Moon Witch Ch 03

Something in me kept me close by to the king's tent, even though I knew exactly what would happen since he only ever dismisses his guard when he'll be with a woman.

Perhaps that something was the guilt for bringing Selene to a place where she's been deflowered and forced into servitude. The discipline and loyalty for my king and country within me roars in protest at my word choice. I know I've done objectively worse things in the name of loyalty to my king, but the pull that I've had for this pale girl since first setting eyes on her keeps me from escaping my shame.

Over time, I've seen how his playthings have come to love their time with their master. If anything, they come to crave the rough treatment that Azrath offers. Nothing in me has had me pay attention to the process at all in the past, except to occasionally enjoy the product of the king's 'training,' as he calls it.

Despite the loyalty I have to King Azrath, my stomach still feels queasy at the thought of Selene at the mercy of his hands.

I would have expected him to simply treat her in a businesslike manner. It wasn't like him to jump to satisfying his needs. After all, that's what his playthings have always been for. I wonder if he's affected by a similar pull that tempts him. I wonder if he can tell how she affects me.

Her squeals interrupt my thoughts, causing bumps to rise on my arms. Nothing much else happens for a bit, but I know exactly what's coming. As much as I know I should leave, whatever is inside me keeps my feet planted firmly to the ground. My eyes are closed as I wait. Though I'm in a perverse wait for it, my blood still runs cold when I hear the first of her screams.

It's not an entirely unfamiliar sound echoing through our camp, but knowing that it's the voice of someone I promised to protect makes my heart heavy. Not to mention how my own attraction to her complicates everything.

"General Eryx, your presence is requested." Jaeg, the guard on duty, lumbers over to where I sit in my miserable internal conflict.

Selene is sitting with her legs hanging off Azrath's table, blankly looking where the wall and floor of the tent met. Her outer robe is wrapped tightly wrapped around her and a few coins decorate the space next to her. Azrath catches my eye and waves us away carelessly, indicating that I take her and go. "For your loyal service, you can have a taste tonight. She'll meet Hes after we return back home."

Gritting my teeth, I offer him a curt bow and walk to Selene, who doesn't quite meet my eyes. "It's time," I say, and gesture towards the entrance. She looks cornered, glancing between me and Azrath, and slips off the table. She gathers her underskirt from beside her, cheeks reddening, and pads towards the entrance without another glance at me. Her long hair trails down her back, her head held high.

She's left the coins. I grab them and we walk out in silence. Selene is still poised tall, striding out in front of me.

"Do you know where you're going?" I ask, moving to her side to catch her eye.

"Get away from me!" She whips towards me. Her eyes are narrowed but they look wet. I look away, uncomfortable with her raw display of emotion. "You made it sound like he was okay. That I would be okay."

"I didn't think he would- you were supposed to just be our new healer." It sounds lame even to me.

Maybe selfishly, I did also want her close by and used Azrath's orders as an excuse. I could have let her go. My judgment was clouded by her pull.

"Well, he raped me, and it's all your fault. I had my own life with my healing and my sister and you've torn it all away from me. I healed you, gave you back your life. You broke your promise to protect me. Any other excuses?" Her eyes are shining with anger now, cheeks red again with exertion. I'm speechless and she knows it. As we hold our uncomfortable eye contact, her bottom lip begins to twitch and her eyes fill again with tears. "Take me home. Please."

If Selene were to disappear now, it would be obvious to Azrath that I'd acted on behalf of my own interests. I know he'd punish me. So all I can offer her is the next best thing. "Follow me."

-

I follow the general into another tent like a lost sheep. As much as I'd moistened earlier, it wasn't nearly enough and now I feel exceedingly tender. I'm a mess of anger and soreness and desperation and all I want to do is crawl under a rock where no one will talk to me or touch me. I briefly wonder at my possibilities of escape, but remember the days of travel we did on horseback. There's no way that I would make it back in one piece.

I eye the tall man who stands next to me. It's obvious that he as influence here. Perhaps I can persuade him to let me go? As much as I hate him for what he's caused me, his relative compassion and attention to my comforts make me wonder if there is hope for me to rely on his help. Even if it's fueled by his guilt.

I sweep my eyes over everything. The interior looks so much more different than everything else I've seen over the camp. Whereas I've seen rich and vibrant fabrics at every turn, it's dark in here, a notable absence of color. The dark interior washes over my hot anger as if to soothe me. "It's... Dark."

"I prefer it that way, yes."

I realize that Erik has been standing stiffly by me, waiting for a reaction. "I didn't realize this was your tent."

"You can sit on these cushions if you'd like," he points, ignoring my comment. "Are you hungry? Would you like anything? I'm sure you would like some rest and time away from others."

The halting way he speaks to me makes me realize he's nervous for my reaction. I feel myself crumbling, grief for the death of my safe life and fear from my ordeal with Azrath catching up to me. "Yes, I'd like some time alone. You can't just take me home?"

He sits, folding his legs under him. The general runs his hands through his hair as I follow suit, using the material of the underskirt to cover my bare legs. The soreness between my legs make me wince at the movement. "Azrath wouldn't forgive me."

Anger surges through me. Of course it's simple to sacrifice my life for the relationship he has with his precious king. He notices my glare, and as I'm about to open my mouth he explains himself. "Our king can be a little volatile. If I were to let you go, he would seek to.. dispose of me. And then he'd come after you, too. He doesn't take insults to his pride lightly."

Silence stretches thin between us once again as the weight of my situation sinks in. My next words come out in a whisper. "So what am I supposed to do?"

"Stay. Heal our people. As a healer, you'll be able to gain respect quickly. Gain our trust. When that time comes, you'll be able to leave." I don't say anything but just look up at the general. He looks pained. "I'm sure my promises don't mean much to you, but I promise you this. I- I vow it. When the time comes, I will help you leave."

"You vow it?"

"I vow it."

"I accept your vow." The words come to me naturally. Instinctively, I know that he vowed to help me means that he will uphold this to the best of his ability, even at his own expense. All I have to do is to hold on until then, or find a way out before.

Erik closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "I'll leave you here, then, to rest. You'll be meeting Hes soon and I'm sure he'll have you working hard, training. Would you like food?"

I nod, casting my eyes down, and Erik sweeps out of the tent, leaving me alone in his tent. I do my best to clumsily do up the underskirt in the way that the white-robed woman did. Though it slips slightly when I walk, I resolve to just hike it up when needed. There's no way I'm asking the general for his help. Given the way it's been going so far, asking for help would probably just damn me.

Maybe he'd be overcome by an irrational desire to tighten the laces around my neck,

I think.

Contrary to Azrath's tent, the walls here are bare. Everything is quite minimal, his bedding made cleanly in a corner and the cushions I'm sitting on nearby to the pile of fabrics he sleeps on. The messiest thing in the space is an assortment of militant goods gathered in a corner, which I draw near to snoop through. I find his clothes, black robes and other odd-looking wear I don't recognize.

Interestingly, I also find clothing that I'm used to seeing, trousers and shirts and jackets. Perhaps the general uses these to blend into the crowd when he visits our kingdom. I scoff, imagining the scandalized faces of the nobles of the Inner Wall at seeing a foreigner in their own dress.

A collection of blades and other gear I don't even know what they're for are thrown into a chest. I slip my hand into the box.

"Those have killed a lot of men." Erik's deep voice comes from behind me. Damn. I snatch my hand back and look towards the general, who is carrying in some food. Like a child, I trot over to be fed, doing my best to ignore the tenderness at my center and the uneasiness that simmers in my belly. "I don't know how comfortable you'd be having those with you knowing they've ended lives."

The food he lays out in front of me looks very similar to what Era and I would eat. There's a porridge, the grains dark and spherical, unlike the oats that I would typically have in the mornings. Half of some sort of roasted bird, a small pile of dark and shiny plums, as well as a cup of water. In all, an amount of food that could be at least two meals for me.

"General, this is far too much food." I have to stifle laughter at his look of disbelief.

"Eating is important for strength, Miss Selene." He plucks a plum up, wiping it on the inside of his robe. "If you wouldn't mind, I can share some with you."

"I'm not up for much talking, but if you are hungry, you're welcome to." I shrug, having to remind myself that this grim general is not my friend. As much as he's shown me gentleness compared to his king and Reno, he's torn me away from Era and I can't forgive it.

My thoughts turn once again towards my sister, and my heart pangs. It will be her birthday tomorrow. She must be worried sick about me. Though she will be fifteen soon, completely capable of caring for herself, I will always see her as my baby sister. As much as what's happened to me is horrible, I know I have to stay strong. I have to get back to Era. It's better me than her. The thought of her sweet figure pinned under King Azrath impulsively surfaces and it turns my stomach.

Erik slides the bowl of porridge towards me, saying nothing. A nudge for me to begin eating. I spoon some of it into my mouth but it's tasteless to me. Each of the items I sample, and aside from the porridge, everything else on the menu feels very familiar.

The general seems to think I would be very uncomfortable handling his weapons. Blood always did bother me less than it does my sister. At home, Era and I only have meat once in a while. Since she never had the heart to kill the rabbits we caught once in a while, it was up to me to learn how to stomach the screams of the rabbits whenever I failed to kill it at once, as well as learn how to clean out the guts without retching. She would always run dramatically to the other side of the room when I entered with the blood-stained apron, mouth covered and big eyes stretched wide.

She always did enjoy the stews we made with it though.

The thought of the past feels so far away, and a nostalgic pang runs through me when I think of how worrying about killing the night's rabbit was my biggest concern. Now, I'm in a faraway land worrying about if and when Azrath will call me for the same purpose again.

"Why did he rape me? You said he is a fair man." I stare into the bowl of plums.

The general doesn't answer right away, instead hard at work picking the bones out of a piece of meat. Just when I think he won't be answering me, he sighs. "He is a fair man. His habits with women, perhaps, are a little less so. But as a king and a ruler, for making decisions for his people, I believe he is a fair man."

"So whatever he does behind closed doors is fine because in front of you all he's perfect?" Fresh anger flares up in me again. Erik's perception of Azrath is the completely opposite of mine.

"That's not what I mean. It's just a small flaw of his."

"Just a small flaw?" My voice rises. His insistent defense of his king grates against me. The unfairness roars in my ears as I tell him off. "You're kidding me. Do you really think that's a small flaw? You may think it's not a big deal to kidnap and rape any woman, but from where I come from that's just

wrong

. It's wrong, General Eryx, and for all I care, that you're defending him just tells me your people are all the same."

The general stands up now, looking down at me. He may not be fuming like I am externally, but there's a dangerous quietness he's carrying that shows me that my words have hit a nerve. "I'm not here to be lectured, Miss Selene. I'm offering you my protection as far as I can. I have always been a man to fight for my people, and that my people need a healer is enough for me to yes, 'kidnap,' as you may call it. You could be treated worse at my hand, and you would do well not to forget it."

I stand up too, accidentally knocking over the bowl of plums with my foot. They sprawl across the floor. "Okay, so then what? Shall I grovel in thanks that you've only made my life better since I've laid eyes on you? You're going to do what your precious king said you can do and taste me like any whore, is it?"

I see the general's jaw clenching at my words. Eyes narrowed, he takes a step towards me, closing the gap between us halfway. I stare back into his eyes in a challenge. He is more than capable of overtaking me on a physical level, but in this moment something within me has broken and my rage has been unleashed.

I'm waiting for the general to get in my face and yell at me, or maybe even take a swing, but what I don't expect is for him to grab me by the front and mash his lips to mine.

"Mmf!" I press my hands against his upper body to create some space between us, but he's placed one hand on the back of my head, holding our mouths together as he slides his lips against mine. His eyes are open, staring piercingly into my own wide eyes, and I make another sound of protest as he slips his tongue into my mouth. I close my eyes as the same feeling of rousing helplessness overtakes me and Erik sucks on my lip hard.

He breaks the kiss and looks down at me. I can't make sense of his expression, and I know my face is flushed. Part of me is angry over how weak I am against these men, how my body reacts so readily. More than anything, in this moment I just want to hide my embarrassment and forget about how my body gives in. I take a breath and spit the next words out as venomously as I can. "You really are just a bunch of barbarians, aren't you?"

Another clench of his jaw, and before I can do anything, the general has swept out of his tent. His own tent. I'm left by myself, standing with my fingers twisted into my skirts. In the moment, all I wanted was to hurt him with my words by even a fraction of the hurt I feel now. But as he leaves, so does the fire of my agitation, and I'm left feeling lonely. Does no one here have any semblance of logic? Or even at the least, heart?

The fact that the general doesn't know how wrong he is and how wrong his king is astounds me. Yet, the look on his face right before he left had made me freeze with fear. It can end so badly for me if I'm not careful. These people have already proved themselves to not be above pure physical intimidation and I'm not interested in experiencing it again anytime soon.

I glare down at the plums scattered across the ground. I don't know if and when the general will come back, but if he does, I pettily hope that he steps on them in the dark. The meal on the ground is largely untouched, and I look down at it with glum disinterest. If anything, I feel even less hungry than I did before.

Angry tears prick my vision once again and I sit on the ground, wishing for even a brief reprieve from all these bad things that seem to keep happening to me.

-

Barbarians.

Selene's words ring in my ears as I slam my hips forward to meet her soft bottom. She - Arelia? Serxe? whines in excitement as my fingers dig into her waist. I couldn't even tell which one of the king's playthings I grabbed at in the dark.

I'd paced around the camp for a while, and after night fell I entered the tent to find two women more or less in bed, lazing and chatting. I always thought that these two looked extraordinarily similar, with svelte figures, full chests, and lighter hair that marked them as foreigners to us. They quickly became Azrath's favorites, insatiable things who live and breathe pleasing their king.

Though they didn't mind taking care of his men too, every once in a while.

"General Eryx!" One of them said delightedly.

"You haven't come to visit us in so long," The other pouted.

I didn't acknowledge their words, instead electing to grabbing the one closer to me and peppering her neck with kisses and bites. She crooned and reached a hand down my crotch, rubbing me to coax out an erection. She giggled and pushed me down onto the soft bedding, straddling me and beginning to move her hips back and forth. I groan at the stimulation, feeling myself stiffen quickly. The other set to work slipping me out of my clothes, her soft hands lingering on my hot skin.

I closed my eyes, letting their soft bodies wash away my anger. A mouth laid kisses on my chest as another set to work grasping my cock as it twitched, trailing fingers lightly over its head, making me shiver. The fingers slipped to the base, squeezing gently as half of my erection was swallowed in warmth. I felt her tongue lazily drawing circles over the head of my cock as she moved her lips up and down my shaft. I hissed as days of pent up arousal was tested. After days of not doing what I wanted to do, my body had seemed to take on a mind of its own to dominate any willing flesh.

I grabbed the back of the head that was bobbing up and down on my hardness and pressed down. I felt her moan into my crotch, the back her throat sweetly squeezing me. With a hand in her hair, I fucked her mouth, the silk of her hot mouth putting friction on my sensitive flesh. Her tongue stroked the underside of my cock as she let out gurgles from being choked by me. She moaned as I released my grasp, insistent fingers squeezed tight around the base of my hardness. She set to work slurping at my cock without my encouragement, swallowing it so the whole shaft was buried in her mouth.

I pulled her off of me and sat up, where I was met with the greedy mouth of the other one, who had been tonguing my nipples and kissing my neck. I wanted to feel the tightness of a pussy squeezing around my cock. Panting, I pushed her down so her head and shoulders was pressed into the bedding. She gave a squeal of excitement, reaching back with one hand to spread her pussy lips open, wiggling her bottom enticingly.

I groaned as I slipped my cock between those lips to lubricate myself. She was already dripping wet and gave a soft sigh as I pistoned my hips back and forth. Positioning myself behind her, I entered her tunnel, the head of my cock popping into her passage, which was still impossibly tight. Without waiting, I drew out and then pushed back in all the way as she moaned out, "Thank you." I began moving, reveling in the feeling of her gripping my cock tight with my eyes closed.

Soon enough, sounds of wetness filled the tent as I continued to release my frustrations onto her body. The one I was filling had her mouth buried in the slick folds of the other, who was mewling with excitement, clutching at the head at her pussy. I grunted, grabbing at the hips in front of me and slamming forward.