Perilous Jaunt 21
Chapter 21
Dante
We trudged further through the snowy territory of the Fanged Peaks, surrounded by five of the six knights, following the sixth one that walked ahead of us with his sword drawn and the Talth in front of him. One knight walked at Esme's right, one was placed between Esme and I, a third strolled to Peter's left and the last two stayed behind us at all times. What little remained of the day passed as we paced through the snow, the waves of night now splashing around us in an ocean of black.
Peter, after retaining a long silence, finally whispered to me, "How much longer 'til we get there?"
I leaned down to my left, keeping my voice low. "Not long. The Iron Pass should be just up ahead,"
"What do you think Queen Santel will do to us?" Peter wondered with words that rang with fear.
"I don't know," I confessed. "Not much, I would imagine. Traveling isn't a crime,"
Soon, I began to worry about what our fate would be as well. Once the Talth would reveal that we were the ones with the bounty on our heads, he would most likely reveal that we were also the ones who attacked Capres' men on the road. Since King Capres was second in command to Queen Santel's late husband during the Yurl War, there was a very strong possibility that she would either kill us or have us sent to Capres for judgment. Hope lit inside of me as I realized, if we were sent back to Capres, there was a chance that we could escape somewhere along the road. However, even if we did escape, we would have to travel back over all of the ground we had lost, thus delaying our arrival at Lowpive. Yet, there was practically no chance that we could have escaped our current situation. Esme and I were exhausted and wounded from our earlier fight with the Talth, so there was no way to avoid Queen Santel's judgment in the first place. Peter also wouldn't be very useful in fight, since he didn't know how to properly use his new sword. The only thing we could do was march helplessly towards the Iron Pass, where Queen Santel would surely decide our fate.
Soon, our group came to a ledge and turned left, where the ground descended at a steady angle towards land that was a few hundred feet below us. It was on this same land where the Iron Pass lay nestled in an open space that was guarded by walls of mountain and rock, which we had just descended from.
From afar, the City appeared to be no bigger than a grape, but that was due to it lying about two miles away from us, as well as the circumference of higher ground that surrounded it. This great open space, along with the pale snow, granted any sentries on the City's walls the ability to spot incoming attackers. Those same City walls, along with the rest of the City, were entirely composed of pure black. This black material that was used in all of the City's structures was called Pellstone, a material that could withstand great degrees of temperature and wouldn't break as easily as other materials such as clay, brick and iron. Pellstone could only be found in the mines beneath the Iron Pass, mines that were also filled with other costly materials such as coal and a great number of diamonds. In fact, ninety percent of all diamonds and sixty percent of coal sold in the Alpis Kingdoms came directly from the mines beneath Iron Pass, making the City the richest Capital, which more than made up for it being the smallest Capital. This was the reason why so many Northern Kingdoms believed they had a chance of defeating the Southerners twelve years ago, during the Yurl War. With the Iron Pass funding the Northern army, victory seemed much more likely. Of course, they had forgotten that victory in a war can only be won with blood, not gold.
After about an hour and a half of more walking, we passed through the City gates, which were raised once the guards on top of the walls recognized their fellow knights amongst us.
I gazed at all of the buildings around us as we quickly strode through the City, examining the black-stoned structures that surrounded our group. I also noticed that hardly any people were outside on the snow-covered streets, apart from the occasional patrol of knights that we passed.
However, on one occasion, we did pass a leopard, whose bones pressed through what little fur she still had on her face, most likely due to having very little to eat. She cradled a dead leopard cub, not more than a month old, and wept tears onto the infants face, which held hazy eyes that did not move. The infant wore only a tiny pair of red leggings and no shirt. Its bare stomach appeared to be caved in, as though the insides of its belly were being sucked inward, and its tiny undeveloped ribs pressed tightly against its chest.
I wanted to ask the knights to stop and help the grieving woman, but, after noticing one of the knights turn his head after clearing noticing the woman crying over the body of her child, I knew that I would not be able to get the woman any kind of assistance. The knight had probably seen many people like this and he had most likely averted his eyes because there was very little he could do. After all, he probably barely received enough money to support himself, much less another person. I then recalled the memory of the beggars back in Tynas. Everybody in the North was suffering. And those who were barely able to survive knew that there was very little they could do for the less fortunate, no matter how much their consciences begged them to do so. If a caring person tried to feed someone that was starving, they too would starve. It all came down to luck. And, if luck deemed you unworthy of her gifts, you were condemned to a shortened life. All because of a few stupid taxes.
_ _ Eventually, we came upon the front of Queen Santel's palace. It, much like every building in the City, was made up of Pellstone that seemed to glow even more darkly in the reflection in the silver moonlight. Before us, lay an iron gate, ranging about fifteen feet wide with bars that were ten feet high between walls that were twice as high. In front of the gate stood four armored sentries, each equipped with swords at their sides and the Santel crest on their breastplates. Above the gate and on the face of the second story of the palace hung a stained glass window, which portrayed the Santel crest of a snow leopard crying steel tears, which glistened in the starlight. Just above the window and on top of the palace stood several jagged pikes that were pointed outwards, daring any thief or assassin to try evading their sharp tips.
As we drew closer to the gate, I snuck a glance at two knights standing up ahead, only a few paces in front of us and to the right. The two knights stood near a high wall that was attached to the one next to the gate up ahead, but the men were about ten feet away from the gate's sentries. I wondered what they were doing, but then I noticed something in the snow between the two of them. At the knights' boots, lay female jackal, whose face pointed up at the sky. Her bare arms and legs had been twisted and suffered from deep, yet small, cuts that I suspected came from a hammer. Her limbs were also tied to four nearby stakes that had been securely fastened to the ground. The stakes were spread out, placed in a manner that stretched out the woman's arms and legs in separate directions. Other than her head and beaten limbs, she was completely submerged with a bank of snow. At first, I presumed that she was dead, but then I noticed fresh tears falling down her face. Her sobs became more audible as we approached.
"Why is she tied down like that?" I asked the knight who walked directly to my right.
The knight turned his head to face me and followed my eyesight to the wounded woman, who I now guessed could be no older than thirty. "She broke into a baker's store and tried to steal some food. The baker saw her and went to run and get help, but she stabbed him in the street. Unlucky for her, one of our patrols heard the baker's screams and came before she could run,"
The jackal was now directly adjacent to us, no more than five paces away. Her sobs seemed louder than ever. "God, forgive me. I just wanted some food. I never wanted to hurt anybody,"
The knight to the left of the jackal lifted his armored leg and kicked freezing pale snow into the jackal's face, which hit the her open teary eyes. "Shut it, thief! God's not going to help you now,"
"She'll freeze to death by midnight," the knight to right explained, as the jackal began to sob even harder. "Most people do,"
After passing the scene, I twisted my neck around to watch the woman continue to weep, only to have another wave of snow kicked against her face.
Weeping itself there does not let them weep. And grief that finds barrier in the eyes turns itself inward to increase the anguish.
"I know it's cruel," the knight to my right continued, "but it's what we have to do to discourage people from stealing food. We wouldn't have to go to such drastic measures if it weren't for these damn taxes,"
"No," I said. "I understand,"
Our group halted before the line of guards at the gate, all of whom now gripped the pommels of their swords.
"What's your business?" the second knight from the right demanded. He, along with the other knights, had their visors down.
"We found this Talth," the knight in front, who stood next to the Talth, explained and pointed to the raccoon mercenary with his sword. "He and some of his friends attacked these three travelers in the forest,"
"Where are his friends?" the knight guarding the gate on the far left probed.
"We killed them," Esme blurted out before any of the knights around us could respond.
The knight guarding the gate, who had spoken first, asked, "Is she telling the truth?"
"Yes," the knight to the right of Esme responded.
The knights in front of the gate stood silent. Then, the two on the left stepped further to the left and rotated, facing the wall to the right of the gate while standing in a line. The ones on the right mirrored the action and faced the knights on the left. The knights closest to the gate in both lines whistled loudly together and two knights came around the corner on the other side of the gate, appearing from behind the wall to our right. They then unlocked the gate's padlock with both of their keys, allowing them to swing open the gate, which narrowly missed the guards who stood to our left and stopped just inches in front of the knights to our right.
Without a word, our group moved forward and passed through the open gate. I looked back to watch the knights creak the gate closed behind us and lock it again, just before going around the wall, where they vigilantly awaited for when they would be needed next.
We passed through an open section of the palace wall, which was directly under the stain glass window. After walking under the cover of the palace for a moment, we found ourselves in an open courtyard that was barren of all life and was only filled with the legions of snow before us. On the opposite side of the courtyard, there stood a pair of two tall iron doors, which were opened by two knights that stood guard in front of them as we came closer.
Our group then stepped into a room and the two knights outside closed the doors, abandoning us inside of a dimly lit chamber.
The room was about as big as ten houses. The walls and floors were also constructed of Pellstone, which appeared to be as smooth as water. Around the edges of a red carpet beneath us, there was a design of black vines sewed into the material that twisted into every angle possible. The carpet itself stretched out from underneath us and all the way to a steel throne on the opposite side of the room, which possessed a five-foot wide back that was also ten feet high. On both sides of the throne stood four knights, eight in total, all who wore armor that displayed the Santel crest. Just behind the throne were two iron doors, one on the right and one on the left, both of which were twice my size.
We began to strut forward along the red carpet and I began to make out some kind of shape on the throne at the end of the carpet. Soon, I realized that the shape I was staring at was a slender snow leopard with tantalizing blue eyes, who proudly wore a pointed golden crown that's tips were capped with black gemstones. As we drew closer to the snow leopard, I noticed that she wore a loose red dress that proudly exposed a large portion of her cleavage. I could also see that the front of her dress only went down to her mid thighs, exhibiting her slender spotted legs that were currently crossed. If I recalled correctly, Queen Santel was around forty years old. Yet, for a woman of her age, she certainly looked very alluring.
"My Queen," the knight who walked with the Talth said and kneeled with his sword still in hand, immediately after we stopped in front of the throne. The other knights around us followed his example.
"You all may rise," Queen Santel commanded.
The knights did as they were instructed and stood once more.
After rising, the knight with his sword drawn began his report. "Your Grace, this Talth scum and his companions mercilessly attacked these three travelers in the woods, just outside the City. Luckily, our patrol was nearby and heard the fighting,"
"Pardon my interruption," Queen Santel spoke, politely, "but I can't help but notice that these three are bleeding,"
Quickly, I glanced down at my torn sleeve where my left arm had been bleeding. How did I forget about that?
_ _ "Sir Roland," Queen Santel said and gazed at the knight to Esme's right.
"Yes, Queen Santel?" the knight said.
"Go fetch Feler," Santel ordered. "I won't sit here and allow our guests to bleed while we talk,"
"Right away, My Lady," Roland responded and hurried through the door located just beyond the right side of the throne.
"Continue, Sir Draydon," Queen Santel spoke, as her eyes returned to the knight beside the Talth.
"This Talth scum, along with his Talth brethren, attacked these innocent people and nearly killed them," Draydon explained.
"And," Queen Santel said, shifting in her seat and as she tilted her head back to gaze down her snout at us, "I assume his fellow brothers are dead, correct?"
"Yeah!" Esme shouted, proudly. "We kicked their asses right before your boys in armor showed up,"
"Be quiet!" a knight behind Esme and I hissed. "This is Queen Santel you are addressing!"
"It is quite all right, Sir Denton," Santel chuckled, as she waved nonchalantly with a limp wrist and turned her attention towards Esme. "So, you and your friends fought all of the Talth on your own?"
"That'd be us," Esme announced. "The Talth can't fight for shit,"
"I must agree with you," Queen Santel laughed, just before her piercing blue eyes turned cold and fell upon the Talth. "Why were you attacking these travelers?"
"Because, Your Grace," the Talth said, trying his best to sound blameless, "they killed three of our men up north and Osric put a bounty on them,"
"I have heard of the bounty you are referring to," Santel said, narrowing her eyes, as her voice grew graver than a drumroll leading up to a hanging. "However, I recall the bounty describing a wolf and an otter. I see a wolf, but no otter,"
"The otter is disguised as a ferret!" the Talth argued. "He must be! The wolf has a gun, the same weapon that killed our men. How many people in Alpis have one of those?"
Santel drew silent, her eyes wandering from the Talth to Esme, Peter and I, clearly weighing her options. Finally, she spoke. "Sir Turner,"
"Yes, My Lady?" the knight to Peter's left replied.
"Rub the ferret's cheek," Queen Santel ordered. "See if it's his natural color,"
The knight turned and placed his armored left hand against Peter's cheek, rubbing against the otter's fur as though he were trying to remove a stain from his favorite pair of boots.
A moment later, the knight pulled his open hand away from Peter's face. He gazed at it and then announced his findings. "It's real, Queen Santel. He reeks like a ferret, too,"
"Thank you, Sir Turner," the queen responded and focused on the raccoon Talth once again. "It appears you have the wrong people,"
"But the wolf!" the raccoon persisted. "He has a revo-"
"Do you have a name?" Queen Santel interrupted the frightened mercenary. "Or anything else to go off of besides the fact that you're looking for a wolf with a gun and an otter?"
The Talth, for a moment, was quiet.
"No," he finally answered.
Queen Santel sat up straight and leveled her head. "As I suspected. Sir Turner. Sir Draydon. Take this man out to the front of the gate with the food thief. Give him the same punishment,"
The knights, without question, swooped down upon the raccoon and began to drag him out towards the door that led to the courtyard. As he was pulled towards the door behind us, the Talth began to howl things that did not seem to resemble any form of speech whatsoever. Then, just as quickly as he was seized, the Talth disappeared out the door.
I turned back around to face Queen Santel and saw that Roland had returned and was accompanied by an old badger, whose muzzle was afire with grey hair. I assumed that he was Feler. He's probably Santel's Chief Apothecary.
"These three?" the badger asked, moving closer to me and scanning my bloody arm.
"Yes," Roland confirmed, taking up his position to the right of Esme.
Feler positioned himself to my left and further examined the wound on my arm with careful eyes. He then shifted his attention to my cheek. Once he was done gawking at my wounds, Feler turned to Esme and examined her in silence as well.
After he was finished, Feler turned to Queen Santel, who awaited his opinion of our wounds, and spoke. "None of their cuts are deep and don't seem likely to become infected, Your Grace,"
"Good," Santel said. "Now that that's finished, I would like to speak with the wolf. Unless my hunch is wrong, he's the ringleader and I would like a moment alone with him,"
"What makes you think that, Your Grace?" I asked the snow leopardess. "Maybe I'm a blundering fool who has more brawn than intelligence,"
"Perhaps," Queen Santel said, "but I doubt any common simpleton could understand, much less speak, the words you have just said,"
I blinked and forced a friendly smile. "You've guessed correctly, Your Grace. I am the ringleader,"
"Your Grace!" Sir Roland protested. "We don't know who these three are. They could try to harm you!"
"I am well aware of that," Santel said, "which is why I order that all of you, including the kangaroo and the ferret, to go into the hall. If I scream, I'm sure you'll be able to hear me,"
I glanced over at Sir Roland, who remained silent. He probably didn't want to abandon his queen in a room with a complete stranger. However, he didn't have any choice in the matter. After all, his queen had just given him an order.
Quietly, the knights around me, as well as the ones on both sides of Queen Santel's throne, escorted Esme and Peter to the door, where Feler had come through just a moment ago. Feler followed the last knight outside of the room and shut the door behind him, leaving Queen Santel and I alone.
Queen Santel rose from her throne and slowly strolled over to me. "It seems you're in quite a predicament,"
"What do you mean, Your Grace?" I asked, innocently.
"With the Talth," Santel reminded me, as she stopped walking a mere three feet away. "I know you're the one they are looking for,"
I silently stared back at Santel, not knowing why she would have sentenced the Talth to die if she knew he had been telling the truth.
"After all," Queen Santel spoke again, "how many people in Alpis have guns?"
"If you knew he was being honest, why did you sentence him to die?" I asked.
"How many Talth would you say, at some point in time, rape somebody?" Queen Santel asked, her eyes curiously skimming my face for any type of reaction.
I shrugged. "Most, if not all of them,"
"Exactly," Santel said coolly. "And how many of them have murdered someone?"
"Probably all of them at some point," I said. "They're mercenaries. It's their job,"
"So," Santel explained, "by that logic, we've sentenced a murderer and a possible rapist, or rape accomplice, to death,"
I said nothing.
"Now," Queen Santel said, grinning, "let's talk about you,"
"Me?" I asked, fear swelling in my stomach.
"I am well aware that you were the one who killed Capres' men some time ago on the road," Santel revealed.
My tail twitched behind me, nervously ducking between my legs in fear of what was to come. "What do you mean?"
"Capres sent out riders with letters that described a wolf, a kangaroo and an otter disguised as a ferret traveling together," Queen Santel enlightened me. "He sent one to every Royal Family above Owl's Overwatch. Apparently, a companion of the slain knights barely escaped with his life,"
I had nothing to say. Even if I did, I was at Queen Santel's mercy.
"Now," Queen Santel began, "I could put you in chains and send you back to Capres to be executed. After all, murdering a knight, let alone three, is a heinous crime. But I won't,"
"What?" I gasped.
"You can relax," Queen Santel assured me.
I took in a deep breath and my shoulders sagged in relief.
"I've never been fond of Capres," Queen Santel admitted, her grin fading. "He's an uptight prick who thinks everyone need to be 'proper'. Honestly, my husband should have married him instead of me,"
I stared at her silently, not knowing what to say.
"But enough about that," Queen Santel pushed the subject aside. "Let's discuss the situation at hand,"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I'm not going to punish you or send you back to Capres, so, if you desire, you may leave," Queen Santel said, her eyes now filling with delight and her mouth turning upward into a smile. "Or you and your friends could stay here for the night,"
"Wha-?" I said, stopping myself once I caught the evil look in Santel's eye. Quickly, I collected myself and cleared my throat before speaking again. "Why do I feel as though there's more to this proposition than you're telling me?"
Queen Santel began walking towards me, each step a slow calculation that seemed more drawn out than the last. "Incredible. Brains and looks. Not something most people have,"
Gently, after stopping not more than an inch away from me, Queen Santel reached her left arm down and caressed my cock, which sparked to life from her touch.
"If you want you and your friends to stay here for the night," Queen Santel explained, as she slowly rubbed me with her warm fingers, "you'll have to fuck me,"
I tried my best to collect myself, but it was extremely difficult, since Santel had blindsided me with her proposal and was now petting my privates. "And we'll be able to spend the entire night here?"
Queen Santel giggled and her icy eyes flashed with delight. "As long as you're in my bed, your friends will have beds of their own. I'll even sweeten the deal and send a garrison of my knights to escort you out of the Fanged Peaks,"
I didn't have to give the queen's proposition much thought after that. Peter and Esme would get a good night's rest and all I had to do was sleep with Queen Santel, who I found quite attractive to begin with. And it would be very comforting to have a group of knights traveling with us if we ran into more Talth.
"All right," I said, leaning in and beginning to kiss Santel's warm neck. Now that I was fully erect, I strained even harder to think clearly. "Would you like to begin?"
"Oh my," Queen Santel snickered into my ear, as she continued to run her fingers along my shaft through the material of my trousers. "Eager to please,"
"Fucking is something that's worth doing right," I whispered, sliding my right hand over Santel's belly and caressing her breast, feeling her nipple harden as it pushed through the fabric of her dress. "Especially when it involves someone as gorgeous as you,"
"So, you were admiring me earlier," Queen Santel exhaled. "I wasn't sure,"
"Of course," I admitted in a low whisper, as I still rubbed the snow leopard's breast, tenderly. "Who couldn't love such a perfect pair of breasts?"
Queen Santel released my cock and reached up to gently pull my hand away from her. She then took a step back, away from me. "We must do this later. Your friends and my men are out in the hall, remember?"
"Yes," I answered. "But I thought you would enjoy the thrill of being fucked while they stood just outside the door,"
Santel purred and her grin grew. "Such a naughty boy,"
"Are you found of naughty boys, Your Grace?"
The leopardess took a step back towards me, her nose nearly touching mine. "Indeed. I especially enjoy watching their faces when I let them cum inside my mouth,"
Without warning the queen pressed her head forward and planted a small kiss on my lips.
"Well," Queen Santel said, turning and heading back to her throne, "as appealing as being fucked on my throne sounds, I must insist that we do this later. There are some things I need to attend to in the meantime,"
"When should I be expected to visit you?"
"It won't be long from now," Queen Santel said. "I'll send a knight to fetch you in half an hour,"
"All right,"
"Are you still hard?" Queen Santel wondered, as she sat down on her throne. "I'm going to call everybody back in,"
"No. I'm fine now," I answered, honestly.
"Good," Queen Santel smiled. She then raised her voice and called out, "All of you may come back now,"
Immediately, the door swung open. The knights poured in along with Esme and Peter. Soon, we all stood in our exact spots as before.
"The wolf and I have come to a mutual understanding," Queen Santel announced, happily. "He and his companions will be staying the night. I have heard how he and his friends were attacked and feel personally responsible, since it occurred in my Kingdom. So, they shall sleep here tonight. And, tomorrow, they will leave with food, an escort of knights and new clothing that isn't stained with blood,"
The knights all tilted their heads silently, respecting her decision.
"And," Queen Santel continued, "I believe that our guests deserve nothing less than our best hospitality. Sir Denton,"
"Yes, Your Grace?" Denton asked.
"Fetch a few serving girls," Queen Santel commanded. "Have them bring three towels and tell them to escort our guests to the hot springs,"
"Of course, My Queen," the knight replied and ventured through the right door behind the throne.
"Now," Queen Santel said, as she rose from her throne, "I'm afraid I must retire. It is late and I can already feel myself falling asleep,"
"Good night, Your Grace," I wished her. "And thank you for your hospitality,"
"Of course... I'm sorry. I don't know your name," Queen Santel said.
"It's Dante, Your Grace," I answered.
"Dante," Queen Santel repeated to herself. "I hope you have a enjoyable night,"
"And I wish you a good night, as well," I said.
"We'll see," Queen Santel said with a smile, before leaving through the left door behind her throne. A moment later, the knights around us dispersed and left out the door to the courtyard.
Before Esme, Peter or I could say a word, Sir Denton returned through the door that was to the right of Santel's empty throne, accompanied by three otters, who each carried a white towel. Sir Denton left without a word, strolling by us, and walked out the door to the courtyard, much like his fellow knights did a moment ago. The three serving girls, on the other hand, were quite the opposite. Each had a smile painted upon their faces and spoke with giddiness as they handed us each a towel. Quickly, they then guided us into the courtyard and out of the City.
As we made our way out of the City gate and strolled through some snow as we traveled west, Peter, along with the girls, walked ahead of Esme and I. While we strolled through the snow, the girls were giggling at something Peter had said and began asking him questions. Peter, much to my surprise, didn't seem to mind. He appeared to enjoy the girls' enthusiasm and engaged in a friendly conversation with them.
"It's kind of sad, isn't it?" Esme said to my right.
I turned my head and shot her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"
"Those girls," Esme said and bumped her head in the direction of the cluster of otters. "They're practically squirting all over him and their not gonna get anywhere,"
"True," I agreed, seeing her point after turning my head to watch Peter talk with the three girls. "The world is an sad place,"
"Yeah," Esme sighed in agreement. "So, what happened with Santel? Did you smooth talk her?"
"You could say that," I replied, recalling the fond memory of Santel's warm fingers, which caused my cock to quiver, contentedly.
"The hell's that supposed to mean?"
"The queen," I told her. "She said that, if I slept with her, we would be able to stay in her palace tonight,"
Esme was silent. Then, I glanced over and saw a grin spread across the kangaroo's face. "I told you she gets around. But no! You didn't believe me,"
"Okay," I admitted, "I was wrong. Esme, you were right. Queen Santel is very promiscuous,"
"So, what?" Esme asked. "Did you eat her out or something while we were standing in the hall?"
"I'd be lying if I said the thought hadn't occurred to me," I told her, somewhat guiltily. "But we did touch each other a little,"
"Wow," Esme said, poorly pretending to be shocked. "You touched? How many times?"
"Hey," I laughed at her unsurprised attitude. "She made me stop. She said that we needed to do it later because you guys were out in the hall,"
Esme's ears flicked at my revelation. "Makes sense. I bet she's a moaner. That's why she wanted to wait,"
"I guess we'll find out," I said.
"Knock her dead, buddy,"
Eventually, we arrived at the spring. The entrance was an opening in the ground, which was accessible by walking down a steep piece of slanted ground that went into the mountain. Once we were underground, we came to a corner and stopped.
"The springs are just around the corner," the tallest of the three serving otters explained. "We'll stay here in case you need us,"
"Thank you very much," I said, before following Peter and Esme around the corner.
We found ourselves in a grotto, which was filled with bright blue water that reminded me of the oceans in Lowpive. On the opposite side of the water were two candleholders, each holding twenty or thirty candles that appeared to be freshly lit, their flames' reflections dancing on the surface of the inviting pool.
I set my towel down along with all of my possessions, just before I removed my parka, tunic, trousers and loincloth. After placing all of my belongings in one large pile, I walked over to the water and sat inside the edge of the pool, leaning my back against the stone wall of the spring. The water of the hot spring came up to my armpits and was, surprisingly, warm, not hot as its name indicated. Every muscle in my body began to unwind in the warmth of the water and my eyelids drooped closed in ecstasy.
Suddenly, water splashed against my face and I opened my wet eyelids to see a naked Esme lowering herself into the water at my right. "Holy shit, this feels great!"
"Not having it splashed in your face feels even better," I said, bitterly.
Esme finally sat all the way down, yet the water barely even grazed the bottom of her breasts. She shrugged at my words. "My bad,"
I looked away from her, fearing that my eyes would wander down from her face to her chest. Of course, Esme noticed this and decided to tease me about it.
"What?" she teased. "Are my tits not as pretty as the queen's?"
"I just don't want to be the pervert who stares at his friend's breasts," I admitted, looking down at the water in front of me.
"Oh, please," Esme sneered. "You've had your mouth on them before. Remember?"
"Yes," I said. "I do,"
"Looking is a lot different that touching," Esme pointed out. "I really never got why people get so hung up on seeing boobs. They're just sacks of fat that flop around. What's so bad about looking at 'em?"
"Because," I said, "it's..."
"It's, what?" Esme prodded.
"I don't know," I confessed. "I just...feel weird looking at a friend like that,"
"You know, I think you're the first guy to ever complain about seeing a girl's tits," Esme jabbed. "You don't hear Peter complaining,"
Then, I realized how strange it was that Peter had not gotten into the spring with us.
I turned around in the water and saw the young prince standing next to my own clothes. He was still completely dressed and awkwardly stood there, holding his towel, silently looking at the water, as if some kind of mysterious monster resided in its depths.
"Peter?" I called to him with a gentle voice. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah. I..." he said, timidly. "I just don't want you to see me naked,"
"Don't worry, Peter," Esme said, as she turned around to face the prince as well. "You don't have anything under your clothes that Dante and I haven't seen before,"
"I know," Peter replied, his voice still shaking a little. "But, still..."
"Would you prefer us to turn around and close our eyes?" I proposed.
Silently, Peter nodded.
"Okay," Esme agreed before she and I turned around to close our eyes.
While my eyes were shut, I could hear Peter's clothes ruffle as he undressed behind Esme and I. Then, a few moments later, the water to my left rippled as Peter lowered himself into the spring.
"Wow, it does feel good!" Peter exclaimed with disbelief.
"Can I open my eye now?" Esme asked. "I'm only used to being half-blind,"
"Yeah," Peter answered the impatient kangaroo. "Oh shit!"
"What?" I asked, looking over at Peter, who was standing in the water, which came up to his shoulders.
"My makeup!" Peter squealed, as he tried to turn around and peer through the water.
"We can dry you off when we're done and put the makeup back on before we leave," I pointed out, relaxing a little as I realized the problem was easily solvable. "Just don't get your face wet,"
"But what if someone sees me when I get out?" Peter squeaked, his eyes gazing at me with terror.
"The girls said they would stay around the corner and I doubt anybody else is going to come down here with us," I told him.
The otter took a deep breath and tried his best to relax, his eyes still brimming with fear nonetheless.
"So," the otter said, "what did Santel want?"
"She proposed that, if I slept with her tonight, we would be able to stay in the palace," I answered.
"What?" he shouted. "She wants you to sleep with her?"
"Shhh!" I hissed at him and looked at the corner we had walked around before arriving at the hot springs. "Those girls might hear you,"
"Sorry," the prince whispered. "And you agreed?"
"Well, yeah," I said and faced forward again. "I didn't want you guys to sleep out in the cold again like last night and the queen said she'd give us knights to guard us all the way out of the Peaks,"
"At least the queen has nice tits," Esme pointed out. "You got lucky, Dante, real lucky,"
"I never understood why straight guys go crazy over boobs," Peter admitted. "I don't see the big deal,"
"It's kind of difficult to explain," I admitted, unsure of how I would describe the allure of a nice pair of breasts. "They're just...an intimate part of a woman. They... They're soft and warm. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah," Peter answered. "Kind of like butts, but on someone's chest,"
"Ass-chest," Esme snickered. "I've never heard them called that before,"
"Certainly," I answered Peter, ignoring Esme's laughter. "Breasts and butts are both very...special parts of people that make us feel close to them,"
"Thank God I like men," Peter sighed. "Things are so much simpler,"
"Amen," Esme nodded in agreement.
"Speaking of men," Peter said, smiling as he glanced over at Esme, mischievously. "I know your type, Esme,"
Esme narrowed her eye at Peter, her ears standing attentively tall. "How do you know what I like?"
"Paul?" Peter said, stretching out the name as he spoke it. "The bear smith we met a while back?"
"What makes you think he looked hot to me?" Esme wondered.
"Please!" Peter said, shaking his head while keeping his smile spread across his face. "You were flirting with him the whole time we walked to his church,"
"That wasn't flirting," Esme defended herself and laughed at the very notion of what Peter had said. "I was just being friendly,"
"Surrrrrrre," Peter said and rolled his eyes. "Just admit it, Esme. You like heavier guys!"
"I just told you, I wasn't flirting with him!" Esme persisted. "I was buying a knife from him, so I had to be nice!"
Peter stared at the kangaroo, unimpressed. "Uh-huh,"
"It's true!"
"Sir?" a voice called from behind me.
I turned and saw nobody there. Then, I realized that the tallest serving girl was calling to me from around the corner.
"Yes?" I shouted back, my voice ringing off the walls of the grotto.
"The captain of Queen Santel's knights is here," the girl answered. "He says Her Majesty has summoned you,"
"Tell him that I'll be right there," I replied.
"Yes, sir," the girl yelled back and did not call out to me again.
Slowly, I rose from the water and hopped out of the hot spring. I picked up my towel and hurriedly dried myself off. I then began dressing myself. Soon, I had everything on me, except for my knapsack.
"The makeup is in there," I told Esme and Peter, who watched me intently as I pointed to my knapsack on the ground. "Don't forget to take it to your room tonight when you go back to the palace,"
"Aye-aye!" Esme smiled and gave a tiny salute.
"Good night, Dante," Peter wished me.
"Good night," I wished them both, before turning and walking around the corner.
I returned back to the entrance of the grotto, passed the serving girls and emerged through the open hole, just before stepping down onto snow. It had become darker since we had ventured into the grotto. Now, I could barely see the Iron Pass or even the polar bear captain that stood five feet away from me, who was wearing a suit of armor with an open helmet visor and a purple armband.
"Hello," I greeted the captain.
"Greetings," the polar bear spoke with a deep voice that boomed like thunder. "Queen Santel has summoned you to her chambers and has instructed me to escort you there,"
"All right," I replied. "I'm ready to go,"
The polar bear then turned and walked me back to the City.
He brought me back to Queen Santel's throne room. Then, I followed him through the door that was located behind the throne and to the left. After passing through the door, I saw that the knight was already halfway up a series of steps, which then turned and went around the corner. I reached the corner just in time to see the captain disappear upstairs behind yet another corner. Then, after the second corner and another flight of stairs, I found myself in a shortened hallway that was only twenty feet long. At the end of the hallway, the captain stopped and stood with his back against the wall beside a door. He gripped the pommel of his sword and looked at me with cold black eyes.
"Her Majesty awaits you inside," he informed me.
"Thank you," I said.
He only grunted in response.
I opened the door and stepped through the doorway, finding myself in a large bedchamber. The walls were painted with a lush violet color and the floor was painted pure black. Perfectly placed in the center of the room was a bed, which had a red see-through canopy that hung from its rafters that ran thirty feet high into the air, nearly touching the roof of the room. The bed itself was dazzled with streaks of golden paint across its white sheets, which appeared to almost glow in the moonlight that poured in from an doorway located on the opposite side of the room from me, which led outside onto a small balcony that was large enough for five people to stand on. There also was a desk in front of me, placed up against the wall and just to the side of the bed. Across the top of the desk were a series of books and papers that were scattered across it, including a quill that idly sat inside a bottle of ink in the top right hand corner.
I closed the door behind me and began to ponder where Queen Santel was.
"Is that you, my handsome suitor?" a voice came from my left.
I turned and noticed an open doorway about thirty feet away on the left side of the room that was only covered by a series of red beaded ropes, which draped down from the top of the doorframe. That must be her privy.
_ _ "Yes, Queen Santel,"
"Pease," a giggle came from within the privy, "call me Penelope,"
"Of course, Q-.... Penelope,"
"Good save," Santel said.
I moved towards the end of the bed and sat down. For a few moments, I remained there, silently waiting for Queen Santel to emerge from her privy.
An eternity later, the red jewels parted like water and, from between them, came forth Queen Santel, dressed in an outfit that was quite titillating. She wore a see-through black garment made up of fabric that clung to her torso, not allowing any curve of her body to be unseen. It began around her shoulders, which the outfit's two thin straps clasped onto. Santel's breasts pushed against the fabric, almost ripping through the material. Her nipples were clearly erect, either because of the cold air that came from the balcony, or because she was aroused. Then, when the garment reached Queen Santel's ribs, it ended, leaving the rest of her white torso exposed. Other than her short garment, the only other piece of clothing Santel wore was an incredibly small black loincloth, which was so tight, even for her slender figure, that I could detect the outline of the slit between her legs.
"Do you enjoy the view?" Queen Santel purred while she slowly strutted towards me.
I nodded, as if in a trance, and silently gazed at the snow leopard's breasts, which became more visible through her black garment as she drew near. There was nothing I could say that would have amply praised her captivating physique.
Eventually, Santel stood over me and I arched my head back to stare at her face, which was nearly eclipsed by her breasts. "Ready to have some fun?"
I nodded and slowly lowered my face to her naval, which I began to gently kiss as I made my way down to her already moist loincloth that reeked of arousal. I took the waistband of the loincloth into my mouth and began pulling it down.
Santel giggled at my enthusiasm and gently pet my head, stroking my ears with her soft touch. "Good answer,"