Prima Nocta

"Harder."

He doesn't change his rhythm. Continues thrusting at a measured pace.

"Harder!"

He frowns. Who is she to command him? Who is anyone to command him?

He pulls his manhood out of her. "You're finished."

"No! Please, my Lord!"

"You." He points at a girl with smaller breasts, but a prettier face. "Get on the bed."

The girl's face becomes pure joy at having been chosen, and she rushes forward.

"My Lord," cries the other one, grabbing his length. "I can do better! Please, let me show you!"

He strikes her and she falls back. The second girl steps over her with no hesitation. He likes that. He smacks her on the buttock and she yelps, presents it to him, a red mark already forming on the right check. One thrust, and he is in. All the way in.

Her cries of pleasure and ecstasy leak out of the room, into the corridor beyond, where a line of girls, naked and waiting, stretches all the way down to the next corridor, and the one after that, all shivering in anticipation for when their Lord will choose them.

*

"Explain it to me again."

The old man who, until recently, had been advisor to Aldwin Swann's late father, tilted his head. "You are unfamiliar with the tradition?"

"No, I'm familiar with it," said Aldwin. "Of course I am. I simply wish to clarify."

The old man, Hughes, nodded. "Of course, my Lord. Prima nocta, or 'first night', is the right of a noble lord to deflower a bride on her wedding night. It's seen as a great honor."

"Right," said Aldwin with distaste. "And the other one?"

"Yes. Droit du seignur, or law of the Lord. This is the right for a noble lord to engage in sexual relations with any subordinate woman. Which, for you, my Lord, is every woman in our great Valley."

"Right," said Aldwin again. He wrinkled his nose. "So, that second one-"

"Droit du seignur."

"Yes, that. It's essentially a broader version of the first, isn't it?"

"Yes, my Lord. Some regions practice only prima nocta. It has kept House Swann prosperous and beloved by the people. Put simply, you may have any woman, whenever and wherever you wish, Lord Swann."

"Hughes..." Aldwin hesitated. "Did my father practice this? Did he go out and force women to have sex with him whenever he pleased?"

Hughes, noticing Aldwin's hesitation, looked awkward as he answered. "He did, my Lord. With great regularity."

Even though this didn't surprise Aldwin in the slightest, it still felt like a punch to the gut. His father, so kind, so wise, and gentle... it was unthinkable.

"Does my mother know? Did she ever find out?"

"Given that all in the Valley are well aware of our sacred tradition, it would surprise me greatly if one as intelligent as Lady Penelope never guessed the truth of where you late father was whilst not in the castle."

"So she... she's fine with it."

"How could she not be? She knew perfectly well the responsibilities and rights he had as a Lord before she married him."

Perhaps Hughes didn't think any of this was significant, but to Aldwin it changed so much. So many memories of his family were tainted now. While he and his sister, Madeleine, were running around as children, their father was off with his pants around his ankles, leaving their poor mother to stew in frustration at home.

"Well, I'm very sorry, Hughes, but the tradition will end with me," said Aldwin firmly. "I want nothing to do with it."

*

Aldwin strode down one of the castle's many hallways, his footsteps heavy, and ran a hand through his blond locks with a sigh.

"So? How was your first meeting," came a familliar voice, adding with a teasing lilt, "my Lord?"

He turned around to see Alice Tait standing before him. They'd grown up together, and had always been quite close. She was the daughter of one of Aldwin's mother's hand-maidens, and a good friend of Madeleine's. She was as good as his second sister, and closer to him than his first.

Aldwin rolled his eyes. "Don't call me that. Everyone else has started, I think I'll go crazy if you do too."

She had brown eyes, and long brown hair. To Aldwin, she was nothing short of beautiful.

"Yes, I suppose someone has to keep you tethered to reality," she said with a snort. Then she looked at him seriously and put a gentle hand on his arm. "How are you doing, Aldwin? You've had only a week to grieve for your father, had only a day since his funeral, yet already you're Lord of the castle. That can't be easy."

Aldwin let out a breath, a special breath that he could only let out around her these days, blowing out the stress and duty of his new post and leaving a boy, twenty-two years of age, lost without his father. "I've always been preparing for this day. Perhaps I was even excited for it," he said slowly. "I just didn't think it would come so soon."

She squeezed his arm reassuringly, but didn't interrupt.

"Hughes told me something today, Alice. Something that makes this responsibility infinitely more complex." He grimaced, and looked at her. "Prima nocta."

She nodded obviously, and waited. Then her eyes ballooned in size, and she gasped. "Oh! You- you're now able to do it, aren't you? You can... with any woman, you can order them-"

"Yes," said Aldwin, to save her from having to spell out the graphic details of his newfound power. "He told me my father did it. Often, even. I- I should have guessed, I suppose, but the thought had never occurred to me."

Alice nodded hesitantly. "I had heard rumours of Lord Swann's visits down in the Valley, but I was never sure how much stock to put into them."

"It's disgusting," Aldwin spat, unable to contain himself any longer. "It's dehumanizing and immoral, and I refuse to keep the tradition alive."

"Are you sure?" She sounded relieved, incredibly relieved, but pressed. "That's a big decision."

"Of course I'm sure, Alice. It goes against everything I believe in!"

She surveyed him for a few seconds, her eyes searching his, and then she took his hand in both her own and smiled the most sincere smile he'd ever seen. "Then you're a better man than most, Aldwin Swann."

*

In the midst of all the new duties and responsibilities that had befallen Aldwin, the arrival of Baron Payne's daughter to the Valley was the last thing he needed. Sent in place of her father for diplomatic purposes, Philippa Payne was young, and reportedly very unpredictable.

"Unpredictable," Aldwin repeated, running a tired hand through his hair. "Great."

"It is what makes her a strong diplomat," said Hughes gravely. The two were in the meeting hall once again, and it was well into the night. Such had been the case far too often in recent weeks. Aldwin reckoned he was the last in his castle to go to sleep each night, and among the first to greet it in the morning. "They say Lady Payne flits between whims and moods, conversation topics and subject matter, like a reader skimming through a book. She's always looking to turn to the next page."

"Distractions," Aldwin said, nodding. "Jarring twists and turns to knock others off balance. I'd imagine she's used to getting what she wants."

"And it is your job to make sure she does not," said Hughes. "Now this is what I suspect she will ask for..."

When Philippa Payne came, she arrived with an escort of merely two dignitaries and her handmaiden. It was evening, and Aldwin greeted her in the castle's expansive atrium, next to the dining hall which was filled with an assortment of the Valley's most important nobles.

"Lord Swann," she greeted, walking through the atrium with her party of three filed behind her.

"Please," he said, meeting her in the middle and taking her hand, bringing it to his lips, "call me Aldwin."

"Aldwin," she said, the corner of her lips raised. "I'm charmed."

She was exquisite to look at. Her face was angled, her eyelids low, giving the effect that she was constantly looking down. Her skin was porcelain, her lips full, a vibrant red.

The smell of the feast wafted in from the dining hall, and Aldwin gestured onwards without missing a beat. "Shall we?"

The dining hall was extravagant, the dining table long. All those seated got to their feet when the two entered, and stayed that way until Aldwin and Philippa took their own seats. Aldwin was at the head of the table. Normally he would be flanked by his mother and sister, but today they were further down the table. Philippa sat right beside him at the head of the table, and those who were next closest were a variety of eager-to-please nobles.

"It is a bold move," Hughes had said at their meeting, "but a good one. Make her feel important. Without your mother and sister near you, it will be much more personal. Lean into that..."

Aldwin cleared his throat. "So," he said, "how was your journey?"

She smiled at him, her lashes batting twice. "Quite pleasant. Fortunately for both of us, you live in the nicest part of the Valley, Lord Swann. Ah, I mean Aldwin."

Aldwin smiled back. "I am glad. I had been afraid the weather would be poor during your trip. I am told a storm is brewing."

"A storm is always brewing," she said dismissively. "We'll be watching the sky in fear our whole lives if we were to pay it any notice."

"Quite so," said one of the nobles nearest them. "You are very wise, Lady Payne."

She regarded the man the way one might an insect on their hand. He smiled a greasy smile, and she promptly looked back at Aldwin. "Shall we be eating soon, Aldwin?"

Aldwin nodded, noting the displeased look on the man's face with amusement. "We shall." He gestured to one of the servants, who nodded and in turn gestured to someone else. Within seconds, servants rushed into the dining hall, laden with steaming trays of the most delicious smelling food covered by exquisite bell shaped silver cloches. Each of those trays were placed along the table, and Aldwin stood, made a toast that was received with applause. When he sat back down, and everyone else along the table began to dig in, Philippa placed a delicate hand on his arm and smiled. "You have a very commanding voice, Aldwin. I imagine the people have taken you as their new Lord quite happily."

"My family has always been beloved by the people," he said. "I should certainly hope that streak does not end with me."

"How could it?" Her smile widened. "A leader as charming and magnetic as yourself could never possibly lose the good favor of the people."

"Well, let us hope your flattery is not unfounded."

"Believe me, Aldwin, I do not seek to flatter." In the most delicate way possible, she lifted her fork to her lips and closed them around a morsel of meat. After chewing, she continued, "In complimenting someone such as yourself, I seek only to make it abundantly clear to them just how... captivating I find them."

He fought the urge to raise his eyebrows. "You mean to tell me that your compliments have nothing to do with your father's wish to purchase farmland in the valley, at incredibly low prices?"

Philippa paused, her eyes roaming over his face, becore she lowered her knife and fork suddenly. "My journey has tired me, Aldwin. I wish to retire for the night."

Surprise registered on his face, but only for a moment. "Of course. Allow me to show you to your quarters."

"Thank you."

Together they stood. All heads along the table turned to them, but Aldwin bowed and gestured for them all to continue eating. His mother and sister watched with sharp eyes, but he didn't meet their gazes. He led her from the dining hall and down a number of corridors. She walked close to him, and a few times their arms brushed. She said nothing on the way, confusing Aldwin more than a little. It wasn't until he opened her door, stood aside to let her in and felt a hand at his collar that he realized her goal. He was yanked into her room and the door closed behind him.

"Now that we're alone," she breathed, her mouth at his neck, hair in his face, "we can skip all the pleasantries."

Her mouth captured his. Aldwin made a sound of surprise before he closed his eyes. Her full lips tasted sweet, her face and hair smelled of flowers. She cupped his cheek with one hand, and her other was on his chest, caressing, dropping, dropping, rubbing along his abdomen and going lower still until-

Aldwin's eyes opened. Her lips smiled against his and she pulled back, giving him an impish grin. "Oh, you like that, don't you?"

"So this is how the esteemed Lady Payne negotiates," said Aldwin. He noted how husky his voice sounded. "I understand well what you seek to gain, Philippa, but I cannot find a single thing that you have to offer me."

Her fingers tightened, capturing the head of his growing cock around the fabric of his trousers. "Not a single thing?"

Nothing in his meetings with Hughes had prepared Aldwin to deal with sexual propositions. The blood pumping to his nether-regions told him in no uncertain terms what he was about to do, but shame rose in him at his weakness. As Lord, could it really be so simple for her to manipulate him?

'Yes,' his cock told him.

Aldwin grasped her by her hips and lifted her in the air. She squealed at first then giggled as he carried her, walked to the lavish four-poster bed, and dumped her on the sheets. Her dress was exquisite. Red, shiny, no doubt expensive. Aldwin ripped it off her like rags, treating her body with unapologetic roughness. She didn't seem to mind, throwing her head back against the sheets, eyes closed and smiling. When she was naked, Aldwin paused only for a moment to take in the sight of her. Breasts, perhaps on the shorter side, with the nipples perked up, a tight abdomen, and no hair at all around the moistening lips between her thighs. His cock pulsed, and he could wait no longer. He threw his clothes off himself. She reached out to help but he slapped her hands away - he'd be faster himself.

Then he dropped himself onto the bed, over her, propped himself up by his elbows and lowered his face to an inch above her own. Her eyes were wide, and she smiled excitedly.

Aldwin wasted no more time. He positioned his manhood against her entrance and thrust all the way in with one movement.

Philippa yelled, eyes screwed shut, and Aldwin started thrusting. Pressure all around his cock, sucking and stimulating it. Every nerve in his body seemed like it was on fire. He kept his eyes fixed on her face. Her pale, delicate skin was like a feast to behold. As he ploughed into her, he felt her legs rise up by his waist, her ankles interlocking around him. Her face was still screwed up. She didn't radiate power now. She only looked cute.

He thrusted faster, looking upon her face with hunger. He licked her cheek, tasted powder and sweat, then trailed his tongue to her mouth and kissed her hard, sticking his tongue in without pause, past her teeth, and letting it swish around with hers. He consumed her mouth like it was the dinner that she had deprived him off, moving his hips faster and faster. She moaned into his mouth, whimpering, and he didn't slow down. "I think I'm cumming."

Aldwin slowed a little, then looked at her with raised brows. "You think?" Then he paused altogether and looked at her until she opened his eyes. "Philippa, tell me truly. What are you trying to achieve here?"

"Trying?" The arrogance quickly returned to her face. "I've succeeded. My dear Aldwin, my father has decided that I will bear your child. Imagine how much I'll be able to... negotiate with the valley as it's Queen."

Aldwin smirked. "I thought as much. You were a virgin, weren't you? Until just now?"

"I- What-"

Aldwin lowered his face so he could speak right into her ear. "I haven't cum yet."

Just like that, he started moving again, harder, faster than before. He dug his knees into the mattress and lifted her legs into the air, her ankles by his ears. Harder, faster.

"Are," she grunted, face strained, sweating, "you - not - a - virgin - too?"

Aldwin slowed for half a second.

*

"Hold on," Alice panted. "Be gentle."

"Sorry," he huffed, smiling down at her. "I think I've had too much to drink."

She laughed. "I think we both have."

*

"No," he told Philippa gruffly. "I am not."

Just thinking of that night brought him close. He could feel it, the fountain readying itself within his cock. The release, the spray, the euphoria moments away. He pulled out of Philippa quickly, then moved up along the bed to her face.

"What-"

Thick ropes of his semen splattered her porcelain visage, staining the beauty with the milk of life. His cum trickled down her face, over her red lips. She gazed up at him in shock.

"Welcome to the Valley," he breathed. "You are to leave in the morning. Tell your father he won't get a damn thing."

Aldwin pushed himself off the bed. He was angry at himself now - the shame had returned. Philippa was silent as he dressed himself. She still hadn't moved a muscle.

Only when he walked to the door did she speak up. "I was taught that all men are pigs. But you are said to be the most righteous one in the valley. You seemed so virtous. I thought you were different, Lord Swann."

Aldwin opened the door and paused only for a moment before he left. "So did I."