Behind the Curtain: Chapter IX
#9 of Behind the Curtain
*copyrighted by Tyvara_Panther in February 2008.*
The next day or so whisked by like a blur; Sayrea had cried until the tears no longer trickled from her eyes and her sounds came coarse and haggard. She refused to think and maintained her mind in a perpetual state of blankness; she didn't want to deal with how she felt or what had happened, she simply wished to lay in bed until whatever kind Deity came upon her, and in their implicit mercy chose to end her cruel and pointless life. Sayrea was well aware of what had happened to her; she knew she had cried out in pain, yet the Emperor had still sodomized her; what's further is he had done so for long enough that she had completely drenched the pillows with her tears, and felt she would either suffocate by pillow or drown upon them. All Sayrea could feel now was the searing pain in her pucker and a nauseated bloat as if some twisted beast had rent her open and crawled within--and in a way, that very thing had happened.
The passage of time came in odd intervals, with Sayrea only conscious of her surroundings when a maid would appear, and busy themselves about the room--she had quickly realized that she had been given additional maids. Every beast that entered seemed to ignore her state, though whenever Willa made the rounds of her room, she would always pull back the curtains of her bed and hold them wide for a moment or two, before she'd close them and go about her business.
Food was always brought, though it was left untouched, as the smells sickened Sayrea to her core and she would burry her nose within the musty smell of pillows, until she would fall asleep and wake to have the meal removed; though each time she did, the days became more vague and she became uncertain as to which it was, or how much time had passed between waking. She was certain at one point she woke to soiled sheets, though she had taken little care and had fallen back to sleep only to come awake while she received a bath--or rather she zapped awake when the water hit her flesh--it was warm, but it shocked her nonetheless and her eyes were wide as her heart raced;
Sayrea lay stiffly in the tub as maids moved her limbs as if she were a doll in order to scrub her clean. Once they had done so, she was wrapped in a towel and a guard carried her back to a bed which smelled of fresh linens, and she lay with her back to the opened bed curtains as she felt Willa's intent gaze fall upon her.
"You need to get up and out of this bed mistress." She said matter-of-factly.
"Why?" Came her morose reply.
"Because you can't honestly be considering laying abed till the end of your days."
"Why not?"
"You have your duties to the Emperor to think of for one."
"He has other wives; he can concern himself with them and let me be."
"What on Deity's green earth is wrong with you?" Willa's exasperation seemed to reach a new height.
"For a maid your boldness astounds me." Sayrea grumbled against a pillow.
"The Emperor Alirik is my lord first and foremost."
"He hurt me, all I can remember is the pain. If that is all I am to expect from him, then I wish to lie here until he has forgotten about me."
"Perhaps you are mistaken."
Sayrea turned and looked at Willa squarely. "Of what? That he hurt me? I am aware of my own body."
"Perhaps Emperor Alirik believed you to be enjoying yourself."
She sat upright and continued to look at Willa with disbelief. "I screamed for him to stop."
"Are you sure?"
"I know what I sounded like." Sayrea retorted, an injured bitterness to her voice.
"Are you certain that is what he heard?"
Sayrea paused; her face had been pressed to pillows--had he heard her? Could it have all been an enormous misunderstanding? It didn't feel like one. Her body felt hurt and violated; her heart felt damaged and betrayed. She had asked him to stop, but he had done what he wanted-- just as Vartouhi had done, though she had been far gentler than the Emperor.
"You simply can't lie abed until you've wasted away. Please get up, do anything, just get out of bed."
Sayrea lay back down with her head upon her paws and pillow as she sighed. "Why? The Emperor told me he wouldn't send me away, and since I have nowhere to go--I'm staying here, and if staying in bed keeps the Emperor away, then so be it." She rolled over and pulled the covers up to her neck as she added. "You are my maid after all; you can't force me to do anything I don't want to do."
Willa held the bed curtains open for a moment more before she closed them with a sigh.
Sayrea smiled in triumph. It was a meager victory, but one nonetheless, and she contended herself to lay snuggled against the pillows as she fell back to sleep.
When she woke to another indeterminate day, her stomach growled with such intensity that she was certain that the pull of hunger had woken her, and with a begrudged sigh she rolled out of bed and slunk toward her table. The food that awaited her was a meager fare, but it sated her angry stomach, and the jittery nervousness of hunger faded until she felt once again in control of herself. She relaxed in her chair as she took in the moment; her body still insisted that she deal with her experiences while her mind was content to spend its time elsewhere, and after a few long gulps from her glass of water, she rose and made her way out onto the balcony. She was naked, but she didn't care--it was her room after all, and she did not intend to accept company anytime soon. She could see balconies on either side of her, but spaced in a manner that was close enough to see, but far enough away that had anyone been outside, they would have appeared as a vague figure--still she was alone, and she looked out at the expanse of land that stretched out before her. A brisk wind tossed the branches in the trees below her like arms that reached upwards and called to her. Out in the distance she could see the vague shapes of storm-clouds, and she threw her head up to the sky and stared as grayish wisps of clouds moved slowly overhead. She felt a pang in her chest and she began to choke back the beginnings of tears, and with both paws firmly clasped to the ledge she leaned over and looked down; the world below seemed to spiral downwards and her head throbbed at the thought of the immoderate depth. With a quick breath she pushed her self away from the ledge and immediately regretted the look down as it took her a handful of minutes to get her bearing once again; it also solidified in her mind that she would not be jumping from the balcony in this or any other lifetime.
Sayrea hit her paws hard against the stone ledge in frustration, and instant regret came again as she clutched her paws to her chest in pain, and in utter defeat she slumped back against the stone wall; with knees pressed tightly to her chest, and paws clutched between knees and breast, she finally allowed the tears that had begged to fall for days to cascade down her cheeks, and soon they fell so freely that her face and chest fur was wet and plastered flat. She rubbed her injured paws roughly as she began to heave, and then hyperventilate as the tears refused to cease their flow; spittle dripped from her slightly opened maw as cries of anguish escaped her, and mucus bubbled and dripped from her nose.
Sayrea sat there so engrossed in her own misery that by the time her eyes ran dry, and her cries came coarse and haggard, she stood and left the balcony. With her footpaws now numb and asleep, they struggled to drag her to the bathroom where she found a pitcher full of water next to a round basin; she filled it and practically submerged her head only to rise once again as she sputtered and gasped for breath. She used her paws to dry her eyes and then decided to splash her face until the stains of despondency had been washed away, and she dried her fur with a nearby towel. When she was done, she rested for a moment with her paws on either side of the basin as she stared down at the slightly murky water, and in one swift movement she knocked both pitcher and basin to the ground; they landed with an earth-shattering crash and shards of porcelain flew in various directions. She looked at the ruins which lay at her feet as two maids rushed into the bathroom their eyes wild with concern. Sayrea looked up at them and seethed. "Get out!" and the two maids rushed from the room in a mad panic to be the first.
As she stood over the shattered mess she took in a few breaths and began to feel--good--and with a running leap she cleared the porcelain shards and landed squarely in her bedroom. Sayrea looked about her, with eyes that darted back and forth in rage, until her bureau caught her eye and she rushed to it; in a single arm movement she swiped everything to the floor, which responded with a gratifying crash of glass and metal. She then moved to her dresser and tore every dress that hung there and tossed them about the room, only to do the same to the marriage scrolls and they clattered to the ground. She overturned her table and whipped chairs about the room, and by then she had thoroughly worn herself out. She surveyed the wreckage about her as she bristled and fumed; finally satisfied, she crawled back into bed and fell asleep.
When her eyelids finally rent open, she looked about her room only to discover that the entirety of her room had been cleaned; not only that, but what had been broken or destroyed had been replaced. She sat up, her rage restored and she set about her room blocking all the doors with tables, chairs, or any furniture she could move without much effort.
She wanted to be alone, and if they refused to let her, then she would force it upon them, and once she was satisfied, she went back to her bed and sat at the edge, her arms crossed defiantly and she smiled in content. After a few moments she slipped off her bed and went to her table where her evening meal had waited, and ate until she was content, only to once again return to bed. Sayrea stared upwards at the pulled fabric of her bed curtains; her anger had not abated and neither had the pain, which left her with clenched fists as tears began to stream down her face once again. She sat up abruptly and slapped herself across the cheek. "Stop it!" She berated herself. "This is stupid." She banged her fists against the blankets before she thrust her head to them; she took in long deep breaths to calm herself and when she sat up again her tears no longer threatened to escape; so she took in a few more breaths until she felt her racing heartbeat slow, and then with a heavy sigh she lay back against the pillows. Sayrea closed her eyes and tried to relax. She felt exhausted, though she knew she'd been sleeping for far too long, granted the sleep wasn't exactly restful, but if she was tired she might as well sleep, and after a few moments she felt herself slowly slip into dreams.
When Sayrea woke in the middle of the night to a heart that raced, she knew a noise had woken her. She lay stiff and still for a moment not sure of what she had heard, then it came . . . a slow creak, and she knew someone was in the room with her. Her heart now palpitated with such furry she could barely breathe, and she felt her fur bristle with fear. Then another creak and she felt herself shiver underneath the covers; then a sudden calm washed over her, if Vartouhi chose now to do her in, then so be it, she would never have to be under the torment of the Emperor's whims again. So she lay there as the sounds of softly shuffled pawfalls grew closer and when her curtains were pulled back, she closed her eyes and waited for the death that never came--instead it was a paw that fell gently over her muzzle. Her eyes flashed open, yet there were no candles lit, and she couldn't see. The figure pulled their head to hers and whispered in her ear and she heard a voice she had not expected.
"It's me . . . Enerin."
Had her mouth not been covered she would have screamed. She wanted to sit upright, but he held her firm.
"Are you alone?" He whispered in that sweet voice she had almost forgotten. She nodded and he continued his paw still around her muzzle. "Will you be alone?" She nodded again. "You won't scream?" She shook her head and he released her. She sat upright and her eyes began to gain focus in the dark.
"You're . . . here." She stammered almost too shocked to register the moment.
"Of course I am." He said as he wrapped his arms around her and held her to him in a tender hug. She felt tears drip onto his shoulder and he pulled away only to kiss her cheeks where the drops had fallen. "Don't cry love, I'm here. I'll make it all better now."
Sayrea sniffled slightly and threw her arms around him once again, tighter than before and nuzzled his neck, as he held her with paws that gently patted and comforted; her heart raced and her mind flittered with so many thoughts she couldn't contain a one of them. "It's been so long." She finally managed.
"Too long." He said, as he nuzzled her neck. "Far too long."
Enerin scooted up onto the bed more and they held one another in relative silence for a few more moments, until finally he pulled from her, her jaw cupped gently in his paw. "You seem okay; have you been treated well? I was concerned."
Sayrea bit her lip and held back tears as she shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it, just hold me."
So he did and she rested her head on his strong, broad chest. "It doesn't seem too bad here." He said as she felt him turn to look about the room. "This must be the biggest palace I've ever seen."
Sayrea pulled back with a coy smile as she asked, "How many palaces have you seen?"
"Okay you got me." He said, as he threw up his arms in defeat, only to wrap his arms around her again. "Are you sure you'll be alone?"
"Of course, I blocked all the entrances. No one can get in unless I unbarricade myself."
Enerin pulled from her and looked at her with concern. "Do I need to ask why you barricaded yourself in your room?"
Sayrea shrugged. "I wanted to be alone, and they wouldn't let me."
"They?"
"Servants, guards, beasts I really want nothing to do with." She paused; then looked up at Enerin. "How did you get in?"
"I scaled the balcony." He said, as he puffed out his chest, and gave a cocky grin.
Sayrea's eyes went wide and her jaw fell slightly. "How did you manage that, and without getting caught?"
"I've been outside wandering around for a few days now trying to figure out the best way in, really it was all luck. The idea of scaling the side came to me when I found a nice length of rope."
"You found rope? Out in the forest?"
"Actually it was in the sparring yard."
"There's a sparring yard?"
"How long have you been in this room?"
Sayrea shrugged. "I don't really care."
"Well then let's leave." Enerin said, as he began to slide of the bed, her paw in his.
"I can't." She said, as she pulled back and he turned to look at her, a look of injured shock plastered across his face as she continued, "There's no where to go. The Emperor bought me; if I show up at home, my family will send me right back here."
"I'll hide you."
"I can't spend the rest of my life indoors."
"Then we'll run away."
"They'll hunt me down."
"How do you know?"
"Tradition, all the Emperor would have to do is mention that I've run away and they'll come after me."
Enerin paused to take in a couple of slow breaths. Sayrea could tell he was becoming frustrated. "So what am I supposed to do?"
Sayrea pulled him to her and wrapped herself around him. "Just stay here for a while. We'll figure something out."
"How do you know no one will just bust through those doors to try to get to you."
Sayrea gave a soft giggle before she replied. "I gave some of my maids a good scare, plus I've been making things a little difficult for them. I think they'll get the message." She brushed her tail to his and he gave her a squeeze. "Will you lie next to me? I'd forgotten what it felt like to lie next to you."
"I'd do anything for you." Enerin said, and eagerly crawled up next to her. They faced each other, their arms and legs intertwined as the two looked warmly into the other's eyes. "I'm so sorry I let you go." He confessed softly before he kissed her. The kiss began with closed mouths and quickly progressed to open, as Enerin's tongue demanded entrance. His kiss was strong and deep, so much so that she could feel the force of it in her toes, and it caused her tail to curl in bliss.
A part of Sayrea's mind told her to resist, but another refused to let go. So much of it felt like a dream, yet she knew how much of it was real. She lost herself so completely that she almost didn't notice Enerin's cock against her--almost. She gasped and her heart raced, as she pushed against him practically instinctively.
He paused and looked at her with concern; she looked away and Enerin tilted her back up to face him. "I won't do anything you don't want me to do."
"It's not that." She whispered as she tried to turn away with her eyes. "I'm just . . . I don't know." She paused then whispered in a barely audible voice, "I'm scared."
Enerin pulled her close and held her tightly as he murmured, "I'd never hurt you; I never did, did I?"
She shook her head roughly against his chest and he continued. "I always want you to feel safe and comfortable with me, I'd never do anything to cause you any pain."
Had she not been already laying in bed Sayrea's knees would have buckled and she would have fallen; instead she threw her arms around the wolf with new fervor and he resumed his kisses. As they grew more intense, he moved his way southward until his attention fell on her sex.
She gasped and jerked away and Enerin paused, only to move his kisses to her soft thighs. He kissed, and licked, and nibbled her until she began to moan softly, and he resumed to slowly sneak his way back to her mound. This time she didn't move and he gave her sex a cursory lick to which she responded with a quick groan. Sayrea reminded herself of where she was and kept her voice quiet as Enerin continued. The flicks of the stalwart wolf's tongue sent shivers throughout her body, and as his pace increased, she began to kick her heals into the bed in bliss-filled ecstasy. She clasped her paws over her mouth in a desperate attempt to deafen her uncontrollable cries, which she was aided by pillows which she grabbed and clutched about her mouth, and still Enerin's concentration was focused on her clit. She felt tears of pre-orgasmic delight trickle down her face until she was rewarded with the explosive blast of her climax, which sent her body into throws of electrified bliss and she almost laughed with the relief of it.
No sooner had she reached her delightful moment of ecstasy that she felt Enerin scamper up to greet her with a wet-muzzled, lust-filled kiss before he slipped his throbbing meat into her. Sayrea, shocked for a moment instantly softened to the familiarity and moaned into Enerin's kiss, and she felt her own head throb with the force of it, and yet the wolf continued on, with his thrusts faster and harder until all Sayrea could do was dig her claws into his shoulders and hang on. With each thrust she felt a slightly newer sensation as her body thundered on toward another orgasmic throw, this one took control of her body and burst her vision with blackness and showers of tiny colorful stars. When her sight returned she looked into Enerin's eyes and could tell by his stupefied look of contentment that he had climaxed with her, and in a semiconscious autonomous roll, he toppled off of her only to pulled her close into his waiting arms where he snuggled her in satisfaction.
There was nothing Sayrea could do now, Enerin had had his moment and he would teeter off into the fog of sleep before she had an instant to collect herself. She let him, and happily snuggled into his embrace and looking forward to the rise of the sun and the possibilities the new day lay ahead, and she sighed as she squeezed Enerin's paw that held her breast. She sighed with the drunken euphoria of a long overdue climax; she sighed with exhaustion of long forgotten tension and with the exasperation of a depression that had stayed far too long, and she sighed with the longing for a sleep that was no longer necessary. Sleep did come, but only once the resounding sound of Enerin's soft snores and the feel of slow rhythmic breathing enveloped her completely.
The dreams that awaited her kept her mind in a torrent of thoughts, like a mass of visions and sounds in a spinning whirlpool of dreamlike haze, but the sight that she saw on waking shook her from the bowels of sleep just as surely as if it had been a glass of ice water. It was a face that stared forward, cold and empty, almost lost in a volley of personal torment--the face of the Emperor Alirik.
*Comments are welcomed. Please comment. I love comments, comments make me want to post more often and work harder toward completing stories. Anything is welcome, questions, comments, critiques, all these things help me become a better writer so please, let me know what you think -- Thanks ^ ^ *