2.8 – The Lovers

Location: The King’s Chambers at Rhokii Pass
Timeline: AO 295

“…and now touch yourself.” Baldur whispered to his lover Gawain (1).

The king and his favorite queen were alone in his bedchambers. It was hours past dinner and a blackwood fire in the hearth along with a few candles illuminated the room — casting dancing shadows everywhere as witnesses to their intimacy. Although Baldur’s room was not grand by any means, it was well appointed — he was a Kon-Herr after all, even if he did prefer to keep things rather simple. Giant skins covered the cold stone floors, tapestries showing the exploits of legendary Drokka warriors covered the walls, while a wardrobe and writing desk sat opposite the granite frame bed. A handful of parchments were laying unrolled on a nearby table – representing miscellaneous trade agreements that the king was pondering. Yet Baldur paid little attention to those matters of state right now as he had other affairs on his mind — specifically the sight of Gawain’s naked body.

She is simply exquisite. Those long legs — I want them wrapped around me. That face — so alluring. Those lips. That…

The derkka woman was laying on her back with the king beside her — he too sans clothing. The sight of Baldur’s manhood excited Gawain, along with the hand she’d placed between her legs at the king’s command.

Gawain was unlike any other woman in Baldur’s harem — which is perhaps one reason why she was the king’s favorite and practically the only woman he ever invited to bed nowadays. It wasn’t that Gawain was the youngest — at twenty-two, there was a dozen girls younger than her in the Kon-Herr’s stable. And she wasn’t the only non-Drokka either — Baldur had used marriage-diplomacy with the overworld for decades now and had thus collected a dozen or so women from out there, as Hecla liked to say. But there was just something different about Gawain that Baldur couldn’t explain – and it was something that attracted him to her with an insatiable lust (2).

Although Baldur had repeatedly offered to visit Gawain in her own bedroom, his lover usually preferred to consort with the king in his chambers. That was just as well for Baldur, since he’d always found Gawain’s room odd — the Derrka princess’s boudoir was filled with silks and unusual finery that Gawain had imported from her personal treasures back home in Babel. Baldur was certain that drokkina would have found Gawain’s tastes rather quite extreme — the four-poster bed was a needless monstrosity, the corner board covered by colored rock powders and various facial creams a curiosity, and the Gawain’s humongous wardrobe, overstuffed with gowns she never wore, an absurdity — well perhaps some of the drokkinas would at least appreciate the clothes. 

Gawain’s eyes were half-closed as she rubbed the growing wetness between her legs. Her body was lean yet she had all the curves of a young woman in bloom. Baldur could see her nostrils flare and the fullness of her lips quiver as she sucked in little gasps of air. The king ran his hands through Gawain’s long blonde hair, then he bent over to kiss her breasts. Although Gawain was nearly five and a half feet tall and might tower over him if they stood together in public, here in the bedroom their size difference didn’t matter.

“I need you now.” Gawain moaned in a husky voice, pulling her lover onto her. “Let’s drink deep of love all night, my king.”

Baldur happily obliged his queen’s command and eagerly began to enjoy all the pleasures that Gawain’s body had to offer.

Their lovemaking continued for some time, yet when Gawain rolled over to lay on her stomach so Baldur could take her from behind, then it was that the king remembered the surprise he’d planned for his sweet. Glancing over into the corner he saw the large velvet shroud that covered a present he’d had one of his valets bring in earlier. Oh Gawain, my passion, I can’t wait for you to see me thrusting into you in this mirror! For a moment Baldur had to take his mind off the sight of Gawain’s heart-shaped backside, lest he get excited too soon and disappoint his queen. He briefly pondered the mystery of why it was that his lover had never wanted any mirrors in her own bed chambers.  How does she put all that color on her face without a looking glass? Well, worry not, my dear, for Baldur is about to give you the grandest mirror in all the land. I had it brought in all the way from Mersia — they say the mirrors of Mersia are magical and will always show you in your best light.

For his part, Baldur could never get enough of Gawain — in any sense of the word. When he wasn’t with her, he was thinking about her. Asleep or awake, the Derrka goddess was always on his mind. Although their lovemaking was the finest he had ever known — better even than the many professionals he’d tried — Baldur always wanted more. At first this led him to the idea to have an artist draw pictures of Gawain. She’d demurred initially but he was persistent in his praise of her beauty and the joy it would give to him to be able to see it at any time and in the end she’d acquiesced. The portraits showed Gawain in various provocative poses from all around the king’s room. In the beginning all the pictures featured Gawain with her clothes on; soon enough though he’d convinced her to pose for the artist with her clothes off as well. But even that was not enough for Baldur — eventually there came a day when he’d begun to invite multiple artists to hide at various locations within the secret ensconces throughout his walls so that they could draw pictures of the intimate moments that he shared with Gawain. At first he’d kept these new pictures a secret from his lover and pleasured himself with the sight of them — often. But soon enough he took a risk and showed them to Gawain. It took a little doing to get her over the initial shock and embarrassment, and the words betrayed and dirty came out during Gawain’s protests, but Baldur was the king after all and they both knew that what he wanted was what would happen. As a result, Gawain gave in to Baldur’s temptations.

Ah, but this will be the best yet. Better than any picture could ever be. A mirror to see us in action! And here Baldur couldn’t help but see Gawain’s body thrust back against him as her excitement heightened. The sight drove him wilder still. Gawain, Gawain, you’re about to see yourself being ridden by a king in that glass! Oh I can’t wait to see your face…and the sight of your luscious body beneath me. And as Gawain buried her head in the pillows, Baldur reached over to his side of the bed where he had a placed a cord which ran all the way to the mirror’s shroud; with a tug he yanked on the rope, pulling the velvet cover away to reveal…

…the sight of a king thrusting into a mound of saggy flesh! Aghast, Baldur stopped his pumping and pulled away from Gawain. His lover was immediately confused and tried to raise her head but the king pushed it back into the pillows; yet when he looked down upon her, Gawain was a beautiful as ever. What in the eight kingdoms is going on? Baldur cautiously looked over to the mirror — to his great dismay he saw the deformed woman again. Eyes wide in horror, he looked at Gawain’s body beneath him — yet again she was the object of his every desire. When she tried to squirm, Bladur thrust himself angrily inside her to keep her in place. Gawain moaned and spread her legs wider, pushing back against him — and all the while he pushed her head down into the pillows.

Baldur pumped with all his might until he finally climaxed into Gawain, she too reaching the heights of ecstasy. Yet as soon as he spilled his seed, the king reached over onto the bed table and, picking up a vase, he threw it full on at the mirror — smashing it into a thousand pieces and causing the frame itself to fall forward onto the ground. May Rhokki destroy whosoever’s hand crafted that demon glass – for when I get my hands on that sorry soul, he’ll wish he’d never been born!

Gawain shrieked at the unexpected sound. She tried to look around, but Baldur held her close, “Hush, my lover. It’s my fault. I smashed your gift — for once I saw it I realized it was not good enough for you, dear sweet.”

“Gift?” Gawain wriggled. “My king, the only gift I’ll ever need is y–.” Yet then it was that Gawain managed to raise her head off the king’s chest and see that which Baldur had destroyed. When she saw it was a mirror and then looked into the king’s eyes, Baldur saw a fear in Gawain’s visage he’d never seen in any woman before. More importantly he realized that she knew that he knew. And now I know that she knows I know. Baldur’s eyes were wide in fright as he beheld his lover, stricken to the core. But what exactly do I know?

The moment hung in the balance but a few seconds more. But then Gawain started to scream uncontrollably. She pushed Baldur away and scrambled off the bed, all the while shrieking in fright and running back towards her apartments.

It was the last time Baldur and Gawain would ever make love.

It was also the signing of the king’s death sentence.

 

Nektar’s Notes

1. Time to put the little ones to bed for this chapter – I include it only because it is necessary. Personally I have no patience for ‘love’ but I’ve brought down more kings with this tactic than any other – Baldur was about to be the next in a long line of them.
2. What can I say? My magic works well.