A/n: Thank you Narniafan, GoldenAgeNarnia, QueenElenaofnarnia, PeterCaspianRlz, LOVEM, EC, Emily, CairParavel, Connors, Aslanmane, bubul2589, Emma, Bella, QueenLucyfan, Daphne, and all the other guests. :D
(Cair Paravel, Narnia)
~Gilda's POV~
Given the hiccup at lunch, Duchess Madeleine would likely not be welcomed at the dinner table this evening. Rather than making anybody feel uncomfortable, I had decided to invite Her Grace to dinner with me and we'd be dining together, on our own, instead of with the rest of my family. I knew tonight would be the night if I were ever going to dine with her, just the two of us, since we would all be going to Archenland soon and I didn't know when exactly I'd be coming back to Narnia whereas given Her Grace's affair with Peter and plans about Caspian, she would most likely be returning to the Narnian Court shortly. Edmund was going to have dinner with the Talking Animals tonight anyway; he had accepted the Talking Beasts' invitation to visit the Dancing Lawn one last time as they didn't know when he would be back again and neither did he.
"It's so kind of you to offer to dine with me, Your Majesty. It's a relief to know that not all the royal women of Narnia are judgmental of me," she smiled wryly and took a sip of wine from her goblet.
I returned the smile. "You and I are much too alike for me to judge you, Your Grace."
"How so, my Queen?" She inquired curiously.
"Our family backgrounds, for one. In your homeland you are the most high-ranking heiress, albeit not to a throne like I am. A dukedom is not bad at all," I answered. "I do wonder, though, how come a woman of your rank is not already married off to a man of a suitable social standing? And Your Grace is not promised to anyone, either?"
"Nobody at the moment, Queen Gilda. I don't know if it's bad luck, but every time I'm close to being betrothed to a Prince, someone from his family dies," she sighed. "When I was a child and I was about to be betrothed to Caspian since our parents had desired it, the King and Queen were assassinated. And then several years ago when I was going to be betrothed to Prince Tomas of Calormen — I believe the Tisroc now — his half-sister Princess Zara was murdered. Since then, I haven't been trying anymore, even though I know that it is my lady mother's wish that I get married soon."
Ah, now I remembered that Tomas had told me that Her Grace had once been close to being his fiancée. I then asked, "then does Your Grace have anybody in mind that you reckon might make a suitable husband, politically and socially?"
"Yes, in fact, I do, my Queen. And Your Majesty has previously been betrothed to him too," she smiled slyly. I knew that she was talking about Caspian. The shadow of the goblet cast on her face had only made her look even more calculating although I refused to believe that she had malicious intentions at heart.
I stifled a sigh. "I'd wish you all the best, Your Grace, but I for one have already lost to Katrina Farmington once before when I needed Caspian the most as my political fiancé. The only advice that I can give, if I am in the position to do so, is to not mess with Her Ladyship."
The skepticism on her face was probably masking the disappointment underneath. "You do not think I can remove Katrina Farmington from the high horse she is on, Your Majesty?"
"Indeed I don't think you have what it takes, Lady Bleckley. Please, take no offence. It is not personal. I'd say that to any other person," I answered truthfully.
She pursed her lips for a moment and said, "if Lady Selby had lured the King away from doing what is right, which is to take a bride of an adequate family background, then she is a bane and must be...extirpated," she stated assertively and authoritatively, sounding just like a sovereign. Perhaps Peter was right in saying that she'd make a good ruler. "I fear His Majesty is not the sensible and sagacious King that his royal parents would have wanted and hoped for him to be."
"I have no doubt Your Grace is the bride that Their late Majesties would have chosen for Caspian if they were still alive. But they are not and we mustn't linger on the past. You and I both know the importance and value of a marital alliance. Your Grace must begin to consider your other suitors," I said didactically. "You enjoy quite a...good," I paused, pondering upon my own choice of words, "relationship with my brother in law. I know that he is not your suitor but politically you and Peter could make an advantageous dynastic match."
"At the moment, Your Majesty, we only sleep together but what you have suggested is not unthinkable," she replied plainly.
"If I had a male royal relative in the appropriate age bracket, I would definitely do what is in my power to orchestrate a betrothal between him and Your Grace."
"If that is the case, Queen Gilda, I would definitely be honored to be married into your royal family. I am certain that my cousin, His Royal Majesty the King of Terebinthia, would be delighted at the prospect of an Archenlander-Terebinthian alliance. Well, if the royal families of both our countries at the moment cannot make a match, I suppose we must wait for the next generation, then. Both you and your royal husband are young and virile, just like my cousin King Yann and his newlywed Queen Yvonne. If Your Majesty approves, I shall send word to my royal cousin to inform him that he may expect an alliance between our nations in the near future."
"I do very much approve of that. In fact, while we wait, I must pay a visit to the Terebinthian Court. As you know, Caspian is preparing for a voyage and he is set to embark on it in less than a year's time. I believe King Edmund and myself will be joining Caspian on the journey eastward and we expect to sail to Terebinthia," I explained gladly.
"Wonderful! I shall show Your Majesty around by then," she smiled much more cheerfully.
I beamed. "My sister in law may be uninterested in Bleckley, but I'm quite curious. I would be very much obliged if Your Grace could tell me more," I requested, and she began enthusiastically.
"Bleckley has got the most beautiful mountains you will ever be graced by, and it's surrounded on three sides by the ocean. It's got plenty of rivers and lakes and waterfalls and it's just such a great place. When you're a part of nature, you'll feel so small but then even smaller are your worries whatsoever. This is why so many couples long to visit Bleckley for their honeymoon. The serenity in the environment will be so refreshing when you've been at Court for too long a time. Even in the winter when the greenness is largely replaced by the whiteness of layers of thick snow, the kind of tranquility can't be sought elsewhere. I'm so proud to say that Bleckley is my home," she finished with a grin and invited me to tell her about my country. She had never been to Archenland before and after listening to me, she was more thrilled than ever to visit.
"I am exhilarated to be formally presented to your royal parents, Queen Gilda," she added, Lady Bleckley was never properly introduced to my parents because they had gone back home, firstly for my father's health and secondly to prepare for my coronation as well as for the series of feasts and festivities to follow, and they had left before Her Grace had arrived at the Narnian Court.
"Equally excited to meet Your Grace they will be, I am sure," I replied.
"You are right, my Queen. We are indeed very much alike. I feel as though we would be allies. I do not just refer to our nations but rather to ourselves personally," she said with joy. I smiled with no less cheer to hint at my agreement.
(Cair Paravel, Narnia)
~Susan's POV~
By the time I woke up in the morning, I found that Ty was already up but was nowhere to be found in our chambers. It was only when I summoned Lavinia and Marta that they had informed me of the fact that Ty had already had breakfast on his own and was in his office. I guessed he had wanted to get done whatever was due this week before we were off to Archenland.
To the best of my knowledge, the Duchess of Bleckley still had not been expelled from our dining table which was meant for strictly the royal family only. I really didn't want to see her or interact with her as it would ruin my day. So I opted to have breakfast with the handmaidens instead in their dining hall. I doubted Kat would be at Court today but the three Woodville girls sure were here.
All of us had finished breakfast rather early. Greta was the fastest, practically scampering to Lucy's office. I had dispatched Marta to send word to the kitchens about my lunch order as I knew I would be engrossed in a wearying council meeting very soon. Lavinia, on the other hand, would be in my room packing for my imminent trip. I sat down in my office comfortably, halfheartedly taking a final glance at Constable Harvey's report that we would be discussing with the councilors this morning.
Normally I would not like to meet with anybody at this time since I needed to go soon. But since my own husband had barged into my office urgently, I had to know what was up.
"You probably want to clear your desk a bit," he said, with a slight hint of mischief that I could detect in his tone.
I sighed. "I know. Marta's gonna be at it once I go to my council meeting in like 10 minutes."
"10? That's good. That's more than enough time for two orgasms," he replied breezily. His tone could almost be described as cheerful but I just stared at him in shock, with my jaw dropped.
"Right now? You can't be serious," I shook my head. "Besides, Lavinia is in our chambers right now, packing my belongings for our trip."
He said nothing in reply. Rather, he began to undress. Tunic, gone. His trousers would be next, surely. Oh, so that was what he had meant when he said I ought to clear my table. Eh, I was pretty damn sure that the Tisroc of Calormen had not sent us these presents so that we could get laid on them (pun intended). But I could feel myself getting wet...I should probably do something about that. He was making me so horny.
"Come and get what you're here for, then," I said seductively, pushing my stacks and piles of document aside in the most efficient and least messy manner possible. In less than a minute's time, all of his clothes were on the floor while I only removed my undergarments for convenience's sake. Ty was standing naked in my office, raiding my neck with kisses and nips.
When he lifted my legs, I hopped up there on the table and just assumed the spread-eagle position. He didn't waste time and thrusted inside me once I had him between my linked legs. We were creating so much heat in a minimal amount of time. But this was made possible largely because this position was made for quickies like these. And it was so hot. Let's face it: sometimes we're not in the mood for languid loving that lasted forever. Every now and then one or the other of us, or perhaps better yet both of us, would be so horny that we just want to climax right away. There was no question that both of us would be coming quickly with such deep plunging. Goodness, I loved it, in addition to the novelty of doing it somewhere new with Ty. I could really get off on that.
There was just such a fulfilling element about a position that allowed me to be totally wrapped around Ty's body. It was also perfect for kissing and I wanted plenty of his kisses as I gave him no less of what I had desired. I had a momentary flash of guilt about putting my bare ass on the table, but it quickly passed. We might as well go all the way and ditch any concerns because we were completely overtaken by the bliss and hotness of our lovemaking. So I laid back, lifted my pelvis, and urged him to go harder. He did exactly as he was told and even did some sort of a reverse thrust by putting his hands on my waist and pulling me toward him. I loved that feeling.
I was propping myself up on my arms but I believed I would have looked much more flattering if I had arched my back and held on to his shoulders as he moved in and out of me as speedily as he could manage. But when I did that, the angle of his thrusts were altered, for the better, and I gasped, unaware that this level of carnal ecstasy was even humanly possible, and I supposed his grunt must have conveyed the same feeling. I then realized that the key to taking flight was lining up correctly with Ty. This table from Calormen was really of sterling quality as it put my pelvis a foot lower than Ty's, which made it perfect for me to rest my legs on his shoulders instead of having them dangle midair as he ravished me in the salacious manner possible. Fuck. I loved this, so much that I had let out a coquettish moan, forgetting that I was not supposed to be this loud. This had immediately prompted Ty to slow down significantly as he hurriedly clamped his hand over my mouth. We stared at each other with our eyes widened, hoping nobody would barge in before we were done and decent. He didn't completely stop in his thrusts but what I was looking for was speed, and he was half-assing it. As soon as he had placed his hand elsewhere, namely roaming it over my breasts, teasing my nipples between his fingertips, and manually stimulating me down there, I had to find a way to make him speed up. I thrusted my torso forward so my face was close to his and thank goodness I was flexible enough for that. "Don't you fucking dare go slow," I whispered in his ear, keeping my voice down but still lascivious, as I stroked his neck lecherously.
Craving more pleasure, I tilted my pelvis further upward because I now desperately needed to feel his rough movements in me, pounding away as forcefully as possible. I was burning, and I latched my mouth onto his even more hungrily and aggressively. My hand was strategically placed at the back of his head so that he could only lean forward to kiss me harder. I was so glad that he realized that he could place his hands under my hips and therefore hold me at the perfect angle while he slammed into me. The resulting ecstasy was unparalleled as the pelvic tilt was giving him full access to me and builded a lot of fluttery friction for both of us. Bliss could only accumulate for so long before I could not hold back any longer and quaked in pleasure, moaning into his open-mouthed kisses guiltlessly. He could not keep himself from making a drawly groan either when he was engulfed in extreme ecstasy, pumping into me relentlessly while having his release. And that had felt amazing too.
Given such intense bliss, we were definitely entitled to an extra minute of cooling down from it. But we had no time for that because I still needed to show up at my council meeting on time. Thankfully, we'd have all the time in the world in just a couple of days' time because then we'd be on our honeymoon. And then after that we would be going to the Archenlander Court at Anvard. By then, the Tisroc of Calormen would be there too and I really wondered how Ty and I would be able to look His Majesty in the eyes...
A/n: I think it's pretty clear, from the title of the chapter, who's being nice and who's being naughty in these two scenes... :P
P.S. Madeleine isn't actually that bad and she can make decent friendships. She's already befriended Tyrone and now do you think there might be a chance for her to become friends, or at least allies, with Gilda? :DD