You can find more of this on by Subscribe/Star (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted past Ch. 20 there. You can find the same on my new (via Discord per their ToS), under /WildErotica. The DISCORD is at h-t_t-p_s-:_/-/_discord-._g-g_/-N9yDASt6Cw (taking out hyphens and underscores, 'cause FFnet). If you prefer direct links, go to my Discord and follow the 'links in general' section to find the ones you want. All of my fics are well ahead of what I post here, often 10-30 chapters ahead.

You can also read my original fiction on Kindle, or Kindle Unlimited for free. My author page: www ._amazon ._com / stores / Kaja-Wilder/ (this time taking out underscores and spaces, but leave the one hyphen).

Enjoy!

Chap. 7: Preparations

Captain Farthson grunted, which told Dominic that his commanding officer already knew full well who the letter was from, and what it said. It was just further confirmation, since the seal had been broken, but it still lent a tinge of fury to the fear that had stolen over Dominic. Just the night before, on his last duty shift, he had told Princess Elsa that he would renounce his citizenship, his title, his family, everything in Lansington to be with her, to stay in Arendelle.

He meant it, too.

But now, just a day later, his father had sent him a letter telling him that he had to come home? That his king demanded his presence? Had they known...?
No, he realized, that was ridiculous. The timing simply didn't add up. It took weeks, sometimes two or three months, for regular courier service to get between Arendelle and Lansington. And he'd have heard if a more dedicated, specialized courier, like a Royal Messenger, had arrived. Even then it would probably have taken two weeks or so. His most recent reports could, potentially, have alerted the King and his father or grandfather to his increasing loyalty toward Arendelle... maybe. No...
He was reading to much into this. He had to be. The timing was too perfect to be anything but a coincidence.

A terrible one, but a coincidence all the same. Dominic sighed to try and relax, then folded the paper- no cheap parchment for his father's missives- and moved back into parade rest with the letter behind his back. He wanted to wrinkle it, to rip it into shreds, to ruin it utterly. How dare his father claim that his grandfather had died just to get him to come home! There were other ways. He could have just asked.

Obviously, Dominic would have refused, but this... Would the ruse not be apparent the moment he got back? Of course it would. And if his grandfather had actually died, well... Did he even care? The two had never really gotten along. It was part of the reason why Dominic was stationed here, where he could be 'out of the way' but also 'useful'. In some ways, being sent to Arendelle was the best thing that Baron Alders had ever done was use a little of his political leverage over the King Lansington to get his troublesome grandson out of the way. But if the old man had any idea how much Dominic would thrive, or the relationship he had with the future queen now...

It was surely an accident, but it was too late. His decision was made. "I will be informing Her Highness about the letter myself," Dominic told the Captain, "this evening when I begin my shift. I will not be attending this... Council."

Farthson's eyebrows rose, "You'd disobey an order from your father? The man who's almost certainly going to be your new Baron? Even the King said you had to be there."

If he needed any more proof that the Captain had indeed read the letter carefully, that would have been it. But Dominic stood firm. "I would ignore a command from that King, if it contradicted an order from this Princess-Regent, yes. My loyalty is to Arendelle. If you've been intercepting my missives for as long as I think you have been, you would know I have given them nothing useful in over a year."

Now, the Captain of the Guard's eyes narrowed. "I suppose I can see that's so. But you could go, you know. If you're gone for a few weeks, you still have plenty of time to make the trip."

"With all due respect, Sir," Dominic reminded him, "Her Highness has made it clear that she would like me to stay. We discussed it at some length last night, in fact, before I knew this letter was here or what it contained. If you disagree, you are more than welcome to take it up with her."

Farthson actually snorted in amusement, "Yes, that would go over well. Alright, Alders, here's what we'll do. What I will do. I'll trust you, for now. You are a good officer, a capable soldier, and from what the rumors say, you've been good for Her Highness. Both of them, actually. I'll give my go-ahead to take Windy and the maid requested... what was her name, the Librarian's grand-daughter..."

"Emma, Sir?"

"Yes, that's the one. But make sure you're geared and prepared for anything. I know you've been here for a couple of winters, but up in the mountains on the north side, it's far worse. Check with Windy, she's from a village up there I believe."

"I'll do that, Sir," Dominic said with a nod.

"And you had better bring her back safe. In the meantime, I'm going to inform your father that... what, you're ill? On a mission, and unable to return in time?"

Dominic snorted, "I wouldn't do either, personally. He'll just send someone to come get me in person, late or not. As long as you don't reply, if I don't reply, he'll not be sure if I'm simply delayed or there's something else going on."

"Perhaps," his superior officer admitted, "but this is playing with fire. I don't want to get a Baron or a King mad at me over whatever squabble you're having with them."

"Sir, believe me, it's not you that's the problem. Again, I'll be speaking with Her Highness about it tonight."

"See that you do. Dismissed, Alders."

"Yes, Sir."

He'd never been so glad to leave the Captain's office before. Even with most of the suspicion gone from his voice, things were probably going to be tense between them for some time. Even after he returned with Elsa, it might not be great. But now he had to fake another letter, and do it quickly, then finish preparing for their journey. There wasn't much time left. He also had to head into the city and purchase a few last-minute supplies that were not exactly on the usual kit for a mountain journey in Arendelle.

Things of a more... personal nature.

He only hoped Elsa enjoyed the idea, and would enjoy them, as much as he thought she would.

Elsa paced around her room restlessly for an hour that day, before she moved to the drawing room in her suite and did the same thing. After that, it was back to her bedroom. The drawing room. Then a bath, which took over an hour and did little (despite being scalding hot as usual) to warm the chill in her bones. Not that she minded, she was well used to it and in fact enjoyed the sensation of being cold overall.

But she could have used a warming touch, an embrace, especially after the previous night.

It had been... well, all she ever wanted, and more.

Gods, she'd climaxed so hard! She knew Dominic was special from that first night they had truly talked. Had known even more when he had first guided her and then helped her achieve her first real orgasm.

But last night... Her body shuddered just remembering it, and a growing moisture pooled between her thighs, then crystallized to drift like snow into the folds of her skirts before the friction of her movement eventually melted it all away once more. She had sucked his cock! Put it in her mouth like a street whore!

... Or like a woman pleasuring her man.

Again Elsa shuddered, and the pacing resumed. Her collection of books lay unread despite having half a dozen she was supposed to return today, before they left on the first leg of their tour. She was supposed to be packing, or at least setting out the things she wanted Emma to pack for her. She could have been working, signing off on instructions for the staff of the castle, the town, the kingdom, while she was away. She could even have been taking a nap, since she knew she would be up late this evening catching up on the work she wasn't doing.

She was doing none of that. Instead, she paced. And paced, and paced some more, wearing actual tracks in her already well-used carpet.

Why had she done it? Why had she given him that blowjob? Of course he'd declared his love for her! She had gotten him off! All men- at least, the men she knew of, which admittedly was mostly in pillow-book fiction- would do anything for a woman that did that. Declare anything... even perhaps believe it for a time. It was almost as powerful an effect, she thought, as what happened to a man when a woman spread their legs for him.

Not that she could blame him, really. She was a woman herself, and she very much wanted to declare her feelings for him, too. Of course so much of it was based on her respect for him, his mind, his kindness, and his support. Not least was him encouraging her to make things right with Anna, even if she thought the whole idea was preposterous.

In any case, regardless of how she did or didn't feel about Dominic Alders, Lieutenant in the Royal Guard, and one of her personal bodyguards... was it worth an international incident? Was it worth the gossip and scandal? Was it worth potential war?

The throne of Arendelle was hers and, if she died, her sister's. But there were a great many people who would give a great deal to sit on the throne next to her. Concessions. Trade. Better relations between their nations. That sort of thing... it had started wars before, and it would do so again. Just the idea of leaving the other half of her throne open helped prevent violence and danger for her people and her kingdom.

Was this man, this Asquire from a distant land, barely more than a mere soldier, worth it?

The Princess did not know. So she paced, and paced, until her hands grew sore from wringing and her legs tired, while her mind churned in endless circles with no destination in sight.

"Lieutenant Alders," the good-looking middle-aged woman greeted him with a smile as he stepped into her bookstore, "It's good to see you back after so long. How did you- I mean, your 'friend'- like my recommendations?"

"It's good to see you too, Ms. Stamp," Dominic greeted the older woman with an equally happy smile. "I'm happy to report that my friend- and it is a friend- was very pleased with the selection, yes. I... should probably pick up a couple more while I'm... er, is something wrong, Ms. Stamp?"

It had taken him a few moments to notice the normally kind, smiling woman's glower. "Ms. Stamp?" she grumbled, "I'm not good enough a friend to simply call me Demelza?"

"I... W- Well," Dominic mumbled as he felt his face heat, "I didn't... want to presume... But I'd be happy to call you by name, if you'll do the same... Demelza."

The older woman let out a giggle and offered her hand like a woman in court would. He took it gently and brushed his lips against her, glad he had the chance to roll his eyes. He liked Demelza Stamp, he really did. She was even someone he wouldn't mind having a roll with, though she was at least two decades older than he was. She could have been a courtesan for some noble, he knew, and was probably descended from nobility in Arendelle herself.

But he also knew she kept two young men in her house even before her late husband had passed, and that their employment as her 'caretakers' and 'housekeepers' was a little more... well, intimate than the job titles implied. He didn't mind, the boys were old enough to decide for themselves, and he suspected they both lived comfortably and were just fine with the arrangement.

The problem was, though Demelza Stamp was a fine woman in her own right, friendly, sociable, and relatively wealthy as a merchant aside from her late husband's business, which she had kept going for fun, she was nothing compared to Elsa Arendelle. Yes, he had flirted with the book-seller before, and would probably keep doing so, but for him it was just that: flirting.

He had no intentions to join her in her bed, with or without one of her playthings. That didn't mean he wouldn't continue to play her game, though, since it meant continued access to her more risque library of tomes. "I swear, if the stars were half as beautiful as you, I'd pull them down from the sky to form a necklace for you. As it is, though, I'm afraid they just wouldn't do you justice."

"Flatterer," the woman giggled, and even beneath her heavy makeup he saw her cheeks heat, "I'm not that good looking, Dominic... but it's nice of you to say so."

"Agree to disagree, then," he shot right back as he stood up once more. "About the books, though...?"

"I'm afraid all I have right now is a little of the more... heavy variety," the woman demurred, glancing at the door behind her, "the kind of thing only the most... discerning of readers would enjoy. It's not the sort of thing for your average... friend."

"Hah, now I know you're trying to sell me something," Dominic chuckled, "Though I think you might be trying a little too hard, my dear."

The woman raised a single delicate eyebrow, "Am I? You are showing your naiveté, Dominic... there is a land far to the south where they have a saying. Let me see if I can remember it right... nihil sub sōle novum, I think it was. 'There is nothing new under the sun.' While that might be true, there are things that might be new to certain people. A man of your youth- while no doubt a man- would have little reason or cause to know some of the things in the books I am referring to."

"I still think you're pulling my leg," Dominic replied, but gave her a little nod of respect. She was convincing, at least, even if he wasn't convinced.

"Then again," Demelza murmured softly, giving him an appraising look such as she hadn't since his first visit to the shop nearly a year and a half ago, "You just might be the kind of man... you know what? I'll help you out. I've already told you about the more fun books I get in... let me see how you react to the most fun books I get in."

The woman hopped off her high, comfortable chair, and he was pleased to see the woman's cleavage ripple just a little as she landed. Demelza came around the counter and took his hand, then started to pull. She did not take him toward the door which led to the small, almost closet-like space where her romance books were stored, however. Instead, she guided him through the other door, one which was not just shut but kept locked, for she used a set of keys to open it, then locked it again before opening the door more than a fraction.

She gestured him in, and Dominic obeyed, leading the way as she watched on with a very amused, secretive look in her eye to match the small smile.

He understood why immediately.

... The young soldier also had to concede that maybe, just maybe, she had been right.

The space was not large, but it was about half the size of the bookstore's main room. Three long double-sided shelves of the same style as those in the regular section rose to just above Dominic's head moving away from him, and more shelves lined all four walls, except for the door he had entered and the one opposite that, he presumed, lead up to Demelza's home on the second and third floor of the building.

While the room he had been led into was not in itself remarkable, what lined each shelf seemed that way. Certainly, one of the shelves, the furthest left of the central three, was covered in books. It was to those that a grinning Demelza Stamp stepped after she brushed past him, taking care to stroke her generous breasts over his arm. The central shelves held... other objects. Long ones, thin ones, curved, straight, some that resembled animal genitals. Some were made of wood, some stone, some ivory or other bone, and some he was sure were made of ceramic, glass, or even fine porcelain such as one might find in a shop in Weaselton. On the opposite side of those were, he presumed, similar devices meant for the pleasure of men. Most were tube-shaped, and filled with furs or leathers with a hole down the center, presumably for inserting an erect penis. One small section near him had tubes with a closed off end on one side with a rubber tube attached to a sheep's or pig's bladder.

The right central shelves had unguents, lotions, creams, bath oils, salts, perfumes, and even what looked like a few bottles of actual medicine in one of the further sections.

The left wall held costumes. Lingerie, mostly, the kind of slinky thing he imagined a street-walker might wear beneath her overclothes, or that a housewife might wear to entice her husband. Some of it, mixed in with the rest, seemed intended for men to wear, too, including a rather racy black lace... thing that was mostly made of string except for a v-shaped cup of lace in the center. The nearer walls on either side held more of the same, only filled with exclusively brassiere tops. The left wall was filled with yet more strange devices, some of which looked oddly familiar. A dozen sets of light manacles with short chains and clips or hooks, for example, were much like ones a guard or deputy might carry to hold a criminal while being transported. Some were covered in felt or cloth for padding, along with a good portion of the lower section, which held not wrist manacles, but ankle ones. Neck chokers, with or without eyes to attach chains. Locks. Gags with wooden or ivory or stone balls in the center. One had a very cock-sized ring in the center of it, presumably to hold a woman's mouth open while it was used.

Dominic took all this in over more than three minutes, his eyes moving from place to place slowly, but at the same time, too quickly for him to really process what he was seeing.

Then Demelza Stamp coughed politely, drawing his attention back to the books she was standing near. "I see I do indeed have your attention, Dominic," she teased, then beckoned him close. Once he stepped within her arms' reach, she put a light hand on his elbow, "Don't freak out too much, dear. As I said, it's a wide, wide world out there, and you're just starting to scratch the surface of what is possible behind closed doors. Or, sometimes, in the great outdoors where just anyone could see. But before we go on, answer me truthfully, my dear...

"Are you embarrassed or bothered by all of this...? Or are you intrigued?"

Dominic had to swallow twice to get the words out, but when he did, he was sure of it. "Definitely- Definitely more the latter. I... where did you get all this? I can't even imagine what some of this is for."

"It is for pleasure, dear boy," Demelza teased, "both for the man, or woman, or whatever... or both. And I can assure you that, while I do run in what some would call certain circles, I am far tamer than many others I correspond with. Why, Gerdin Coleson... oh, but you wouldn't be interested in his work."

"The- the carpenter's son?"

Demelza grinned widely, "The same. He used to be one of mine, you know. One of my good friends. But as he aged, I found him less and less appealing. He does do fine work with wood, though."

"He- he made these?" Dominic asked, blushing as he gestured toward one of the large wooden phalluses.

She giggled, "Oh, goodness, no. That's his father's work. Gerdin prefers working with larger pieces. The kind that aren't so mobile. I'll introduce you to some examples, here... this book is, well, it's precious to me. But I will sell it to you, since this isn't my copy, of course."

She handed him one of the titles near her head, and he picked it up carefully. With some embarrassment, he read the long title, printed in deep crimson stamped into bleached-white leather. On Domination, Submission, and the Claiming of Women, by Colophon Lansing.

"L- Lansing...?"

"Yes," Demelza said with a pleased smile, "I'm glad you noticed. Your late-late King wrote that, in fact, King Colophon Lansing the first. I believe he was King Reginald Lansing's great grandfather."

"My... King Colophon wrote a sex book?"

"A study, actually," Demelza corrected pointedly, then reached for it again to leaf to a random page. "You see? It's quite well documented. Detailed instructions, the how and why... he was a very learned man when it came to the opposite sex. Quite ahead of his time in many ways."

"I... I see," Dominic murmured.
"Not yet. But you will, I think. You'll be needing this one. You should read it yourself, don't share it with your lady friend... yet. In fact, I believe chapter sixteen will suggest when would be a good time to do so. Go through it in order, and I promise you, she'll be eating out of your hand- or your big, fat, virile cock- soon enough."

The woman punctuated the description of his genitals with a grope that made Dominic jump. But she pulled away the moment he started to swell in his trousers with a faint giggle. "Ah, too bad I'm not your type. And I do enjoy my boys a little more servile... we could have had so much fun. Perhaps one day, in a year or two. You won't be too old by then. Ah, well. Hmm... for your mysterious lady friend... try this one."

Dominic swallowed once more as he read the title on this one, and the also-familiar name of the author. On Submission to your Man, and Why You Should, by Eletria Lansing, Duchess of Saxonburg.

"M- Mother?"

"Oh, you're that closely related? I wasn't aware," Demelza teased, "I had only presumed a distant relation at best. Interesting... but yes, Eletria Lansing, Duchess of Saxonburg did indeed write this. I've written a few letters to her about it over the years, and she was happy to answer several questions. Hm... honestly, I should have connected the dots earlier. You should definitely read the first book, and give this one to your woman. Women. Whatever."

Dominic swallowed as the saleswoman handed him a third book, "And this one is simply a primer for many of the devices you see on the shelves. Some shouldn't be used without some instruction, after all. I'll begin putting together a care package..."

"Er, I- I'm going to be out of town for a few weeks, starting tomorrow or the day after," Dominic interrupted as the woman turned to look at the shelves full of various arcane objects.

"Ah... A pity, but I can put together something a little more portable too, if she's going along...?"

Dominic swallowed, but his blush told the woman all she needed to know. "So it's either the guardswoman accompanying you on the tour, or the maid-in-waiting... interesting. Don't worry, dear, I'll keep your secrets quiet. I'm a listener to gossip, not a repeater."

At least she'd gotten some of it partially wrong.

He looked down at the title of the third book, which had no author listed. Sexual Devices and How To Use Them for Pleasure and Profit. Simple enough, and the hand-written pages were copied neatly and cleanly along with several good illustrations as he leafed through it. By the time he was done, one of the bookstore's canvas shopping bags were being held out to him. "Here's a little sample- a starter kit, if you will. The whole lot, all three books and the kit, will run you seven Sovereigns and three Queens..."

He blanched. That was almost two months' pay!

"And I will do you the service, once more, of allowing installment payments, since you have done so well with keeping up on the first one. In fact, let us consider that debt paid in full as of today... if you accept this payment, of course. I'll be needing five Crowns per month until the debt is paid."

He swallowed. That was a lot. His regular salary was twenty Crowns, or two Sovereigns, in a month. A full quarter of his monthly salary would go just to buying three books and some devices he was sure he'd never have the courage to use, and for nearly a year and a half!

"Oh, fine," Demelza chuckled, rolling her eyes, "I'll give you the same deal I would for my very best customers... if you'll do me a favor in return. It would knock the total price down to four gold Sovereigns total, with the same payment plan."

Before he took the handles of the canvas bag Demelza was holding, Dominic's eyes narrowed. "What's the favor, then?"

"Simple," she said with a full smile, "When your paramour is well and truly under your control... invite me to the wedding."

He didn't have time to register that it would be a royal wedding, and that, if everything went as he wanted it to, Demelza Stamp, bookseller and secret sex shop proprietress, would be invited to the Queen's wedding, before he jumped at the chance. "Deal."