Chapter Ten
The chapel used for Algus and Teta's wedding was comically shabby in comparison to the occupants. Teta, Algus, Delita, Layla, Sir Piers, and the four Knights of Delita's entourage stood in gleaming armor, rich silks, elaborate lace, and golden jewelry. But Delita had not been jesting when he told Algus he would be wed in the first available location. This turned out to be a cramped and rather filthy chapel used by the common folk in the small nearby town. The priest's robes had seen better days; the once white-and-red fabric was now more of a dirty gray with faded brownish-pink decoration. The priest had at first insisted that his schedule for the day was full, and he could not conduct a marriage ceremony on the spur of the moment. But Delita had dropped a bag of coins into the man's hand, as well as mentioned his own title quite loudly, and the priest had quickly changed his tune.
Now here they stood, along with a handful of curious townsfolk who had stayed in the chapel to witness the impromptu marriage of the fine-looking lord and lady. Teta and Algus had just taken their places at the altar, and the priest had begun to speak.
Delita stared at the pair with resignation. It did not look like Algus was going to back out of the marriage.
If you can even call it a proper marriage, Delita thought, suddenly enraged again, when Algus has already bedded her.
Truthfully, this upset Delita a great deal not only because he felt his sister had been ill-used, but because it made him ashamed of his own behavior. He felt slightly guilty for being in a similar situation with Ovelia. He recalled in exquisite detail the first time his own morality had been put to the test:
He had taken Princess Ovelia away from Lionel castle, after Ramza had foolishly handed the girl over to Cardinal Draclau. He and Ovelia were traveling alone together, by woods and backroads only, in a desperate march to deliver her safely to Goltana and his forces. Their fear was palpable. They had to do whatever they could to remain unseen on their travels. Any man they crossed paths with might be an assassin sent by Larg to ensure that Ovelia could never be a rival to Prince Orinas for the throne.
And then, one day, assassins did attack them. They were ambushed by three men, and although Delita was more than a match for them, it still shook both him and Ovelia to the core. Delita had been able to kill those three. But he had needed assistance from Ovelia… had she not beaten one of the men away with her staff, the man might have succeeded in stabbing her before Delita could intervene. What if the next time they were caught, it was five men attacking? Or ten? For the rest of their march that day, Delita had tried to remain optimistic. He remarked to Ovelia that killing those knaves had been like swatting flies. If that was the best Larg could send, then they had nothing to worry about. But Ovelia's face had remained drawn with worry, her lips clenched and white. She hardly spoke in return.
Sitting around their small campfire deep in the woods that night, Ovelia at last broke her silence.
"We are never going to make it to Goltana's camp," she said quietly.
"Come now, do not be afraid," Delita replied. "It was dumb luck that they found us today, and they will not be so lucky again. We are well-hidden."
"We almost died today. And it was only three men. Next time, Larg will send a larger group. I know it. You think I am ignorant, having been hidden behind convent walls all my life, but I am not a fool, Sir Delita! We are not going to come out of these woods alive… and it is me they are after. You would be better off leaving me here, and going your separate path. If I am to die either way, then you might as well try to save yourself!"
"No!" Delita moved so that he knelt in front of her, and gripped her shoulders. "I would never do that. I would never be so cowardly. If you die, then it will be because I fell first, defending you! I can promise you that much."
Ovelia stared hard at him with tear-filled eyes, and then she dived into him, pressing her lips hard against his in a clumsy but passionate kiss. The force of it knocked Delita backward so that he was sitting on his ass. Ovelia eagerly climbed into his lap, not even breaking their kiss, with her hands clutching the back of his head. Delita's arms had made their way around her body, and he had slid his tongue inside her hungry mouth before he even realized what he was doing. Ovelia only stopped kissing him when she needed to come up for air.
"I should not have let that happen, Princess," Delita panted.
Still sitting in his lap, Ovelia gave him a dark look that simultaneously disturbed him and made him more aroused. "My name is Ovelia. There is no sense in calling me 'princess' when that very title is the reason we shall both soon be dead."
"We will not die," he murmured.
"We will." She kissed him again, desperately, and he did not stop her.
"Ovelia," he sighed lustfully. "You should not do this. You know that this is unfit behavior for a princess."
She huffed. "Does it truly matter? I will be a dead princess soon." She buried her face in his neck. "Delita, I… I want you to take me the way a husband takes his wife. I do not want to die without –" her breath hitched as she fought back a sudden sob, "without ever being loved by a man. At least let me have that before I meet my fate."
"Oh gods," Delita groaned, wiping beading sweat from his forehead. "Ovelia, I want to, believe me. But I will not. It would be disrespectful to your station."
Ovelia pointedly looked down at the bulge straining the crotch of his trousers. "You will not? So, you do not desire me?"
Delita laughed nervously. "I do desire you. I think you are the prettiest girl I have ever seen. But I must resist you… though right now you make it nearly impossible."
Ovelia slowly climbed off of his lap. "I want to make it fully impossible," she whispered. She stood up, just a few feet away from him and their flickering campfire. She began to unbind her wheat-gold hair from its braid. She let it fall loose and heavy around her shoulders. Her hands next went to the laces at the front of her gown. Her fingers were trembling, but she steadfastly picked at the knot that held her outer dress closed.
"Ovelia…" Delita murmured.
Ovelia slid her gown down her arms and then shimmied it down over her hips, until it fell to the ground around her feet. Delita stared up at her in her embroidered and lace-trimmed under shift. Why wasn't he stopping this? He couldn't make his voice work, or perhaps he just did not want to. Ovelia loosened the drawstring at the collar of her shift, and began to slide that down her body as well. She paused for a moment, clutching the fabric to her chest, before she slowly let the shift fall to the ground as well. Her thick hair was so long; it reached nearly down to her thighs. She now stood clothed in only her golden hair draped down the front of her body, and her panties. Taking a deep breath, and staring at Delita, she used both of her hands to slide her hair away and down her back, exposing her breasts to him, the firelight bathing her body in a golden glow. As if that were not enough, she abruptly bent to slide her panties down and off. As she again stood, she blushed shyly and gave him a small closed-mouth smile.
Delita's mouth was agape. He unlaced his trousers as fast as he could. He took his cock firmly in his hand and squeezed it. He could not avert his eyes from her display of herself. Her small breasts were firm and high, and her pink nipples were hard from the cool evening air. Her hips were full and wide-set, around the thatch of hair at her cleft. Her shape was so lush.
"Will you take me now, Delita?" she asked. She unconsciously moved her shoulders a bit, so that her golden hair once again fell to cover her like a blanket.
"Lift your hair up," Delita demanded, "Let me look at you a while longer."
Ovelia gathered her thick hair and held the mass of it cupped at the back of her head. "I will do whatever you want me to," she told him earnestly.
Delita moaned. Ovelia watched him rub his hard manhood, with obvious interest. Delita could not believe that a princess was offering herself to him, nay, practically begging him to take her.
"Turn around, then, let me see the back of you," Delita ordered, wondering if she truly would be as submissive to him as she claimed.
Hands still holding her hair up on her head, Ovelia did as instructed. Her bottom was full and round, like her hips. His hands wanted very badly to squeeze her ass cheeks, but he did not move yet.
Delita was thrilled at his sudden power. This person, who might be the future ruler of their country, was at this moment willingly under his control. It satisfied something deep within him, temporarily fixed that feeling of powerlessness he had suffered from since living under the thumb of the Beoulves. He wanted to exercise this newfound control a bit more, before he worried about Ovelia's desires. "You have a beautiful body," he said to her.
She turned her head to look back at him as best she could, without turning around. "Won't you touch me?" she asked.
"Turn back to face me again, Ovelia. Let me see you touch yourself."
"How do you mean?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Rub your hands over your breasts. Touch them the way you would like me to touch them."
Watching Ovelia comply, squeezing herself, rubbing and pinching her own nipples, tested every last bit of Delita's willpower. She was breathing heavily, and from his seat on the ground in front of her, he could see that the wispy hair between her legs was damp from her arousal.
Delita smiled and stood up. "Now get down on your hands and knees, Ovelia."
Ovelia stared at his hard cock, which she could see in its full glory while he was standing rather than sitting. Delita thought she liked what she saw. She looked like she was thinking about arguing with him, though.
"You want me to get on my hands and knees on the ground?" she asked.
"You said you would do whatever I want. Have you lost your willingness?" he replied.
"I just want you to touch me," she said, "but you haven't. And this feels… humiliating, Delita. Like you are mocking me."
"I am not mocking you. Get down, and then I'll touch you."
"Delita…"
"Do as I say."
She lowered herself to her hands and knees, and Delita crowed inwardly. Utterly under his control.
He caressed her in a long line from the nape of her neck down to her lower back, and she shuddered with pleasure.
"Actually, I want you to lower down onto your elbows," Delita said. He moved behind her as she did so. He sat down behind her feet.
"Now just spread your knees a bit wider," he crooned to her. He put one hand on the curve of her bottom, and the other on her lower back, and gently pushing, he tilted her hips up so that her sex was fully exposed to him. He admired her as she patiently held herself as he had ordered.
"Good girl," Delita said. "Showing me all of you."
Ovelia whimpered.
He still did not yet touch her. "It looks like you've gotten nice and wet for me."
"Please, Delita," she begged, her face resting on her hands.
"You want me to touch your pretty maidenhood now?"
She responded with only a frustrated moan.
"Tell me you belong to me, and I will give you what you want."
"I am yours, Delita."
"You belong to me?"
"I belong to you."
"You will do whatever I tell you?"
"Yes. Yes, I will!"
"Then I will make you mine, Ovelia," Delita said. He slid his hand between her legs, where she was soaking wet, and he rubbed her, making her cry out in bliss and explode with pleasure only a moment later. He thrust his finger inside her, feeling her trembling orgasm. Before the pulsing of her pleasure had even finished, he flipped her over with his strong arms, careful to keep his hand behind her head to cushion it from hitting the ground. Face to face, he shoved his aching hard manhood inside her, and she shrieked in pain.
Delita had already been hard for far too long, he could not last inside her at this point. He gave her only three hard thrusts with his cock, enough at least to break her maidenhead, before he had to withdraw himself. His seed spilled out onto her belly in thick white streams. Her maiden's blood was on his shaft. Ovelia stared up at him in shock.
"I would have liked to make that last longer," Delita admitted to her, sheepishly.
Ovelia seemed at a loss for words. "It hurt more than I expected," she said, after a moment.
"I am sorry. It should not hurt next time."
"Delita… I had not imagined that making love would be quite, well… quite like that," Ovelia said tentatively. "I thought there would be more touching, and kissing, I suppose."
Delita used a rag from his pack to clean up some of the mess from their bodies. Then he took Ovelia in his arms and cradled her head against his shoulder.
"Next time, there will be. I promise you, Ovelia. I want to make you happy."
Later in the same night, Delita took Ovelia again. This time he tried to be more considerate. He spent a long time kissing her mouth, her neck, her breasts, before he mounted her. He spent what felt like hours on top of her, feeling he had something to prove after his previous quick-draw. But when he did finish, he again pulled out of her first. He might be bold enough to deflower a princess, but he was not fool enough to impregnate one.
Curled against him afterward, Ovelia sleepily murmured into his skin, "I love you, Delita."
"I love you, Ovelia," Delita replied.
He did not know if he meant it. Lying came as easily as breathing these days. He knew that he felt honor-bound to protect her. But he had not felt love for a long time, and he was not sure if he ever would again.
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Standing in the church, wondering why in hell Algus was choosing to marry Teta, Delita was suddenly stricken with the idea that Algus might possess some form of kindness which Delita himself lacked. It did not feel good. Algus was everything that had ever been despicable to him. It made him feel… shrunken, somehow, to think that Algus might be better than him in any way. But here Algus stood, marrying a girl for love and nothing else. Delita knew, deep down, that he himself would not marry Ovelia if the marriage brought him no increase in money or political advantage. It was a fact he usually chose not to focus on, but it felt impossible to ignore at the moment.
The priest finished his monotone speech, the hastily gathered choir boys sang a song, and Teta and Algus each recited their vows. That easily, they were married. Teta was pink-cheeked with emotion, and Algus looked like he was fighting to remain solemn and not smile hugely. They certainly looked like two people in love. Delita was not sure how to feel about it. But he decided to put aside his animosity toward Algus, at least for now, as he did not wish to darken his sister's happiness on her wedding day.
On the way out of the chapel, Delita addressed the newly married couple. "I have decided it will be acceptable for me to remain here in Limberry for one more night, if you are willing to continue to host me, Algus. Perhaps we can arrange a wedding feast of sorts at your home this evening?"
"Certainly, my lord," Algus replied, with a look of confusion.
"Delita, that is wonderful!" Teta cried. She was so pleased to hear Delita soften, even a tiny little bit, toward her husband. She felt like the happiest girl on the planet today. She had never imagined that her life could come together this well. Looking around at her handsome new husband, and Layla, her adopted daughter of sorts, as well as Delita, the brother she once thought she had lost, now alive and well, she felt her heart could burst with joy.
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The following morning saw a very satisfied Lady Teta Sadalfas eating her breakfast porridge, sitting with Algus, Delita, and Layla at the small dining table used for only family. She and Algus had not slept much the previous night, and she was feeling sore in random places now (she imagined he probably was as well), but it had been more than worth the loss of sleep.
Algus himself wore an uncharacteristically chipper grin through most of breakfast. He was surprised and pleased that everything had gone so smoothly the day before. He had somehow managed to hold on to the girl he loved, despite what he had seen as impossible odds. And Delita, the duke of Igros, despite having punched and kicked him just two days ago, seemed to have warmed up ever so slightly to him.
The previous night at their dinner feast, Algus and Delita had finally attempted to converse with each other in a non-threatening manner. They had each had two or three cups of ale already, and the alcohol seemed to help them drop their guards.
After a minute of small talk, on a merry whim induced by drinking, Algus decided to ask Delita something he had always sort of wondered. "Tell me," he said, "Did Ramza ever actually realize that all the ladies in Igros castle were lusting after him?"
Delita sputtered, choking on a sip of his ale for a moment, before he burst out in a loud belly laugh.
"I've not thought of that in years!" Delita laughed, red-faced and wiping at his eye. "No, no I do not think he did. Gods, there was this Countess…"
For a moment it seemed Delita might not continue his story, as if it had just occurred to him that he did not want to be friendly with Algus. But with another sip of his drink, he did continue.
"This Countess, lady Malin, was good friends with Lord Dycedarg's mistress, and she used to come to stay at Igros castle all the time. And Malin wanted Ramza like, I do not know, like I have never wanted anything. She tried so hard to get his attention. She once—" Delita was suddenly giggling like a girl at the memory, and it took him a moment to compose himself. "She once pretended to faint right in front of Ramza. I was there too, in the hallway, I saw it all! I think she expected Ramza to catch her, but he was distracted, so she had to just fall on the floor. And then, when she asked Ramza to walk her back to her rooms since she 'was not feeling well', Ramza simply pulled a Potion out of his pack, and told her that would surely make her feel better. Then he left! She looked furious!" Delita cackled.
Algus shook his head, and chuckled.
Over breakfast the next morning, Algus was feeling glad that Delita had extended an olive branch to him for a moment. Delita may not be willing to give him a dowry or arrange for him to have a greater title, but Delita was in fact a duke, and it would raise Algus' standing simply to have a duke for a brother-in-law. It was important to at least be on good terms with him.
When he finished eating his breakfast, Delita cleared his throat and said, "Algus, I wish to have a moment to speak to my sister alone before I leave."
Algus did not like feeling 'dismissed' by Delita, but still, he nodded and began to escort Layla out of the room. On his way out, Algus thought to himself, regarding his arrogant brother-in-law: you may have a lofty title and riches, but I took your sister three times last night, and you're miserable she chose to stay with me instead of leaving with you.
When the door closed, Teta commented to Delita, "What do you need to say to me that you could not say in front of my husband? Do you still not trust him?"
"I do not think I will ever truly trust him, Teta," Delita said, "But I trust you, and it seems I must accept that he is my brother-in-law, for better or worse."
Teta smiled.
"That is actually what I must speak to you about. I suppose I could have included Algus in this conversation… but, gods, I just did not want to."
Teta rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry!" Delita said. "I do not like him! There is not much I can do about that. But, listen! What I need to tell you is important, and you may tell it all to Algus after I leave."
"All right, I am listening!"
"So… I believe this may come as quite a shock to you, but… within the next couple of months, Ovelia and I will be married to each other."
Teta startled. "You… what?"
"Arrangements for our wedding are already underway, though we have been careful about who knows and who does not. Some of the court are my allies, but there are others who would try to prevent a common-born man from sitting the throne, and our hope is that these courtiers will not learn of our wedding plans until it is too late for them to scheme to prevent it."
"You will be king?" Teta exclaimed.
Delita smiled quite smugly. "Yes. I will."
"How can this be? By the gods, Delita! You—Are you in love with queen Ovelia? I have never even met her yet! How long have you two planned this?"
"We have planned it since long before she made me duke of Gallione. Granting me that title was the first step to making me her king. I could not jump from 'baron' to 'king' without raising too much ire from the nobility. But the time for our wedding now draws near."
"So, you are in love with her?" Teta repeated.
"I—I care for her deeply. I am all she has, really, with the rest of her family dead."
Teta stared at him inquiringly. She noticed he had not really answered her question. Her silence finally drew more honesty from him.
"I am not certain whether I love her," Delita admitted sheepishly. "When I lost you, I swore I would never love another person."
"That was a foolish vow to make!" Teta exclaimed, "And you had not really lost me, after all! Do you not think Ovelia deserves to marry a man who loves her?"
"She does deserve that. You are right, Teta, and I will try harder to be what she deserves. But honestly, I did not start this conversation to talk about love. We need to discuss the politics of the matter. I will soon hold the highest position in this country, and the king's family must not be an embarrassment to him. Any family members of mine must also be powerful allies, and so I cannot allow my only sister to remain the wife of a lowly squire. My enemies would use that fact to add to their argument that I am not fit to sit the throne."
Teta did not immediately understand where Delita was going with this, and for a moment she felt panicked that he meant to take her away from Algus even though they were married.
"What I mean to say is, even though I said I would not grant you and Algus any favors, I really must improve your circumstances, if only to improve my own. I had rather hoped he would not go through with marrying you. I did not wish to help him, and I must confess, I could not bear to tell him this face-to-face now that he has married you. But when I return to Lesalia, I will immediately arrange for Algus to be made the new Marquis of Limberry. 'Marquis' will be a high enough title that no one will scoff at me for having 'commoners' for my sister and brother-in-law."
Teta's jaw had dropped slightly as Delita spoke. She and Algus would become the Marchioness and Marquis of the region. Delita said it as if it were only a trifling thing, but… this was huge! This was more than either of them could have dreamed of! Algus had used to serve the Marquis, and now he would… be the Marquis?!
"So," Delita continued, "you can expect that in a couple of weeks, I shall send servants to assist you both with moving in to Limberry castle and taking over your new title."
"Delita… thank you! I know you claim you do this only because it is necessary to you, but you have no idea what this means to me… or to Algus. All his life, he has wanted so badly to fix his family's reputation, after what his grandfather did to ruin it. He will be so grateful to you, as I am."
Delita grinned. "I care nothing for his gratitude, but I am very pleased to be able to make you happy. You know that your happiness will always matter to me, Teta. You are my only family."
"As your happiness will always matter to me, Delita. I love you. And I hope that your marriage will be happy, and you will learn to love your wife as much as you should. I had been planning to ask if you could stay here with us a bit longer, after all, but now I understand your urgency to return to Lesalia! Do you think I will get to meet Ovelia before your wedding?"
"I hope you will," Delita said. "We will see how much time there is. I do not believe she will be able to travel to Limberry, but perhaps you could come to Lesalia for a couple of weeks."
"I would like that!" Teta said.
Delita stood, and Teta copied him. Delita walked around the table and gripped Teta's shoulders. "Promise me," he said seriously, "That you will keep your husband loyal to me, once he has his title and power from me. Keep him loyal, and you will always have the support of the king. And I will rest easier on my throne, knowing that I have faithful allies, family, in the east."
"Of course, I promise. We would never betray you."
"I know. I do."
After one last hug, Delita told Teta that he really must gather his men and leave. Teta stood by the breakfast table, still a bit stunned, after Delita departed the room. She could not wait to tell Algus all of this, and see the look on his face! This would be the wedding gift of the century.
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A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed that impromptu journey into Delita-and-Ovelia land. I prefer writing Algus and Teta's characters, but figured I'd try to get in Delita's manipulative head for once. Thanks for your review, warzonecall! I think you're right that I should write more about how Teta ended up with Algus. There's one more chapter to go to finish up this story (and the next chapter has an appearance from a character you may not expect!) But after I write that chapter, I may add some "bonus chapters" here to explore Teta and Algus' relationship first developing :)
