Hi! first off, I'm so sorry this is a day late, I got home yesterday and immediately fell asleep, so I forgot all about this! Forgive me!
Also, before anyone gets confused I want to make something clear. Some of you might have clued in on this, but a monarch being called a king or a queen had nothing to do with their gender. A pooka Queen is a ruler that is a doe while a King is a buck.
Esper froze.
Amaya frowned at him and discretely nudged him. "It's an honor to be here sir," she said, offering a small bow to the king. Esper bowed as well, unable to make out words.
King Valerian chuckled, "There's no need for that, after all one of you will end up being my equal. But please, let me introduce you to my companions. This lovely doe here is my mate Queen Rihana of Spring. The pair there are King Sorrel and Queen Savyon of Autumn. Finally there is Queen Trillium and King Ilex of Summer," he said, motioning to each pooka as he said their names.
Truly it was merely a formality, they had been taught the names and appearances of all the reigning monarchs and their predecessors in school.
"It's an honor to meet you," Esper stuttered, finally finding his voice.
"It is an honor to meet you two as well, it is a great relief to us that there is finally someone to take the throne of Winter," Queen Savyon said, "but I have to ask, have either of you taken a mate?"
They both shook their heads.
"Very well, we should get you two settled in the castle. I'm sure both of you would like the opportunity to get settled before we start testing."
"That would be greatly appreciated, thank you," Amaya said. The Autumn Queen nodded and gestured for them to follow him, turning and walking down a stone path to a large set of doors guarded on either side by armed guards. The monarchs led the twins towards the doors, allowing them to get a view of the city.
Esper could see elegant archways connecting various stone buildings, pooka of all seasons walking along the paths going about their daily business. Trees lines the paths, giving a hint of the greenery the pooka thrived on. On top of the buildings he could see large gardens, some of the gardens decorative, some with edible plants, and some with both. The scent of many pooka and spices filled the air, much more pleasant than he had thought a city would again, this was a pookan city, not a Lunarian or Draconian one, so it was bound to be much cleaner.
Esper's attention was drawn back to the path as the armed guards banged their metal staffs against the ground twice in perfect synchronization. The doors slid open, allowing the monarchs to pass beneath the nearly twenty foot archway. They were led into a hallway. There was a green rug running through the center of the arched hall while decorated columns supported either side of the hall.
"This is the Spring wing, each wing of the castle is designated to a season. If you ever manage to get lost follow these carpets, the castle had a square layout so as long as you stay in the main hall you won't find yourself in some abandoned room where no one will find you. The wings flow in the order of the seasons, so down that way is the Summer wing while the other leads to the Winter one. That's where we're headed," King Sorrel explained.
The twins nodded, taking note of her advice. They followed the elder pooka down the hall that Sorrel had said was the Winter Wing, passing many doors and random pooka milling around the hall. All of the pooka they passed bowed to the passing monarchs, their gazes landing on Esper and Amaya curiously. Esper flushed and avoided their gazes, staring straight forward.
After about five minutes of walking they reached a doorway inscribed with the words 'Here lies the Court of Winter'. Guards pushed open the doors for them, letting the eight pooka into the much quieter Winter wing. "Since your parents died their court was dismissed so only servants come into this wing anymore," King Valerian explained, "Your rooms will be in the center of the wing which, unfortunately, means more walking."
Esper could hear Queen Rihana chuckle at her mate.
"Guards will be posted outside your rooms and the kitchens will be staffed, so if you need anything ask the guards and they will summon a servant," he continued. Esper shifted uncomfortably at the idea of having servants. He knew that the servants were paid very well and were given room and board for their services, but it still seemed wrong to him.
Soon they reached two sets of intricately carved doors on opposite sides of the ice blue carpet.
"These are the rooms for the monarchs and the first heirs. You can pick which ever you want," Queen Trillium said.
The twins nodded, turning to each other. "I'll take that one," Esper said, gesturing to the door to their right.
"Alright," Amaya said.
"You're free to explore your rooms and the castle, though I would suggest asking someone to give you a tour so that you don't get lost," King Valerian said, "your belongings will be returned to you in a few minutes."
he twins thanked him and the others before opening their respective doors.
Esper gasped as the door closed behind him. Unlike the halls the rooms were inlaid with wooden finishings, making them much more homey. The floors were a orange tinted wood while the walls were more pinkish. A band of intricately carved snowflakes wrapped around the hall leading to a main room. He walked towards the room, curious as to what the rest of the rooms looked like.
The first room was clearly a sitting room, one large couch faced away from him while its twin stood opposite it. Two chairs sat in between the two, forming a rectangle. Esper bit his lip and went over to one of the chairs, sitting down in it. The chair was comfortable padded, it was soft but hard enough to provide support.
Grinning, he stood up and looked around some more. A stone wood burning fireplace stood front and center, a set of tools for tending to the fire beside it. Two bookshelves stood beside the fireplace, mostly empty except for a few classics. There were two pair of doors off either side of the room, drawing his curiosity.
Esper walked towards one of the sets of doors, undoing a hatch and pushing the doors open. Sunlight suddenly filled the room, the light from the twin suns much brighter than the luminosity of the flowers growing as light sources. Esper stepped out onto a balcony, curious.
A metal railing stood at the edge of the stone balcony, separating him from the edge. If he looked down the balcony he could see the other set of double doors. Curiosity satisfied he went back inside, refastening the lock.
Esper made his way to another door, walking inside the other room. Here he could see more seats and bookshelves surrounding a large, comfortable looking nest. Esper walked forwards, walking into the nest. The nest was incredibly soft to his feet. Esper flopped down into the nest, laughing as he bounced back up and inch or two. He simply laid there for a moment, taking in the scenery.
His thoughts slowly turned to his family back home. The little ones would be about a month into the new year. Rosalie was undoubtedly already complaining about her math classes while Snowdrop was chirping about finally learning how to fight with weapons. He smiled sadly, he already missed them even though it felt like he had only been gone for a few hours.
Suddenly Esper heard a sharp knock on the front door. He got up and exited the nest room, walking to the front door and opening it. A tall male winter doe stood before him, Esper's bag and staff held out to him.
"Oh, thank you," he said, taking the items from him.
The servant nodded, "Is there anything I can get you sir?" he asked.
Esper blinked, surprised. "Actually, could you tell me if there's a library somewhere around here?" Esper asked. The gray servant nodded and pointed down the hall. "The second door to your right there will lead you to a hall that will empty into the main library," he explained.
Esper smiled, "Thank you very much," he said, turning and closing the door.
He made his way back to the nest room to put his belongings down. He took a look around the room as he entered it, trying to decide where to put everything. His mind made up Esper walked over to the bookshelf closest to the nest first. Reaching into the bag he was surprised to feel a smaller bag containing something small and hard within the bag.
Curious, he pulled the small pouch out to examine it. It was a small black drawstring bag stuffed full of something hard and pointy. Esper opened the bag, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw what was contained within. The sack was filled with galactic credits, presumably for him to spend at the markets. He smiled, his Dam must have slipped these into his bag while he wasn't looking.
Next he pulled out the books he had brought with him. He placed them on an empty shelf before turning back to the nest. Esper placed Aster's sketchbook down on the dark nightstand along with his journal. The staff was propped up against the nearest wall, just within arm's reach. Satisfied, he took off his jacket and folded it neatly, placing it on the bedside table. Yawning softly Esper dropped into the nest, tired from the journey even though he'd slept through most of it. He closed his eyes, allowing his body to relax as he slowly fell asleep.
Several hours later Esper slowly awakened, his mind fuzzy from the peaceful rest. Ignoring the tempting warmth of the nest he stood up, giving his coat a once over before grabbing his jacket from the table and walking out into the sitting room. He slipped on the jacket before going into the hall and opening the front door.
Esper nearly yelped in surprise as he caught sight of two heavily armed guards outside his room. The taller guard, a buck by the smell of him, stood facing him next to Amaya's door while the shorter, a doe, stood outside his door. Esper closed the door behind him nervously, looking between the two guards.
When neither tried to stop him he turned and walked towards the door the servant had said would lead to a library.
The door protested a bit as he tried to pull it open, but the unused hinges eventually moved.
Esper grinned victoriously and walked down the illuminated hallway. He could see a door at the end of the tunnel, presumably the entrance to library. He grinned and sped up, reaching the door after nearly a minute of walking. Excitedly he opened the library door, drinking in the sight before him.
The library was two stories tall, a reading area on the second floor balcony overlooking the towering shelves. Esper immediately aimed for the stairs leading down to the first floor, eager to reach the shelves.
The Citadel was well known for containing vast wells of knowledge of every imaginable subject. Esper had been looking forward to getting access to the library ever since he learned that he could be coming here. Even better, he would be here for nearly a year, there would be time for him to learn about almost anything he wanted. At the moment however, his goal was to find texts on illusion magic.
At home he had devoured every text he possibly could, mastering everything contained in those books. Now that he had so much more to learn from, not to mention anything he could find at the many bookstores around the city.
Several pooka obviously from noble families gave him odd looks as he passed, not recognizing the outsider.
Esper paid them no mind, his attention focused solely on the labels on the shelves. He grinned happily as he found the section labeled as Illusion magic. Esper turned into the row, scanning the shelves for a promising title. He saw one or two books he himself owned before a particular volume caught his attention.
"A guide from beginning to mastering illusions, that sounds promising," he muttered. Esper tipped the thickly bound book back, pulling it off the shelf. He flipped through the text, grinning widely as he skimmed through the promising contents. Satisfied, he tucked the book under his arm and began his search for another section.
The fighting coach at home had known very little about staffs with a crook, he was hoping to find a book on katas or skills he could work on in addition to his magical studies. "A proper pooka never stops learning as Da always says," Esper whispered. A moment later he saw the section on weapons combat at the other end of the library.
Grinning excitedly Esper made his way over to the section, his focus blinding him to the world around him. Esper let out a small yelp of surprise as he collided with someone who had been standing in front of him. He stumbled back in surprise, beginning to fall over.
The pooka he had crashed into turned around, grabbing his paw and hulling him up. Esper gasped as he saw his savior.
"Aster is that you?" he said, amazed to see the buck here of all places.
"Esper? What are you doing here?" Aster asked, his surprise evident in his voice.
"I could ask you the same thing," the doe said, a little dazed at quite literally running into his crush.
Aster quirked a brow, "I'm here on tour, I got assigned to be a city guard. Your turn."
Esper twitched nervously, "Um, well, I'm here to get, uh, tested is the word they used, to see if I inherited the Winter crown," he explained, stuttering.
Aster gaped at him, "You're the possible Winter monarch the city's been buzzing about for the past two months?" He asked incredulously.
"Amaya too," Esper said, looking up at the buck. Aster stared at him in surprise, his mouth falling open. Esper laughed, "close your mouth or you'll catch insects," he teased, "no need to be so surprised, I'm still just me!"
Aster snapped his jaw shut, his teeth closing with an audible click.
"Oh yeah, Aster I don't really mind, put why do you still have my arm?" Esper asked, waving the arm in question, Aster's paw still attached to his wrist. The buck tore his arm away, his ears flattening against his neck in embarrassment.
A shit eating smirk plastered itself over Esper's muzzle, his hearts fluttering a little at the cute sight of a flustered Aster. "I, uh, sorry about that," Aster said, his muzzle flushing a darker pink.
Esper winked, "No problems here. Thanks for saving me from falling by the way." Aster nodded, his ears lifting somewhat.
"No problem, what were you in such a rush to get to anyway?" he asked. "I was trying to get to the combat section," he explained, gesturing to the section over Aster's shoulder. The buck looked over at the section.
"What are you looking for exactly? I've been in here a lot, I might know where it is," he offered.
Esper smiled at him, "Thanks Aster! I was looking for techniques using a staff with a crook," he explained. Aster nodded, "Yeah, I know where that should be, follow me." Esper followed after the blue grey buck as he led him to the section.
He took a moment to admire Aster's physique from behind. Aster had always been lean, but the military training had helped him bulk out some, finally filling out some of Aster's height. He had always been tall, but now he didn't look like a reed. The buck had wide, strong shoulders with equally strong arms. Esper bit his lip. They would feel amazing forcing Esper down into his nest as Aster hunched over him, ready to press into the willing doe at any moment.
Esper shook himself from his thoughts, desperately trying to curb his arousal and take his mind of Aster before it managed to find its way into his scent.
Despite his best intentions, his gaze fell lower, looking over Aster's lower half. He had narrow, agile hips that led to long, strong looking legs. Esper shivered, adulthood had really treated Aster well. He could still see the slight limp from their kithood, but it was much less pronounced than before.
"sper? Esper?" Esper's attention snapped back to Aster who had apparently been trying to get his attention.
"Sorry Aster, got a little lost in thought," he said, rubbing his head sheepishly.
Aster rolled his eyes, exasperated, "Yeah well, pay a bit more attention will ya?"
Esper stuck his tongue out at him, "Nope!." "Stick that back in your head or I might do something with that little tongue of yours," Aster said, smirking.
Esper grinned, "Oh, what are you going to do to little old me?" he teased. A predatory smile spread over Aster's muzzle, "Something I will very much enjoy." Esper laughed, "Cryptic much? Anyway, thanks for the help Aster, it was nice to see you again. Hopefully I'll see you around soon." The doe winked, plucking a good looking book off the shelf and walking away, heading back towards his rooms.
Aster watched him go, his eyes on Esper's hips as they moved back and forth, a fluffy white little tail obscuring the doe's pink, tight little entrance. Aster let out a small growl before turning and walking as fast as he possibly could out of the library. He nearly ran down the winding halls of the palace to get to the guard quarters.
He ignored several of his squad mates' greetings in favor of getting into his private nest room as quickly as possible. He locked the door and sunk into his nest, his thoughts immediately flying back to the little doe back at the library.
If he hadn't known better he could have believed that Esper might have been flirting with him. But that was impossible, Esper already had Aspen. The entire colony knew that Aspen was going to ask Esper to court as soon as they reached adulthood.
Aster snarled and turned his thoughts back to Esper.
He shivered as he recalled that flexible little tongue Esper had darting out at him. Somewhat guility he imagined Esper here in his nest, the doe grinning at him before opening his mouth and going down on the buck. Aster hissed and began to stroke his sheath as he imagined Esper. In his fantasy Esper licked and mouthed at his member until it fell out of his sheath, the tick dusky pink length fully on display for the white doe.
He imagined Esper inhaling once before taking Aster into his hot mouth, sucking and swallowing around Aster's dick as it went down his throat. Aster growled and began to pump himself in time with the fantasy Esper's licks.
He felt Esper swallow down the last of his length, his pink nose touching into Aster's lower stomach. Esper looked up at him with lust filled brilliant blue eyes, sucking and licking him all the while. He heard Esper let out a submissive little whine and tilt his head to the side and exposing the expanse of his neck to him. In his fantasy Esper's neck was adorned with an obvious mating mark, the darkened fur just begging to be sucked at and bitten, marking its owner as Aster's mate forever.
Aster snarled as he came, his seed spilling into his palm. Aster's breath came in short bursts as the buck recovered from his orgasm. "Fuck," he whispered. He felt guilty for imagining Esper in such an intimate position, but maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way about him? Esper had nearly been flirting with him earlier, was it possible that he had a chance with the beautiful doe?