The Ice Dragon King & The Slave-Queen

Chapter 9 - True Husband and Wife

Taryn was about to knock on the adjoining door that connected her bedroom and the king’s when, all of a sudden, two loud taps came from behind it. She almost jumped out of her skin.

“My lady?” She heard King Einar’s husky voice calling out to her from behind the door.

“Yes, my lord?” Taryn answered, her heart beating wildly, both from the shock and at the sound of his voice.

“Are you awake?”

“Yes, I am, my lord,” Taryn said, trying to keep her voice steady.

“May we speak?” King Einar asked again.

“Yes, of course,” Taryn answered, and a moment later, the door that separated their bedrooms opened, revealing the king.

Taryn didn’t realize how much she missed the king until she saw him standing in front of her. She thought she was being silly, missing someone whom she hardly knew, but she couldn’t lie to herself on this matter. Shyly, she looked at his face, one she thought was very handsome. Her eyes roamed all over his chiseled face, noting his ruffled hair that now fell on his shoulders, his sweeping eyelashes, and that intoxicating masculine scent that teased her nostrils. She decided right then that some of her favorite features on his face were his eyes, his lips, and his sharp jaw. Watching him made her stomach flip in happiness.

King Einar watched Taryn watching him, feeling slightly amused and content at the same time. It's no secret that he hardly knew the young woman, being married to her for less than a week, and during the short period, they hardly even met or spoke to each other. But, he couldn’t deny that there was something about her that made him feel different — a magnetic pull that was telling him to get closer to her, to get to know her, to protect her. King Einar had never fallen in love at first sight before. In fact, he didn’t think he had ever fallen in love before at all. He never mistook love and lust. He was not a young boy anymore and he had never been a silly boy either. So he wondered if the way his heart fluttered at the sight of her and how his fingers tingled to reach out and touch her was the feeling of someone who had fallen in love at first sight, or was it something else?

“May I come in?” King Einar asked, a knowing smile on his lips. The king's voice snapped Taryn out of her reverie.

“Please do, my lord,” Taryn moved back into her room, walking towards the seat at the window as the king followed her.

The king took a seat by the window near the burning hearth, his back straight, the fire from the hearth casting his shadow on the bedroom wall. He looked out of the window for a while. Taryn watched his side profile, watching his eyes searching the dark sky, and how his head tilted a little as he listened to the pitter-patter of the rain hitting the windows. The thunder and rain that had been pouring heavily moments earlier had now eased up.

King Einar turned to look at Taryn and motioned for her to have a seat opposite him. After she did, he cleared his throat and once again looked out the window. His actions were making Taryn nervous. Is something wrong?

“I have a question for you and I need you to answer me truly. I need you to be honest with me, my lady,” King Einar began, his husky voice low, as his eyes searched hers.

Taryn blinked a few times, trying to mask the panic rising in her. She felt her breath catch in her throat. She could feel the trail of cold sweat dripping on her back. Taryn keeps a secret, a dangerous secret, and the person she absolutely had to keep the secret from was him. How could she ever be honest to the Varangian king, even if he asked it from her?

“Yes, my lord,” Taryn answered softly, disguising the tremor in her voice.

“Did you know of any involvement of your father, the Celtic king, in the destruction of my warship?” King Einar asked simply, his eyes now on Taryn’s face.

Taryn couldn’t speak. Her mouth felt dry. King Einar asked her in such a direct way, that it nearly threw her off balance.

“No, my lord. I did not know anything of the sort,” Taryn answered quietly, her face masking the turbulence in her head.

King Einar nodded slowly. Then, he sighed. King Einar had hoped that she would say that, denying any involvement in her father's schemes, if there were any. He didn't think he would be able to accept it if she were involved in anything between him and the Celtic king.

Then, Taryn frowned. “Forgive me, my lord, but I wonder, was the burning of your warship connected to my father?” Taryn asked, needing to know where she stood in the eyes of her so-called father. Was the Celtic king doing something to compromise her position in the Varangian kingdom? Was her position and the position of her two ladies in this kingdom safe for now?

King Einar shook his head a little, and replied, “It's not like that, my lady. I still have yet to find out the real culprit behind the destruction of my ship. I just needed to know that you are not involved. Only for the comfort of my mind.”

“Oh,” was the only thing Taryn could say, shyness overcoming her, happy that the king would even consider believing her words — a foreign woman he had no idea was trustworthy or not.

King Einar smiled, making Taryn's stomach do small somersaults. “Now I will ask you another question. This time I need you to think before you answer me,” the king said, his voice low, almost a whisper.

Taryn gulped loudly.

“Is there anything that you keep from me?” Again, King Einar asked simply.

Lightning cuts through the night sky and thunder crashed outside her bedroom window. Taryn couldn’t move. She finally felt like death was upon her. The question that she dreaded was asked, effortlessly laid out in the open by the king for her, and only a few days after her wedding to the king. What should she do? What can she do?

Taryn never made herself think about what she would do if the king ever asked her this question. She had never imagined him to be so frank. She had been pushing this dreaded issue out of her mind, stalling, unwilling to admit that she was too scared and unprepared if this question ever arose and if she was caught. And yet, here it was. The king had asked her the question she wished he would never have asked, in such a nonchalant way as he sat facing her, waiting for her truth in anticipation.

Taryn was in a conundrum. If she told him the truth, she was quite sure he would have her killed. It is known by many that King Einar, son of King Asger, the youngest man to ever become king in this realm, does not appreciate deceivers at all. King Einar may be many things, but he is not a fool and he refused to be fooled by anyone. He would cut down those who deceived him swiftly and immediately. However, if she was to lie to him to save her life now, she wondered what would he do if he found out the truth later on? Would he retaliate worse?

Taryn inhaled deeply. She decided that whatever she answered the king now, she was meant for doom, no matter what. Taryn looked at King Einar. The king còcked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows.

“No, my lord. I am keeping no secrets from you,” Taryn replied, feeling like she had been doused with ice-cold water, the bittertaste of a lie lingering in her mouth. She knew that with the answer that she just gave the king, she had truly and utterly sealed her fate. Her life is now completely in his hands.

King Einar nodded once. He stared at her face. Taryn didn’t know if he was trying to read her mind or if he was just assessing her actions. She wouldn’t be incredibly surprised if he was actually reading her mind either, wishing him luck if he could even find his way out of her messy head, since she obviously couldn't do it herself. Her mind had been a clutter of worry and countless thoughts since the day she was to be sent to the Varangian kingdom.

“Come,” King Einar said as he stood up and offered his hand to Taryn.

Taryn turned her face to look up at him. She didn’t understand what he wanted to do.

“Tonight, let us truly become husband and wife,” the king declared.

Once again, his voice and words made Taryn breathless, but this time, it was not in a bad way. She looked at the large hand in front of her, the king’s palm splayed open, facing her. She reached out her hand timidly, but when she placed her own palm in his, she felt the warmth from him enveloping her hand, the warmth quickly crawled to her whole body, uplifting her. Taryn slowly stood up.

The moment Taryn touched him, the back of his head tingled, the feeling was similar to when he was having a connection with his ice dragon, Draki. But instead of seeing in his mind’s eyes what Draki was seeing right then, the only thing that is eyes focused on was his beautiful wife, standing in front of him, smiling awkwardly at him.

King Einar pulled Taryn slowly toward her bed. For a moment, they stood facing each other, unmoving. Taryn was conscious of her nightgown, which was the most unflattering garment that she chose out of all the nightgowns that she possessed. She was too consumed in her jealousy earlier that she wasn’t even paying attention to the nightgown that she took from Eve's outstretched hand. Yet right now, standing in front of the man that she was physically attracted to, the man that made her heart pound and her stomach flip, she thought she wouldn’t have minded if she was wearing the same nightgown that she wore on their wedding night. It might’ve helped make her look more alluring compared to right now.

King Einar was not even thinking about his wife’s oversized nightgown. He was, however, trying to control his impulses and how fast his cōck was growing in his trousers. He didn’t think he would be able to control himself very much tonight, especially since the woman of his desires was standing so close in front of him. He noted how she still blushed gloriously under his watchful eyes, but she didn’t seem as shy as she was on their wedding night.

“My lady,” King Einar said softly, his husky voice sending shivers down Taryn’s spine.

Taryn looked up at him and he smiled. He moved to touch her forearms, noting the goosebumps slowly spreading along her arms. He smiled again, this time running his hands to her shoulders and her back. She was such a small thing that he was afraid of being too rough, lest he might hurt her. He let his hands rove all over her body, feeling all her curves and ridges before he placed both his hands on her buttocks, carried her, and then let her sit on the edge of the bed, facing him.

Taryn watched King Einar as he stood in front of her before his fingers moved to his tunic, slowly taking it off in front of her. Taryn was about to look away, shy, but she forced her eyes to stay on her husband, drinking in his beauty, watching him undressing himself in front of her. Her husband teased her, taking her left hand that was gripping the bedsheet next to her and placing it on his hard chest. Taryn gasped, unsure what to do. She looked at her own hand that was fanned out on the king’s chest, her eyes strayed to the hair dusted lightly under it. She flattened her palm on his chest, and brushed it over his chest hair, moving her fingers over his n****e lightly, making him suck in his breath sharply. Taryn enjoyed listening to the way his breathing quickened and the way his chest rose and fell faster than before. She became braver, more brazen, and reached out her other hand to his chest, now feeling him the way he felt her, running her fingers over the ridges and hard muscles on his torso.

King Einar caught both Taryn’s hands in his. He closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, she saw the fire burning behind those eyes, hotter than the fire burning in the hearth.

King Einar grabbed Taryn’s nightgown, pulling it up and over Taryn’s head. She allowed him to do so without fuss. She sat there, exposed, her naked body on full display to the king’s hot eyes. Even though he wasn’t touching her, the way his eyes slowly traced over her body made her body respond in ways she didn’t know possible — her nipplēs hardening, her skin flushing, the secret place between her thighs pulsating.

King Einar’s fingers went to the drawstring of his trousers, loosening them slowly as his eyes never left hers, wanting to see her responses to his body. When he pulled his trousers down and his thick, hard c**k sprung out, Taryn’s throat immediately went dry. As he stood still in front of her, naked, watching her watching him, she couldn't deny what a beautiful man the king was, all magnificent and mighty.

The king leaned toward Taryn, his mouth closing in, his arms on both her sides. She welcomed him, her hands slowly reaching up behind his neck, encircling him, pulling him towards her, her mouth opening to him as he descended for a kiss.

It was as if she had been waiting for a thousand years for this kiss. She felt an electrifying sensation as his lips touched hers, different than when he first kissed her on their wedding night. This kiss was more exciting, stimulating all of her senses. King Einar felt the same thrilling sensation when their lips touched too, like a power surging through his veins, making him content but, at the same time, wanting more.

King Einar’s hands had a volition of their own. They wandered from her smooth creamy neck to her breāsts, fondling the two globes, caressing them gently. His hands moved to her stomach and her hips, slowly trailing a hot path to her thighs, her calves, and her smooth soles. Then they traced their way back upward and found her mound, her wet c**t, and the passage where he couldn’t wait to bury himself in. He dipped his finger into her wetness as his mouth sought hers, deepening the kiss, taking what he could, a hunger so raw he was afraid he would r****h her even before she was ready for him.

As King Einar wrapped his strong arms around Taryn, he knew he could not wait any longer. The moans and sighs that escaped from her mouth were about to drive him over the edge. He pushed her further up the bed and climbed on top of her, grinding his c**k near her c**t, letting the tip of his còck slide along her wetness, wanting to give himself to her.

“I can’t wait any longer,” King Einar whispered next to her ear, his voice hoarse, urgent with need.

Taryn, drugged by his kisses and passion, her eyes heavy lidded, nodded and allowed him to do whatever he wanted with her. King Einar spread Taryn’s legs open, this time without any resistance from her, and ran his finger over her wetness once more. She was more than ready for him, so he straddled her, rubbed his swollen c**k at her wet c**t, and readily poised at her entrance.

Taryn screamed. Her back arched, her head reared back, and tears sprung into her eyes, glistening under her eyelashes as a searing pain went through her body. She heard the king swear under his breath and felt his body stilled. It took a while for the pain to subside but as it did, slowly, her eyes fluttered open, and she saw the king above her, his eyes closed, his face full of anguish. He was as still as a statue, unmoving. Taryn watched him for a while as her quick breath receded to normal. She reached out her right hand to the king’s cheek and gently brushed it with the back of her hand.

King Einar opened his eyes and looked into Taryn’s light blue eyes. He saw a tear roll down the side of her eye and caught it with his finger. “You are a virgin?” He whispered, his voice hoarse, awe and disbelief laced through his question.

“I—… Yes,” Taryn answered, slightly ashamed, not understanding if it was good or bad to be a virgin to the king.

King Einar closed his eyes briefly and when he opened his eyes again, they were full of regret. “I am sorry. I am so sorry. I didn’t know you were a virgin. I was told…,” the king’s words trailed off and then he cleared his throat. “If I had known you were a virgin I wouldn’t have been too rough. I would’ve taken more time, been more gentle with you,” he said, his tone once again laced with disbelief.

"It's all right. It doesn't hurt so much anymore," Taryn said softly, brushing his cheek with the back of her hand again, trying to dissuade him from his regret.

King Einar looked at her for a while, amazed by her selflessness and kind heart. It was he who had hurt her, but she was the one trying to make him feel better. King Einar held her face in both his hands, gently rubbing her cheeks with his thumb, moving it slowly to her lips, unconsciously memorizing her face, her smell, and the way her thick auburn tresses spread like a fan on the white bed sheets. He noticed the way her body was slowly opening up to him again.

"Do you want to continue this?" King Einar asked, concerned, not wanting to hurt her again.

Taryn looked at him for a while and then blushed. Her eyelashes fluttered before she smiled shyly and nodded.

King Einar didn't need to be told twice. His c**k was still inside her, pulsing, growing. He didn't pull it out earlier and was now enjoying the way her warmth and tightness enveloped him. He started kissing her again, trailing his lips to her cheek, her earlobes, her neck, and her collarbones. He dipped his head lower, teasing her nipplēs with his tongue and then his teeth, making her body strain and want more. He moved his c**k inside her slowly, not wanting to hurt her but at the same time needing to bury himself even deeper inside her. As he increased his pace and moved his hips quicker, Taryn's moans and breathing came faster and louder.

"Reach for it. I'll give it to you," King Einar promised, increasing his tempo, pushing deeper into her as she locked her legs behind his back.

Taryn didn't know what it was that he was trying to give her but she thought that the sensation she was feeling in her body was going to make her explode into a million pieces. Mindlessly, she pulled at the king, her nails buried into his skin, her hand moving fast along his back, sometimes gripping his hair, sometimes pulling him in for a deep kiss. She was flying to a place she never knew existed and she wanted it all, she wanted him with her on this journey.

Just when she thought she couldn't wait any longer, she felt a strong explosion bursting in her nether region, something she had never experienced before, making her unable to think, unable to speak, only a loud, long moan coming out of her mouth. Taryn could feel the muscles in her cūnt contracting and releasing in quick pulses, draining her strength. Her thighs shook from the delicious feeling. The king watched Taryn's face as she slowly returned to reality before he pushed his c**k inside her one last time, getting his own release, moaning softly as he leaned his forehead on hers. A short while later, he gathered Taryn's petite body in his arms and then laid on his back, pulling her on top of him.

Taryn laid her head on King Einar's chest, her ear listening to his steady heartbeat, feeling elated and fulfilled. Before this moment, she had always thought that a woman's duty as a wife was to cleave to her husband, sleeping next to him whenever he asked that of her. But now, after experiencing the physical pleasure she had just had with King Einar, sleeping was the last thing on her mind. Taryn quietly listened to the king's steady heartbeat as he lightly drew circles on her naked back with his fingers. Taryn smiled, content.

"My lord, I have a question," Taryn said softly, raising her head to look at King Einar.

King Einar was looking at the ceiling before he looked at her and smiled. "What is it, my lady?" he asked.

"What we just did a while ago, is this what the Lord said in the bible, 'Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else'?"' Taryn asked innocently.

"I'm not sure about the bible, for I am not a Christian. But with us Norsemen, we called the thing you and I just did 'making love' and I think it felt absolutely amazing," he replied, pushing some of her thick auburn hair away from her face, appreciating the beautiful glow on her face.

"I think I liked it very much," Taryn said honestly, then she hid her face in the curve of the king's neck, embarrassed.

King Einar chuckled. He appreciated her candor and, at the moment, he was enjoying the way her breāsts were pressing softly against his ribcage.

"Would you like to do it again?" King Einar asked jokingly, tracing his finger from her earlobe to her chin.

Taryn raised her head again and looked at King Einar, her eyes wide. Then she said, "Can we?"

King Einar laughed as his arms circled his wife's waist and pulled her to sit on top of him. Taryn yelped in surprise.

"Anytime you want," he replied with a chuckle, relishing the blush that was spreading beautifully from Taryn's chest up until the roots of her hair. Then, in an instant, his wife's face turned serious as she placed both her hands on his chest, spreading her fingers and straddling him under her. He saw the way she looked at his body, at his face, in his eyes. When his wife's face started descending to his, the laughter disappeared from his face and was replaced with a craving that only she could satisfy.

King Einar woke up before dawn, even before the light came out behind the mountains. He turned his head to look at his wife, now sleeping on her side, her breathing even and steady. King Einar stared at her naked back before he pulled the bed covers to her shoulders, worried if she was cold. He frowned. How was it possible that his most trusted and most experienced ambassador's reports about the Celtic princess were so wrong?

The king remembered the detailed reports from Ambassador Canute as if they were presented to him only yesterday. As he thinks back to the day when the ambassador sat in front of him in his war room, he recalls the ambassador saying very clearly that the Celtic princess was incredibly experienced in intimate matters with men, even going as far as providing evidence on this matter. The ambassador was worried that being married to such a trollop might cause some problems for the king — especially when it comes to legitimacy issues of their future children. But the young woman lying next to him, the one who had just given him the hottest release tonight, was a virgin. He knew now that she was not pretending when she shied away from him on their wedding night. It was just because she didn't know what they were doing. The way she quoted her bible was also a confirmation of her innocence.

The question now is, how? How was this possible? There had never been a time throughout his forty-five years of service to the Vangardian crown that the ambassador ever made a mistake. Ambassador Canute had been in service from when his father, King Asger, was still around until the day of his death and now, the ambassador continues servicing him and his realm. He could not believe that someone as meticulous in his work as Ambassador Canute could be so careless.

The only other possibility was something he did not want to think about.

King Einar got out of Taryn's bed slowly, not wanting to wake her up. He stood at the edge of the bed for a while, watching the steady rise and fall of Taryn's chest. His eyes caught the blood stain on the bedsheets, a small proof of her purity. Before he turned, he thought he saw something catching the light on the small table next to her bed. He bent closer to look at the item, noting that it was a necklace. King Einar narrowed his eyes, wondering why a princess would own a necklace made of cheap tin. However, upon closer inspection, he saw that the stone in the necklace was a red ruby and the gemstone was beautifully cut too.

King Einar thought he had had more than enough to think about in one night and turned to walk back to his bedroom. it is the start of a new day and he has a lot more things to do.