling, frustrated that she wasn’t understanding how teasing him could backfire on her.   Or maybe she was hoping that it would backfire.    Perhaps that was her plan - tempt him and when he finally yielded to temptation, she uses his guilt and shame to control him.

“Sit down, Love.   You are going to get a crick in your neck staring up at the ceiling like that.   Wouldn’t you rather look at me instead?”

“That would only compound the problem,”  He replied.

“Love, I am not at all worried about what happens.   I believe that you are too straight-laced to do anything, but if you do, then you will likely find that I am a willing participant.”

Her words made him glance at her, though he tried to just stare at her face, “It’s all a physical thing, then?”

Again she shrugged, “There is nothing wrong with enjoying ourselves together, Love.”

“I believe sex should be accompanied by love and marriage.”

Xael laughed, “That philosophy really isn’t popular here.”

“I take it very seriously, Xael, I don’t think sex should be just a frivolous activity between casual acquaintances.   I believe in long-term relationships.”

“Perhaps I do too, Love,”  She replied while pouring in some sort of perfumed liquid soap into the tub, which she stirred around with her fingers until it produced an abundance of suds.   She then slowly lowered herself into the warm water, with exclamations of pleasure at the temperature of the water.

“I like it very warm,”  She told him after she’d seated herself.   The suds concealed her lower body, though her large breasts floated proudly at the water-line.    He sat on the same stool she had used when he’d bathed, but he was far more agitated than she had been.

Xael just serenely washed, stretching her long shapely legs out of the water one at a time to wash.   He tried to just look at her face, but to his shame, his eyes kept wandering momentarily down to her wonderful bosom.

“Yesh have mercy on me, I probably can’t ever go back to St. Wemric’s,”  He said mostly to himself, feeling lust for the girl still coursing through his blood.

“Denrich, you are a man and what you are feeling is quite normal, you know.   In fact it is good for you to experience it.    You’ve never had this problem before, have you?”

He sadly shook his head, “Not like this I haven’t.   It was always fairly easy to control it when I was growing up.   Now I know that it will just be a matter of time before I give in to temptation, as long as I remain here in the palace.”

“Your memories would follow you back to your home with the monks, Love.    You’d remember me.”

“Oh, I’ll never forget you, Xael.   I’m sure of that,”   Denrich sighed and rubbed his eyes, “You weren’t hired by Reddric to seduce me, were you?   Perhaps so he could find out more about me.”

“He asked me to the first night that you arrived here, but that was when he thought you were just a backwoods sheriff.   He commonly uses women to spy on and manipulate nobles.”

“So did you agree to seduce me?”

“I told him I’d see what happened when you woke up.   That is one reason I let the maids think we were romantically involved - they’ll report back to Reddric; I am sure of that.”

“So you are doing all of this for him?”

She flicked some suds at him, “No; I don’t take orders from any man.  I do what I do for my own reasons.   So don’t worry, I’m not reporting back to your father.    He knows that he can’t really manipulate me or bribe me, so I imagine he’ll try to find another lovely girl to suddenly take a deep interest in you.”

“Really?”

“If he doesn’t just have you killed instead.    I’d guess that he’ll try to get Avalynn to do it.   He’ll probably promise her some concessions for her people or perhaps he’ll set her up as a puppet queen.”

“I doubt that - but he could name her as Duchess or Baroness - depending on how he divides up the elven kingdom.”

“That would make sense, Love.   He’d offer her the rank of Duchess of her own people and she’s so desperate to preserve them and herself that she’d agree to it.   She’d agree to spy on you and seduce you and when Reddric got all the information on you that he wanted, he’d probably drum up some charges of treason against her and either have her executed or degrade her into one of his concubines.    From what I hear about him; I’d say he’d rather have her as a virtual sex slave than see her head lobbed off.    So if I were you, I’d watch out for Avalynn.”

“How sad that she’d agree to something like that.”

“She is misguided but she thinks what she is doing is for her own preservation and secondly, for the preservation of her people.”

“Her people have mostly fled into the highlands.”

“Yes, but she still hopes everything can be worked out with Reddric.   She’s young and naïve, but she’s also starry-eyed about the royal court and the courtly life.”

“So you got to know her pretty well on the train?”

“We had a very long talk.   Yes, I think I know what motivates her.    She’ll do whatever she has to do to survive and come out on top.”

“Including seducing me?”

“Yes, so watch out for her, Love.”

“I will.    Won’t she hesitate to try if she thinks we’re an… item?”

“She probably just thinks you’re my latest passing fling.”

“So if everyone thinks we have a deeper relationship, she’ll leave me alone?”

“No, she’ll probably just try to pull you away from me.   Or I could just let her have you.”

“But I haven’t got any say in all of this?”

“No, not really.   You are a helpless male.   Accept that and life will go much easier for you.   Now take that clean sponge and wash my back for me.”

With nervous hesitance, he did as she ordered, marveling at the smooth perfection of her skin.    It was not making his desire for her go away.

His hands trembled slightly by the time he had finished his task and she took the sponge from him, smirking at the unsettled expression on his face.

“I’ll have to hurry - I wasn’t planning on such a late bath and I have a rendezvous in twenty minutes.”

“A rendezvous?”  Denrich exclaimed.

She nodded somewhat sympathetically, “Yes, I planned on just slipping out while you were asleep but we didn’t get to bed early enough.   With all the commotion with the tub, I lost track of the time.”

“A rendezvous at this time of night?”  He asked, feeling a degree of jealousy and confusion.

“Of course!   This is the prime time for late night trysts and encounters.”

“And that is what your rendezvous is?   A late night tryst?”  He felt his face flush red.

Xael smiled sweetly and shrugged, “Don’t take it personally, love, it is how I operate.   I get the best results at night.”

Denrich stood up and went over to the window, trying to control his temper.    She was full of surprises.

“Who are you going to see?”   He asked flatly.

“You don’t need to know his name,”  She replied, stepping out of the tub and drying off.   He couldn’t look at her at that moment.

“How long will you be gone?”

“Until I’m satisfied and ready to come back.    It’s nothing that you need to concern yourself with.”

“I thought we were staying inside - remember what Mother Julia said,”   He sounded like an offended child and hated hearing the words come out of his mouth.   

“I can take care of myself.   This is too important to miss.”

“I see,”  Denrich replied coldly.

“Love, I warned you.   Now you are all hurt.”

“I’m not sure what I feel, Xael.    Confused and frustrated.”

“Well, just get some sleep - I will be back before dawn.”

“Why bother?”

“Well, I can’t stay at his suite - his wife is there asleep!”  She chuckled.

“So you have a secret rendezvous spot?”

“I have several set aside for my purposes,”  She arched her eyebrows as she slid an extremely sexy, low-cut satin night gown on.

He felt bile in his throat at the thought of what she was going to do.    She seemed to be silently enjoying the torment and anguish it was causing him.

Maybe she wasn’t as innocent as he thought.   Perhaps this was indeed the real Xael of legend.   She sure sounded like it now.

“Why are you doing this, Xael?”   He finally said as she stepped into some white slippers and wound her long braided blonde hair around her arm as if it was a drape.

“Don’t ask so many questions, Love, and don’t judge me.   I’m doing what I need to do.”

“Why?”

“That would be a question.”

“I may not be here when you return.”

“Where will you go, Love?   You have no choice, really.   Now just go to bed and stop thinking so much, okay?   I’ve got to go; I don’t want to keep him waiting!   Don’t wait up!”   She grinned prettily and wrapped a dark cloak across her shoulders then with a wave, rushed out the door, locking it behind her with a key.

Denrich just stood there feeling sick.

 

***

 

She moved quickly, but quietly through the confusing maze of hallways and passageways until she reached her destination.   At the rear of the royal suites was a long dark hall with about ten rooms leading off from it.    These were not exactly suites and officially were part of the servant quarters section.

But these rooms were not for servants.

She had paid ten gold pieces yesterday to the royal purser, to rent one of the rooms for two weeks and tonight was the first night she would use it.    Nervous, but anxious to get this rendezvous over with, she hurried to a door halfway down the hall.   It was thick dark brown wood with the number 6 nailed to it at eye level.

Pulling a key from deep within her skirts, she hurriedly unlocked it, glancing around to make certain none of the other renters were coming or going from their own rendezvous.   She didn’t want to be seen.

He had not arrived yet, so she slipped off her cloak and flung it on a chair, and then hurriedly lit some candles until a romantic glow filled the chamber.

Adjusting her gown so a generous sample of her cleavage was displayed, she reclined on the bed in an appropriately seductive pose.

For nearly a quarter of an hour she simply laid there waiting. Growing impatient and bored, she finally found a case of Darx cigarettes in the nightstand and passed the time smoking the fashionable cigarettes as she reclined and waited.

The air was thick with Darx smoke and somewhere a clock chimed half past one in the morning.    Just as she was debating calling off the whole thing, suddenly there came a clicking sound and the door swung open.

A tall, once handsome, middle-aged nobleman slipped inside and quietly closed the door behind him.    Peering through the haze of smoke, he stared sheepishly at the beauty sprawled out on the bed.

“Mmmmm…”  The Duke of Mersexx intoned approvingly and she slid gracefully off the bed, crushed out the cigarette in a full ashtray and came to him.

Wrapping her arms around him, she began caressing his shoulders.   His face dove between her ample bosom, where he began hungrily kissing her pale skin.

“My, but you are anxious, love!”  Xael purred, running her fingers through his sweaty hair.

“I’ve dreamt of this ever since I first laid eyes on you, my dear!”

“Well, I’m not a common w***e who performs by the hour, Love, I enjoy the symphony of lovemaking.    Come over to the bed.”

She led him by the hand and he eagerly followed, unlacing his tunic with his free hand.

“Tell me, Duke; does not Mersexx border both St. Catherine’s and St. Wemricshire ecclesiastical duchies?”   She helped him slip his shirt over his shoulders.

“Huh?   Yes… why ask that now?”

“I am curious about some things,”  She whispered, kissing his chest and neck.

“There is a time for talk later,”  He snapped crossly, his hands now squeezing her breasts.

“Tell me now, Love,”  She replied, pulling him down against her on the bed as she began to softly hum.    Duke Mersexx found the sound of her humming somehow odd - it was almost like a chant with very little volume.

Unconsciously, he found himself straining to hear it, trying to discern exactly what she was singing.    She rolled him over to his back and he let her straddle his chest.    He felt more and more distracted by the moment and though he wanted to remove his pants and ravish the gorgeous creature, his mind began to cloud and fog over, as if he had not slept in weeks.

Batting his eyelashes to stay awake, he wondered why he was feeling so sleepy suddenly, when he had been consumed by lust just minutes before.

It was her humming.    There was something compelling, just out of the scope of hearing discerning words.   His breathing slowed to a restful, sleeping rate and his mouth fell open dumbly.

He wasn’t aware that she had stopped kissing him or caressing him.     All that remained was her tune, filling every part of his mind.

Xael reached down and pinched the skin under his arm.

Duke Mersexx didn’t flinch.

Xael smiled, “Good.    Now listen, Duke.   First, we made very wild, passionate love for many hours.   Never have you performed so well and satisfying as you did this night.   You feel as if you are twenty years old again and you know without a doubt that I have never had a better lover than you tonight.    All we did is make love, until we both fell into an exhausted, contented sleep.    You will awake still tired but confident and eager to tell of your sexual prowess to your friends.    You won’t remember anything else but this.    Do you understand?”

“I understand,” He replied as if speaking in his sleep.

“Excellent.   Now tell me all that you know about the High King’s affairs and all about Mother Julia.    Tell me of St. Catherine’s and St. Wemricshire and anything you know about Sheriff Denrich.    Then you will forget that I asked you.   But any time in the future that I or Denrich ask for your assistance - no matter what the request is-,you will assist us.     You will do this because you feel compassion to us.   Now tell me everything about the duchies, Julia’s relationship to her son and Denrich.”

Duke Mersexx took a deep breath and immediately did as Xael demanded.    She sat next to him listening closely to what he told her.