A/N: Okay! Part II! As promised! This chapter took a great deal of PRODING to get out of my mind. Some parts came easier than others and some didn't come easily at all so I apologize if this chapter is altogether lacking. I am praying that is not the case. There is also the matter of updating you. This chapter is the one that officially drags this chapter OUT of the T rating and into the M rating. If you don't like M rated content than this is not the chapter to read, wait for Ch 6. If you do I hope that you'll read and give me some much needed advice-input.
The nervousness was back, she had barely been able to eat the extravagant meal offered to her by Vytis. Leaving her to pray he didn't take offense from the fact she didn't eat all his carefully chosen morsels. Even if he just did it to be courteous, out of a sense of obligation, the action had been sweet, one of the kindest things anyone had ever done. There was no escaping what was to come now. There was nothing she could bring herself to say although she felt she had to explain, to prepare him for what he was about to see or learn.
The strong coil of Vytis' arms steered her clear of her quarters leading her instead down another desolate and abandoned hallways to another. Before she was able to hold it back she exhaled a shaky breath in her apprehension as he led her into the room. It was warm, with a blazing fire burning in the corner. It cast a shaded glow against the walls allowing her to see in the near darkness around her but the first thing she noticed was eyes, his eyes upon her. The first instinct was for her to flee as he approached her but she didn't want to.
"Relax," he placed his hands gently on either side of her neck allowing them to slip into place on her shoulder as his lips descended softly on her, coaxing a kiss from her lips. The command when accompanied by such a tender and provocative gesture was easy to follow, "I am not going to harm you. I am not an unkind man."
"I did not accuse you of such."
He pulled back allowing her to see the flicker of the flame reflected off his dark eyes, "Then why, why are you so apprehensive? I do not believe I had given you reason to fear me."
"My, my lord. I am sick."
"I am aware of it," the tone of his voice suggested that he was serious but he didn't care. After so many years when it had been such a great deal of importance to others she found it hard to believe that he couldn't find it to be a detriment, a setback, "Astridr…I swore a vow today, a sacred vow that I have every intention of honoring especially the bit about taking you in sickness and in health."
"I don't think you realize how sick I am, there is no cure for the likes of mine that is why, why I released you," she lowered her eyes from his unable to keep her gaze level with his own, "I wanted you to have a future; I wanted you to have a wife that could provide you with a future."
"You can be that wife, just because a cure hasn't been found doesn't mean there isn't one. Astridr…for one so kind and so radiant, this cannot be the end the gods meant for you. You brought me back, my promise to you. Through all those years I spent away from you, all those nights spent in danger. You were the one I thought of, the one that gave me comfort and hope for my future. Don't disappoint me now that I have returned and I am able to be with you, don't shut me out, let me get close. I have dreamed of a future with you for ten long years," she felt a single strong arm embrace her while his fingers expertly fumbled with the laces of her gown.
"Please, I am not strong enough."
"How do you know that? How will you know if you do not try? I will do whatever I must to cherish and care for you."
There was no answer she could give him nothing that would be good enough for him to stop. As his wife she had no right to deny him herself but she had to let him know what he had taken as his own this day, "I, I am deformed."
Vytis sighed deeply, she could not tell if it was one of exhaustion however she felt him draw back save for taking a hold of her hand drawing her near the fireplace where the flames cast glow upon them both. He used his free hand to take hold of her other one as well drawing her to take a seat beside him on the floor, "Then let us take a look at this deformity you claim. Will you show yourself to me?"
His question made her want to draw her hands back so she could clutch her gown close, to keep it on but this was his right, she couldn't refuse him. Rigidly she gave a soft nod of her head. He released the grip on her left hand first allowing his right to softly brush a strand of hair from her cheek, "Your hair, there is no words to capture its loveliness for it is as radiant as the sun and as pale as moonlight, capturing the beauty of both. Your skin is soft silken, your face angular and fair. No deformities there."
Fingertips danced along her chin alongside the nape of her neck in a way that left her shivering despite the fact they were bathed in warmth. One of his hands darted to unlace the last stubborn tie keeping the gown from slipping down, gently guiding the clothing off her shoulders, "Shoulders, well proportioned. Come here," he gestured for her to come closer, to sit in his lap. A summons that she answered obediently she felt the warmth as he exhaled a sharp breath when she sat situated on his lap, "Did I hurt you?"
"No, don't worry," strong arms drew her against his chest, his mouth descending upon the skin of her shoulder tasting it. The feel of his mouth, its pressure, was altogether erotic distracting her to such lengths that she scarcely noticed her corset undone and stripped baring her breasts to his scrutiny, "You have definitely developed over ten years. Not the largest endowment I've ever seen but it suits one of your weight and stature admirably. You form is slight, just short of malnutrition however that is nothing that good care will not correct," fingers slipped in a ticklish fashion over her hips as if savoring the shape, "Hips are small but shapely, attractive."
Suddenly he laid down pulling her down on top of him, "Lightweight, you fit perfectly in my arms as if made to fill their lonely chasm," he stripped the dress off her legs, baring her body to him in entirety. Eyes fell upon the apex of her thighs, following each shapely limb, "Two legs, ten toes," he glanced up at her hand with an almost boyishly teasing smile, "ten fingers, five on each hand. I see not the deformity of which you speak, Lady Astridr."
"Do you think this is a jest?"
Eyes darkened as his gaze rose level with her own and instantly she felt fear claw through her, now she had done it, she had offended him, "Your feelings are NEVER a subject of jest or joke. Not now, not ever, and certainly not to me. If I can't respect my own wife than how can I expect it of others? There is no one higher in my regard than you, none save you. Please remember that, Lady Wife.
Each and every word was spoken with such intensity, with so much conviction that she was sure she'd never be allowed or able to forget it. One thing was sure she would never make the mistake again.
"Now…are you curious, amaranth?"
A crimson flush rushed to her cheeks as she realized what his words eluded to whether she was curious about him in turn, "Curious?"
"Yes," the smile that tugged at his lips came so easily as he surveyed her, "It is hard to consummate a marriage with one's clothing on. I can easily divest myself of clothing however I wouldn't want to rob you of the opportunity to familiarize yourself."
"Is, is that alright?"
"To touch me? Yes, yes it is in fact I would much prefer that you touch me."
Where should she begin? What was the right way to start?
She swallowed, when she was young and actually held the illusion of marriage it had been unbefitting a girl of her age to ask the elder women of her age group about how one interacts with one's husband although she had never anticipated that she'd be granted such freedom of action. Never mind that over the past five years she hadn't even thought she'd ever be in the position she was now, as the wife of a husband she was expected to please. It was as if every time he attempted AND succeeded to comfort and reassure her a new doubt rose quickly to take the place of the last. As a virgin she came to their marriage bed as a wife should but it left her without any direction whatsoever. The only fact that allowed her to finally have enough peace to act was the fact she believed he would be kind to her no matter how poorly she attended to his needs.
Astridr had no clue how attractive and endearing she was, it was a trial in itself to instill any form of long term confidence but he would not give up, not on her. The moment she had slipped shyly into his lap he had felt the blood instantly rush to his loins, it had taken every bit of self control to keep from taking her right there. However it had been more important for him to make her realize there was nothing WRONG with her. Astridr was ill, badly ill yes, but she was by no accounts flawed and after this night she would know that. Yet she continued to struggle, that was obvious from the fact she feared or refused to place her hands on him. He was well aware that he placed her in an awkward position in allowing her to touch him, women were expected to lie back and allow their husbands to see to their pleasure, to fathering the children without any thoughts or care about the female. The female was expected to give and the male to take but that is not how he wanted things to go, not between them. Nevertheless she was fearful and he was determined to break her of the mold others placed around her. Gently his right hand reached out for her, he softly intertwined his fingers through her and brought it to his lip for a soft kiss before bringing it down upon the bulge of his pants. A sharp intake of breath was the reaction, "Astridr?"
"Yes, my lord?"
"Vytis."
"Yes…Vytis?"
"Do you feel that? Feel me?"
A terse nod of her head was the only answer she could offer him for clearly, with good reason, she was speechless.
"Then you are aware that I am pleased."
"Is this from…?"
His mouth lingered mere centimeters from her ear, "From the mere sight of you. Astridr, you do not remotely know how much you please me so do not demoralize and downgrade yourself like this. There is nothing that could possibly do to disappoint me even in your inexperience. All I want is to touch and be touched, to please you and be pleased in turn. It is all I ask of you this evening, nothing more or nothing less. Now…I believe you were about to touch me…"
The grip upon her hand and wrist relaxed allowing her to draw her hands upon his jacket gently undoing each button before slipping the layers off his body revealing his finely sculpted chest. For a time, in absence of knowing what to do, Astridr simply caressed, in his belief, every inch of the muscle and skin. That teasing was enough to make him hunger for more but he didn't want to rush her. After a time her hands began to slip down his chest, mirroring his earlier wandering caresses, to the waistline of his breeches which was handled with the same care she had his jacket. It was a simple matter for him to help her shrug off his breeches. Her eyes had fallen upon his solid erection although he couldn't quite read her inscrutable expression.
"You are afraid again," it was a statement, not a question.
"Forgive me, you are so massive and I am so small. I don't think you'll fit."
"Not yet but you can, you will. Astridr, love, how familiar are you with what we are going to do?"
"I know you are supposed to slip inside me, inside my passage."
"And?"
"I know nothing else," she admitted, for once not seeming ashamed of her lack of knowledge only apprehensive.
"A woman can fit any man however she can do it easier," he swallowed, "if she is adequately prepared. You see, the body has instincts and reactions to everything even for the act of consummation. It prepares, makes things easier for you to adjust to the changes. This might be a bit more comfortable upon the bed though…"
"Alright," with her blessing he rose, abandoning their clothing on the floor as he took her naked form in his arms carrying her to the bed, laying her softly to rest against the soft mattress.
Even through the darkness she was altogether fetching and he was unable to resist the urge to bring his hand in a solid caress over her body as he joined her, "Relax, love," he placed his mouth on the hollow of her throat gently kissing and licking against the supple skin while his hand drifted down her belly to the apex of her thighs. Fingers questing for the center of her womanhood, once he found it he allowed his index finger to softly probe inwardly. She gave a sharp intake of breath and he whispered reassurances against her skin. The passage was wet; she had already been aroused before he had even gotten to it down there. That was good; it would make everything easier for her in the end.
Once she was accustomed to his finger it began to move slowly in and out at first, increasing in speed and depth with every stroke but it wasn't nearly able to compete with the depth he'd be able to go with once he was truly one with her. Instinctively her body responded tightening around the finger, trying to clasp it in desperation. Her hips rose in unison with every withdrawal as if trying to follow the fluid stroke but he continued and resolved not to quit not until she rose to her first climax. Astridr was not wrong, he was large and she was small hence she had better be well prepared or he was afraid he'd harm her. However a part of him simply wasn't in the mood to stop half way through, he had to go all the way. The sweet sound of her cries of pleasure, it was enough to intensify him own arousal until it was rock hard, painfully so. Not yet, he just had to prolong and hold out a bit longer. Each and every sound that came from her delectable mouth making his taut, the skin stretched tightly over every inch of his growth. Never had a woman affected him this way, to the extremes that this virgin, his own wife, did. Desperately clawing to the last remnants of his control so he wouldn't climax prematurely he kissed her, trying to stifle and devour each spellbinding sound.
The kiss was passionate; his jaw coming hard and fast against her, and his tongue was unable to resist the lure of entering the soft, delicious heat of her mouth. The double penetration of his finger and tongue was powerful instantly culminating into a climax that came on swift, decisive wings. The inner flesh of her womanhood clutched around his finger coating it with the liquid heat that coated and flooded every bit of the virgin cavern. A growl came from his throat, as he pulled back his finger, "You're ready."
A shaky breath came from her, "D-do you have to be prepared?"
"You already have," he chuckled, "I am already ready for you, love, been ready since the moment I first laid eyes on you."
This consuming attraction and obsession he had for her began earlier, in the chapel. All it had taken was that one moment, a single confrontation for passion to ignite between them fanning the flames of his smoldering desire for her. There was so many things he had wanted to do with her this night but many of them would have to wait for another evening because he wouldn't wait any longer for the likes of her, "I, I cannot promise that this won't hurt at first but I will be gentle, fair with you."
"It's alright, I want this…with you," she tilted her head to cradle against his cheek as he bent down low, to lie beside her naked form.
She had never met anyone quite like him and in that he was truly unusual. She was utterly unable to tell if he was blind to all her faults or truly saw her in a different light than all others. Whatever he saw or didn't see she felt truly special to him and for once someone had sat down with her patiently challenging and denouncing every flawed belief that she'd been given reason to believe over the years.
Now she was here with him, scarcely able to breath after the exquisite and gentle stroking. At first the entrance of his finger within her passage had alarmed her, frightened her for she believed he was truly going to push himself in her. However he had been patient, kind and gentle giving her indescribable pleasure and demanding nothing in turn. Everything she had felt up to this point fell into place, the heat she felt in the chapel and the longing she felt after their kiss. Never before had she ever felt this heat, this hunger. Although she still doubted he'd be able to fit she desperately wanted him to fill the aching void he left kindled within her feminine core.
Hands gently stroked along the skin of her inner thigh, coaxing her legs open as Vytis gently settled his weight, enclosing her body in the warmth from the contact with him. His palms moved up, stroked along her waist and hips as his body lined up with her. Slowly she felt a pressure slowly widening, filling her. Instinctively she felt her walls tense, tightening to protect herself from the invasive presence however instantly her husband jumped into action: talking to her, caressing her, attempting to relax her. It worked, calming her enough to keep her from tensing as he slipped within her. His massive presence of being was large, all too noticeable but he never hurt her. Though he looked all to desperate for her and for this joining he continue d to guide himself deeper until finally he stopped.
"Astridr?"
At the mere call of her name she turned to him and he pressed his lips against hers softly as he suddenly surged forward. A cry tore from her lips but was swallowed by the kiss he had pressed upon her lips. She winced, tears nearly coming to her eyes. She couldn't look for him, look at him but she realized that her pain had stopped him save for the soft apology he whispered against her jaw line as he feather it with minute kisses. Gradually the pain subsided replaced by awareness that, "The worse is over…Astridr. I'm so sorry, if I could spare you from it-"
"It is alright, I know you didn't mean it. I am ready."
When she had cried out against their sealed lips he had felt something within him freeze as if in revulsion and fear. The fact that he had hurt her instantly made him feel like scum. Never had he deflowered a virgin maiden but he didn't realize it would be so hard to cause Astridr any amount of pain or discomfort. Instantly he thought he should've waited, waited until she was better or ready for the taxing ordeal of lovemaking. The moment he released her lips his appeals for forgiveness began and he was truly, sincerely sorry. And Astridr, being the forgiving person she was, understood and forgave him. Although he was all too eager to move onto the claiming of her he wondered if he truly deserved the wife, the partner, the soul mate he had taken this evening.
Muscles stirred as he pulled back slowly and sank back into the hilt losing himself in the tight heat that her body had yielded. The view of her when she had came, nothing could explain the expression of bliss he had seen when her passion had ascended to something greater, to completion. He wanted to see it again and thus even though he knew he wanted his own release he wouldn't yield until she had been given hers. One thing was for sure he took great care with each and every stroke that took them up higher to completion, he didn't want her to be sore or in pain because he driven by a single-minded pursuit for his pleasure at her expense. Already once he had caused her pain this evening, it was not something he looked to repeat or magnify in the future.
Her inner muscles continued to coil; tightly enough that he struggled to pull out. Already he had begun to struggle inside her and knew that he was close. It would come down to these last few strokes. His hands reached for her wrist pinning them down gently against the mattress, his lips seeking purchase upon her neck. In the brief time he had explored their carnal relationship he realized quickly that she seemed to love his attention on her neck. The stimulation was enough to place her, to place them both over the edge. Her climax came and he sank willing into his own right on the heels of her pleasure. A content smile played on his lips as he cradled her close in the aftermath pulling back to gaze at her. Immediately she seemed weak and he nudged her, "Astridr? Are you alright?"
"I, I am fine, tired, very tired but content. Are you going to keep me? Keep me close? For good?"
As he withdrew from her he realized her body was coated in sweat and perspiration. Gently he dried her body of the sticky dampness before taking her in his arms, carrying her back bridal style before the fire. A blanket was placed upon her shoulders as he tried to find the perfect answer for her inquiry. The only answer he could give was the one that came from his heart, "I will, I will keep you as long as our love may last and it will last for a long time indeed."
A smile of fulfillment tugged at her lips her head resting against his chest, his arms encircling her and holding her in secure reverence as she drifted to sleep.
Love?
No she couldn't place such a label on the likes of this emotion. Lust, passion although they were easily mistaken for love by the inferior mortal race she knew that this couldn't be called love, not yet. Fondness and affection perhaps but she duly suspected that the impression this memory had being of a physical nature, imprinting so deeply upon the mortal from the primal desires that had been inflamed.
Desire…that is what the emotion was, a powerful and troublesome emotion and the most dangerous one yet.
