PRINCE SHEVAK and the DARK PRINCESS
Being the sixth part of the Chronicles of the Silver River.
When they were at a safe distance from the walls of Ystragarth, the Dark Princess removed her helmet and shook out tresses of jet black hair over her shoulder. Shevak looked at her.
“I know you! You’re the slut who’s been shagging my father!”
“I have had the honour of being associated with your father. King Sciuridan is a great man, and you should show him, and me, more respect!” She leaned close to Shevak, and hissed, “You are not in a position to do otherwise, right now. I shall overlook that insult, but I would most strongly advise you not to repeat it. I can be a ….very…dangerous…woman!”
Shevak could believe that. She had femme fatale written all over her. Everything about her was dark, she had black makeup on her eyes, black lipstick, jet earrings, and yet he could understand what her father had seen in her. She exuded a deep, erotic attraction, a mysterious allure.
Barbaria asked, “What are you going to do with us? And what do I call you?”
The Dark Princess walked over to her. She reached up and twirled a lock of Barbaria’s hair around her finger, then stroked the side of Barbaria’s face with it.
“My name,” she announced, “is Brangwen.” She lifted Barbaria’s chin, and kissed her full on the lips. Despite herself, Barbaria couldn’t help responding. Soon their tongues were entwined. She felt weak as the hormones poured into her body, the power of this woman overwhelming her even more than it had Shevak.
“Such a shame we’re on opposing sides,” purred Brangwen, “I know what I’d like to do with you, sweet one, and I think you’d like it, too”
So far, Barbaria was finding the experience of being a prisoner rather more congenial than she had expected. “Perhaps we’ll find a quiet moment?” she suggested.
“Perhaps we will, perhaps we will.” Brangwen gazed into Barbaria’s eyes, stroking her hair. Shevak and the guards began to feel slightly embarrassed at the Sapphic scene unfolding before them. Shevak, in particular, was not impressed at seeing his erstwhile lover responding in this way. He remembered their lovemaking of the past few days….would he ever have that chance again? If she loved him, why was she coming on to the Dark Princess?
Brangwen chuckled. “Barbaria, my sweet one, I do believe Prince Shevak is a tiny bit jealous!”
“He’s a man….how would he understand, eh, Brangwen?”
Brangwen sighed. “Talking of men, and delightful though this is, I supposed we had better go and see the king. Come.”
She turned, and the guards pushed Shevak and Barbaria forwards. Barbaria looked a bit disappointed.
Sciuridan’s throne had been set up in a large tent safely out of range of any missiles that could be launched from Ystragarth. He had one of his generals with him, and he was not in a good mood.
“We had the gate down, for fuck’s sake!” he was shouting, “we had them by the balls, and you let them push you out as if you were a bunch of fairies! This is a fucking war, not some Sunday afternoon wanking session! That’s cost me good troops, and we’re no fucking further forwards than we were yesterday!”
“I’m sorry, Sire,” the general looked wretched, “their archers….”
Sciuridan drew breath to discuss what he thought about archers, but Brangwen cleared her throat. “In fact, we are a bit further forward, Sci.”
The king was about to tell her off for calling him that in front of his minions, when he saw who she’d brought.
“Well, well, well. The prodigal returns. And Queen Barbaria, too! You clever girl, Brangwen! Maybe we haven’t had such a wasted morning!”
The general looked highly relieved at this distraction, but Shevak was silent. He regarded his father warily.
“Come here, boy!” commanded the king. “Kneel!”
The guards pushed him again and Shevak, without choice, did as he was told. “Father, I….”
“Don’t ‘Father’ me! I am ‘Your Majesty’, followed by ‘Sire!’”
“Yes, your Majesty.” Shevak bowed his head.
“Do you know what we do to traitors?” asked Sciuridan, conversationally. “Let me educate you. We strip them naked. We castrate them. We nail them to a cross, and insert their balls into their mouth. Then, very carefully indeed, so as to take the longest possible time over it, we slit their abdomens open, and we extract their guts, leaving them properly connected at each end, and we leave them draped over the cross to dry out in the sun. Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn’t have that done to you, right this minute?”
“Only that I am your son, Sire.”
Sciuridan put his finger to his mouth and affected to think deeply. “My son? Let me think….” He snapped his fingers, “Oh yes, I did have a son – but he pissed in my face and then went off to Ystragarth! Never mind, I happen to have a spare one!”
Brangwen looked pleased. Naraku was her son, and this turn of events suited her very nicely indeed. She whispered into Sciuridan’s ear. Sciuridan’s eyebrows shot up.
“Really? That is a surprise! Brangwen here has many talents, one being that she can read minds. She tells me that reading your memories of shagging Barbaria actually made her wet! Well, you didn’t waste much time, did you? It’s not three days since you left Heidraen!
He pondered for a moment. “I wonder if Hengentre knows about that?”
Both Barbaria and Shevak had flushed, but neither gave him the pleasure of a reply.
Sciuridan clapped his hands. “Scribe!!”
A young lad rushed in. “Boy! Take a message to King Hengentre. Tell him I have his unfaithful wife here with me. If he wants her back he needs to surrender Ystragarth to me before noon today. If he doesn’t she’ll be on a cross in front of the city wall by 1pm, and we’ll see what effect that has on the morale of the defenders!”
The boy scribbled, then folded the parchment, and dropped some wax onto it. The king stamped it with his seal, and the lad scurried out.
Barbaria shuddered at that. Was she going to die, as Tara had died, a naked, agonising death? And Sciuridan was right, she knew the people of the city loved her, it would destroy their morale.
Sciuridan smirked. He looked at Shevak. “If Hengentre doesn’t deliver, and I rather doubt he will, then you, my boy, can crucify her yourself. You never know, if you make a good job of it, I might let you live….”
Being the sixth part of the Chronicles of the Silver River.
When they were at a safe distance from the walls of Ystragarth, the Dark Princess removed her helmet and shook out tresses of jet black hair over her shoulder. Shevak looked at her.
“I know you! You’re the slut who’s been shagging my father!”
“I have had the honour of being associated with your father. King Sciuridan is a great man, and you should show him, and me, more respect!” She leaned close to Shevak, and hissed, “You are not in a position to do otherwise, right now. I shall overlook that insult, but I would most strongly advise you not to repeat it. I can be a ….very…dangerous…woman!”
Shevak could believe that. She had femme fatale written all over her. Everything about her was dark, she had black makeup on her eyes, black lipstick, jet earrings, and yet he could understand what her father had seen in her. She exuded a deep, erotic attraction, a mysterious allure.
Barbaria asked, “What are you going to do with us? And what do I call you?”
The Dark Princess walked over to her. She reached up and twirled a lock of Barbaria’s hair around her finger, then stroked the side of Barbaria’s face with it.
“My name,” she announced, “is Brangwen.” She lifted Barbaria’s chin, and kissed her full on the lips. Despite herself, Barbaria couldn’t help responding. Soon their tongues were entwined. She felt weak as the hormones poured into her body, the power of this woman overwhelming her even more than it had Shevak.
“Such a shame we’re on opposing sides,” purred Brangwen, “I know what I’d like to do with you, sweet one, and I think you’d like it, too”
So far, Barbaria was finding the experience of being a prisoner rather more congenial than she had expected. “Perhaps we’ll find a quiet moment?” she suggested.
“Perhaps we will, perhaps we will.” Brangwen gazed into Barbaria’s eyes, stroking her hair. Shevak and the guards began to feel slightly embarrassed at the Sapphic scene unfolding before them. Shevak, in particular, was not impressed at seeing his erstwhile lover responding in this way. He remembered their lovemaking of the past few days….would he ever have that chance again? If she loved him, why was she coming on to the Dark Princess?
Brangwen chuckled. “Barbaria, my sweet one, I do believe Prince Shevak is a tiny bit jealous!”
“He’s a man….how would he understand, eh, Brangwen?”
Brangwen sighed. “Talking of men, and delightful though this is, I supposed we had better go and see the king. Come.”
She turned, and the guards pushed Shevak and Barbaria forwards. Barbaria looked a bit disappointed.
Sciuridan’s throne had been set up in a large tent safely out of range of any missiles that could be launched from Ystragarth. He had one of his generals with him, and he was not in a good mood.
“We had the gate down, for fuck’s sake!” he was shouting, “we had them by the balls, and you let them push you out as if you were a bunch of fairies! This is a fucking war, not some Sunday afternoon wanking session! That’s cost me good troops, and we’re no fucking further forwards than we were yesterday!”
“I’m sorry, Sire,” the general looked wretched, “their archers….”
Sciuridan drew breath to discuss what he thought about archers, but Brangwen cleared her throat. “In fact, we are a bit further forward, Sci.”
The king was about to tell her off for calling him that in front of his minions, when he saw who she’d brought.
“Well, well, well. The prodigal returns. And Queen Barbaria, too! You clever girl, Brangwen! Maybe we haven’t had such a wasted morning!”
The general looked highly relieved at this distraction, but Shevak was silent. He regarded his father warily.
“Come here, boy!” commanded the king. “Kneel!”
The guards pushed him again and Shevak, without choice, did as he was told. “Father, I….”
“Don’t ‘Father’ me! I am ‘Your Majesty’, followed by ‘Sire!’”
“Yes, your Majesty.” Shevak bowed his head.
“Do you know what we do to traitors?” asked Sciuridan, conversationally. “Let me educate you. We strip them naked. We castrate them. We nail them to a cross, and insert their balls into their mouth. Then, very carefully indeed, so as to take the longest possible time over it, we slit their abdomens open, and we extract their guts, leaving them properly connected at each end, and we leave them draped over the cross to dry out in the sun. Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn’t have that done to you, right this minute?”
“Only that I am your son, Sire.”
Sciuridan put his finger to his mouth and affected to think deeply. “My son? Let me think….” He snapped his fingers, “Oh yes, I did have a son – but he pissed in my face and then went off to Ystragarth! Never mind, I happen to have a spare one!”
Brangwen looked pleased. Naraku was her son, and this turn of events suited her very nicely indeed. She whispered into Sciuridan’s ear. Sciuridan’s eyebrows shot up.
“Really? That is a surprise! Brangwen here has many talents, one being that she can read minds. She tells me that reading your memories of shagging Barbaria actually made her wet! Well, you didn’t waste much time, did you? It’s not three days since you left Heidraen!
He pondered for a moment. “I wonder if Hengentre knows about that?”
Both Barbaria and Shevak had flushed, but neither gave him the pleasure of a reply.
Sciuridan clapped his hands. “Scribe!!”
A young lad rushed in. “Boy! Take a message to King Hengentre. Tell him I have his unfaithful wife here with me. If he wants her back he needs to surrender Ystragarth to me before noon today. If he doesn’t she’ll be on a cross in front of the city wall by 1pm, and we’ll see what effect that has on the morale of the defenders!”
The boy scribbled, then folded the parchment, and dropped some wax onto it. The king stamped it with his seal, and the lad scurried out.
Barbaria shuddered at that. Was she going to die, as Tara had died, a naked, agonising death? And Sciuridan was right, she knew the people of the city loved her, it would destroy their morale.
Sciuridan smirked. He looked at Shevak. “If Hengentre doesn’t deliver, and I rather doubt he will, then you, my boy, can crucify her yourself. You never know, if you make a good job of it, I might let you live….”
Oh jeez I just got yelled by the team director that it's lights out. This whole bike racing thing is cramping my crux time!