A/N – Thanks for all lovely reviews for this story. I wasn't sure how it would be received, so it's nice to read so much positive feedback.
A few people have been asking about what's happening back in the real world. Until the book ends the story will stick with Hermione and her experiences, but once she's back at school there is a chapter dealing with the couple of hours she was immersed in the book. But until then I hope people carry on enjoying the adventures of Queen Hermione and Sir Draco, as their story still has a bit to go.
Hermione headed towards the council chambers, wondering what the King wanted with her. She had been happily sitting in her room reading a book when one of the maids had appeared and told her the King wished to see her. Despite the fact she would rather stay curled up in her room, Hermione had put her book down and headed off to see the King.
As she headed towards the council room, Hermione kept an eye out for Draco. He'd been back for five days and so far she hadn't managed to get him alone to speak to him. Hermione knew she could have summoned him at any time but she knew he had been spending most of his time with a slowly recovering Sir Vincent and she didn't want to tear him away from his friend. By the time she reached the council chambers Hermione still hadn't spotted Draco. However when she entered the room she found him talking with King Severus.
"Hermione." The King greeted Hermione as she entered the room.
"You wanted to see me, Sire." Hermione said, glancing at Draco who had yet to look her way.
"Yes, actually I wanted to see you both." King Severus said, causing Draco to look at him in bewilderment. "I've arranged for your horses to be prepared, I think you should go out for a ride."
"You don't normally arrange my schedule." Hermione eyed the King up suspiciously, wondering why he was suddenly interfering in her life. Since the story started he had taken very little interest in her and Hermione was confused as to why he was suddenly telling her what to do.
"No, I don't." The King agreed. "But you've been stuck in the castle for over a fortnight, I thought you might like some air and I know how much you love to ride."
Hermione looked at King Severus in surprise. "I have missed riding lately." She admitted.
"Exactly, that's why you should have a ride this afternoon." The King said before he turned to Draco. "And you need to get away from the castle. Sir Vincent is slowly getting better and hovering over him won't rush his progress."
Draco looked like he was going to protest but when the King glared at him he nodded and agreed to take Hermione out. Hermione was slightly upset that Draco clearly didn't want to be alone with her but it was understandable after what had happened between them. After they left the council chambers Draco told Hermione to meet him in the courtyard in ten minutes and they went their separate ways. Once they had both been changed they met in the courtyard and headed out into the countryside.
The ride was taken in silence and after half an hour Hermione was getting frustrated with it. For the first time in days she felt separate to the Queen and what she was thinking, while her royal counterpart was unsure of what to do Hermione just wanted to stop her horse and force a conversation to take place. Normally Queen Hermione was extremely decisive, particularly when it came to Draco, but for some reason today she was unsure of herself and her actions. They carried on riding for another five minutes before Hermione felt the Queen making a decision. Pleased that things would finally be discussed, Hermione allowed herself to become fully immersed in her characters mind as she prepared to talk to Draco.
Hermione waited until they had stopped to give the horses a rest before she approached Draco. The knight was making sure the horses got a drink as Hermione asked if they could talk.
"I wasn't aware we had anything to talk about." Draco said, turning away from the horses and facing Hermione. "You made your position very clear."
"I don't think I did." Hermione sighed. It was clear that Draco had been hurt by her rejection and she didn't know if she could fix it. "I was doing what I thought was best for you, not what I wanted to do."
"What do you mean you didn't do what you wanted to do?" Draco asked. "You're the one with all the power and you chose to make that afternoon a one off. From where I'm standing that was what you wanted to do."
"I didn't want it to be a one off." Hermione admitted, stepping closer to Draco. "I never intended for it to just be a one off but your reaction when we arrived back at the castle changed things."
"What reaction?" Draco inquired, looking puzzled.
"Your reaction to the King." Hermione replied. "You were clearly uncomfortable and guilty and I didn't want to add to that."
"Of course I was uncomfortable, I'd just slept with the man's wife." Draco retorted with a snort. "But that was my choice, I never would have done it if I couldn't have lived with the guilt."
"I didn't exactly give you much choice." Hermione sighed. Turning away she walked over to a nearby tree and slumped down against the trunk.
Draco watched the Queen for a minute before he walked over and settled down beside her. "You didn't force me to do anything. If I had refused you, you wouldn't have pushed it." He told her.
"What makes you so sure?" Hermione asked, turning her head and looking into Draco's eyes. "I knew long before we set off what I wanted from you and I was determined to get it."
"Maybe, but you wouldn't have forced me to do anything I was uncomfortable with. You're too nice a person to do that."
Hermione gave a bitter laugh as she turned her head away from Draco. "I'm not a nice person."
"Yes, you are." Draco insisted. "You're the nicest person I know."
"I'm not." Hermione shook her head sadly. "A nice person wouldn't cheat on her husband and feel very little guilt. A nice person wouldn't force someone to betray their King."
"How many times do I have to tell you that you didn't force me to do anything?" Draco snapped, his tone of voice causing Hermione to turn her head back in his direction. "I willingly betrayed the King and if you hadn't put an end to it I would have willingly done it over and over. I wanted you from the moment I set eyes on you and there was no way I would have passed up the opportunity to have you."
"Did you really want me from the beginning?" Hermione smiled softly, she thought she had felt an instant connection when they had met but it was nice to have it confirmed that it wasn't just her wishful thinking.
"Yes." Draco nodded. "The second we touched, I knew if given the opportunity I would willingly take you to bed, even watching you marry the King didn't change that."
"You never took me to bed though." Hermione whispered.
"Only because I never got the chance." Draco's grey eyes bored into Hermione as he spoke and the couple edged closer to one another.
"Would you still do it, if you got the chance?" Hermione asked.
"It would all depend." Draco shrugged, pulling back from Hermione.
"On what?"
"On whether you were going to turn around afterwards and proclaim it was a mistake."
"I wouldn't do that again." Hermione told Draco, trying to reassure him that she wasn't going to repeat her past mistake. "I thought I was doing what was right for you, but I should have spoken to you before making any decisions."
"What exactly are we saying here?" Draco questioned.
Hermione knew after what had happened before that he was seeking confirmation about what she wanted from him. She also knew that whatever she decided now would have to be something they could both live with. Hermione had made her decision on what she wanted, now she just had to wait and see if Draco wanted the same thing.
"I'm saying I want you, and not just for a one off." Hermione admitted. "But it can only happen if you can live with what we're doing. I don't want you to end up hating me because you've betrayed the King."
"I could never hate you." Draco replied, moving back towards Hermione and cupping her cheek in his hand. "But if we do this you're going to have to accept that sometimes I'm going to feel bad around the King. I've lived in this kingdom my entire life and I have the greatest respect for him, so obviously I'm going to find it difficult. But despite that I want to make it clear that you're more important than all of that, being with you is worth all the guilt I'll feel."
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked, not wanting to make Draco's life complicated.
"I'm sure if you are."
Hermione smiled at Draco before she leant forward and pressed her lips against his. Within seconds the blond knight was reciprocating the kiss and the couple moved even closer to one another. As they kissed Hermione's hand wandered down Draco's torso and under his shirt, her nails scratching lightly on his abdomen. Draco moaned softly at the feeling as they ended the kiss.
"Is that sure enough for you?" Hermione asked with a grin.
"Yes." Draco nodded. "You seemed pretty sure."
"I am." Hermione confirmed, pressing another quick kiss to Draco's lips. "If you come to my chambers tonight, I'll show you exactly how sure I am."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Draco asked. "We don't want anyone catching us."
"They won't." Hermione reassured Draco. "Ginny never stays very late on a night and as long as you're gone before morning, we'll be fine."
"Okay, I'll see you tonight." Draco dropped another kiss to Hermione's lips before reluctantly pulling away and standing up. "We should be getting back, it'll be dark soon."
Draco helped Hermione up and the couple remounted their horses and headed back towards the castle. However, unlike the silence of the first journey the couple laughed and talked all the way home.
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After having dinner with the King, Hermione rushed back to her chambers and dismissed Ginny for the evening. Once her maid was gone she unpinned her hair and slipped off her shoes. She then arranged all her cushions onto the rug in front of the fire and settled down in front of the flickering flames to wait for Draco.
The longer she waited the more Hermione began to separate herself from the Queen. She knew exactly what was going to happen and she was nervous. While she had thoroughly enjoyed the encounter by the river, that memory was more than enough to make returning home and facing the real Draco embarrassing but the more encounters she had with his dashing knight counterpart the more embarrassed she would be.
Hermione's worries about returning home after the story were pushed to one side when Draco arrived. After pulling off his boots he settled onto the floor with Hermione and she was quite relived when the couple were happy just to talk. The longer the discussion carried on the more Hermione's thoughts and feelings started blending into the Queen's. By the time Draco started placing soft kisses on Hermione's neck and nuzzling into her hair she was totally immersed into her character and was thoroughly enjoying the attention.
"Were you really that worried about me?" Draco asked, kissing his way up the column of Hermione's neck.
Hermione was sitting in front of Draco, she was nestled in between his spread legs with her back pressed up against his chest. She tilted her head to the side as Draco's tongue traced patterns on her skin. "Yes, especially when we heard a knight was injured."
"I'm sorry for worrying you." Draco said. "Sit forward a bit." He ordered as he searched for the ties on Hermione's dress.
Hermione sat forward slightly, revealing the intricate laces down the back of her dress. As Draco began to slowly untie them Hermione regretted her decision to remain dressed. She had debated whether or not to change into her nightgown but she had decided to remain in her dress. Now she was wishing she had changed as her nightgown would come off quickly while her dress would take time to untie all the laces.
While Hermione may have been regretting her decision not to change she soon forgot about it as Draco started to kiss the skin he was slowly exposing on her back. Hermione whimpered slightly as Draco's lips brushed over the top of her spine and the back of her shoulders. As he got further down her dress the kissing stopped and his fingers instead explored the skin he was revealing. After what felt like an eternity Draco loosened the final lace on the back of Hermione's dress. He then pushed the silky material off her shoulders and down her body, causing it to pool around her waist.
"Sit back." Draco whispered in Hermione's ear as he resumed his kissing of her neck and newly exposed shoulders.
Hermione sat back and nestled her bare back against Draco's shirt covered chest. Draco's hands then went around her front and settled on her stomach. Slowly he started caressing her skin as his hands crept higher up her body. Hermione whimpered softly at his touch as she waited for him to touch her breasts, which she had expected him to do before now.
"You're so beautiful." Draco told Hermione as his hands rested just below her heaving breasts.
Hermione blushed at the words and was about to protest when Draco's hands ventured further north and cupped her breasts. Hermione's words turned into a moan as Draco rolled her nipples in his fingers as he lavished attention on her chest. Hermione arched into Draco's touch as his hands continued to caress her breasts.
Vaguely she was aware that her eagerness for Draco's touch would be a source of embarrassment when the story ended but at this precise moment Hermione was enjoying the experience too much to worry about the after effects of the spell she had cast. During the first risqué scene of the story Hermione had been constantly flustered by what was happening but now she was more in sync with the Queen she was just enjoying the feelings Draco produced in her.
When Draco's hands left her breasts and started running back down her body Hermione whimpered in disappointment, causing Draco to chuckle against her neck. Her disappointment faded however when his hands reached her dress and he told her to lift up slightly. Doing as she was told Hermione lifted her hips and Draco pushed her dress over her hips and down her legs. Hermione kicked the dress the rest of the way off, leaving her sitting in just her undergarments.
Once the dress was off Draco pulled Hermione back up against his chest while his hands rested on her thighs. Hermione wriggled in anticipation and nervousness as Draco's fingers stroked her through her silk underwear. Unconsciously she spread her legs a bit wider as Draco's fingers dipped under the waistband of her underwear and stroked the soft skin of her hip.
"Take them off." Hermione turned her head and kissed the side of Draco's jaw as she issued the order. She was hoping that without her remaining piece of clothing that he would finally touch her where she wanted him to.
"Of course, My Lady." Draco twisted his head and kissed Hermione passionately for a few minutes.
When he broke the kiss he slowly began removing Hermione's underwear. Hermione lifted herself off the floor to help him and as soon as they were halfway down her legs she flicked them away. Chuckling at Hermione's eagerness Draco began stroking his way up her legs. His fingers moved slow but steady up her legs, caressing the smooth skin and eventually stopping at the top of her thighs.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Draco asked in a husky voice.
Hermione smiled at the question, she could feel exactly how much Draco wanted her, but she was touched he had still checked that she was sure. "Yes, I'm sure. Now touch me."
Draco smiled and gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek before his fingers headed for the heat between her thighs. Hermione moaned loudly when Draco's fingers slipped between her legs and sought out her clitoris. Draco's thumb began circling the sensitive bundle as his other fingers travelled lower. When he pressed one of his long digits into her wet heat, Hermione leant her head back on Draco's shoulder and gasped at the sensation.
"Do you want me to stop?" Draco asked, sounding worried he had done something the Queen didn't like.
"No." Hermione gasped, moaning at the feeling of Draco's fingers. "Don't stop."
Draco bent his head and kissed Hermione deeply as his fingers got to work in between her legs. Within minutes Hermione was panting and bucking her hips as she begged Draco for more. Adding a second finger into her, Draco increased the pace his hand was working at while his other hand moved up and cupped Hermione's breast. Hermione moaned at the sensations as she felt her climax approaching.
"I'm so close." She panted. "Please, Draco."
Draco continued his work and as he increased the pressure around Hermione's clitoris the Queen exploded around his fingers, which were still buried inside her. Moaning Draco's name, Hermione's orgasm ripped through her and she slumped back onto her lover. Draco held Hermione and planted kisses along her neck and shoulder as she recovered.
"You still haven't taken me to bed yet." Hermione murmured as she regained the power to speak and think straight.
"We'll have to fix that then." Draco chuckled.
Before Hermione could speak again Draco had stood up and pulled her into his arms. He then carried her across the room and placed her in the centre of her bed. Pulling off his own clothes Draco then joined the Queen in the large four poster bed.