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Lulled in the King’s Embrace By Limewah Story for Somnolentchii 18+

As soon as Kore was out of the warm, steamy bath, they threw their towel around them and clung to it as tightly as they could. But even though the soft cotton fabric had been kept warm on a heated rock, it could only do so much to protect them from the chilly night sea-breeze. They were glad they hadn’t washed their thick mane of brown hair - that would be a sure-fire way to catch cold.

The constant temperature changes were really messing with the white haired Licorne royal- the constant fluctuation from humid heat to biting cold was going to take a while for the horned doe to adjust to. They’d survived at least one week, so what was one more, or ten more… or however long they’d be living in this palace with that golden-scaled serpent king?

Kore’s quarters were surprisingly toasty, especially compared to the wide open halls of King Noctue Elio Xanthos’ seaside palace. All the colourfully intricate rugs and silks draped over the walls or hanging in canopies from the ceiling, retaining the heat from the wood-burning metal stove perched on a platform of marble.

Kore hadn’t lit the stove, they were quite certain of that.

…They also didn’t lay those new clothes out on the bed.

The slight invasion of privacy (presumably by some of the snake King’s servants) did perturb Kore. But they were a guest.

Just one who was staying for an indeterminate length of time.

Kore approached the bed, and examined the clothes laid out upon it.

To the left was a long, pale-purple sleeping gown. It had puffy sleeves, and would likely go all the way down to Kore’s ankles. Though it was also sheer to the point of translucence.

That was what the other outfit was for. For what little it would cover…

Kore’s eyes slowly slid along the lingerie- starting from the lilac choker, down to an oleander corset-like bra that would hug their ribcage and push out their bosom. The violet panties beneath the top surely wouldn’t cover very much either. Lacy opera gloves and dark garters rounded out the attire, along with some jewel encrusted bracelets and anklets made of polished brass.

It had the shape and silhouette of a harem outfit, but it was clearly made of the finest fabrics, delicately designed…

And as they tentatively slipped into the undergarments, Kore was surprised and delighted by how well they fit their frame. Kore was not very slender - they had a soft middle and curvy things, and were all the prettier for it.

The corset-top was like a comfortingly tight hug, and the leggings and gloves were warmer than they looked too.

It left the pony feeling uncannily warm, and very pleasantly so.

Perhaps the outfit was enchanted.

They slipped the nightgown on next. There was some errant dampness on their fur, but as the nightgown draped over Kore’s body, it all evaporated, and they were left toasty and dry.

They looked at themself in a full length mirror, filigreed with burnished gold.

It draped perfectly over them, and the way it added a bit of shaded occlusion to their lingerie-clad body was very enticing.

“Goodness…” Kore giggled. They almost wished someone was looking at them.

Wearing this, they felt more like a princess now than they had in… well, a very long time. Even back home with their cranky, inconsiderate father, they never felt quite this well-looked after.

It was strange, they couldn’t think of a time when a servant could have measured them… how did it fit so flawlessly?

The doe decided it would be better not to think about it too hard; it was just another gesture of hospitality, of which there had been plenty over the last week. Velvety confections that melted in the mouth and left the taste of brown sugar and saffron… and that wood-burning stove, after the king noted the bags under the doe’s eyes.

This outfit was probably meant to help with that as well. Did they still look overtired?

Kore was too tired, and too cosy, to inspect their reflection for bags under their eyes.

If there were more little comforts like this to come, perhaps they would learn to love this strange land…

Sleep claimed Kore quicker than it ever had since their arrival - perhaps even longer.

The princess dreamt of shimmering copper coils catching eddies and flecks of sunlight. An impossibly intricate weave of moving shapes. They’d never seen anything more beautiful - at least, they felt that way…

They dreamt of eyes regarding their body, hungrily taking in every inch of them. They moved to adjust their clothing, rolling over to the side to show the curve of their back…

They dreamt of those copper shapes draping over them, slipping into those crevices and grooves. A delicate little grip around the ridged horn coming from their forehead, a short-cut to making their head tingle and shiver…

They dreamt of sweet, soft music, the gentle warm buzz of horsehair against catgut, the sound of breath through long shafts of wood and ivory…

The realisation that the music was not quite a dream woke Kore.

They whickered softly as they sat up in bed, rubbing their chocolate brown eyes as their ears flicked to pick up the music.

Kore knew they weren’t going to get back to sleep while that music played - at least, not until they’d gone to observe the players.

Curiosity animated them, and they shifted slowly out of the bed, their hooves clicking delicately against the polished floors. The unicorn clutched their gown to themself, enfolded in its supernatural warmth. The empty halls they walked felt cavernous. They certainly dwarfed the size of the halls at the castle Kore came from. They felt like a little lost child, seeking out a parent.

It reminded them a little bit of their early years back home.

At least this time, they had an idea of where they were going, and there was no subconscious dread about what might happen when they found who they were looking for.

Even if Kore’s ears were stopped up, they would have been able to find their way to the source of the sound. The air seemed to pulsate, shaken by the ceaseless warm drone of the music.

There was no melody to be picked out - a water-stream improvisational chaos.

There was also the matter of that sweet scent. It enticed Kore’s nose the same way the music enticed their ears. Like the music, it too grew stronger. Kore picked up the scent of exotic spice and sweet fruit.

They could feel a little tickling vibration in the back of their throat. As if the fog of sound had slipped in through their nostrils and was trying to coax out a hum, to join in concert with it.

But they were a little afraid to. They didn’t want to risk ruining the atmosphere by singing or humming off key.

What even was the key of the song? It kept shifting and flowing. Maybe there wasn’t a melody at all. Maybe the performers were searching for it, as if digging through the desert sands for buried, forgotten treasure.

Kore slipped through a canopy of wooden beads, and their raindrop-clacks announced their presence.

The musicians, all of whom were cloaked in anonymising drapes of gossamer and silk, glanced at the new arrival briefly, but continued their melody unabated.

Two large glass pipes were in the far corners of the room. The charcoal burning inside them was releasing long vines of milk-white smoke into the air through their chimneys.

Even from there, Kore could smell the scented oils diffusing from them. The source of the scent.

It was quite thick, too… it tickled their throat a little. They managed to stifle a little cough, but it would likely not be the last one.

The last thing they wanted was to cough before the king.

King Noctue was perched on a large rock, twice the height of an altar, wide as a banquet table. His coils were draped all around it, with no cloth or rugs separating those scales from the stone. He was reclined on his side, his coils serving as a pillow for his head, a brace for his shoulders, a blanket for his body.

The brass-scaled naga kept his deep, warm gaze fixed on Kore’s. It seemed to pierce into the princess’ mind, even from the two-dozen or so metres of distance they had. Candle-light caught and glittered along the ridges of his spiny head, and the curls of dark golden hair on his head and chin.

Kore wondered how a serpent could grow hair - was it a hairpiece? Or magic? They were too polite to ask, but the curiosity was still there, threatening to overwhelm.

Kore’s idle fixation on the King’s hair kept them from staring at the rest of him, though there were many other things that tempted and tugged at their attention.

For instance: save for a sash draped lazily over the seam where his anthropoid torso ended and his long spool of coiled muscle began, the King was completely naked.

Kore had not seen his bare chest before, with their thick pecs and glistening ridged abdominals…

Kore caught themself almost drooling, and quickly wiped their muzzle, hoping the king didn’t notice.

“Ah… you couldn’t sleep either, could you?” King Noctue said, rolling his shoulders back ever so slightly. “Good evening, Princess Nevina - I beg your pardon, Kore! ”

“G-good evening,” Kore said softly. That was the first time in 3 days he’d forgotten to use Kore’s preferred name, and there was a look of genuine embarrassment on his face. It honestly made the princess feel a little self conscious. “‘Don’t worry about it. The, uhm, music woke me up…”

“Oh, did it?” Noctue’s brow furrowed. “I beg your pardon, Kore. Sometimes the burdens and responsibilities of royalty accompany me to bed, and I find myself unable to sleep. That is where my musicians come in.”

He gestured to them. The robed figures nodded deferentially, and played on, the thick warm chords reducing in volume at an un-spoken command.

“Oh, should I leave?” Kore asked. “I hope I didn’t disturb you-”

“No, no.” Noctue waved a long-clawed hand with gentle dismissal. “These sessions take some time to lull me, and we’ve barely started. You are more than welcome to keep me company until I doze off.”

“Thank you…” Kore said, stifling the nervous ‘but’ that tried to sneak out from behind the thanks. But surely I’d be overstepping my boundaries?

Kore had invaded his personal relaxation time, and disturbed him in a state of undress; who were they to invite themself into his personal space?

Well, no, they’d been offered a place amongst the blankets and coils, but…

Why would he do that? Was there something else he wanted from his doe-Licorne charge? Something he’d been looking to claim?

What if he made further offers? Overtures? Things Kore might not necessarily want to say yes to…

What reason did they have to think that?

Noctue had been nothing but respectful. He would ask Kore’s permission before so much as taking their hand or laying it on their shoulder. The Princess never felt put upon - they were certain he would back down if they demurred.

Kore never did, of course. They quite enjoyed his touch.

They enjoyed it a lot.

So much so, that sometimes they imagined what it would feel like if that hand were to explore a little lower, or push a little more against their face.

…Like this moment.

Kore felt a dangerous, moth-to-flame infatuation inside their torso - from their heart, down to their gut. They feared they might agree to something, and regret it later. There was something about the music and the scent and the gifts that carried an undercurrent of coaxing, coercion…

If they didn’t know any better, they might have thought this was a wilful attempt at courtship.

“You’ve been standing still for a while. Please, take a seat wherever you like.”

Kore squeaked. How long had they been caught in that thought-storm? Too long, clearly.

“Yes, sorry, yes, thank you!”

There were plenty of cushions between Kore and Noctue, so they quickly elected to take one a good distance away from him. Yes, a very respectful distance. Nowhere near close enough to touch, but not so far away as to come off as aloof.

The King, for his part, had closed his eyes and settled back down, one arm resting his chest, the other one up behind his head.

Kore stared at him and worried on their lower lip, jealous of his apparent relaxation.

The music covered the silence, and made things feel slightly less awkward and nerve-wracking.

Only slightly.

Even so, Kore’s mouth grew drier, and their heart thumped quicker.

“Will you not come closer?” Noctue asked. “It’s much warmer here with me. The rock beneath me is enchanted with an insulation spell, and it’s been out in the sun all day. So it’s quite cosy.”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Kore said, unable to mask a slight shiver. The magic of the garments seemed to be doing less and less for them - or was it a placebo the whole time?

The King opened his eyes and stared down at Kore. His tongue - long, flat, forked - whipped lazily through the air before retreating between his full smiling lips. Kore squirmed under that gaze - even if they didn’t feel like breaking that eye contact would be disrespectful, they would probably have trouble tearing their gaze away.

“You’re troubled about something,” he remarked. “I can taste it on the air.”

“You what…?” Kore shifted, unsure whether to kneel or to cross their legs.

“Not in a literal sense,” he added with a chuckle. “While your face might be able to hide your feelings, your body cannot. There’s a ssscent to you-”

“B-But I just bathed!”

“No no, it’s not an odour… more like a…” his slender, glittering fingers snapped thrice as he fought for the right words. “pheromone? Perhaps it is not sssomething mammals like you notice. Some sssubconscious vestige of your primitive ancestors.”

Kore shivered slightly each time the snake drew out his sibilance. Something primitive, for sure - the instinct to flee, to stay with the pack, to outrun the predator lest they be devoured.

They knew they weren’t in danger of that here. That would be a ludicrous fear to have. They were a princess, not some wild beast.

So if their fluttering doe-heart and shuddering spine didn’t stem from primal fear, or the chill… then where did it come from?

“You’re shivering,” Noctue pointed out. “Are you ssstill cold?”

“A little,” Kore half-lied.

“Please, do not be afraid to come closer. My coils have been warmed up if you’d like to lay upon them. My home is your home, and my body is yours to use.

Kore’s breath turned to stone in their throat. His body… theirs to use.

They stared at the patterns of his subtly shifting scales. They recalled the impossible shapes in their dream, the twisting patterns that danced behind their eyelids in their deepest slumber.

They knew they wanted to touch him.

New tones poured out from the wall of sound, these ones softer, warmer, more akin to a lullaby.

The scent seemed less cloying, too, the more they took in the scent.

Kore felt brave.

…why put it off any longer? He had made an explicit offer.

Even with that decision made, Kore took their time moving to the serpent’s side. The closer they got, the more his coils seemed to glitter like the facets of a diamond. The nervous click of their hoofbeats were slow, uneven, yet somehow they felt harmonised with the music’s melismatic bellow-breath. It caressed Kore’s ears as it picked up again, gaining in volume and density until there was little space in their head for anything but the music, and their destination nestled in Noctue’s embrace.

Kore’s eyes remained fixed on the coils. Their approach was suitably deer-like - the ancient, flighty prey-heritage of their mother’s side. Ready to bolt at the first sign of danger, the fur on the back of their neck pricked as if trying to pull themselves back the way Kore came.

But the princess’ will was far stronger than their nerves.

They ventured closer, peering as if to see their reflection in Noctue’s scales.

It was faint, slightly distorted to make their eyes look a little larger than normal, but… those scales were indeed oiled and polished to a mirror sheen, and they could see their awe-struck, dilated stare reflected back at them.

“You’re staring at yourself, hm?”

“Oh! Oh, s-sorry.”

“Don’t be, Kore.” Noctue chuckled. The coil they were staring at began to move towards them, dipping down to offer them a step onto the rock.

Noctue’s thin tail slid down like it was offering a dance. After a brief confirming glance to the tail’s owner, the Licorne took hold of it. It curled gently around their wrist and tensed, giving them support to climb onto the coil-step. It squished pleasantly beneath their weight.

It was smooth, just a little damp, and Kore understood that the tail was to keep them from slipping off - their hooves didn’t exactly have a good grip on smooth surfaces.

Kore grunted slightly as they got up onto the warm rock. Their back leg, still on the coil, slipped slightly, and they tumbled forwards with a yelp, embedding themself face-first in a waiting pillow of bunched-up scales.

Luckily, their horn didn’t spear into his flesh. Or perhaps it might have chipped or snapped off, like a lance against a stone.

Kore pulled back and quickly whirled around to turn to face Noctue. They sat upright, perpendicular to his still reclining body, just in front of his stomach.

Knots of self conscious tension remained in their shoulders. Embarrassment scorched their face.

The scent took their mind off of it.

Reptiles did not generally have a natural scent. Kore presumed it came from the oils on his scales. It was a light floral scent, a lingering one that they knew all too well.

“Is that lilac…?” they asked.

“Yes,” Noctue said. “I found your home quite charming, and asked for some of this to be brought back and infused. It’s a very exotic scent.”

Kore laughed a little louder than they intended. Noctue laughed in turn, a deep low bass-rumble that made Kore feel like they could melt into the coils.

“What?” Noctue asked. “I mean it! It has a very lovely aroma!”

“I know you’re right, it’s just… impossible to escape back home,” Kore said with a sigh. “And it takes a little while to go away, too, you’re probably going to smell like that for a few days!”

“Oh no.” Noctue half-laughed, half-winced. “Soon we might share our distaste, then.”

“I don’t hate the smell,” Kore said. “It’s fine. I actually think it suits you.”

Noctue laughed. “Ah, you are a little flatterer, aren’t you?”

“U-uhm.” Self-consciousness crashed into Kore’s mind again, and the tension they’d managed to shrug off came racing back.

How did Kore manage to be so flirtatious?

…what did Kore think they were doing?

… what did Noctue think Kore was doing?

“Sorry,” Kore mumbled. They shifted awkwardly; their left leg felt like it was falling asleep, and they stuck it out to try and get circulation going again. Noctue’s coils shifted along with it, helping to stretch the leg out, and pushing against their hoof.

“Eep!” Kore flinched, their paws unconsciously digging into Noctue’s tensing muscles.

“Jussst helping you get more comfortable,” he said, breezily.

Every time the princess shifted, the king did the same. Kore shifted their hips, and his coils adjusted to better support their back. They fidgeted with their unoccupied hands, and he offered a little segment for them to rub and massage.

Every move made Kore sink a little deeper, as though they were enrobed in quicksand. Too much movement, and they might drown in those coils.

The thought didn’t seem all that bad.

Their eyes felt heavy. So they closed them and reclined back, focusing on the warm squish beneath them, the soft lull of the music, and the mixture of the exotic incense and the familiar perfume.

Kore felt time jump forward slightly. They must have dozed off, with all the dislocating dizziness that came with the sudden awakening.

It occurred to Kore that Noctue and them had not spoken for a little while. They did feel a little sleepy. The scent of lilac was a little comforting. Like home. His coils, too, felt so pleasantly cosy. It felt perfectly molded to their shape, like a well-used childhood bed.

The melody felt more like a lullaby too, now, in its strange improvisational lilt. And yet, they didn’t feel very sleepy. They could stay up a little longer. Basking in this particularly pleasant state somewhere between sleep and wakefulness. Allowing themself to relax. Do nothing. Be present. Be with their host.

They took in the handsome features of the king’s face. His snout was thick, like most serpents, yet with a very pronounced chin, a classical beauty usually reserved for flattering statues of vain regents. It reminded Kore of a sculpture of their father. Except this statue was living, breathing… smiling down at them with a warmth they had scarcely felt before.

“Sssilver for your thoughtssss?” He asked.

“Oh, uh-!” Kore suddenly tensed again - how long had they been staring? “Uhm. Yes, I… was just admiring your, uh, hair..p-piece.”

“My what?” Noctue tilted his head, and Kore swore they could see a hint of annoyance pass along that bronze face.

“Oh, I mean… your hair, your beard, it’s just, I didn’t think reptiles could grow hair and, erm…”

He laughed, his coils shifted comfortingly, and Kore stopped feeling like they were digging their own grave.

“I am a basilisk. This is not hair, it is more like… down. Something to do with our mixed avian and reptilian heritage. But that is not an uncommon mistake to make.”

“Well, I’m sorry, still…”

“Don’t be. I’m told it feels similar to a goose’s down, not that I’ve ever touched a goose. Far too exotic for us.”

“Exotic?” Kore laughed. “They aren’t that interesting. Awful, honking creatures.”

“Well, I’m thankful that my down’s the only goose-like quality I have. Go on. Feel it. I permit you.”

Kore nodded, their jaw tight, and gingerly reached their paws up to touch Noctue. He intercepted Kore’s touch, pushing his chin against their palms.

Kore was expecting the ‘beard’ to be coarse, rougher. It had the soft texture of freshly spun yarn, disarmingly light. It barely resisted their fingers. The smooth scales beneath the chin-down were silken in texture. Kore had never held a goose, but they did find the touch quite pleasant… they could take his word for that comparison.

Noctue hummed contentedly and pushed his head into their palm, a pleased look on his tongue-flitting lips.

Those lips.

…He was so wonderful.

He smelled so nice.

The music was so comforting, too.

…They wanted to kiss him.

The longer they stared at him, the more they longed to taste his lips.

Kore’s paws were cradling the ‘scruff’ along his jawline. Their hands framed his face. His snout seemed to pucker the barest amount, a comely little forward push of his lips.

“My eyes are up here,” he said.

….They’d been staring at his lips.

The doe felt a sudden hitch in their breath - self-consciousness, an awareness that their place had been overstepped.

“I’m sorry,” Kore said. But their paws still cradled his face.

Kore did not move to kiss Noctue. They suddenly felt that they weren't sure they wanted to; or they were afraid to.

They didn’t want to ask permission. They hoped Noctue would ask.

He never asked.

He simply moved in and took his first taste.

Kore’s body turned to steam beneath his kiss. His body adjusted to press down upon Kore, slipping under their arms, between their thighs. It wrapped and knotted and submerged the little doe. The quicksand was well and truly swallowing them.

Kore’s exhaled little moans were caught in Noctue’s maw, and exhaled back into their face through his nose. Kore’s breaths were short, weak gulps; how could they draw breath with those kisses bearing down upon them, when he was giving them his air, his body…

The insulating coils baked Kore in their own body heat, making them pant and sweat and grind.

The music’s silken drone vibrated through the scales and muscle.

Kore disappeared beneath Noctue’s body - the only part of them that wasn’t covered was their snout, simply so Noctue could kiss, and kiss, and kiss.

Kore swam in and out of consciousness. Time ceased to exist for them. Not a single thought could linger in their head. The kisses drew the wisps of conscious thought from their head and kept them focused on the task at hand, the beautiful creature pressing his mouth to theirs…

When he pulled back, Kore gasped as if roused from the dead.

“Hhhah… ahhh…hhhah…” their body was flushed. Heat slid all the way down their spine, pooling between their legs. They felt puffy, sensitive, warm…

They looked up. Noctue’s breath wafted over them. He seemed as smitten with Kore as they were with him.

“Might I… taste another part of you?” he asked, almost shy in his politeness.

…Did he mean…?

…Kore had never been touched down there before.

The thought of being intimate, of being… deflowered, had crossed their mind now and again, but never with him, and certainly not in this moment…

His coils between Kore’s legs were shifting. They could feel the cool night air between their thighs, against the sheer enchanted fabric.

A slim tickling sensation traced at their knee, far enough away from their sex to be a respectful distance, and yet… close. Very close. It traced a slow, delicate shape, as if reading a fortune in their thigh.

…This was going further, and faster, than Kore anticipated. And they didn’t know if they were ready for what might come next. Maybe it was time to stop, and pull away.

Kore remained still.

“Mmm?”

Oh. He was expecting an answer, wasn’t he?

“I… uhn…” Kore wasn’t sure if they wanted to shake their head, to tell him no. Their head did tilt to the left. But as they breathed in the scent and became aware of the low drone of the music, they couldn’t lift their head.

He did not wait for an answer. His tail slipped up their thigh, electrifying and freezing them as it went.

It slipped up, under the gown, still quite warm from the heated rock. Kore felt(or perhaps hallucinated) its radiation. Their body ached for his touch.

“Nnn…”

Was that meant to be a ‘no’? Or just a moan?

The question ceased to matter when the tail met its mark.

As Kore opened their mouth, their squeak of pleasure was captured in a kiss. Noctue kissed them like their mouth was an oasis and he was a parched traveller. His mitts wrapped around their back and pulled them closer to him. His lips only ever relaxed for a brief moment before he dove in for another firm kiss, and another, and another.

Kore felt their body turn to liquid. The music and the scent enfolded them. It faintly occurred to them that there was a world outside this room, outside the coils. The reminder didn’t last. Another kiss, a tight squeeze, and a slow trace along their netherlips put a stop to that thought.

What was happening to them…?

A kiss, a caress, and it was gone.

Why did they feel so bold, yet so submissive…?

A kiss, a caress, and it was gone.

Was he about to…?

A kiss, a push, and it was gone.

Noctue’s tail glided inside Kore. Their legs spread wide and their head lolled away from the kiss with a loud, half-drowned gasp.

“Nnnnah…!”

“There there,” Noctue cooed into their ear. “You’re doing so well for me, just allowing me in, allowing me to pleasure you, just as you deserve. This is what you’ve wanted, isn’t it? This is what you were hoping for since the day you arrived. All you needed was permission. To have those inhibitions removed.”

“Removed…?” It was half a question, half an exclamation, but all Kore could do was writhe and listen.

“This whole performance has been set up just to guide you to me.” Noctue whispered, his downy chin tickling the side of Kore’s face. “Mammals like you are easy to influence. Subtle scents and sounds have their ways of nudging the mind this way or that. And I’ve merely been nudging you the same way. Giving you permission to let me in.”

“Wh…wha…”

Had they agreed to this? Was this what they wanted? It felt so nice, but… But…

“But…”

“Shhhhh.”

The dimness of the chamber only made Noctue’s eyes gleam even brighter. The bronze lustre was usurped by an array of colours - unnaturally bright, almost incongruous. How were they so bright and clear like pastel paints? How did they seem to emit their own light source?

It didn’t matter.

White. Green. Blue. Yellow. They reminded Kore of the glistening frosting on a deliciously sweet treat. Decadent and moreish.

…More.

They wanted more of that pleasure, and the longer they stared, the more the pleasure grew.

They leaned forward - or rather, they tried to, but they were so comfortable in the warm coils, they could do little more than lift their snout slightly.

As he turned his head, so too did they.

“That’s it. Please, Princess. Relaxsss, and let me in…”

His tail pulled away, and Kore’s body immediately burned from its absence. But they couldn’t whimper. They just stared up into the colours, letting them radiate warm pleasure down over their face. It reminded them of the sun, but not the burning heat of this exotic land. Something closer to home, tempered by a light breeze, soporifically warm and soothing.

Kore inclined their hips upwards as the tail explored their insides. It was tender, slow, methodical, until it found Kore’s most sensitive spot.

“Hah… haaah…!”

“Shhh…” Noctue moved in closer, shading Kore from the lights in the room so that his eyes and their hypnotic spell provided the only source of light. His tail massaged his guest’s needful walls. The length of coil just outside it slid upwards and rested on Kore’s stomach, his belly-scales pushing against the now very engorged clit.

Kore’s jaw quivered, their eyes fluttering and crossing inwards as they lost the ability to even see at all, momentarily. Their gaze only half-refocused on his colourful seduction. The rings were now flowing through their eyes as well, pulsing in slow, lazy concert.

Their legs slipped and slumped, their body diffluent and dissolving. The tension slowly sloughed off their face, and an easy, comfortable smile crept up along their snout.

“Good, princesssss…” Noctue’s tongue tickled Kore’s parted lips, his sweet honey-breath filling their nostrils. “Give in to those secret desiresss of yoursss… you’ve always wanted thissss, haven’t you? I’ve ssseen all those craven little glancesss… you want me as much as I’ve wanted you. Yesss?”

Kore didn’t remember looking at him that way… s-some apprehension maybe, some nervousness, maybe a little crush, but…

He was nodding, slowly, up and down. Kore realised they needed to nod along with him, and as they did, they realised that the serpent king was right. They must have desired him all this time. They must have always wanted this…

The ‘yes’ that slipped from their throat was almost completely inaudible. Noctue wouldn’t have heard it if he wasn’t right up close to them, enrobing them with his weight - both above them, and under them.

His tail slowly slipped free. The warm tail’s absence made them whimper, feeling a tepid emptiness that desperately needed to be filled…

Noctue rose up, and Kore attempted to follow, their neck craning to follow his eyes as he moved up and past them.

He guided one of his now very engorged hemipenes against Kore’s slit, the other one resting just at their inner thigh.

“Are you ready for me to take you?” he asked.

Kore might have hesitated before they said yes, but Noctue did not wait for their answer.

It was not a forceful thrust. Just a slow, gentle glide. The tip pushed in only a little. Kore’s body tensed with surprise, their legs raising up unconsciously.

“Breathe,” Noctue ordered gently. “If you want me to pull back, say so.”

Kore could have said no. Maybe if he had tried this a few minutes ago, they would have said so.

But now… with those eyes still pulsing, with their body so comfortable in those coils… they saw no reason to relent.

They stared quietly, eyes half-lidded and half-hiding the swirling glow… though they still penetrated through the lids, just a little.

Noctue pushed in further, his breath hitching in a low hiss of pleasure. His shaft was thick - not so thick that Kore struggled to accept it inside them, but large enough to give them another spasm.

Especially when it pulsed inside them. They could feel his heartbeat through his shaft - slow, even, cold-blooded and methodical.

Kore’s fluttering heart gradually settled to match the slow drum of that rhythm.

The music… though it had no percussion, it somehow matched the pace of the slow, gliding thrusts, and the pulse of his shaft.

The scent… the lilac scent no longer seemed so cloying. It mingled with the exotic scent of his body, the natural royal pheromones he possessed.

Kore realised, faintly, through the swirls and the song and the scent, that everything about about the King was irresistible. How had they resisted this long?

It didn’t matter. They’d given in. And how sweet that submission was….

Noctue slid his shaft free, and before Kore could whimper at the emptiness, he repositioned to let the other one take its place. Noctue’s head was tilted back now, and Kore could no longer see his pretty eyes. Their swirling gaze was drawn towards their thighs, where they watched one cock plunging into them, the other one glistening with their nectar as it slid along their soft inner thigh.

The darkness surrounded them, and with that, they became aware once more of just how desperately sleepy they were.

It was so hard to keep their eyes open.

They gave up rather quickly.

The princess slipped in and out of consciousness, an oneiric fugue where they never were quite sure if they were dreaming or awake.

…They felt awake whenever they climaxed, that much was certain.

A squeak, strangled in their throat like a trapped rat, a clenching of their teeth, a shudder of need, a burst of nectar…

Then back to that sleepy daze.

It was not how the princess imagined the capture of her virginity would take place… but it certainly was better than whatever awkward, fumbling anticlimax they might have had with some arranged husband.

The King’s love-making was firmly possessive, and yet comforting like a blanket. Both of his cocks took varying turns to slip inside. The coils beneath Kore shifted to curl around their torso, up beneath their garments, until their body was engulfed - save for their face, and their flower. And there they would remain.

The morning came, and Kore practically leapt out of the coil parcel, scrabbling like a diver seeking air. They were not suffocating. They were incredibly energetic, and yet somehow managed to avoid stabbing their bed’s scaled flesh.

The sunlight made the horned doe squint, but they sighed with delight as their arms shot up into the air in a long, stiffening stretch.

“Nnngh!” They pulled themself up with a little grunt, sitting up on a length of coils with their legs still dipped into the hole they’d made.

They looked around. There was no sign of the musicians, though their strange, wonderful instruments were still there, standing by like the serpentine sentries at the door to the chamber.

“Hah…” Kore felt incredibly refreshed like they’d slept for a month. It was the best sleep they’d had in a very long time, perhaps ever.

“Good morning!” they said, cheerily, looking behind them to see if they could catch a glimpse of their host.

There Noctue was, head slumped on the rock, snoring softly, looking… well, drained. He looked a lot less elegant and inscrutable at that moment. There was a strange innocence about him, a vulnerability that, perhaps, all creatures revealed when in a particularly deep sleep.

“Hello?” Kore slipped around and started to clamber towards him. “King Noctue? Are you alright…?”

Another loud snore, this one like a little thunderclap, one that made Kore flinch.

“Huh…” Kore tilted their head, bemused. . “What’s got him so…”

They gasped, the memories flooding back. Their hand immediately moved between their still warm legs. There was…

Nothing between their legs.

And yet, they felt something.

Not a presence, or even a lack thereof.

The memory of that shaft inside them.

The memory of being claimed.

Both memories half-remembered, in a state where Kore wasn’t quite themself.

Their heart contracted. Had they… wanted this?

The memory of the colours flowed through their mind.

Yes, they had. They felt the ‘yes’ in their soul. Everything was fine.

…Perhaps he had been a little forward…

The memory of the colours flowed through their mind.

No, he was a gentleman.

…Kore wasn’t sure if they wanted to wriggle away, or slap him… or kiss him again.

They settled for climbing in close, to rest their hand on his chin. They stroked along his jawline, reacquainting with the texture of the downy curls. He grunted and shifted beneath that touch, and for a moment, Kore thought he might awaken.

He did not. His chest simply rose and fell beneath the pressure of the princess’ petite body, allowing them to explore the topology of his face. Every nook and cranny, every subtle wrinkle and blemish.

It made him a little more beautiful.

Kore didn’t notice him waking until they suddenly felt his hands on their back, pulling them downwards towards his face.

“Eep! Ah, g-good morn…ing…”

When Noctue’s eyes were open, they were full of green, and blue, and yellow, and white.

“Good morning, my darling,” he said.

The term of endearment speared Kore’s heart. Even as their eyes were possessed and overwhelmed by the colours, they almost felt like they wanted to cry with joy.

Being called that felt so right, coming from his mouth.

Noctue pulled Kore to him, snout-to-snout, and they lost themself in his colours all over again.

Sleep tugged at their eyelids as they realised that, as refreshed as they were, they had not had enough contact with the handsome king. Their eyes couldn’t stay open, as much as the colours beckoned and begged them not to close.

Sleep smothered the doe into the snake’s body.

“Well, good night, then, I suppose,” Noctue chuckled to himself, allowing his hand to slide down the slender curves of Kore’s back, playing with the mussed-up fabric of their garments. They’d need to be cleaned. But all in due time.

For now, the princess’ soothing warmth and sweet scent were too much for him to resist. Sleep claimed him again.

The pair slept well into the afternoon. And from that day forward, the King and his ward were nigh on inseparable. The little sidelong glances they made when they thought no one in Noctue’s court would notice, the brief brush of scale against fur whenever there was a quiet moment… like two young lovers in courtship.

The main question on the mind of the King’s servants, courtiers, and subjects, was when the two would be wed.

It surely would not be long.