Makaan: Desired Payment
The cool breeze blowing through the marble and wood panel throne room made the warrior lord's black cloak ripple like a dark pool in the coldest night without a moon. He was clad in magnificent armour of gold and black plates that were fitted close to his slender frame, covered with intricate thorn and ivy patterns that flowed up from his two toed boots, down his arms to the blade fingered gauntlets he wore and up the breastplate and continuing on the surface of his closed helm, with its Y-shaped vision slits and wide bronze and ebony antlers.
The armour covered every inch of the warrior except for the bushy fox's tail that swung behind him beneath the cloak, covered with rich white fur and a black tip. The warrior's stride was long and confident, taking his time as he walked down the carpeted hall towards where an elderly king sat waiting for him, his daughter beside him. The warrior's armour did not clank or clatter as the armours of most knights did. Only the heavy knocking sound of his boots on the stone floor, cushioned by the thick carpets could be heard, so well was the armour crafted and fitted.
The princess watched the approaching warrior with contempt and a little bit of fear. She had heard many stories about this Raadeck Makaan. He was a butcher by reputation and a mercenary by trade, selling the services of his army to whomever would pay him, holding loyalty for none but himself. Few had ever seen his face beneath the trademark antlered helmet, but she imagined an ugly old fox whose face was covered as much by pockmarks and blemishes as with scars. She was by contrast a very beautiful young vixen, possessed of golden fur and long silky hair that ran down to her hips, with silver mingled in with the gold of her hair. She was also possessed of a fine figure, with small breasts that flowed up elegantly from her nubile body in the sheer red velvet gown she wore.
Light shone in through the high arched windows and sounds of celebration drifted in from the city streets as the people heard the news of their victory. A victory won by the armoured fox approaching silently. Stopping before the old king, he bowed his head to the greying vulpine and sank to one knee. "My lord King Osric of the Realm of Aeamahaan*, I have fulfilled my duties to you and won your war with Kealadaas**. By the terms of our contract I ask for the payment of my desire, to be delivered immediately," He said, cool and clear even with the closed helm covering his face.
At once the princess was struck by that voice. It certainly did not sound like the voice of an ugly old man...in fact it even sounded almost handsome. Then she scolded herself mentally. "Even monsters can have a pleasing voice to draw their victims close before they devour them," She thought, wrinkling her nose slightly as if his smell displeased her. But she did not have even that to add to her reasons to hate him. He did not have the smell of death hanging about him as she had been expecting nor did the stink of an unwashed warrior who had not seen proper sanitation in months hang about his form. There was certainly a smell of sweat. Fresh sweat and of oils used to maintain armour and weapons. It assaulted her nostrils and was mingled with something subtle that found its way into her mind like a thief in the night.
Her thoughts were broken as her father the king raised his hand in a sweeping gesture and his weak voice was raised in an apparent show of strength to Makaan. "Bring the victor his tribute," King Osric called, choosing his words carefully, mindful of insulting a general who had left a trail of burnt cities in his wake. Osric had once been a warrior like Raadeck, but many years and many hundreds of pounds in weight had piled themselves onto him and his once rusty red fur was now grey and patchy. Pages in red livery entered, heaving great chests between them on solid wooden staves, setting them before Makaan and retreating away from the armoured fox quickly as they could without looking like they were hurrying. The steel talons of Makaan's right gauntlet scratched long tracks into the oak surface of the nearest chest's lid, scraping at it as he pulled the heavy lid open. Thousands of heavy gold ingots glowed in the chest, all of them stamped with royal seal.
"One hundred thousand gold pieces, surely enough to pay you richly for your services to my kingdom," Osric said proudly. Makaan dropped the lid of the chest shut, slamming it loudly and turning the elderly king. Though his eyes were invisible behind the dark Y of his visor, the king recoiled into his padded mahogany throne as he felt those eyes burning into him with fury.
"This is not the payment that was agreed upon Osric. By the terms of the contract, if you should fail to deliver what ever price I choose, then I will lay waist to your kingdom," He snarled. The silver armoured palace guards started towards him, but were cowed back into their places by a single glance of Makaan's invisible eyes glaring from behind his helm. It was said that he could kill men with just the merest flick of his hand and they were in no hurry to discover if it were true.
Makaan turned back to the cowering king and snarled, "Pay me what I desire Osric, or watch your dominion burn."
The princess could take no more of this common sellsword speaking to her father like this. "You forget your place warrior. You may be a renowned general, but you address a king. Take your treasure as offered and leave," She snapped, standing between Makaan and the king, showing no fear in the face of the tall, armoured fighter. Makaan drew his head back slightly, as if surprised and watched her through his visor. An echoing, rhythmic sound emanated from inside it as the helm tilted back and he laughed out loud, filling the wide hall with his mirth.
"She is spirited Osric, perhaps now you understand my choice of payment," He said, voice still swollen with laughter. Makaan's words struck the princess almost like a physical blow. She turned to her father, eyes wide and questioning. King Osric shied away from her gaze, almost more fearfully than he had from Makaan's.
"Freia, please understand...I had to promise him what ever price he asked for. I was desperate...had I not, our armies would have been overrun within days, I had to do it," He said pleadingly, not able to meet his own daughter's gaze.
"What father? What did you promise him?" Freia said, holding back from shouting at the old fox. She then grabbed him by the front of his robe and pulled him close. "WHAT DID YOU PROMISE HIM?!?" She just about screamed.
The king forced himself to look into Freia's deep blue eyes, his own puffy and swollen with tears. "You...One night with you...the price promised for this victory was your virginity my daughter," He said, his voice heavy with guilt. Freia's voice caught in her throat, held there by shock and sickness.
Her thoughts were again broken, this time by a loud 'Whoofing' noise as Makaan turned on his heels, flapping his long black cloak around him. "I will have my payment Osric. Princess Freia, you will come to my camp alone tonight at eighth chime. Two of my most trusted men will meet you at the city gates and bring you to me. Fail to come to me tonight and all of Aeamahaan will be burned away and the ground sown with salt," He said with his back turned to them. He walked away, quicker than he had entered, but with the same confidence and now with an air of menace to his movements.
· *Aeamahaan (pro. Ee-Ma-Han)
· **Kealadaas (Pro. Kee-La-Daas)
Eighth chime came sooner than Freia wanted. In fact she never wanted it to come. The woods rose up high above her and moonlight shone brightly through the tall conifer trees, illuminating the many hundreds of tents of Makaan's camp, where his loyal troops were at rest.
Either side of the young princess, she was flanked by two warriors in dark green dragon-scale armour and riding savage Fiirkan warbeasts. These lithe reptilian predators stood over her and regarded her with shiny yellow eyes. Much like Velociraptors whose bones were dug from the ground by Mage's Guild archaeologists, they regarded her with uncanny intelligence. The riders too regarded her; rather more for the split-front gown she wore which showed her firm body beneath the blue silk and satin.
"I can see why the general chose you over the gold my lady. I can honestly say I envy him," The rider to Friea's left said, the tiger giving her a wide grin that was just visible behind the dark grille of his helmet's visor, similar to Makaan's but without the distinctive antlers and it did not hide his face like Makaan's helm did. Freia shot his a look of contempt as the mounted warrior leered at her from atop his Fiirkan.
"Then perhaps you would like to take his place? If my virtue must be stripped from me to save my kingdom, then I don't see why it should matter whether it is taken from me by the head sellsword or by his lieutenants," She spat angrily as they approached a large marquee tent in the centre of the camp.
Dismounting and pulling back the entrance curtain, the leering tiger leaned closer and said to her, "Because I'm not going to be the one to cheat him of his prize. Besides, the general knows how to treat a lady. Do not worry yourself princess, a night with the general is certainly not the worst fate that could befall you...you may even enjoy it."
She would have slapped the tiger were he not wearing his helm. Instead the turned away from him sharply and entered the tent. Inside was not the scene she had been expecting. A wide, rough wooden table had been arranged with food and drink, in the centre a stone circular fireplace had been built and a log fire burned brightly in it, near by the magnificent gold and black armour stood on a wooden frame, arrayed almost as if the fox were still in it. Even empty, the stare of the bronze antlered helm was intimidating. Further back, a bed of furs lay with the covers pulled back and beyond it there was a large screen, painted with intricate designs of stars, moons and rising suns. She could hear water sloshing about behind the tub and the silhouette of a tall vulpine figure stood up from the large wooden tub he had been bathing in.
"Raadeck Makaan, I have come as you demanded," Freia said, clear and level, trying to keep her tone as neutral and emotionless as she could. The figure behind the screen was tying a robe around his body and for the briefest moment, she could make out the shadow of his malehood as he turned, making her heart jump in her breast.
The figure then stepped out from behind the screen and Freia braced her self for ugliness. Instead she saw a handsome young arctic fox, only a few years older than her. He was tall and certainly well built, standing a good six feet in height and showing not one ounce of fat on his muscular arms in the short sleeves of the robe he covered himself with. It was his face that struck her most though, lean and free of scars, with narrow and well-defined features and wide ears that betrayed a little kit fox blood in him. Pale blue eyes watched her from a head crowned by long black hair that was tied back in a braid except for a single forelock that was braided and hanging down over the right hand side of his face. The eyes were made all the more noticeable, by the black streaks which underlined them and crossed his cheeks. And that scent that had assailed Freia's mind in the throne room, it was back and stronger than ever without the armour. Her heart jumped again and her breath shuddered when she breathed in that scent.
"You have indeed come. I take it from your reaction that I was not what you were expecting," He said, taking a few steps forwards towards the princess. At first Freia did not believe that this was truly Raadeck, that he was some younger man posing as him...but that voice. It was impossible to mistake that voice. The same authoritive tones and the subtle flow of it that was like honey in the listener's ears, yet spiked with hemlock. This was Raadeck Makaan.
Freia turned away from him sharply, reminding herself of what kind of man he was. It did not matter that he was handsome; he was a monster who held her kingdom hostage for her virtue. She pushed back the shoulder straps of her open fronted gown and it fell to the ground, exposing her nakedness fully to him. "Take what you want of me and have done with it Makaan. I will have none of your pleasantries," She said, almost snapping at him.
Makaan began a slow circle of her, keeping a distance and appreciating her gorgeous young body. Completing his circle, he walked away from her to the table and poured himself a goblet of red wine, lifting it to his muzzle and taking a deep breath of its scent before tasting. "My dear princess, what do you take me for, some common bandit? Perhaps you expected me to simply rape you where you stood? That would be easier on your pride wouldn't it, that you were ravaged against your will by the savage Raadeck Makaan," He said, turning back to face her again. She kept her back to him, even as he approached. Walking round in front of her, he tilted up her chin so she was looking right into those cold blue eyes.
"A lady is like a fine wine in many respects. A good wine is something to be savoured and time taken to enjoy it fully. You must take the time to experience every aspect of it, from its flavour, to its colour, the scent and even the flow of it on one's tongue. In the same way, a beautiful lady must be savoured and time taken to enjoy every curve and contour, to see what pleasures she enjoys and experience everything she has to offer," He said, honeyed hemlock tones flowing.
"You speak of me as a common whore, only here for your pleasures," Freia spat back, breaking away from his eyes and turning her back on him. The instant she did, she felt fingers, his fingers between her legs. They ran in long slow strokes along the groove between her sex and tail-hole with skilled, practiced ease. Almost instantly she drew breath sharply and felt a tingling begin to erupt down there. Her mind screamed at her to snap her legs shut and halt those fingers, but another part held her back, telling her to just enjoy those fingers calling such feelings from her loins.
"A common whore? Certainly not my lady and as you can feel, this night is as much about your pleasure as it is mine," He whispered into her ear as the fingers moved higher and rubbed along the lips of her sex, making them started to swell and moisten. Freia's knees began to buckle and she grabbed the edge of the table as he worked his fingers up and down her slit slowly, pushing back the hood of her clitoris and rubbing his fingertips over it, gently but insistently. She bit down on her lower lip to stifle a moan. She wasn't supposed to enjoy it; this man was below contempt, yet it felt so good. Another hand snaked its way around her belly and up her body to her breast. Freia had always been proud of her body, her breasts in particular; the firm, perfectly developed globes about the size of a ripened melon, with large rosy pink nipples and soft sloping curves were warm and supple in Raadeck's hand.
He continued to tease Freia's slit and stroked his hand down her breast along the grain of her soft front fur, taking special attention to the nipple, which he gently played with, using his thumb to brush it back and forth. "Is it so terrible to take pleasure in what you must do for your kingdom my lady?" He asked her, nibbling gently on the back of her neck. Freia opened her mouth to respond with another vitriolic comment, but to her horror, only a low guttural whimper came from her throat. His question had been a trick to make her drop her guard and let on that she was indeed taking pleasure from it. She had never been pleasured like this before, even the times when she had given in to her youthful desires and rubbed herself to orgasm it hadn't been this good. What would it feel like when he moved to pleasure her inside? Then she scolded herself again. She actually wanted him to take her now. She was supposed to hate him, but she truly wanted him to make love to her.
Then it happened, the two fingers he was rubbing her with slipped up inside her sex from behind, stretching the perforations in her hymen to the their limits and massaging the inner ridges of her vagina. She cried out and her hands left the edge of the table, grabbing his wrist with both hands. Her upper body fell forwards towards the table so she was lying across it, knocking goblets and wine pitchers askew while her hands were locked around Raadeck's invading hand, torn between whether to pull it out of her or to push it deeper. Small pains ebbed up from inside her but were far outweighed by the sheer pleasure.
Makaan was right up against her now and she could feel the intense heat of his member against her rump through the material of his bathrobe. She wanted it inside her, but that would mean losing the feeling of those long, strong fingers probing inside her. The walls of her sex were so tight that every small movement made her jump and every knuckle and fur follicle along his fingers could be felt. She whimpered when he began to pull his fingers out but them cried out again when he pushed them back in, repeating it rhythmically and mating her with his hand. Freia cried out each time he thrust his fingers and the pain was building, but nowhere near as fast as the pleasure was. Warm, silky juices were seeping out of her and soaking into the fur around her crotch and the insides of her thighs, making it easier for his fingers to penetrate her faster. Rocking back against him, she could feel herself beginning to peak. Raadeck suddenly shifted his fingers to a slightly different angle, so when Freia rocked back on them, they pushed in deeper and hit her sacred spot.
A loud scream of pleasure exploded from the princess's mouth as the walls of her sex clamped down on the mercenary's fingers. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she lost all sense of where she was. When her senses returned, she was laying on her back on soft furs. Her breaths were ragged and her body shuddered still from her climax...her first true climax. Raadeck knelt next to her and she looked up at him, eyes still dewy with tears of mingled pleasure and pain as he untied the belt of his robe. Her eyes widened when the linen robe fell away and she saw his malehood. His sex was almost eight inches long and very thick. She had barely taken the pleasure of his fingers she was so tight and yet it stood up like a red column of hot steel.
"Do not worry my lady, it is not time yet. But it is time that you returned my service to you," He said, eye glittering. Freia swallowed hard to dislodge the lump in her throat. She had known palace courtesans who had told her about the things they did to please males. Without really thinking, she reached over and wrapped her fingers around the hot shaft, Raadeck visibly shuddered when she did. Then hesitantly at first, she leant down and licked the head, tasting his salty flavour before sliding it all the way into her muzzle. Raadeck inhaled sharply and moaned quietly when she began to suck him, bobbing her head up and down the shaft. Though she was inexperienced, it seemed that the princess was talented and his shaft got hotter and harder in her mouth. Freia too seemed surprised by her own oral skills and could feel the responses she was eliciting. The head of Raadeck's cock began to swell and he put his hands on Freia's head, pushing her back so his shaft slipped from her mouth with a trail of her saliva.
He was slightly out of breath when he spoke again, pushing Freia down by the shoulder to lie down on her back. "And now my lady, it is time. Just relax and enjoy it," He said, positioning him between her legs. She felt him against her wet slit and looked down to see the head of his shaft squeezing into her pussy, slick and shiny with her saliva. She was about to protest, as if suddenly remembering her self when a new wave of sensation hit her. Pains like before only more intense were mingled with pleasures, again too much to stand as he inexorably slid himself inside her. The thin barrier of her hymen stretched, resisted briefly and then tore with a small flow of blood as he buried himself inside her up to the hilt.
He was so big though and she was so tight that it felt like she was being forced open. There were males much bigger than Raadeck certainly, but to Freia it felt as if he had to be the biggest in the whole world. Then the thrusting started, Freia crying out each time he hilted himself in her tightness. They started slowly, giving her sex time to adjust and loosen a little for him, but then they got faster. The pains were still there, but they were lost under a flood of pleasure that washed away all mind and sense as she climbed to that familiar peak and then went past it. "More...MORE," She screamed, thrusting her hips back at Raadeck to have him inside her faster and wrapping her long legs around his waist to pull him in deeper. Raadeck growled and gritted his teeth as he drove into her. This was what he had fought for and he was in ecstasy, jolts of electricity shooting up from his shaft and to his brain, driving him into her harder. Freia's nipples rubbed against his muscular chest on each thrust, making them so extra sensitive that her whole body was on fire. Then Raadeck changed his angles again, just as he had with his fingers, hitting that sacred spot deep inside Freia's sex. The world exploded for her and her mouth flew open, screaming silently as the climax became too much for her to bear. Her sex clamped down like a vice, becoming impossibly tight. Raadeck's cock swelled and then exploded, filling her softness with hot white seed.
The two of them lay together for several minutes before Raadeck rolled them over together so that Freia was on top. His member was still trapped inside her, though softened now. Her head still rested on his shoulder as he whispered, "My payment has been satisfied...but have you?" Hearing him, Freia pushed her self up so that she was straddling him and began squeezing her inner muscles around his shaft, massaging it inside her until it hardened again. Moaning a little at the sensation of that thick organ hardening and stretching her from the inside, she looked down at him.
Though she said nothing, the look in her eyes as she began to ride him told Raadeck that she was far from satisfied. She had tasted and wanted more. Leaning back and grabbing Raadeck's ankles, she ground her hips against him so his member pushed deep inside and rubbed against the front wall of her sex. Her moans were constant as she shifted her hips to hit exactly what angles she wanted. Raadeck arched his back and groaned with her as her tightness milked his cock. His hands slipped up her body as it ground up and down on him, cupping her perfect breasts and kneading them gently. It was slower this time, building more gradually from their joined sexes and spreading outwards through their bodies. There were none of the cries and screams of the first time, but none the less the pleasures were intense. The tensions continued to mount until finally Freia's whole body tensed up and her sex began to spasm again, clamping down around Raadeck's shaft. Her back arched and she let out a long shuddering moan before falling forwards on top of Raadeck's chest.
Raadeck however didn't climax with her this time. He remained hard inside her and pulled out of her slowly, the tightness of her sex seeming desperate to keep him held in place. Sliding his body out from under hers, she lay there on the bed on her belly, exhausted from her last orgasm. Then she felt Raadeck's hands on her hip, lifting her rump and then she gasped sharply as he rammed himself into her hard from behind. His thrusts were fast and powerful, much more than before and in this position he went so much deeper. Freia screamed out loud as one climax followed another, Raadeck ramming her relentlessly. Years of training to build physical stamina and endurance were coming to the fore as he mated Freia roughly. He hunched forwards over her, slipping his hands underneath to play with her breasts again. But then when he began to rub on her clitoris directly while his member continued to pummel her sacred spot the combination catapulted the young princess into the most powerful orgasm yet. It blanked out all her senses and nothing else existed to her but that hot, thick pole, filling her from behind. A loud snarl pierced her bubble of ecstasy and a hot flood hit her insides, propelling her even deeper. She screamed until her throat was raw and her sex ached, but her whole body still vibrated with after tremors. Raadeck collapsed next to her in the bed, panting for breath and radiating heat like a fire. He put his arms around Freia and let exhaustion take them both.
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The clear ring of bugles heralded Dawn, calling warriors from their slumbers and rousing them to their daily duties. Freia slowly opened her eyes, pushing herself up onto her knees and wrapping the thick fur blankets about her body. Raadeck was gone and his armour was missing from its rack. Down below, her sex still ached and trembled from the night's pleasures and reddish stains marked the fur. "You are free to leave now my lady. Dawn's light marks the end of my service to your father and my threat to your kingdom," A voice said, familiar, yet different. She didn't look at Raadeck, but she knew where he was in the tent. His voice had lost the poisonous undertones, but there was still a dangerous hint to it.
"It was...more than I expected," She replied, her voice still a little horse. She stood, holding the blanket against her and looked back at Raadeck. He was indeed in his armour, but the face hiding antlered helm was held under his arm. It seemed to soften him somehow, making him seem mortal rather than some kind of automata. "But your payment has cost me more than perhaps you know," She said looking away from him.
A dark smile crossed Raadeck's face and the hemlock crept back into his honeyed voice, "I certainly know that it cost you your throne." Freia snapped back to look at him, eyes wide and grasping for words. Raadeck walked towards her and carefully tilted up her chin with his finger and thumb, mindful of the steel talons on his gauntlet. "I know that by the laws of this kingdom, for a queen to take the throne of Aeamahaan, she must be 'pure', in other words still a virgin. I also know something of the politics of this land too. Your father did indeed offer me the one hundred thousand gold pieces to fight his war for him...but then he offered me further riches to take your virginity. The scene in the throne room was acted for your benefit," He said, smiling like a demon.
Emotions tore at Freia's mind, anger, grief and betrayal all vying for position. "He...He paid you to do this, to stop me taking the throne? But...why? Why would he do this?" She stammered, trying to make sense of it.
"Why do monarchs betray their own children? Perhaps he thought you would not be a strong ruler and intended to place another heir on the throne, perhaps he thought you might be a threat to his authority in his waning years? I do not know and to be blunt it is not really my concern," Raadeck replied, turning away from Freia and walking towards the door of the tent.
Rage finally broke through and a deep snarl rose from her throat. "Raadeck Makaan, if your service to my father is ended, then you are once again free to take a new contract," She called after him, taking the same tone of command and authority that she did when she confronted him in the throne room. Raadeck stopped and turned, a dark demonic smile quickly being concealed as he donned his helm. "I hereby entreat you to a contract. The terms are simple, the payment of one hundred fifty thousand pieces of gold, to be delivered upon defeating all forces loyal to my father and make me queen," She said, snarling when she mentioned King Osric.
"You intend to depose your father for his treachery? A laudable sentiment my lady, but once your father is defeated and his supporters broken, how will you take the throne? Surely the people would revolt against an unlawful queen," He replied, dangerous as a dagger and poisonous as a viper. He knew exactly how Freia would take the throne. He had studied Aeamahaan's laws and knew the same loopholes that she knew...
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Six Months Later...
The cool breeze blowing through the marble and wood panel throne room made the warrior lord's black cloak ripple like a dark pool in the coldest night without a moon. Beyond the windows, the people celebrated the ascension of their new queen, under close guard. Raadeck held his helmet under one arm and clasped as leather bag in the claws of this other hand. The hall was lined with courtiers and officials watching as the fox laid the bag at the feet of the young queen who sat resplendently on her high back throne, swathed in red silks and a rich velvet cloak.
Kneeling before her and bowing his head, Makaan spoke in a clear level voice for all in the hall to hear. "My Lady queen Freia of the realm of Aeamahaan, I have fulfilled my duties to you and defeated all those loyal to your father King Osric. I bring you his head as proof of my victory." Blood seeped out of the neck of the bag and many lining the room recoiled in horror, gagging in realisation of what was in there.
Freia smiled and spoke aloud for the assembled witnesses as well, "You have served me well and your reward shall be paid in full. With the death of the king, his throne passes to his lawful heir by blood. I claim my father's throne, to hold in trust until my unborn child is grown and ready to take his grandfather's place." She then stood, showing her pregnant belly and placing her hand over her growing kit. All bowed as she stood and Raadeck showed a particular smile that fewer had ever seen than his face. Freia looked down upon him and spoke again, quieter so only they heard. "I will tell our child about you. If it is anything like you, I have no doubt that they shall be a formidable ruler."
Makaan stood and turned to leave. "And perhaps I will return to you when the tides of war lead me this way again...and perhaps you will have more formidable hiers," He said, before walking away.
End