Colors of Spring - Chapter 2
#2 of The Breaking of Spring
As Audris continues her work at the keep, the dreams continue weaving their way into her mind. What is really happening... and what will she do when faced with Lord Valdimar alone?
Perhaps if things had been less stressful, Audris would have felt less inclined to stay after that first bizarre dream. The next few days, at least, were calmer... she suffered no dreams, focusing her attention on her painting, singing with a lyre in her lap after supper each night. Still, she couldn't bring herself to look into Valdimar's burning golden eyes. His presence was almost suffocating, masculine and powerful. More than that, he very clearly was the voice she heard in that terrifying, wonderful dream.
Why, then, had it hit her so hard her first day there? She'd only just met the man! Her brow furrowed as she began anew on the painting that had consumed much of her time the last few days. He would occasionally come in, leaning against the wall by the fireplace and watching the progress, making a pleased comment or simply nodding and leaving once he felt whatever strange factor in his mind was fulfilled. And somehow, his presence stirred up the memories of that dream nights before. Of him holding her up against the wall, his length burrowed so deep inside her that he penetrated her very womb, his seed swelling her belly, virile and hot.
Frowning, she gave her head a quick shake, huffing as she shifted on the stool and refocused herself. She didn't need to focus on some silly dream, she had work to do, and that work wasn't going to get done if she kept indulging in some stupid virginal fantasy.
"You've been very determined these last few days," Talia was saying, gathering up some old rags Audris had used to protect her fine dresses from the paint being applied to the canvas. "It's coming along nicely... how many of these will you have to paint?"
Audris shrugged faintly, looking around her space for a specific color, dipping the brush into it when she found it. Simple movements, normal and focused. This was her work, her job, her purpose. She was here to paint and to sing. This was a good reminder of it. "I am to paint and sing until the land becomes fertile again. It's springtime now... surely it can't take forever. I'll only know when we start to see results."
The previous year, she knew, had been very hard. Crops had failed in the fields, and they'd lost so many elk calves to the harsh weather. They needed a good year this year, a good breeding season. Her eyes lifted slightly, watching Talia's face as the mouse nodded. "Mm. That makes sense, I suppose. Well, at least some things are fertile, right?" She chuckled, patting her belly lightly. Audris had suspected upon their first meeting... but it was impolite to pry. "My husband and I are expecting our fourth. My own mother used to insist that the more babies born in the keep, the better the harvest. Old wives' tales."
"Of course," Audris responded. She'd heard similarly herself, but it never seemed to hold true to her knowledge. Ah well... it wasn't for the peasantry's lack of trying, at any rate. Not that many children survived to adulthood these days. A little sigh left her and she brushed back her hair. "Congratulations, regardless. How soon?"
Talia smiled, stretching a bit as she went to grab a basket from by the door. "Three months, I would say? We've some time yet. A summer baby... should be lovely, don't you think?"
Audris nodded in reply, a little smile curling across her muzzle. A little mouse baby would be adorable... maybe she would get lucky. Maybe she would still be here during the summer, painting and singing for the lord of this keep. Her thoughts drifted, just briefly, back to that dream. Maybe if she's lucky it won't be a dream anymore...
Blinking a few times, she pushes the thought aside. No, absolutely not. He is the lord of this land, and she is just an artist. A servant. A slow breath escapes her, and she smiles up at Talia before returning to her painting, only looking up when the door swung open, revealing Valdimar once again. It looked as if he had been out riding, wearing tight riding leathers with his wings draped from his shoulders. He was the picture of masculinity, and she swallowed, doing her best to keep her composure.
Talia, for what it was worth, didn't seem to notice, bowing as Valdimar spoke up. "I see you're both busy today. I just wanted to let you know I won't be present for dinner, so you may feel free to take it in your room. I have some matters to attend to."
"Of course, Lord Valdimar," Audris felt herself saying, lowering her brush slightly to keep from smudging the paint. "I hope everything is all right."
He sniffed. "It is. Just a minor squabble between tenants. Something about a fence or the like. It's pretty normal. Things will fall back into place soon enough."
Smiling, he nodded his head, then turned to head for the door. Talia just sighed, resting her hands on her hips. "That man, I swear. He works himself to the bone and then some. Honestly, I worry... one would've thought he'd be married by now, but no. His lands come first, he always says."
Audris blinked, turning her head towards Talia with a curious expression, her ears flicking slightly as her tail curled around her feet. "Really? Is he that determined? I mean... he seems a fair enough man, but I suppose I've never really met someone so... driven."
"The life of a nobleman," Talia sighed. "At any rate, I'll prepare your meal and take it up to your room for you, Lady Audris. Feel free to come up whenever you're ready."
A little smile came to Audris's face at that. If nothing else, at least she could rely on Talia's kindness to keep her company. "Of course, Talia. What would I do without you?"
The mouse laughed brightly as she headed for the door. "In this place? You'd probably just wind up lost!"
It was hours before the light had faded too much for Audris to keep working, and she finally sighed, slipping up to her room to eat and wash off the paints and food debris in her fur. Her thoughts were still all twisted up, but with a few days since that strange first dream, ehe at least now didn't really feel as if she was at any kind of risk getting settled. Pulling on a clean nightdress, she slid herself into the covers, settling comfortably and closing her eyes for what she hoped was a good night's sleep.
But after what only felt like only a few minutes as she drifted off, her eyes snapped open, suddenly aware of something thick and hot and all too big being shoved into her mouth. She gave a startled moan, dragged to her knees as the massive cock slid deeper and deeper into her mouth, bulging out against her throat as her own hands lifted against her will, shoving up under her nightdress to fondle her heavy breasts, pinching and twisting the nipples as she felt her folds dripping.
It had only taken a moment, and her eyes rolled up, focused on the face of her assailant as he slid his massive rod inside her willing mouth, holding onto her ears. And as she feared in the first dream, it was Lord Valdimar, smiling that hot, sharp-toothed grin down at her, rubbing the thin flesh of her ears as he pressed forward until he was hilted in her mouth. She could taste the pre that had smeared on her tongue, though now that tongue was working against the underside of his fat, ridged cock, moaning lewdly as he withdrew and thrust back in again. His pace at first was gentle, but soon he was pounding into her mouth like it was her pussy, and Audris squealed and moaned around him, gasping air when she could and swallowing around the huge rod.
He was using her, brutalizing her, but she felt her tunnel clench around nothing, freeing one hand to reach down and shove two fingers deep inside herself. She wanted, needed, more than that. She needed him to hold her down and fuck her. But he was content to fuck her face instead, and her eyes rolled back as she came, her whole body jerking as he continued his assault on her mouth.
How had he gotten in here so quickly, without her even noticing the door opening? Did she even care? His cock felt so good down her throat, but she desperately wanted something more, lust glazing through her mind. She needed him to breed her.
"Is this good, my lady?" the dragon growled, grinning at her as he continued to fondle her ears. "Do you like my cock down your throat? Or is there something else you want?"
She didn't have the ability to respond, but he moved anyway, dragging his cock out of her mouth before climbing over her on the bed. She didn't have time to react before he had lifted her, her body dangling so he could lower her mouth back onto his cock... all while his body doubled over, mouth opening, closing ever gently over her mound. She shrieked around the rod bulging out her throat, moaning desperately, as his impossibly long golden tongue shoved up into her deepest recesses, thrusting in and out of her tunnel, writhing and flicking over her g-spot and all her sensitive spots. Before she knew it, she was coming again, shrieking as he lifted and dropped her, fucking her face even harder as he invaded her pussy with his mouth.
It was lewd and improper, but she no longer cared. Her mind was clouded with lust, only caring about his tongue deep inside her and his massive length slamming into her face. It didn't take long for her to come again, and this time it was right along with him. The massive cock swelled inside her throat before twitching, shooting ropes of virile seed directly into her belly as she squirmed and swallowed it all down, feeling like she couldn't stop coming on the tongue thrusting violently into her most private parts.
Even when he dropped her to the bed, his cock sliding out of her abused throat, she was twitching and shivering with the aftershocks of one powerful orgasm after another... and he still wasn't done. Licking his chops with a low chuckle, he shifted and arranged her to his liking, until he could pull her to him with his hips. His cock, still impossibly hard, rubbed briefly against her slit... and she felt herself cry out when he yanked her to him hard, filling her with all of his hot, wet length in one fell swoop.
It was in that moment that Audris's eyes flew wide, leaving her laying in bed with her eyes blown wide. She can feel that her mound is soaking wet, her body sensitive... but the bedroom is empty, and she's positive she has not been touched. Another dream? And this time she knows for a fact that it was Valdimar she saw, Valdimar filling her up, Valdimar giving her everything she ever wanted, fucking her with abandon. Why was she feeling this way, why now of all times?
Shakily, she pulled herself from the bed, gazing out the nearby window. It was dawn and would be time for breakfast soon enough, so she let out a quiet breath, moving to collect her bed things and move into the bath. Hopefully her things would dry before Talia came to pick them up. She sat in silence in the hewn stone tub, gazing for several moments up at the ceiling, expression thoughtful and distant.
It was true that he was attractive. He towered over her, and he was powerful, with sweeping wings and a clearly masculine physique. To be attracted to him was no real surprise, but this? These were things she had never even fantasized to herself, in her private home. Being used like a toy, with a cock so big it was obscene shoved deep into her tunnel or down her throat.
A little shiver rippled through her frame, and thoughtfully, she slid her hand beneath the water, her fingers starting to tease her clit. She wondered if his cock really was that big... how those ridges would feel dragging across her clit, across her g-spot, the tip piercing into her womb as he bred her.
Audris moaned at the thought, lashes fluttering as she began to tease one of her nipples with her free hand, two fingers dipping into her folds. She couldn't figure out why this was happening, why these dreams kept plaguing her... but now, with a second dream in her past, the thought of revisiting it in the waking world was almost as enticing as sleeping to have it happen again. He was a powerful dragon, virile... and she would surely come into heat soon enough. Perhaps that was it?
Her hips jerked as she thrust her fingers inside herself, moaning as her palm rubbed against her clit. Her mind fixated on it being Valdimar there, his fingers curling deep inside her, claws scraping against her most sensitive parts. She whined, gasping in a soft breath, imagining how it would feel to have him holding her down like this... just like in her dream.
Her fingers curled and all at once she came, biting her lip to keep from crying out as she gushed around her thrusting fingers, lashes fluttering as her mind continued to hang onto the memory of the lurid dream. Once she came down, she let out a shaky sigh, gazing down into the water... at least it cycled itself. How embarrassing it would've been to have to explain this to a servant if they'd needed to scrub and refill the bath.
Still, she felt embarrassment creeping into her stomach, shivering as she set about waiting just long enough for the water to clear before bathing herself, making sure she was sufficiently clean before standing and going to dry before Talia brought up breakfast. She needed to get herself back into some sense. Regardless of the way her brain was playing tricks on her, she still had a painting to work on and music to play.
Though thinking of music just brought her back around to her anxieties. She would have to be in the room with Valdimar, and keep her composure despite her torrid fantasies and the depraved dreams of him using her however he pleased. It was just her oncoming heat talking, that was all. She could keep through this, professionally.
It was easy enough to keep focused as Talia finally stepped in, thanking her for breakfast and for her help getting into her day's dress. She just needed to get through the day and she would be fine. The fruits and cheese went down nicely, and she was able to get herself into decent enough shape to divert her attention away from the distracting dream. With her meal done and her clothes carried away for cleaning, she picked up her paints and went to leave the room. Everything was going to be just fine.
The painting room was not visited by the keep's lord that day, and so Audris had plenty of time to try to put him out of her mind as she went about her day. Dinner was cordial, as it always was, but this time he seemed oddly focused on her, gold eyes fixed on her form as he ate. Finally, though, she sat up slightly, giving him a long, anxious look, her ears turning back as her fingers curled against the edge of the table. "Is something troubling you, my lord?"
"Mm?" He blinked, then laughed, sitting up as he leaned back in his chair. "No no, nothing of the sort. I was just noticing that your fur seems softer. Living here has improved your health... and I couldn't help but notice that we had rain yesterday. It was part of why I had to see to that foolish, messy squabble. It had caused a creek to overrun, and they were fighting over who should have first use. Easy enough to sort out, but tenants can be notoriously prickly about what they see as theirs. All the same, squabble or no, I have no doubt the rain was your doing. It would seem the sages were right. If you keep working, I have no doubt that by the time the harvest rolls around with you here? We'll see an end to the lean seasons."
Audris felt her cheeks heat up at that, ducking her head slightly at the praise. "Thank you, Lord Valdimar. This is really nothing. I'm only doing what was asked of me... that it's helping the people here is just a benefit that I'm happy to have had a part in."
Valdimar scoffed a bit, and he gave a faint grin as he picked up a goblet, gesturing faintly towards her with his head tipped back. "You are entirely too modest, Audris. This has every bit to do with you. You were brought here to paint and sing, and bring back the rains and the fertility to our lands. So far, you're doing a fairly admirable job. When all this is said and done, the land and its people will be forever in your debt."
Her cheeks were burning now, and she ducked her head slightly to look away, moving a few pieces of greenery around on her plate. She should have been starving, but the conversation and his presence were both so intensely distracting for her. If he noticed her distraction at all, he either chose not to say or let her be, assuming it was demureness at the praise to what little she had to offer in this grand plot. At the very least, she endeavored to finish the meal and her wine. He had been a gracious host, and she only wanted to do her best to help the people so deeply affected by the lean year prior.
Tonight when she sang, she could feel the timber of her voice shift, full and rich as she followed the melody of the lyre resting in her lap, eyes closing as the tale was told of a peasant girl and a farm boy. The story was a lurid one, but Valdimar seemed enthralled, clapping once she had finished and standing up. Audris simply ducked her head. "I'm glad my song pleased you, my lord."
"Every day you surprise me, Audris." He paused for a moment, then tapped his chin lightly with a talon before sweeping to his feet. "Tomorrow, you will go riding with me. It will do you good to see the change you're already having on the lands surrounding, I think, and I'm certain you could use a break from your painting for just one day. Have you ridden elk?"
Audris blinked in surprise at his statement, quickly nodding her head. "I have, yes, in the past. It's been a while, but..."
He nodded as she trailed off, motioning for Talia to come collect the young artist. "Then that is what we will prepare for tomorrow. We've plenty of riding clothes for a fine lady such as yourself. Sleep well tonight, Audris. You'll need your energy for the ride tomorrow."
As he moved to leave the room, Audris stood slowly with Talia, watching quietly after him. Her heart was hammering in her chest at the thought of being alone with him but... no. No, surely he would keep guards and servants onhand. It was an innocent ride, nothing more. Smiling to Talia, she turned to follow her out of the room and back to her own chambers. Those silly dreams were getting ahead of her. If she just let herself relax, everything would turn out just fine.
But what should have been a good night of sleep prior to her day out riding with Lord Valdimar was interrupted yet again by yet another infuriating dream. She found herself in the elegant hewn tub, warm water splashing around her, as she sat astride the dragon's thighs, his strong hands guiding her trembling frame as she bounced on his cock, piercing deep into her womb. Her mind was addled with lust, focused entirely on the pleasure he was giving her as she fucked herself on his massive length, breasts bouncing with every movement.
There were no servants to interrupt them, no duties to fulfill. Her entire being was dedicated to just this one action, her head rolling back as he leaned down to nuzzle and kiss her exposed throat. It didn't take long for him to take over, gripping her full hips as he used her like nothing more than a toy for his own pleasure, lifting her and impaling her down so hard on his cock that she was all but screaming with the pleasure of it. When she began to climax, he only began fucking her harder, gently biting at the juncture of neck and shoulder as she sobbed out her bliss, her juices mixing with the warm water surrounding them. There seemed to be no end to his lust, and all she could do was allow him to plow deep into her fertile body, her belly distended around the massive cock shoved so deeply inside her.
"This is what you are, Audris," he murmured as her orgasm ebbed, just barely heard over her wanton, desperate moans and the sloshing of water as he drove into her over and over again. "You know why you're truly here. You want to be bred, don't you? You want to be filled with my children, for the rest of your days. You want nothing more than to be fucked... every morning, every night, nevermind who might see or hear you. You want to be mine."
She didn't want to answer that, but she felt the answer come out of her more than heard it, her head nodding loosely as he plowed deep into her eager folds. "Yes! Yes, my lord, yes...! Please, yes, I need you to breed me...!"
He hilted deep inside her again, grinding her against his scales, and the feeling of his roughness against her clit caused her to shriek, the sound dying out in a shuddering moan as he spoke. "You can't deny me, can you? This is what you know you need, and what you must do. Your heat is coming... I can feel it. And when it does, you will want nothing more than my cock, penetrating you until all you can do is come and scream, no matter how long we go. We will go all night if we must, and you'll only want more..." Another brutal thrust. "And more..." One again, he lifted her and slammed her down, almost violently. "And more."
She was panting and shaking again, thrashing as another powerful orgasm overtook her. He chuckled at the reaction, his rapid, brutal pace picking up again, smiling as she willingly let him bury his length inside her. Deep down, of course, Audris knew she must be dreaming. Wasn't she? This was simply another trick of her imagination, pulling her deep into its snare... but it felt impossibly real. She felt like she should have woken up by now, as brutally as he was fucking her. She should have resisted him or pushed away. But all she wanted was more of him, splitting her open and piercing the very deepest part of her. He was right, wasn't he? This is what she was meant to do. She was meant to be his toy, to pleasure and breed as often as he wanted to.
Her eyes fell closed as she moaned again, crying out when all at once he slammed her down hard, his cock twitching as he came, filling her womb with his seed. She felt her body shake as she came again, quivering and thrashing as her pussy clenched around him, her belly swelling with the sheer volume of his cum. And still he was not done with her. Her eyes flew open again, rolled back as her mouth fell open when he began to piston her against his still rock hard cock once more. There was nothing else for her now... nothing but this.
Audris awoke the next morning with a shock as her body, untouched, was rocked with a powerful unbidden orgasm, immediately pressing her face into the pillow as her hips jerked against nothing, tunnel clenching hard to try to clamp down on a cock that was not there. There was a desperate hunger in her belly, one she was suddenly alarmed and terrified by. How was he able to do this to her? The thought of his cock slamming over and over into her as he manipulated her body like a toy drew out the unwelcome climax as she moaned into the soft pillow, one hand snaking down her trembling body to pinch and roll her clit, drawing it out even more.
She was supposed to be going on a ride with him today. How could she face him now, rolling over onto her back as the orgasm subsided only to shove her fingers back into her own folds, trying to ease the aching need to be filled. Dawn had not yet come, and it would be some time before Talia came to assist her in preparing for her day. Her mind was swimming, overwhelmed with the sensations from the dream and the thought of being brutalized in such a way...
What was she going to do? How was she going to manage the ride today, with the thought of him filling her so completely echoing so fully in her mind? Her eyes fluttered shut and she moaned as a second orgasm rocked her frame, free hand fondling her own breast and twisting the nipple. Her fingers weren't good enough. She needed something else, something more... but she couldn't ask that of him. This was her heat talking! She was alone and in a new place with a virile male, of course her mind would make up such fantasies!
Audris sucked in a deep breath and let it out as she tried to compose her thoughts into some semblance of normalcy as her body came down again. She would need to strip her sheets and bathe, and she was wasting no time in doing that, walking into the bathing room on trembling legs, aware of how soaked her fur was between her thighs and along the underside of her tail. She needed to make sure she was clean and prepared.
It was hard to go about the morning with the remnants of desire still throbbing in her loins, her mind focused as it was on the want for her lord to do the things she had witnessed in those dreams. Even if they were the fantasies of a heat slowly building, they woke something in her she had never fully expected, and wasn't entirely sure she wanted. She was only an artist, a singer. She was not the sort of woman who begged for a man to have his way with her, nor was she the sort of woman a fine lord would marry. She was a peasant, at the end of the day, even if she was one with talents sages said would save their lands. She had to live with that, and force the thoughts to the back of her mind.
Once bathed and dried, she waited patiently for Talia to come with her breakfast, carrying with her a riding dress and a cloak for the cool morning air. She chattered on about idle servant gossip, providing Audris a much needed distraction as she helped her dress, small hands deftly pulling up her long hair into a tidy, tight bun, unlikely to easily fall from its pinned place at the nape of her neck.
She looked the picture of grace and elegance... far from the desperate, needy whore that had allowed herself to be impaled like a common girl, moaning and screaming to be bred. She was not an animal! She was a proper lady. Letting out a breath, she smiled at Talia, finished her breakfast, and headed down to the main hall. Lord Valdimar was waiting for her there, his wings lifted behind him, riding leathers clinging almost lewdly to his body. Audris felt herself suck in a breath, glad for once that it was masked by the conversation he was having with Talia, and once the mouse had seen her way out, the pair headed outside.
Two elk were waiting tethered, and Audris was surprised to find no guards standing wait. "My lord... will you be taking no servants?"
"I have no need of them," he replied, turning to offer a hand, smiling when she blinked. He seemed completely unaware of her surprise. "It's all right. Our lands are safe and private. Shall we be off, then?"
She had no time to think of a response as she was swung up onto the waiting elk, watching with wide eyes as he climbed onto his own. As they started off down the path towards the thick woods, an unsettled feeling sank into her belly. She had only been dreaming such things before, but it embarrassed her being in his presence. What was she going to do? If her head got ahead of her out there, she would be ridiculed, mocked, or imprisoned! Possibly even worse!
As the entrance to the woods grew near, Audris swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat. There was no turning back, now. All she could hope for was for her composure to hold deep within the empty woods.