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My heart was leaping about
my chest, ricocheting with such a clamor that I was certain everyone even
beyond the doors of my chamber could hear. I was gripped by fear of my
impending marriage to the young Prince Philip of Elwyre. To form an
alliance between some of the tiny, non-descript kingdoms to the north, I,
Princess Alessara of Molhin, had been traded in marriage to the heir to
the thrown of Elwyre, as a treaty of peace and protection between our
fathers and their allies.
I stood in my wedding vestments dreading the ceremony to come, but more
than that, I was terrified of my duty as a new bride once night fell and
the festivities subsided. I was no more knowledgeable at seventeen about
the process of marital relations than I was at seven, and the enigma of it
terrified me nearly as much as my impending nuptials to a man I'd never
seen or spoken to. Would I please him? Could I love him? Would he think me
an ignorant fool, unfit to be his bride? How could I knit my soul and my
body to a stranger?
"My lady, you are expected." Mikhaerna, my lady in waiting, broke the
heavy curtain of my reverie with the news that I was now to be wed. She
lowered the wispy white veil over my face, which to me felt like a death
shroud, for I truly believed that I couldn't know happiness after today;
that all my dreams were eluded by this union. My new country was bleak and
cold, and I feared as much for the landscape of my future. What joy could
there be in this place?
I was led to the thrown room, where I knew my father and the parents of my
husband to be would be gathered at the head, and before them, waiting
beside the holy father, would be my groom. I feared the palpitations of my
heart would betray my apprehension, but none among the throngs of guests
seemed any the wiser as I began my long, solitary procession toward
wedlock. I kept my gaze fixed on the floor. With each step bringing me
closer to my bondage, I was acutely aware of the tension in the room, all
eyes on me as if expecting me to turn and bolt back down the aisle,
consequences be damned. Well, if nothing else I was dutiful, and this was
my father's bidding. Squaring my shoulders in determination, I lifted my
head just as I reached the altar, and caught a narrow glimpse of Philip as
I took my place beside him. I could not suppress the sharp gasp the sight
of him elicited, for I could not imagine a man more beautiful. His face
was fair, still youthful in its appointments, but with a wisdom and
gentility far beyond his humble years. His head was set with a mass of
thick, dark curls, softly framing his quiet visage. Dressed in his finest
garments, he wore his majesty with grace and gentle authority.
I was transfixed, and nearly missed my "I do," but I must have managed it,
because Philip leaned toward me to seal our contract with the requisite
wedding kiss. His lips were so full and soft, and though it was unorthodox
for a royal wedding, he placed one hand on my waist until the kiss was
finished. That kiss was, until that point, the most blissful moment of my
life, and I began to believe that my apprehensions about marriage may
prove unfounded.
The remainder of the festivities were a blur to me, as sitting beside my
new husband set my head to reeling. I was still petrified of what was to
come once we were behind closed doors, but I was nonetheless intrigued by
my reaction to him. I would steal sidelong glances at him, taking in the
details of his face - the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he
smiled, and his smile itself - it fairly glowed. He looked almost
luminescent, happy and jovial, and he was generous with the appreciative
look in my direction as well, served with a slightly shy smile. My heart
fluttered each time, and I felt a peculiar warming inside me, as gradually
my inhibitions faded.
At last the feast concluded, and my ladies in waiting brought me to the
bridal chamber, where they bathed me and dressed me and turned down the
bridal bed. Suddenly I was alone, just me, the bed, and the silence,
bathed in firelight. I stood uncertainly in the center of the room,
waiting, but for what, I couldn't be sure. At last the door pushed open,
and Philip entered, still wearing his wedding whites. It was the first
opportunity I had to see him from head to toe, and the peculiar warming
sensation within me grew as he drew near. He was taller, almost a head
taller than me, with strong limbs and a confident swagger. I felt that I
should speak, say something alluring, or perhaps submissive, but when I
opened my mouth he put a finger to my lips before I could utter a word. He
nodded toward the shuttered window on the far side of the room, and taking
my hand, he led me to it and unfastened the clasp, and to my surprise he
hopped right through it, pulling me along with him. I found myself on a
narrow walkway that ran around the perimeter of the castle's east wing.
Philip smiled at me devilishly. "I want you to see something," he
whispered, and shuffled along the walkway with me in tow until was came to
another window, this one paned with colored glass. Philip looked through a
tiny piece that was almost clear, and with an impish grin, gestured for me
to do the same. My mouth dropped open at the site within - a crowd of
people - my father, Philips parents, and members of both courts - were
gathered outside the door to the chamber in which we had just been, with
ears pressed against the polished wood.
"Our marriage isn't binding until it's consummated," Philip explained, "So
our fathers' treaty isn't binding until then either. They're a bit anxious
to know that the arrangement has been… completed."
My brow furrowed in confusion, as I still had no real idea what
"consummation" was. Philip again took my hand, and I followed him along
the footpath to the flat roof atop a tower on the farthest east end of the
castle.
"I often come here to think," he said, as he and I settled on the roof
against the wall. He turned and looked into my eyes. "Of late, my thoughts
have all been of you. I tried to imagine how you would look, what you
would be like… if we would care for each other."
I sighed, relieved at this confession. "My thoughts have been much the
same."
"Ah, the lady does speak!" Philip exclaimed, as I blushed. He held my
small hand between his, large and light. "Alessara, there's a reason I
brought you up here," he paused, taking a deep breath to fuel his nerve.
"I know how strange this is. I know that what's expected of us tonight if
awkward, and I want you to understand that I won't force you tonight. I
just think it will be better when we both want to do it." He bit his lip
pensively, and continued. "It might be hopeless to wish for, but I hope
that, in time, you can love me. I… I suspect that I may already love you."
I fairly melted into a puddle of astonishment right there, on the roof of
the East tower. I was speechless, shocked at how his sentiments mirrored
my own. The only discrepancy was that he clearly understood what was to
occur between us, what everyone was waiting outside the door to hear. "My
Lord," I began, "My only wish is to please you, to be a good wife and make
you happy. Your satisfaction will be my reward." I responded dutifully,
and I was quite happy with the sound of it. I was certain it was just what
was required of me.
"Oh, Lady, that just will not do," Philip scorned with a laugh. "No, not
at all. Do you not wish to be happy as well? Do you not wish to be
satisfied?" My silence must have affirmed his suspicion. "It is my wish
that the satisfaction will be entirely mutual." He looked at me
quizzically, as if evaluating something off-balance in my expression. "Do
you know what we are supposed to be doing right now? What consummation
is?" I shook my head, so he continued, his fingers tracing the contours of
my hand. "In short, it means that you share my bed, we lie together. You
open your legs to me, and I fit inside you. I would not be so indelicate
as to say more than that."
"You fit inside me?" I replied, with a gasp. "How is that accomplished?"
Philip laughed uproariously. "Not all of me, of course. Just a part - an
organ designed for the purpose." He was holding both of my hands now,
stroking them in turn, and that feeling of warmth spread under my skin
again.
I blushed, unsure if I should be so bold, but nonetheless I said, "It is
our duty, is it not?" I was growing intensely curious, and assumed that
this experience must be pleasurable.
"Our duty… yes…" Philip stammered. "We are not legally wed until was have
done so. But I had no wish to rush you. We can let the kings believe we
spent the night in bed together. How are they to know otherwise?"
Boldness overcame me, as I had been entranced by his lips throughout this
exchange, and wanted only to feel them on my mouth again. I snaked my arms
around his neck and pressed my lips to his. He was surprised, but not
displeased, as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close,
returning my kiss passionately and parting my lips with his tongue. There
was so many new sensations coursing through me, and the heat of his body
assured me that duty was something I was ready for. "Perhaps we should
retire, My Lord."
Philip raised his head and stood, pulling me up next to him. Suddenly he
couldn't move fast enough, racing down the tower steps and back along the
footpath, lifting me through the window and carrying me to the bed. He
kissed me heavily, and then grinned broadly, clearly happy that I had
elected for the call of duty. Laces and straps were untied, garments
tossed aside, and in moments we were naked before each other. He was
stunning, muscular, lean, and the organ nestled at his groin stood hard
and erect, and I guessed that was the part intended for me.
I was lying on my back, and as he said I should, I opened my legs and took
a deep breath. Philip mounted me, his breathing ragged, his swollen member
poised against my virgin sex, pressing into the wetness accumulating
there. He kissed me, intensely and with purpose, his tongue probed deeply
into my mouth, and I spread my legs as wide as I could, my body suddenly
yearning for him, knowing better than my mind what was to come. I took in
a sharp, choking breath when I felt a sudden pop between my legs, and
realized that he was indeed inside me. The pain was immense, but the
pleasure promised beyond the pain was just as real. Philip began to pull
out of me, and I couldn't understand why, until pushed himself back in,
and then repeated the motion. The friction he generated within me was
delicious, and I began to understand what this was all about. He kept
thrusting, in and out, over and over again, and my body writhed in sweet
delirium beneath him. He was grinding my body against him, and he
quickened his pace, his breath coming in short, irregular bursts as the
size of his manhood within me seemed to expand, and then without warning,
he exploded, filling my womb with a hot fluid, and while I had not known
this would happen, it delighted me, and as Philip slowed and came to rest
his head on my breast, waves of pleasure washed through me, leaving me
hungry for more.
Being wed to the Crown Prince of Elwyre may not be so bleak and hopeless
as I had first believed. As I laid on my back, my husband satisfied, our
bodies still joined, my duty fulfilled, I found that my dreams were all
still within my grasp, and I just might love this man.
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