A Warrior's Dance

XXVI – The Pretenders

The stone castle of the Morcan tribe had four towers, caging the main keep in the middle. Indigo was the color their tribe symbolized, just like the color of their flags. Queen Madelaine was the ruler of the castle, her strict and unsmiling face intimidated most of her people.

Unlike her youngest daughter, Princess Laine, the queen didn’t have any beauty in her face. She had high cheekbones and long nose, her eyebrows thick and slanted. But despite her plain face, she had a body worth lusting for.

“Mmm,” Madelaine moaned, eyes closed. “Don’t stop.”

Goose bumps ran down her neck as she felt him tasted her crown, enjoying the lustful sensation. She swallowed as she widened her legs, allowing the man to devour her more. Clutching a handful of his hair, her back bent forward, toes curled, as he tasted her flesh.

Madelaine’s moans heightened as she reached her peak, not bothered whether the guards outside her room heard her or not.

As she screamed with her hoarse voice, she pushed the man away.

“I love your taste,” he murmured to her ears.

Madelaine smirked at his flushed face. “I know, Gregory. I know.”

Gregory chuckled and crawled on top of her, his eyes exploring her flawless skin and lingered to her big breasts.

“How’s it going in the palace?” she asked, letting the man put kisses on her neck.

“You know how the king is,” he said in between his kisses. “He’s afraid of the small council. Afraid each tribe will raise a mutiny and end his reign.”

She smiled to herself. “I want all this to work out, general.”

He looked at her. “Of course, Queen Madelaine. I’ll do anything for you.”

She pushed him away and sat up. “You’ll do anything for my body, you mean.”

Gregory smiled maniacally, unable to stop his eyes from roaming her body. “When can I take you?”

Madelaine turned her back at him as she rolled her eyes. Reaching for her robe, she covered her naked body before turning again to the general to face him.

“You’ll have that wish when the prince officially married my daughter. That is our deal, I’m sure you remember.”

The man smiled sheepishly. “Yes, of course, my queen, I remember.”

“I’ll have another business to deal with, general. You know your way out.” She opened her door and called out for her maids waiting outside. “Prepare me a bath.”

With that, Gregory had been dismissed.

***

Later that night, one of the royal guards escorted an old man to the visitor’s lounge. He was wearing a mask, almost covering half his face, trying to conceal his identity. When Madelaine walked in, she waved for the guards to leave them and sat across her guest.

“You arrived safely,” she greeted.

“I’ll thank your shadow walkers for that,” he answered. The old man untied the mask covering his face and formally bowed to the powerful woman before him.

“I heard news about your victory for poisoning the second valkan captain, Chieftain Rowen.”

He smiled crookedly, making him look uglier. “I couldn’t have done it without your help, of course.”

“Ha!” she blurted and laughed. “My plan’s beginning to work, then. And soon they will fight each other, like a bunch of stupid boys fighting over a territory they couldn’t even keep.”

“Captain Raq will send ships as an aide to the rising terror in River Lights. Have you heard about that, my queen?”

She shrugged her shoulder. “Of course. But I’m not a fool to believe them.”

Chief Rowen looked at her incredulously. “Y-you don’t?”

“Those heaven fairies are empty headed. Nobody can read the message of Heaven. There is no Sea Serpent and all that bull.”

Rowen nodded his head but his face looked troubled. Of course, the queen had noticed. “Something wrong?”

His sunken face looked even more dreadful. “The Valkans have captured my daughter, Queen Madelaine.”

She raised an eyebrow, her smile died instantly in her dark lips. “And how did it happen, may I ask?”

Rowen cleared out his throat, almost afraid of her reaction. “She- she helped the kid escaped and was caught on the spot.”

“And what you’ll have me do, chieftain?” she asked, a challenge in her voice.

“Help me get her.”

She thought for a moment, her eyes moving to the high ceiling to the walls, lips pursed.

“In exchange of what?” Madelaine asked. “What will I get from helping you cover your daughter’s stupidity?”

Her words cut deep but he had to endure it. “Anything you wish, my queen.”

“Anything I wish,” she repeated, sewing a plan in her head. “How about you make the Valkan captain interested in me? I heard he’s quite a man.”

The chieftain looked uncertain. “The captain is not interested in finding a woman, for now, my queen.”

She waved her hand, dismissing his comment. Madelaine knew nobody could resist her body and that made her think she was the most beautiful woman on the continent. Not that Rainlee they called a lady worth of war.

“Just make way for me to ride his ship, Rowen,” she said. “Then my shadow walkers will take care of your daughter.”

The chieftain wasn’t sure if that was a deal he wanted to make. But he had no choice and just agreed with her.

“Thank you, my queen.”

Queen Madelaine just smiled sweetly.

***

“What’s bothering you, my prince?” Princess Laine asked as she took in the solemn expression in Matthews face. His eyes looked distant, lost in thought.

The balcony of the prince’s tower had a great sight overlooking the Port City, the blue sea making a good landscape from where they stood.

The prince was always silent when they were together. He would only speak if he would explain their rules and laws and compliment her beauty once in a while. But his words sounded forced, like he wanted nothing from her.

Matthews glanced at her, seeing again her beautiful face. “Nothing.”

She slowly shook her head, a small smile on her lips.

“We will soon unite, my prince. I want you to know you can tell me anything.”

He wasn’t being intentionally rude to her but things seemed a lot different now. His king father expected him to do his duty as the crown prince. The brewing darkness in River Lights kept on bothering him as well. And now his cousin had been marked as a spy and a traitor, all because of his doing. He felt like he had been trapped, a puppet doing what he was told to do. The way his cousin vanished into thin air still sent shivers down his spine. Of all his relatives, he loved Raiden the most. He was like a brother to him, a protector, a best friend. What he had done now? He forsake him.

Matthews couldn’t properly get a grip on the reality he found himself in. Gone were the days where they would just roam around the kingdom in a commoner’s clothes and raced with their horses. He couldn’t even help his cousin’s situation. What would happen to him now? Could he right the wrong thing he did?

“I’ve been meaning to ask you this, Princess Laine,” he started, eyes narrowing, freeing his thought from troubles. “Did you really like me? Or you just think you have to like me for the sake of allegiance?”

She hadn’t expected to hear that. No, not at all. Her expressive eyes narrowed as well, returning his gaze. “I really like you, Matthews. Maybe, ever since I was little, when your family visited our small kingdom years ago. But now that our families agreed to our union and I’m beginning to know you, surprisingly, I like you a little less now.”

The prince composed himself, not proud of her answer. As a prince, he was used to ladies trying to get his attention, secretly admiring him from afar.

“So, in short,” he said as he leaned closer to her. “You like me no more.”

Laine smiled, not at all intimidated at their close distance. She could feel that the prince was trying to push her away for reasons unknown to her. But she wasn’t the kind to quit instantly. “I said just ‘a little less’.”

Matthews smirked, savoring her expressive eyes. Truly, her beauty was incomparable, but he couldn’t shut down the doubt in his head about the whole marriage.

Holding his gaze, Princess Laine tip-toed and planted a kiss on the prince’s soft lips. She felt a twist in her stomach, her hands suddenly felt cold. She hadn’t expected to feel the spark at the little contact but she couldn’t deny the feeling anyway.

She’d been dreaming to kiss a prince since she was little.

Matthews, on the other hand, was frozen in place.

That was his first kiss. He blinked, waking himself up and pulled the princess closer to her. She was surprised at his move, but didn’t struggle to be freed.

And after a second, Matthews leaned down and kissed her.

And once their lips touched and tasted each other, they felt like they didn’t want to stop.