Afflicted with the curse of her ancestors, Ruscotelep leads an extremely privileged yet lonely existence. She is the heir to the Kingdom of Fuga, a small island in the warm waters off the great continent's oriental coast. She is forbidden from developing friendships with anyone in her realm in fear that they would succumb to her curse. Her mother, Queen Ruscomalda, direct descendant of Heráurserceon, the original fire king, is well aware of the dangers that came along with their powers and raised her daughter taking all the precautions necessary in order to avoid putting any of her subjects in harm's way. Of course, there is the occasional curious soldier that dares to look directly into the queen's eyes thus succumbing to her curse and bursting into flames. Because of that, the royal entourage consists mostly of blind individuals carrying a variety of fire extinguishing materials. Ruscotelep has her own issues.
One evening after a night of drinking and debauchery with his friends, a servant's son that could not contain his curiosity any longer, decided to sneak into the princess' quarters to take a peek at her legendary beauty. He managed to avoid detection throughout the maze of passageways under the palace. When he made it into the royal family's living quarters, used his knowledge of the grounds and pretended to be one of the servants to move around freely. The princess has her own tower in the palace with a bedroom is at it’s very top. Only one soldier guards the entrance to her tower and he is usually trying to gain favor with the pretty young maids, which means that the princess' door remained unguarded most of the time. That was never a problem since the royal family is so well liked; nobody would dare bring harm to any of them, at least not until that day. The intruder gained access to the tower and ran up the spiral staircase without worry. A pair of heavy fabric crimson curtains hung at her doorway as the only safeguard between her and the outside world. She never bothered with anything else since her mere presence would cause everyone around to duck or jump out of the way in fear of making eye contact. As a child, she thought it a fun afternoon to just walk around the palace and watch the servants scatter while trying to avoid being in her presence. The prowler stood behind said curtains for a few moments debating whether to go inside the room or just call the whole thing off. He knew there would be consequences to his actions; serious consequences, but he had heard so many stories about how beautiful the princess is and of her lonely existence, he thought that somehow she would be grateful for his impertinence. Standing there, in front of those heavy curtains, listening to the princess' footsteps inside the room, thinking he would be her savior, he mustered up enough courage to step inside the room. One step he should have never taken. One step that would change his and his family's life forever. The princess was indeed as beautiful as he expected if not more so, but he knew not to look into her eyes and fall prey to her curse. Every subject in the entire realm is fully aware of how to avoid the consequences. It is part of their education. If you are born in Fuga, you are taught many times over how to avoid the curse. He should have known better anyways, but no. Not him. He had to let his eyes linger a little too long. He fell victim to her beauty. She felt no fear in his presence; instead, she smiled back at him. A glorious, magnificent, glowing smile! A smile that made his knees weak and he had to reach for the back of a chair in her room to stop from falling. An image nobody else in the kingdom can say they survived long enough to remember. An image that almost cost him his life. Immediately after making eye contact with Ruscotelep, the intruder felt the heat of her curse. A slow burn that starts at one's feet and goes up from there. Slowly enveloping one's entire body in a soft glow that gets hotter the longer one looks into her eyes. By the time it reaches one's chest there is no going back. Flames engulfed his body slowly. The surface of his skin was set ablaze without the pain that would normally accompany such event, at least for the first few moments. But the pain eventually made it's debut and it was unbearable. Most people succumb to the fire and do not have the presence of mind to do something about it. He ran away screaming, arms flailing and the first escape route he found was the window; one way up in the tower with a fall that not many could survive. He did, only because of the very auspiciously placed water fountain at the foot of her tower. He lived to tell the tale but has the scars all over his body as a testament of his insolence. The queen was filled with rage but rather than unleashing her wrath onto the culprit's family, placed Ruscotelep under constant guard, thus condemning her to a life without any social conditioning. The servant and his entire family were sent to work at the warriors' school in the mountains where his impetuous son was put in charge of keeping the red wolves behind the school safe from the killer goats that live in the nearby forest. Ruscotelep would spend many a day staring out of her newly iron barred window, into the market not far from the palace, watching the young elves play with the reckless abandon young elves are known for and wishing she too could chase the others without fear of harming them. But it was not to be. She had to learn how to control her powers before her mother would even consider allowing her to even meet her own father. The queen was the only one who could be in the same room and not succumb to her curse. The two of them became very close although there is a secret resentment on Ruscotelep's part that has gown with her.
Her father was never allowed to be in her presence because of what could happen to him if she got too close. He did survive her mother's onslaught but she did not want to risk it and banished him from the palace. The queen made many trips into the mountains to visit him though, sans Ruscotelep of course. In her absence, the king spent most of his time instructing other warriors in the ancient arts of battle in a remote mountain in the middle of the Fugan Forest. One afternoon, a young girl was brought to his school by a very poor widow who could not afford to feed her anymore. She asked to speak with the king by his given name, Varnanároello. The guards at the gate, knowing that very few elves were privy of that name, rushed to interrupt the class he was teaching and informed him of her arrival. Once he laid eyes on her, the king was shocked by her appearance. The adult female was frail and undernourished; her clothes were ragged and dirty and the child fared not much better. It wasn’t until the king looked into her eyes that he recognized who she was. It was his own sister. Her name used to be Hercourin and she was not much older than her daughter is now when she disappeared. Her entire family was consumed with trying to find her but there was no trace of her in the forest. Their mother was laid to rest in her burial jar lamenting not having found her lost child but not without hope. After a very tearful embrace and a short conversation that produced no answers, Ruscotelep's father promise to protect his niece as if she was his own daughter and bid her mother farewell, not knowing if their paths would cross ever again. Hercourin turned away from them and walked back into the dark fugan forest, disappearing once again. The young girl soon learned her way around the school and proved to have the stamina of a work horse. She would spend an entire day practicing with the other students and after saying goodbye to the last of them retired for the evening, she would go back to the training grounds for another round of practice before departing to her own room where she would then read from the ancient tomes until her eyes could no longer take it. One particularly clear night, having the entire training arena to herself, she stood in between the two buildings, closed her eyes and practiced her moves with complete freedom, knowing there was no one there to get in her way. The king heard what he thought were the sounds of the “night wolf wind”, a move only he knew how to perform, or so he thought. He peeked through the window in his room to find his niece, eyes closed, staff in hand, spinning mid air, completely oblivious of her own skills. He came up with a plan; one that could reunite him with his daughter and free her from the golden prison that is her mother's palace. As long as she kept her eyes closed, and with the guidance of her cousin, she could join in the training, giving the king a chance to get to know his own daughter and maybe offer her a small resemblance of a normal life.
He knew that convincing her mother to let him teach Ruscotelep was not going to be an easy task so he had to wait for the right moment. He also had to explain to Aamini, the young prodigy, about the princess' abilities and the consequences of being exposed to the curse. Aamini was excited to meet the princess and she just knew they were going to become fast friends. The time came for the queen's visit and preparations were made. The stone pools were filled with the magic potions. Fresh fruit was delivered, enough to fill several rooms at the school. The queen likes to snack in between romps. The king summoned his most trusted servant and asked for Aamini to be taken into his quarters to be kept safe until the queen's return home. Night fell and the iron gates' chains rang, signaling the arrival of his beloved. His stomach turned into knots with the expectation of being reunited with the love of his life. He stripped naked and jumped into the stone pool to anxiously wait for her grand entrance. There is always that one moment where the doors to the pool room will open and he can sneak a glance at her beauty in full glory before it becomes too unbearable and he has to shut his eyes if he is to keep them.
The queen always comes prepared for a couple of days of love making. Her ever present escort of black dwarves quickly spreads throughout the school and takes over the running of the place. The king's servants do not really enjoy the changes the black dwarves bring but do welcome the time off. The fire within her burns most furiously when the light in the night sky is at its fullest and tonight is that night. Because of the extreme heat emanating from her body, only the finest steel armor can touch her skin without melting on contact. The black dwarves that live in the caves of the island forged a brand new suit especially designed for the queen to wear on this night. It is no ordinary armor suit. It is designed specifically to accentuate the curves in her body and present her most perfectly round attributes on a silvery platter of sorts. Her bodyguards are blinded as children and trained to protect her if need be using their other senses, not that she ever needs them to. It is considered an honor for a family to donate their middle child’s life to the queen's guard. They lead a life fit for nobility and are respected and honored for their sacrifice by everyone in the island. They are also in charge of keeping the doors to the pool room closed shut in case the king tries to make a run for it on nights like these. There are no windows in the pool room; only a pool lined with the finest stone filled with magic potions, a few rugs that surround the water where the fruit is laid out for easy access and a very nervous king. For the next few nights, he will have to keep his eyes shut and concentrate on performing his husbandly duty at its best. The queen will be free to do with him as she pleases and only when her fire is brought back to normal levels will he be allowed to open his eyes and enjoy the vision of perfection that is his wife. The whole thing is very dangerous and could result in a lot of pain for both of them. If he was to lose his focus and for a mere moment open his eyes inside that room while her curse is at its worst, his skin will light up like a necromancer's pyre spell hitting a dried up flower bed and the queen would never forgive herself if anything was to happen to her "one".
The moment finally arrives. The king hears the metal of the bodyguards' boots hitting the stone floor as they approach the door. The mystical glowing fog that precedes her majesty sneaks under the heavy wooden door panels and into the pool room. His heart starts to beat faster. His forehead is soaked with sweat. He reaches for a succulent pinego to quench the dryness in his mouth. The door slowly creaks open. The king catches a glimpse of her supple skin through the slowly widening crack on the doors. She just stands there letting him take it all in. The bodyguards slowly open the doors a little more and the king is now able to see the metal that adorns her curves. He always appreciated the black dwarves' mastery over metal. The room is filled with the glowing fog and she takes one final step inside, before the guards slam the doors shut behind her and the king hears the locks turned. There is no going back now. For either of them! The king has his eyes fully closed and lets his other senses take over. He can hear the unfastening of steel armor soon followed by it slamming on the stone floor. He can feel the rising temperature inside the room warming his exposed skin. He can smell the sweet aroma of the sampaguita crown he so lovingly crafted out of his garden as a present for his beloved. The one flower blessed by the gods to withstand the heat within her. The queen takes a couple of steps forward and slides her right foot into the water. The steam released as the liquid washes over her skin makes a hissing sound very familiar to the king. It’s the sound of life being infused into the magic potions that will soon reach his own skin and through it his heart. The small waves created by her body as she enters the water travel across the surface until they reach his and slowly lap at his skin. They send shivers up his spine and make his skin crawl in anticipation of what is to come. He can tell her proximity by the warmth of the water around him. The hotter the water surrounding his body gets the closer he is to ecstasy like no other. He feels her first touch. The way she caresses the side of his arm with the tips of her fingernails as she lowers her hand right before grabbing his and bringing it to her heaving chest. That’s all the guidance he needs. From that point on, it is him who is in charge.
Without words, they both fall into a trance. One they have engaged in many times before. He possesses her body with the aplomb of a forest giant. She surrenders under his touch with ease. He owns her body as if his life depended on it. She smiles! His insatiable desire to please her is what keeps her coming back over and over again. In their tribe, monogamy is not expected, in fact, it is not even looked upon as an attribute in a relationship. The queens that came before her never had a chance to practice it due to the quick death delivered to their suitors on their first try. Since the discovery of the magic potions that fill the stone pool, the queen has entertained other courters in her own palace but none even came close to giving her what she truly needs. Every single one of them was at her mercy due to the curse and even though they did not lose their lives in the process, they did lack the enthusiasm and gusto so familiar with the king's lovemaking. He has never fallen under her spell and what he gives comes from within. His heart dictates how to approach their love making, not her control over his mind with magic. The boldness of his physical abilities coupled with the roughness of his delivery make the queen squirm at the mere thought of what new tricks has he come up with in her absence.
After a full day of complete immersion in the martial arts beating his students to a pulp and without pity, the king spends his nights studying new techniques in the ancient tomes of pleasure his family has passed on through the generations. When he touches her, it is not just him dealing gratification to her majesty; it is centuries of expertise passed on father to son for eons. Whenever a new move is proven to get the right response in a lover, it is entered into the pleasure tomes and kept safe to be passed onto the next young male to come of age. Only one copy exists for each generation but there are many that get passed around by the males in the family. Once each move has been mastered, then that tome is traded for another and the whole thing starts all over again. Such vast knowledge of the sensual arts serves only one specific purpose. Lover's loyalty! The queen has only experienced one tome so far and she can't wait to see what lies ahead. For tonight, the king has something special in mind. He has to completely wear her ass out if she is to agree to his wish of training their daughter. One of the shamans of his village taught him a nifty little trick that should send the queen into a controlled yet repetitious set of spasmodic orgasms to last the entire night. A move that could prove deadly if not performed to the exact specifications told to him by that old shaman when the king was a young elf a long time ago.
The queen wastes no time wrapping her legs around the king's waist and holds on for dear life. The strength of his embrace keeps both of them secured in the center of the pool but she can tell by the intensity of his breathing that something new and exciting is about to happen. If the past has taught her anything is to relinquish control and truly give herself to the king. He has never failed in putting a smile on her face before. The king makes sure they are both submerged in the magic potions up to their necks before breaking away from her mouth to repeat what the shaman taught him, "Malugod Napakarami". With those two simple words, time inside the pool room slows down and repeats itself over and over again at the king's command. The queen, completely unaware of the shift in time, convulses with great force at the height of her ecstasy and every spasm of her body sends waves of fire traveling outwards under the surface of the water. Her legs squeeze the life out of the king and her embrace empties his lungs as he hangs on for the ride of a lifetime. Just as the queen slows down and the king is able to catch his breath, he repeats, "Malugod Napakarami" and off they go once again into the forbidden annals of magical pleasures. The waves of fire put the cooling properties of the magic potions to the test and push their efficacy to its limit. The king feels the heat building up inside the pool room but the queen is not done yet and he must forge ahead undeterred. With the conviction of the warriors that precede him and the many who died attempting to accomplish what he is about to, he repeats the words one more time, "Malugod Napakarami". This time though, he adds a twist to the session. Instead of repeating the moves that are proven to send the queen's eyes rolling into the back of her head, the king takes a deep breath and brings his mouth to hers engaging the queen into a passionate kiss as they both submerge under the surface of the water where he holds her in a tight embrace, depriving her of fresh air and filling her lungs with his own. That does the trick. They are both engulfed in a blazing sphere of ever expanding fire that quickly explodes, blowing the heavy wooden doors off their hinges and almost killing the blind soldiers standing guard behind them.
The queen rises above the water's surface with barely enough strength to pull herself onto the stone floor where she calls out for her lover. The king lies motionless at the bottom of the pool, unconscious and drowning. She commands the soldiers to rush in and save him. They stumble onto the pool and dive in over and over again until one of them surfaces with the king's body and drags him out. The queen wants to scream in horror thinking she killed him but she can barely breathe. One of the soldiers turns the king over and smacks his back, forcing the water lodged in his lungs to come out as the king tries to catch his breath. His first instinct is to drag his limp body across the slippery wet floor next to the queen to make sure she is not harmed. His eyes are met with a satisfied look on her face and a light in her eyes that he has never seen there before. He knows this is it. This is the time to ask. But he has no strength to get up and run away if she gets mad. The soldiers finally find their whereabouts after bumping into almost every single stone column in the room and pick one up each. That’s the one drawback with having blind bodyguards. They fight with ease and are ferocious warriors but you ask them to find two lumps of limp flesh lying on the floor and they'll take a lifetime to do it.
The soldiers carry the royal lovers to their bedroom above the pool room in their arms. As they pass a narrow hallway, the queen catches a glimpse of daylight through one of the windows and tries to make sense of the timeline. She feels as if they had just entered the pool room but much more time has obviously passed by. As she is laid down onto the king's bed, a basket of fresh fruit is delivered to her side. The king musters up some energy to rise up and open the curtains letting the fresh mountain air in. The queen takes a small bite of a mangga before inquiring, "Dear, what day is it?" He knows she is going to demand an explanation for their lost time and quickly looks out the window to gauge how far down it is in case he would find it necessary to jump out of. She leans back and sighs. A happy sigh. A satisfied sigh. A sigh that brings a smile to the king's face. He turns to face her with renewed confidence, "What does it matter what day it is my love, as long as we are together? I hope you do not regret taking the trip into the mountains last night." He lies next to her and presses his body against her supple skin. She runs her fingers through his hair, "I don’t care what you did or how you did it, but whatever it was you must do more of it. Last night was even better than the first time. I have got to make sure nothing happens to you my lord. I do not think I can spend the rest of my life deprived of your talents." He cups her breast and she brings the mangga to his lips to share its sweetness, "Speaking of talents, I love spending time with the students here and most of them are doing quite well with their training. I was wondering if you have given any thought to allowing Ruscotelep a visit to the school so she can start her battle training."
The queen grabs a handful of his hair and firmly yanks his head back while saying in a very stern voice, "So that's what this whole thing is about. You are trying to get your dirty claws onto my daughter and take her away from me." Fear sets in and he tries to pull away but she won’t let go. The window is really close by yet so far away. He tries to explain, "I am not taking her away from you. She is old enough to start her training and you know that she can't study with just anyone. All I want to do is be her father. Who better to make sure that she is prepared to face her destiny than the one person in this world willing to give his own life for hers?" She lets go of his head and walks up to the open window, "I know your intentions are honorable my king, but what if something goes wrong? How do I face her if something was to happen to you? How will you keep the other students safe? She can control her powers but is still new at it. There are times in which she loses control and things happen. I have a palace full of scorch marks to prove it. She could never recover if you or any of your students were injured because of her." I reach from behind and embrace her body, firmly pressing mine against it, "It is time my love. She is all grown up and must start learning how to protect herself and her kingdom. You have done your part showing her the ways of our people and how to control the ancient magic that runs through her veins, but it is time for me to pass on the knowledge of my ancestors. Plus, I think the discipline of the martial arts will serve her well in controlling her fire."
The queen is silent. The king does not like it when she goes silent. It is never a good thing. Almost defeated he tries a new approach. With his fingers, he moves the long raven tinged hair over her shoulder and kisses the nape of her neck. A basic move that has been received well in the past but not today. There is no response, only stiffness. The king tries the hot breath behind her ears trick but again, nothing. The soft caress of his fingers sliding down the middle of her back is met with a question, "Who is that girl?" The king plays dumb, "What girl?" He knows well she is referring to Aamini but is not ready to go down that road with the queen just yet. She insists, "The pretty girl about your daughter's age that is feeding the bitatawas in the garden. I have never seen her before. She reminds me of Ruscotelep. Is she a new student?"
The king turns away and heads towards the bed, "Do you remember the story I told you about how my sister went into the forest and we never saw her again?" The queen looks at him, "That happened a long time ago; there is no way that is your sister. What are you hiding from me?" The king seems nervous, "She is not my sister. She is my sister's daughter. Her name is Aamini. My sister showed up here not so long ago and dropped her off. I have been teaching her the ways of our ancestors and she is the best student in the school. Watching her practice made me miss our daughter. That is why I want to start teaching Ruscotelep. I think the two of them would become great friends and she already knows about Aamini's powers and can’t wait to meet her cousin." The queen looks out the window at the girl again, "They do look alike, don’t they? I know you want to spend time with your daughter and she asks me every day when will she be able to spend time with you. I feel guilty about keeping the two of you apart but, I just don’t know if bringing her here is going to be safe for everybody. You don’t understand. Her powers are quite strong. At her age I didn’t have half the energy behind my fire as she does. Her magic, not unlike mine, is based on her feelings and a young female's feelings are not that easy to control." The king rises from the bed completely surprised with the queen's openness to discuss the matter. In the past, every time he brought it up she would just ignore his request, but she seems eager now. He walks to the window and again embraces her, "I promise you that I will do my best to show her how to control herself. The discipline that comes along with the ways of my people is the key in helping her control her energy. At least let her meet her cousin and see how the two of them get along."
The queen calls for Aamini through the window and waves. The young girl has only heard the legend of the fire queen. When she was a child, her mother used to tell her stories about her famous uncle that captured the queen's heart and promised her that one day the two of them would meet. She always hoped for this moment to be a little different though. She wishes her mother would be by her side. She also knows not to look directly at the queen's eyes or she will die. The queen commands her bodyguards to bring the child up to their room. The king ties a loincloth around his waist then he reaches for the royal robe and drapes it over her shoulders. The next thing they hear is the rumble of battle in the courtyard. They both rush to the window to find out what is going on and laugh at what they find. The two soldiers flank the young girl while trying to capture her but she is spinning mid air right above their heads unbeknownst to them, smacking them with her staff and calling out for the garden lizards to come to her aid. The bitatawas surround the soldiers and bare their teeth. The king and queen are both dumbfounded. Until now, the king thought of her as a warrior. Her mother was a warrior, his entire family are warriors. There was no innate energy in their ancestry to expect any of them to become a magic dealer. Her father must come from a different lineage. Her mother did not mention anything about Aamini's father and because she took to the martial arts so quickly, the king assumed she could only be a warrior. There have been other warriors with magical abilities in the past but druids are peace seekers, protectors and healers, everything a warrior is not. How is this possible? If Aamini is able to summon the forest's creatures to come to her aid, she could become almost invincible.
The king calls for her to stop the lizards. She dismisses them but keeps her distance from the soldiers. He jumps out the window onto the tiled roof over the terrace below and walks towards her. Aamini yells out, "Watch out uncle, they are trying to capture us!" He tries to calm her down, "They are our friends Aamini. They are the queen's bodyguards. She sent them to bring you to her side. They are not trying to harm you." She hesitates, "I am so sorry uncle, they just look like the ones that tried to kill my mother when I was little. They wear the same armor." The king jumps off the roof and lands between the soldiers and Aamini, "That cant be sweetheart, only the queen's guard wears that armor. It is especially made by the black dwarves and each armor suit is accounted for. You must be mistaken. It is not a big deal though. Let us go find the queen; she is anxious to meet you." He grabs her hand as they walk past the guards and head upstairs. On the way he asks, "How much do you know about your father's side of the family?" She stops on her tracks, "Nothing! Mom never speaks of them. I do not think she ever met any of them. After father left us, she decided to never mention him again. The few times that I asked she told me he was killed in battle but I have memories of the big fight they had the day he left. He used his magic against mother and she almost killed him with one of her swords. That night one of his friends came looking for him and they left together. He never came back. The very next day is when the soldiers came looking for him and tried to capture mom and I. We escaped into the forest and hid with the others in some of the caverns there until the black dwarves broke through with their mining. After that, we lived from the forest until mother could not do it anymore and brought me here. She went back to join the others." The king grabs her hand once again and they continue walking towards the queen's room. He knows this is a sore subject and decides not to probe any further for now to avoid make Aamini more nervous.
They enter the room where the queen is quite comfortably laid back in the middle of the bed while still sucking on the mangga. Her beautiful face is covered in mangga juice and the once pristine royal robe the king placed on her shoulders earlier is stained with the fruit's nectar. It’s quite a sight to witness. Aamini stands behind the king, fearful that laying her eyes anywhere on the queen's body would render her a pile of ashes while the king tries to not laugh at the spectacle that lies before him. He tries to move out of the way for the queen to get a good look at Aamini but no matter what direction he moves to, Aamini quickly follows. The queen tries to appease her, "It is ok Aamini. You do not have to worry. Today is a good day for us to meet. You can look at me; I promise you will not be harmed." Aamini peeks around the king's body but still staring at the floor. The queen rises from the bed and walks towards the window, "I understand your fear. I would not look at me either if I were you. Your uncle tells me you are a great warrior." Aamini starts to get more comfortable with it all and moves out of her uncle's shadow, "I am trying to become one my queen. I want to serve you well one day but there is still much more to learn. The king is a great teacher. I look forward to learning much more from him." The king catches Aamini staring at the fruit basket and throws a mangga at her. She quickly sinks her teeth into it. The queen smiles, "I couldn’t help it but to watch those lizards come to your aid Aamini. Does that happen often?" Aamini, still not looking at her, nods while sucking on the mangga. The king knows not to spook her now. She is opening up to them all on her own. He sits on a chair in front of the young elf and looks her in the eyes, "When did you first learn to call on the creatures of the forest to aid you in battle?"
Aamini senses a little hostility and clams up. The queen intercedes, "Don’t mind him. You didn’t do anything wrong Aamini. We just have never seen a warrior with druid skills before. That makes you very special. In fact, it makes you unique. How do you do it?" Aamini takes quick glances at the queen's face as if testing its lethality, "It just happens! Father used to call on the forest's creatures to follow him but they never attacked anyone. They would protect mother and me in his absence but never attacked anybody on command. One day, after father abandoned us and mother and I moved into the caverns, I wanted to play with the other children. Mother always said I was too small to play with the others but that day she gave in. I quickly joined the rest of them and we headed out into a clearing near the entrance to the caves. At first, they were very kind to me and welcomed me with open arms, but soon the games got a little too rough for me to handle and I was afraid to get hurt. I was being chased by one of the older boys and found myself trapped and scared. I know now that it was just a game and nothing was really going to happen to me but back then I was just a small elf at the mercy of strangers. Something happened inside me that made me close my eyes and think of the forest. The next thing I knew, the older boy was running away screaming and calling me a crossbreed. I heard a grunt behind me and when I looked, there were a few wolves standing there. I did not fear them. They meant me no harm. They followed me home and made sure I was safe. After that, nobody wanted to play with me anymore and mother's life got a lot worse." The queen does not know what to say. The king wipes a tear from his cheek. Aamini runs to his side, "I am so sorry uncle. I told mother to tell you but she thought it would be best if I kept it hidden. I know crossbreeds are impure and will leave if you want me to." The king wraps his arms around her, "You are not impure Aamini. You are unique, just like the queen said. And I promise to never make you feel any less. My tears are not from shame but regret that you and your mother had to suffer such humiliation. We need to find a druid willing to help train your magical abilities though. I know the way around a sword but unless you want to kill a lot of trees, someone else should help us with it."
The queen places her hand on Aamini's shoulder, "I know the right druid for the job. Do not worry. You are going to be one hell of an asset in the fight against the dark creatures that continue to invade our shores. I pity those who will dare cross paths with the likes of you and Ruscotelep." The king quickly stands up, "So you are ok with her coming here? When can we start?" He runs to her and hugs her tightly. She tells Aamini, "Can you tell the soldiers to fix the doors in the pool room? We are going to need them tonight." Aamini climbs onto the window's ledge and jumps out yelling, "Hey you two! The boss lady says to get working on the doors."
The king feels the room getting warmer and reaches for his book of tricks. He knows the queen is in the mood for some fun. She heads towards the pool room with the king following not too far behind, frantically browsing through his little book in search of something that will impress his queen. The heat in her wake is very strong, a sign that her needs are growing. By the time they make it to the pool room, her bodyguards are barely finished putting the big heavy wooden doors back on their hinges. The king tosses his book aside right before entering the room and the doors are shut right behind him. The stained royal robe goes up in flames while still on her body and the queen wastes no time jumping head first into the pool. The king stands at one end, admiring her glowing curves as they glide under the surface of the magic potion. The steam that rises from the pool fills the room with the aroma of the sampaguita flowers that are still tangled in her hair. The king waits for her to surface at the other end of the pool before he drops his loincloth and slowly enters the water. The grin on her face is a welcomed sign of approval. He is careful not to spend too much time staring into her eyes but can’t avoid them altogether, they are just too damn beautiful to ignore. It is a game they play. A very dangerous game where he is fully aware of the risk he is taking but pushes his limits in a futile exercise he hopes one day will make him immune to her curse. She is also very much aware of what is at stake, but still indulges his whim perhaps in hopes that one day he will be successful in rendering her harmless against him. The magic potion keeps them both cool enough for him to be able to grab her waist and bring her close to him. His focus changes from her now fire laden eyes to her red swollen lips that beg for a gentle bite before devouring them. Her skin continuously exudes an oily substance that tastes like the most intoxicating mountain berries the black dwarves use to make their ale with. The king spends a good amount of time lapping up at her skin and getting lost in the deliciousness of her flavor before grabbing the hair on the back of her head.
The queen decides to put up a bit of a fight just to see how committed to it the king really is. His response gives her the answer she hoped for. He yanks her hair with one hand, pulling her head back and with the other turns her around to hold her in place before roughly running his tongue across the nape of her neck. He stops where it meets her shoulder and whispers in her ear, "No matter what you feel or hear going on behind you, do not turn around." She tries to turn but he holds her in place and scorns her; "Ruscomalda, I told you not to move." Her eyes widen after hearing her name. He has never used her given name before. Even though she could take him out with one single stroke, the queen decides to play along and see where he is going with it. The king gently moves her long hair out of the way over one shoulder and blows cold air down the middle of her back before quickly licking his way back up to her neck. Between licks and blows, he follows the curves of her body with the tips of his fingers, eliciting tender groans from deep within the queen's body. Every once in a while he scratches the surface of her skin to make it a little more sensitive, a move she seems to enjoy very much. The king stops everything and steps out of the pool, leaving her completely alone in the middle of it wondering why he decided to stop. She can hear him breathe but misses his touch. He doesn’t say a word and just stands on the stone floor admiring his wife. After a while, a battle of sorts ensues. The queen wants to turn around and find out what is going on. She wants to tell her husband to get on with it. She wants to order him to get back in the pool and make love to her. She wants to demand he pleases her at once. She wants to do it all and control it all but the temptation of letting it all go is too great. The king knows his way around her body. He even knows his way inside her head. Many a time has he proven to be a worthy adversary in the games they play. Today is not any different. He just gave her the most pleasurable and exciting night of her life. She has to control nothing and just surrender to his will. If he wants her to stand naked in the middle of the pool and just wait for him, then that is just what she is going to have to do.
After what feels like an eternity, the king decides that she is ready. The queen has been patiently waiting for her lover to engage her once again and just as she is about to turn around and melt in his embrace she realizes something is very different. Her heart is not pounding as before. The worries she brought with her into the pool room are all but gone. She suddenly finds herself at peace. Peace! A new experience for her. She went from wanting to grab the king by the neck and ride his ass until his body could not take it any longer to a place in her head she has never visited before. A place of harmony and tranquility. There is no constant looking around to make sure she is safe, no listening to her surroundings for strange unfamiliar noises, no need to have a weapon within arm's length and most important of all, no hurry to finish what she is doing right now. She finds there is time to really enjoy his touch. The king takes a step into the water, breaking the mirror like surface and sending waves rippling across the length of the pool. The queen stares at his every muscle in awe of his prowess. He takes another step. She can't pry her eyes away. He continues to advance towards her until the water is up to his waist then stops. At first she doesn’t know what to do but soon realizes he wants her to meet him half way. The queen never meets anyone halfway but her desire is too strong. She hesitantly takes a step towards him and extends her hand, expecting him to continue walking towards her but he crosses his arms over his chest and flexes his muscles. His defiance would normally make her call for her bodyguards to remove him from her presence but not now. Now all she wants to do is run her tongue along the tautness of his torso, hair and all.
Varnanároello is enjoying the control he has over the queen, and short lived as it may be, he starts to fantasize about what it would be like to reign by her side. He is soon brought back to reality by her touch as she slides the tip of her tongue upwards from his navel to the side of his neck and bites him hard. He opens his arms and wraps them around her waist as they both lose their footing and tumble into the water. He holds her tight as they kiss under the surface. The temperature of the water starts to rise but the magic potions take effect and keep it under control. They frolic like young lovers for a while until a knock on the wooden doors breaks their trance. This is new. The bodyguards risk their lives by interrupting the queen at moments like these. The king barely escapes her wrath as she jumps out of the water and marches towards the doors, "Who dares knock on those doors?" From behind them, the voice of a scared servant, "The school is under attack your majesty. Aamini and your bodyguards are fighting but there are many more creatures on the way. We need help out here!" The king drags his ass out of the water, the queen summons her sword from the pile of metal in the corner of the room and they step out buck naked. The servant steps aside as the doors burst open and the royal duo runs out. The king heads to his room to grab his staff while the queen jumps out of a window and lands in the middle of the fray, immediately beheading one of the creatures with her sword. Her bodyguards are fighting back to back, using each other's body for leverage and protection and leaving a river of spilled blood in their wake as they plow through the dark creatures' flanks. Aamini is not doing too bad either, she has a nice rhythm going with her sword and those lizards of hers are tearing into the dark creatures without pity. The queen starts fighting her way towards Aamini and when she gets close, a familiar figure steps out of the shadows. It's the same elf she dismissed into the mountains for sneaking into Ruscotelep's room. She can recognize her daughter's work anywhere. His face is covered in scars but he seems quite adept with his staff. He has a very familiar fighting style. In fact, he has the same moves as the king. And he has backup. Those red wolves he was put in charge of protecting are following his commands and tearing into the dark creatures with the strength of wild beasts. He is verbally telling them what to do and they listen. Not like Aamini's lizards and her druid magic. The lizards are not told who to attack; they just go for it on their own since their main purpose is to come to the druid's aid and protection.
The king gathered his servants, every single one of which has been trained in the martial arts one way or another. They follow his lead armed to the teeth with everything from the most exquisite of antique weaponry to freshly gathered sticks and stones. It is quite an intimidating sight to watch though. They are loud, crude, strong and without mercy. Even the younger elves play a part in defending the school. The king gives orders with the precision and acumen of a true leader which they quickly follow through on. The dark creatures have no mind of their own and start dropping in droves. It is as if they are being guided by magic. Some of them continue to fight even after death. Only slicing their heads off seems to keep them from getting back up. Aamini is covered in blood from head to toe and so is her scarred friend. Their animals have joined forces now and are making some headway. The queen, always true to her nature, is completely immersed in the throws of battle, tearing into the creatures with a huge grin on her face. Her eyes are lit up like fire torches and the smell of burned flesh left in her path is enough to make anyone gag, but not her. She thrives in it. Every crease in her body is slathered in blood. Soon, she is smack in the middle of the school's arena, beheading the creatures by the dozen, and taunting the rest to get closer. The king can’t do anything but smile at the sight of his beloved. A most beautiful sight he has never seen. She never ceases to remind him why he has fallen so hard for her.
Aamini yells at her uncle while pointing to the top of one of the school's buildings. There; a dark figure in a black robe, holding a crystal staff on one hand, seems to command the creatures below with the other. He calls the rangers to action but their arrows are deflected by a protective spell. Only a close combat battle could put an end to his magic. The king fights his way to the queen, "We have a necromancer paying us a visit. Do you want to do the honors?" She quickly turns her head to the dark magic dealer, "I want his head!" With that, she effortlessly jumps to the balcony above her head and uses the wall stones to climb onto the roof. She has a thing for dark magic casters. It was dark magic that was used against her ancestors and made her who she is so every chance she gets for payback, she takes it. The necromancer is not alone though. His pets rise to his aid and try to keep the queen from killing the bastard but they soon fall under her blade. The necro summons them once again and they once again fall on the roof. He casts a fire ball spell against her. She laughs out loud and yells, "He must be new at this! The bastard tried to kill me with a fire ball." Then she quickly steps forth and sinks her blade into his chest. The blade spreads open behind him and she pulls him close, "I am Ruscomalda, Queen of the Fugans. Who sent you?" The necromancer lifts his gaze but she realizes there will be no answer to be had. His mouth has been sewn shut. Only an enchanter or another necromancer would be able to communicate with him and since there are none of those nearby, the queen has no choice but to finish him off. Using one foot for leverage, she pushes against him and pulls on her spread open sword to slice right through him until his limp body falls just like his pets before him. She gets a hold of his hair and with one swift swipe slices through his neck, and then lifts her arm victoriously to show her subjects the necromancer's fate. The remaining dark creatures drop in unison. The fugans lift their weapons and cheer at their queen. Aamini walks next to her uncle and chants a rain spell that washes over them.
After a quick recount, the wounded are taken into the school's main hall for treatment and the others regroup in the middle of the arena to collect the dead creatures and throw them into a fire. The queen and the king head into their bedroom, leaving Aamini and Berot, the scarred one, in charge of the cleanup. Once inside, the queen speaks, "Has this ever happened before?" The king puts his staff away, "No. There are rumors of similar attacks happening in the coastal villages but nothing this deep into the forest. I don’t think they really know what they are doing. If that necromancer threw a fire ball at you, then he had no idea who he was fighting. I do not think they, whoever they are, are attacking us with a particular purpose. I think they are just following someone's orders to kill everyone and everything in sight." The queen looks out the window into the fire pit, "Some of those creatures were our own people. There was no life in their eyes but I recognized some of them. We can’t let that happen any more. We have to stop the necromancers. I have to leave tonight. I must head to the palace and prepare for battle. How quickly can you train Ruscotelep?" The king tries to hide his excitement, "With Aamini's help, she will be ready for battle in no time. When will she arrive?" The queen looks at him, "You have to remember what I told you. She is stubborn and uncompromising. You need to be strong with her. If she thinks that you are weak, she will lose all respect and challenge you every step of the way. Remind her you are her father and the King of Fuga. We need to make sure she is ready. It is almost time to fulfill her destiny." The king wraps his arms around the queen's waist, "I know my love. It will not be easy for me either but we know she was born to save the world and as you can tell by those creatures, we do not have much time left." The queen summons her bodyguards and they hastily leave the school. The king, as he has always done, sends his best students to follow the caravan and make sure she arrives at the palace safe and sound.
Now that Aamini's secret is out, she is free to use her magic as she pleases and like every great druid before her, she throws her power into healing the wounded. Being so nubile at her craft, her energy reserves are not very impressive yet but she doesn’t let that stop her from doing her best. Along with her magic healing powers she also uses the herbs shown to her by the priests of her village and the bandaging tricks her mother taught her. The wounded servants and fellow students are very grateful for her skills and the king couldn’t be any prouder. They spend the rest of the night making sure everyone will survive and just as daylight starts to shine on the morning sky, the students that went to escort the queen return with news. The princess is already on the way here with a huge caravan of soldiers and bodyguards to be stationed at the school and its surroundings for the duration of her stay. The king didn’t expect any less, especially after last night's events. He rushes to the gate to await his daughter's arrival; today is the day he never thought would ever come. Aamini stays behind to let the king have his moment; she doesn’t want to get in the way of their reunion. There will be plenty of time for the two cousins to get to know each other. News has spread of the princess' arrival prompting those who escaped unscathed from last night's battle, to don their best clothes and hope to catch a glimpse of her majesty on her first day at the school. Berot, still infatuated with the princess and apparently not having learned his lesson the first time around, positions himself in a spot throughout the main house where he is sure to bump into the princess as she heads into her recently redecorated bedroom above the main hall.
The smell of charred dark creatures permeates the entire school and its surroundings. It is not a pleasant one and Aamini is not going to let that be the first thing the princess takes a whiff from on the way to her new home. She remembers a tome in the king's library that described how a druid communes with the elements and becomes one with them. In it, there is a spell that makes the wind blow, just what is needed right now to blast the pestilence away. She runs into the library and after finding the tome, starts chanting the spell. At first nothing happens and she thinks herself a failure but not being one to easily give up on anything, she scrawls the spell on a piece of parchment and climbs onto the highest tower in the school to read it out loud once more. The view from up there is breathtaking. There are trees as far as the eye can see and not a sign of the princess or her caravan in the horizon yet. That gives her plenty of time to summon the wind and bring fresh air into the school. She starts chanting her spell and after a few tries and different pronunciations of the words in it, the wind picks up. At first, a light breeze blows through the tops of the trees around the school, making them sway back and forth. She smiles and closes her eyes to let the breeze caress her face but something strange happens. The wind picks up and she feels as if her body was rising above the tower. She is startled and opens her eyes just in time to grab onto the very tip of the tower's pointed roof. Her body floats as the wind blows. She stops chanting the wind spell but it doesn’t relent. Panic sets in. If she lets go of the tower, who knows where the wind will take her. If she doesn’t figure out a way to stop the wind, not only will the princess never trust her by her side, the king is going to be one pissed off uncle.
She tries slowly repeating the words in the spell hoping the speed of her speech has something to do with the strength of her enchantment. That only makes the wind blow harder. Just as she is about to repeat the spell in a desperate attempt to stop it all, she remembers. There was another spell in the book right after the one she used that made the previous spell stop. She is really going to get it now. She might as well let go of her grip and take what is coming to her. And so she does, but as soon as her hands leave the pointed roof, instead of feeling her body falling to her death, she just floats there. The wind is not blowing anymore and she is just hovering above the tallest tower in the school trying to come up with an excuse for her uncle. Maybe one of those dark creatures got into her head and made her do something so stupid. Elves could have gotten hurt because of her stupidity. What if she would have dropped on someone's head instead of hitting the ground? That elf could die along with her. That wouldn’t be fair. Anyways, she is still hovering up there afraid to open her eyes when a voice she doesn’t recognize speaks, "You have got to be Aamini! Fancy meeting you here like this. I guess you and I have a lot more in common than I expected. You can open your eyes now, don't worry, I wont let you fall." Aamini opens her eyes and looks around but there is nobody there. The voice speaks, "Sorry about that! I keep forgetting to take off this invisibility spell. It's nice to meet you. You are very pretty!" Aamini turns around and right behind her, a huge rat hovers mid air. This thing has got to be the biggest rat in the whole island. She cautiously backs up but the rat hovers forward, "My name is Calien. I was sent by her majesty Queen Ruscomalda to assist with your training. I hope that my appearance is not going to be a problem. I could shift into something more pleasant to your eyes but then I would not be myself, and the one thing that I strive to always achieve is to present my true self first no matter what. Are you going to be ok?"
Aamini shakes her head, "I will be just fine. You just took me by surprise, that's all. I could use all the help you can give. Look at the mess I made. Someone could have gotten hurt because of my ignorance. How did you make the wind stop anyways?" Calien produces the parchment in which Aamini scribbled the spell in, "You almost had it. You have to trust your instincts. The writing of the spells is only there for non druids to learn about druid stuff. The magic that lies within you is ancient and pure. Everything you need to learn is already in your head. We just have to teach you how to get to it. The queen told me your father was the druid in the family and it is only recently that you have discovered your abilities, is that true?" Aamini notices that they are both slowly floating down, "It is. Mother did not want me to use magic. She came from a warrior family and after living with my father, she thought magic was the cause of all their problems. They also thought I was too young to understand when they fought in front of me but I know that every single argument they had was because of his use of magic and his aspirations within the druids' guild. Being married to a warrior was not well looked upon within the purists of his guild. Father thought his family was holding him back. The night I was to be born, he decided to go out to one of the guild's meetings instead of staying home with mother. I was born while he was gone and mother had to fend for herself. She was mad at him and made sure that before I came into my powers they would be bound. During another of my father's outings, mother took me into the dark side of the mountains to a witch that bound the magic within me. When I came of age and a decision had to be made about my future, father cast a spell to seek the seed of my energy but there was none to be found. Since mother comes from pure warrior stock, he didn’t even think twice about letting her raise me the warrior way. He threw himself into his work and slowly removed himself from the family. I think he thought that having a druid offspring would cement his status as a pure druid within the guild but when that dream was taken, he had to come up with another way to impress the elders. Mother would spend all of her time teaching me the warrior ways and making sure I knew how to protect myself while father stayed locked in his library practicing ancient spells and trying to come up with some new ones. One night, he brought home a tall dark stranger. He told mother that it was a friend visiting from a far away land but mother was very suspicious. He looked very much like the necromancer Queen Ruscomalda killed last night. He is the one that I hold responsible for the demise of my family. After he came into our lives, father would not spend any time with us. It was all about going away with his friend and hiding in his library. Once he was out of the picture, mother felt guilty for binding my powers and again took me to the witches to remove their encantation."
Calien points at her feet, "We made it. You are safe now and I bet you feel a lot better after telling me all that. Am I right?" Aamini digs her feet into the dirt below them just to make sure she is not dreaming, "Yeah! How did you get me to tell you all that? I haven’t told anyone. Not even my uncle." The rat turns and starts walking "It's because I am just too damn sexy to resist." Then he turns around while standing on the tip of his toes and takes a spin or two, giving Aamini the full experience of his physique. And quite a physique it is. The rat has luxurious long straight hair all over his body, very skinny arms and a huge gut that hangs over what could be legs that remain hidden from view. As he moves, the very lose skin that covers his body sways back and forth. The hair that covers his skin reflects the light around him in three different shades. Most of it is the color of the clouds in the sky. Around his head, a thick ring the color of dirt goes up into a strange pointed form at its top and around the back, a patch of golden fur stirs in perpetual motion even when he stops. Calien summons a small cone of spinning air that moves around the center of the school, sweeping dead leaves and making them disappear. As simple as it looks, it is quite a display of power. He is not even looking at the cone. Instead, he continues to walk around exploring the school with Aamini in tow while trying to keep up, "How are you doing that? Are you going to show me how?" Calien finds what he thinks is an empty room, "This will do. You and I are going to spend a lot of time in here. The windows are big enough to let the elements in while still keeping them out when we want. This is going to be our classroom for now on. Plus, you will be able to look into the arena." Aamini walks in and looks out the window, "It is perfect. I would really enjoy it too but we have one little problem. This is the king's bedroom. There is no way he is going to let us kick him out of his own room." Calien walks up to the window, "You let me worry about that. The king and I go way back. He can't say no to me. Now, run along and get the druid tomes from the library and bring them here. We have to start right away."
The king paces back and forth near the gate. The soldiers that normally guard the school are just as nervous but stand behind their king in support. The yeller at the top of the school announces, "They just reached the last bend!" He refers to the last bend on the road before the long straight path that leads up to the mountain top where the school rests. It should be any moment now and the king can hardly wait. He calls for his horse and takes off to meet the caravan. His guards scramble to find their own horses before chasing the king down the mountain. He has never done this before. He knows to wait for his guards in case something crawls out of the forest to attack him. About half way down the path he notices the dust lifted by Ruscotelep's caravan is high on the sky and way above the trees that line the road. That is a sign of high speed travel. Also a sign that they might be running away from something! The king reaches for his staff and speeds up worried the princess might be in danger. His guards notice his increase in speed and spur their horses to catch up. The caravan's lead scout reaches the king first, "Turn around your majesty; you can’t battle that dragon alone. We need the protection of the school." The king knows it’s useless to even entertain the idea of going at it with a dragon on a whim. Assured the caravan is still safe, he turns and gallops past his own very confused guards towards the school. He rides his mount inside the gates and screams for all to hear, "Dragon! Secure the school. There is a dragon on the way!"
Calien hears the call to arms and jumps out the window landing in front of the king, "Do not hurt the dragon!" The king is confused, "What are you doing here Calien? What do you mean do not hurt the dragon? It is chasing Ruscotelep and I am going to mount its head on my bedroom wall." Calien runs towards the gate, "He is not chasing her you idiot. He is making sure she gets here safe. What makes you think he would attack her? He saved your life and this is how you repay him?" The king dismounts, "What? You mean that's Crawlpaw chasing her?" Calien corrects him, "Following, not chasing, and yes, the one and only, your old friend Crawlpaw. The same dragon that taught you everything you know. When I told him what was happening he volunteered to follow the caravan. Now, call off your guards or I will." The king runs to the gate, "Do not attack the dragon! Do not attack the dragon!" But by now it is too late. The rangers already let their arrows fly. Vanyaómariel yells out, "Nooooo!" But there is nothing he can do to stop the attack. Calien, on the other hand, is not as helpless. He produces a diamond short staff out of mid air and aims it at the arrows. A bolt of light comes out of nowhere that turns every single arrow into ash that rains over the caravan as it rushes inside the school. The royal guards quickly dismount and assume a battle stance in front of the school. Calien confronts them, "What do you think you are doing? Get your asses inside at once!" The lead scout steps forth, "The dragon attacked the caravan. We have to protect the princess." The king asks, "Are you sure he attacked you?" Then, from inside the dust cloud left behind that is starting to clear, a voice thunders, "I did not attack them. I sneezed and might have spooked a horse or two but I did not attack them. I have to tell you Vanyaómariel, I don’t know where your wife found this bunch but what a group of pussies you have protecting your daughter. One little dragon sneeze and they took off running instead of standing their ground. What an embarrassment it must be for you." One of the soldiers steps forth, "A little sneeze my ass! The princess' carriage was engulfed in flames and we lost an entire regiment to the inferno. I consider that an attack."
Calien announces, "Do you mean that regiment slowly creeping up the road heading this way? They do not seem too burned to me."
One evening after a night of drinking and debauchery with his friends, a servant's son that could not contain his curiosity any longer, decided to sneak into the princess' quarters to take a peek at her legendary beauty. He managed to avoid detection throughout the maze of passageways under the palace. When he made it into the royal family's living quarters, used his knowledge of the grounds and pretended to be one of the servants to move around freely. The princess has her own tower in the palace with a bedroom is at it’s very top. Only one soldier guards the entrance to her tower and he is usually trying to gain favor with the pretty young maids, which means that the princess' door remained unguarded most of the time. That was never a problem since the royal family is so well liked; nobody would dare bring harm to any of them, at least not until that day. The intruder gained access to the tower and ran up the spiral staircase without worry. A pair of heavy fabric crimson curtains hung at her doorway as the only safeguard between her and the outside world. She never bothered with anything else since her mere presence would cause everyone around to duck or jump out of the way in fear of making eye contact. As a child, she thought it a fun afternoon to just walk around the palace and watch the servants scatter while trying to avoid being in her presence. The prowler stood behind said curtains for a few moments debating whether to go inside the room or just call the whole thing off. He knew there would be consequences to his actions; serious consequences, but he had heard so many stories about how beautiful the princess is and of her lonely existence, he thought that somehow she would be grateful for his impertinence. Standing there, in front of those heavy curtains, listening to the princess' footsteps inside the room, thinking he would be her savior, he mustered up enough courage to step inside the room. One step he should have never taken. One step that would change his and his family's life forever. The princess was indeed as beautiful as he expected if not more so, but he knew not to look into her eyes and fall prey to her curse. Every subject in the entire realm is fully aware of how to avoid the consequences. It is part of their education. If you are born in Fuga, you are taught many times over how to avoid the curse. He should have known better anyways, but no. Not him. He had to let his eyes linger a little too long. He fell victim to her beauty. She felt no fear in his presence; instead, she smiled back at him. A glorious, magnificent, glowing smile! A smile that made his knees weak and he had to reach for the back of a chair in her room to stop from falling. An image nobody else in the kingdom can say they survived long enough to remember. An image that almost cost him his life. Immediately after making eye contact with Ruscotelep, the intruder felt the heat of her curse. A slow burn that starts at one's feet and goes up from there. Slowly enveloping one's entire body in a soft glow that gets hotter the longer one looks into her eyes. By the time it reaches one's chest there is no going back. Flames engulfed his body slowly. The surface of his skin was set ablaze without the pain that would normally accompany such event, at least for the first few moments. But the pain eventually made it's debut and it was unbearable. Most people succumb to the fire and do not have the presence of mind to do something about it. He ran away screaming, arms flailing and the first escape route he found was the window; one way up in the tower with a fall that not many could survive. He did, only because of the very auspiciously placed water fountain at the foot of her tower. He lived to tell the tale but has the scars all over his body as a testament of his insolence. The queen was filled with rage but rather than unleashing her wrath onto the culprit's family, placed Ruscotelep under constant guard, thus condemning her to a life without any social conditioning. The servant and his entire family were sent to work at the warriors' school in the mountains where his impetuous son was put in charge of keeping the red wolves behind the school safe from the killer goats that live in the nearby forest. Ruscotelep would spend many a day staring out of her newly iron barred window, into the market not far from the palace, watching the young elves play with the reckless abandon young elves are known for and wishing she too could chase the others without fear of harming them. But it was not to be. She had to learn how to control her powers before her mother would even consider allowing her to even meet her own father. The queen was the only one who could be in the same room and not succumb to her curse. The two of them became very close although there is a secret resentment on Ruscotelep's part that has gown with her.
Her father was never allowed to be in her presence because of what could happen to him if she got too close. He did survive her mother's onslaught but she did not want to risk it and banished him from the palace. The queen made many trips into the mountains to visit him though, sans Ruscotelep of course. In her absence, the king spent most of his time instructing other warriors in the ancient arts of battle in a remote mountain in the middle of the Fugan Forest. One afternoon, a young girl was brought to his school by a very poor widow who could not afford to feed her anymore. She asked to speak with the king by his given name, Varnanároello. The guards at the gate, knowing that very few elves were privy of that name, rushed to interrupt the class he was teaching and informed him of her arrival. Once he laid eyes on her, the king was shocked by her appearance. The adult female was frail and undernourished; her clothes were ragged and dirty and the child fared not much better. It wasn’t until the king looked into her eyes that he recognized who she was. It was his own sister. Her name used to be Hercourin and she was not much older than her daughter is now when she disappeared. Her entire family was consumed with trying to find her but there was no trace of her in the forest. Their mother was laid to rest in her burial jar lamenting not having found her lost child but not without hope. After a very tearful embrace and a short conversation that produced no answers, Ruscotelep's father promise to protect his niece as if she was his own daughter and bid her mother farewell, not knowing if their paths would cross ever again. Hercourin turned away from them and walked back into the dark fugan forest, disappearing once again. The young girl soon learned her way around the school and proved to have the stamina of a work horse. She would spend an entire day practicing with the other students and after saying goodbye to the last of them retired for the evening, she would go back to the training grounds for another round of practice before departing to her own room where she would then read from the ancient tomes until her eyes could no longer take it. One particularly clear night, having the entire training arena to herself, she stood in between the two buildings, closed her eyes and practiced her moves with complete freedom, knowing there was no one there to get in her way. The king heard what he thought were the sounds of the “night wolf wind”, a move only he knew how to perform, or so he thought. He peeked through the window in his room to find his niece, eyes closed, staff in hand, spinning mid air, completely oblivious of her own skills. He came up with a plan; one that could reunite him with his daughter and free her from the golden prison that is her mother's palace. As long as she kept her eyes closed, and with the guidance of her cousin, she could join in the training, giving the king a chance to get to know his own daughter and maybe offer her a small resemblance of a normal life.
He knew that convincing her mother to let him teach Ruscotelep was not going to be an easy task so he had to wait for the right moment. He also had to explain to Aamini, the young prodigy, about the princess' abilities and the consequences of being exposed to the curse. Aamini was excited to meet the princess and she just knew they were going to become fast friends. The time came for the queen's visit and preparations were made. The stone pools were filled with the magic potions. Fresh fruit was delivered, enough to fill several rooms at the school. The queen likes to snack in between romps. The king summoned his most trusted servant and asked for Aamini to be taken into his quarters to be kept safe until the queen's return home. Night fell and the iron gates' chains rang, signaling the arrival of his beloved. His stomach turned into knots with the expectation of being reunited with the love of his life. He stripped naked and jumped into the stone pool to anxiously wait for her grand entrance. There is always that one moment where the doors to the pool room will open and he can sneak a glance at her beauty in full glory before it becomes too unbearable and he has to shut his eyes if he is to keep them.
The queen always comes prepared for a couple of days of love making. Her ever present escort of black dwarves quickly spreads throughout the school and takes over the running of the place. The king's servants do not really enjoy the changes the black dwarves bring but do welcome the time off. The fire within her burns most furiously when the light in the night sky is at its fullest and tonight is that night. Because of the extreme heat emanating from her body, only the finest steel armor can touch her skin without melting on contact. The black dwarves that live in the caves of the island forged a brand new suit especially designed for the queen to wear on this night. It is no ordinary armor suit. It is designed specifically to accentuate the curves in her body and present her most perfectly round attributes on a silvery platter of sorts. Her bodyguards are blinded as children and trained to protect her if need be using their other senses, not that she ever needs them to. It is considered an honor for a family to donate their middle child’s life to the queen's guard. They lead a life fit for nobility and are respected and honored for their sacrifice by everyone in the island. They are also in charge of keeping the doors to the pool room closed shut in case the king tries to make a run for it on nights like these. There are no windows in the pool room; only a pool lined with the finest stone filled with magic potions, a few rugs that surround the water where the fruit is laid out for easy access and a very nervous king. For the next few nights, he will have to keep his eyes shut and concentrate on performing his husbandly duty at its best. The queen will be free to do with him as she pleases and only when her fire is brought back to normal levels will he be allowed to open his eyes and enjoy the vision of perfection that is his wife. The whole thing is very dangerous and could result in a lot of pain for both of them. If he was to lose his focus and for a mere moment open his eyes inside that room while her curse is at its worst, his skin will light up like a necromancer's pyre spell hitting a dried up flower bed and the queen would never forgive herself if anything was to happen to her "one".
The moment finally arrives. The king hears the metal of the bodyguards' boots hitting the stone floor as they approach the door. The mystical glowing fog that precedes her majesty sneaks under the heavy wooden door panels and into the pool room. His heart starts to beat faster. His forehead is soaked with sweat. He reaches for a succulent pinego to quench the dryness in his mouth. The door slowly creaks open. The king catches a glimpse of her supple skin through the slowly widening crack on the doors. She just stands there letting him take it all in. The bodyguards slowly open the doors a little more and the king is now able to see the metal that adorns her curves. He always appreciated the black dwarves' mastery over metal. The room is filled with the glowing fog and she takes one final step inside, before the guards slam the doors shut behind her and the king hears the locks turned. There is no going back now. For either of them! The king has his eyes fully closed and lets his other senses take over. He can hear the unfastening of steel armor soon followed by it slamming on the stone floor. He can feel the rising temperature inside the room warming his exposed skin. He can smell the sweet aroma of the sampaguita crown he so lovingly crafted out of his garden as a present for his beloved. The one flower blessed by the gods to withstand the heat within her. The queen takes a couple of steps forward and slides her right foot into the water. The steam released as the liquid washes over her skin makes a hissing sound very familiar to the king. It’s the sound of life being infused into the magic potions that will soon reach his own skin and through it his heart. The small waves created by her body as she enters the water travel across the surface until they reach his and slowly lap at his skin. They send shivers up his spine and make his skin crawl in anticipation of what is to come. He can tell her proximity by the warmth of the water around him. The hotter the water surrounding his body gets the closer he is to ecstasy like no other. He feels her first touch. The way she caresses the side of his arm with the tips of her fingernails as she lowers her hand right before grabbing his and bringing it to her heaving chest. That’s all the guidance he needs. From that point on, it is him who is in charge.
Without words, they both fall into a trance. One they have engaged in many times before. He possesses her body with the aplomb of a forest giant. She surrenders under his touch with ease. He owns her body as if his life depended on it. She smiles! His insatiable desire to please her is what keeps her coming back over and over again. In their tribe, monogamy is not expected, in fact, it is not even looked upon as an attribute in a relationship. The queens that came before her never had a chance to practice it due to the quick death delivered to their suitors on their first try. Since the discovery of the magic potions that fill the stone pool, the queen has entertained other courters in her own palace but none even came close to giving her what she truly needs. Every single one of them was at her mercy due to the curse and even though they did not lose their lives in the process, they did lack the enthusiasm and gusto so familiar with the king's lovemaking. He has never fallen under her spell and what he gives comes from within. His heart dictates how to approach their love making, not her control over his mind with magic. The boldness of his physical abilities coupled with the roughness of his delivery make the queen squirm at the mere thought of what new tricks has he come up with in her absence.
After a full day of complete immersion in the martial arts beating his students to a pulp and without pity, the king spends his nights studying new techniques in the ancient tomes of pleasure his family has passed on through the generations. When he touches her, it is not just him dealing gratification to her majesty; it is centuries of expertise passed on father to son for eons. Whenever a new move is proven to get the right response in a lover, it is entered into the pleasure tomes and kept safe to be passed onto the next young male to come of age. Only one copy exists for each generation but there are many that get passed around by the males in the family. Once each move has been mastered, then that tome is traded for another and the whole thing starts all over again. Such vast knowledge of the sensual arts serves only one specific purpose. Lover's loyalty! The queen has only experienced one tome so far and she can't wait to see what lies ahead. For tonight, the king has something special in mind. He has to completely wear her ass out if she is to agree to his wish of training their daughter. One of the shamans of his village taught him a nifty little trick that should send the queen into a controlled yet repetitious set of spasmodic orgasms to last the entire night. A move that could prove deadly if not performed to the exact specifications told to him by that old shaman when the king was a young elf a long time ago.
The queen wastes no time wrapping her legs around the king's waist and holds on for dear life. The strength of his embrace keeps both of them secured in the center of the pool but she can tell by the intensity of his breathing that something new and exciting is about to happen. If the past has taught her anything is to relinquish control and truly give herself to the king. He has never failed in putting a smile on her face before. The king makes sure they are both submerged in the magic potions up to their necks before breaking away from her mouth to repeat what the shaman taught him, "Malugod Napakarami". With those two simple words, time inside the pool room slows down and repeats itself over and over again at the king's command. The queen, completely unaware of the shift in time, convulses with great force at the height of her ecstasy and every spasm of her body sends waves of fire traveling outwards under the surface of the water. Her legs squeeze the life out of the king and her embrace empties his lungs as he hangs on for the ride of a lifetime. Just as the queen slows down and the king is able to catch his breath, he repeats, "Malugod Napakarami" and off they go once again into the forbidden annals of magical pleasures. The waves of fire put the cooling properties of the magic potions to the test and push their efficacy to its limit. The king feels the heat building up inside the pool room but the queen is not done yet and he must forge ahead undeterred. With the conviction of the warriors that precede him and the many who died attempting to accomplish what he is about to, he repeats the words one more time, "Malugod Napakarami". This time though, he adds a twist to the session. Instead of repeating the moves that are proven to send the queen's eyes rolling into the back of her head, the king takes a deep breath and brings his mouth to hers engaging the queen into a passionate kiss as they both submerge under the surface of the water where he holds her in a tight embrace, depriving her of fresh air and filling her lungs with his own. That does the trick. They are both engulfed in a blazing sphere of ever expanding fire that quickly explodes, blowing the heavy wooden doors off their hinges and almost killing the blind soldiers standing guard behind them.
The queen rises above the water's surface with barely enough strength to pull herself onto the stone floor where she calls out for her lover. The king lies motionless at the bottom of the pool, unconscious and drowning. She commands the soldiers to rush in and save him. They stumble onto the pool and dive in over and over again until one of them surfaces with the king's body and drags him out. The queen wants to scream in horror thinking she killed him but she can barely breathe. One of the soldiers turns the king over and smacks his back, forcing the water lodged in his lungs to come out as the king tries to catch his breath. His first instinct is to drag his limp body across the slippery wet floor next to the queen to make sure she is not harmed. His eyes are met with a satisfied look on her face and a light in her eyes that he has never seen there before. He knows this is it. This is the time to ask. But he has no strength to get up and run away if she gets mad. The soldiers finally find their whereabouts after bumping into almost every single stone column in the room and pick one up each. That’s the one drawback with having blind bodyguards. They fight with ease and are ferocious warriors but you ask them to find two lumps of limp flesh lying on the floor and they'll take a lifetime to do it.
The soldiers carry the royal lovers to their bedroom above the pool room in their arms. As they pass a narrow hallway, the queen catches a glimpse of daylight through one of the windows and tries to make sense of the timeline. She feels as if they had just entered the pool room but much more time has obviously passed by. As she is laid down onto the king's bed, a basket of fresh fruit is delivered to her side. The king musters up some energy to rise up and open the curtains letting the fresh mountain air in. The queen takes a small bite of a mangga before inquiring, "Dear, what day is it?" He knows she is going to demand an explanation for their lost time and quickly looks out the window to gauge how far down it is in case he would find it necessary to jump out of. She leans back and sighs. A happy sigh. A satisfied sigh. A sigh that brings a smile to the king's face. He turns to face her with renewed confidence, "What does it matter what day it is my love, as long as we are together? I hope you do not regret taking the trip into the mountains last night." He lies next to her and presses his body against her supple skin. She runs her fingers through his hair, "I don’t care what you did or how you did it, but whatever it was you must do more of it. Last night was even better than the first time. I have got to make sure nothing happens to you my lord. I do not think I can spend the rest of my life deprived of your talents." He cups her breast and she brings the mangga to his lips to share its sweetness, "Speaking of talents, I love spending time with the students here and most of them are doing quite well with their training. I was wondering if you have given any thought to allowing Ruscotelep a visit to the school so she can start her battle training."
The queen grabs a handful of his hair and firmly yanks his head back while saying in a very stern voice, "So that's what this whole thing is about. You are trying to get your dirty claws onto my daughter and take her away from me." Fear sets in and he tries to pull away but she won’t let go. The window is really close by yet so far away. He tries to explain, "I am not taking her away from you. She is old enough to start her training and you know that she can't study with just anyone. All I want to do is be her father. Who better to make sure that she is prepared to face her destiny than the one person in this world willing to give his own life for hers?" She lets go of his head and walks up to the open window, "I know your intentions are honorable my king, but what if something goes wrong? How do I face her if something was to happen to you? How will you keep the other students safe? She can control her powers but is still new at it. There are times in which she loses control and things happen. I have a palace full of scorch marks to prove it. She could never recover if you or any of your students were injured because of her." I reach from behind and embrace her body, firmly pressing mine against it, "It is time my love. She is all grown up and must start learning how to protect herself and her kingdom. You have done your part showing her the ways of our people and how to control the ancient magic that runs through her veins, but it is time for me to pass on the knowledge of my ancestors. Plus, I think the discipline of the martial arts will serve her well in controlling her fire."
The queen is silent. The king does not like it when she goes silent. It is never a good thing. Almost defeated he tries a new approach. With his fingers, he moves the long raven tinged hair over her shoulder and kisses the nape of her neck. A basic move that has been received well in the past but not today. There is no response, only stiffness. The king tries the hot breath behind her ears trick but again, nothing. The soft caress of his fingers sliding down the middle of her back is met with a question, "Who is that girl?" The king plays dumb, "What girl?" He knows well she is referring to Aamini but is not ready to go down that road with the queen just yet. She insists, "The pretty girl about your daughter's age that is feeding the bitatawas in the garden. I have never seen her before. She reminds me of Ruscotelep. Is she a new student?"
The king turns away and heads towards the bed, "Do you remember the story I told you about how my sister went into the forest and we never saw her again?" The queen looks at him, "That happened a long time ago; there is no way that is your sister. What are you hiding from me?" The king seems nervous, "She is not my sister. She is my sister's daughter. Her name is Aamini. My sister showed up here not so long ago and dropped her off. I have been teaching her the ways of our ancestors and she is the best student in the school. Watching her practice made me miss our daughter. That is why I want to start teaching Ruscotelep. I think the two of them would become great friends and she already knows about Aamini's powers and can’t wait to meet her cousin." The queen looks out the window at the girl again, "They do look alike, don’t they? I know you want to spend time with your daughter and she asks me every day when will she be able to spend time with you. I feel guilty about keeping the two of you apart but, I just don’t know if bringing her here is going to be safe for everybody. You don’t understand. Her powers are quite strong. At her age I didn’t have half the energy behind my fire as she does. Her magic, not unlike mine, is based on her feelings and a young female's feelings are not that easy to control." The king rises from the bed completely surprised with the queen's openness to discuss the matter. In the past, every time he brought it up she would just ignore his request, but she seems eager now. He walks to the window and again embraces her, "I promise you that I will do my best to show her how to control herself. The discipline that comes along with the ways of my people is the key in helping her control her energy. At least let her meet her cousin and see how the two of them get along."
The queen calls for Aamini through the window and waves. The young girl has only heard the legend of the fire queen. When she was a child, her mother used to tell her stories about her famous uncle that captured the queen's heart and promised her that one day the two of them would meet. She always hoped for this moment to be a little different though. She wishes her mother would be by her side. She also knows not to look directly at the queen's eyes or she will die. The queen commands her bodyguards to bring the child up to their room. The king ties a loincloth around his waist then he reaches for the royal robe and drapes it over her shoulders. The next thing they hear is the rumble of battle in the courtyard. They both rush to the window to find out what is going on and laugh at what they find. The two soldiers flank the young girl while trying to capture her but she is spinning mid air right above their heads unbeknownst to them, smacking them with her staff and calling out for the garden lizards to come to her aid. The bitatawas surround the soldiers and bare their teeth. The king and queen are both dumbfounded. Until now, the king thought of her as a warrior. Her mother was a warrior, his entire family are warriors. There was no innate energy in their ancestry to expect any of them to become a magic dealer. Her father must come from a different lineage. Her mother did not mention anything about Aamini's father and because she took to the martial arts so quickly, the king assumed she could only be a warrior. There have been other warriors with magical abilities in the past but druids are peace seekers, protectors and healers, everything a warrior is not. How is this possible? If Aamini is able to summon the forest's creatures to come to her aid, she could become almost invincible.
The king calls for her to stop the lizards. She dismisses them but keeps her distance from the soldiers. He jumps out the window onto the tiled roof over the terrace below and walks towards her. Aamini yells out, "Watch out uncle, they are trying to capture us!" He tries to calm her down, "They are our friends Aamini. They are the queen's bodyguards. She sent them to bring you to her side. They are not trying to harm you." She hesitates, "I am so sorry uncle, they just look like the ones that tried to kill my mother when I was little. They wear the same armor." The king jumps off the roof and lands between the soldiers and Aamini, "That cant be sweetheart, only the queen's guard wears that armor. It is especially made by the black dwarves and each armor suit is accounted for. You must be mistaken. It is not a big deal though. Let us go find the queen; she is anxious to meet you." He grabs her hand as they walk past the guards and head upstairs. On the way he asks, "How much do you know about your father's side of the family?" She stops on her tracks, "Nothing! Mom never speaks of them. I do not think she ever met any of them. After father left us, she decided to never mention him again. The few times that I asked she told me he was killed in battle but I have memories of the big fight they had the day he left. He used his magic against mother and she almost killed him with one of her swords. That night one of his friends came looking for him and they left together. He never came back. The very next day is when the soldiers came looking for him and tried to capture mom and I. We escaped into the forest and hid with the others in some of the caverns there until the black dwarves broke through with their mining. After that, we lived from the forest until mother could not do it anymore and brought me here. She went back to join the others." The king grabs her hand once again and they continue walking towards the queen's room. He knows this is a sore subject and decides not to probe any further for now to avoid make Aamini more nervous.
They enter the room where the queen is quite comfortably laid back in the middle of the bed while still sucking on the mangga. Her beautiful face is covered in mangga juice and the once pristine royal robe the king placed on her shoulders earlier is stained with the fruit's nectar. It’s quite a sight to witness. Aamini stands behind the king, fearful that laying her eyes anywhere on the queen's body would render her a pile of ashes while the king tries to not laugh at the spectacle that lies before him. He tries to move out of the way for the queen to get a good look at Aamini but no matter what direction he moves to, Aamini quickly follows. The queen tries to appease her, "It is ok Aamini. You do not have to worry. Today is a good day for us to meet. You can look at me; I promise you will not be harmed." Aamini peeks around the king's body but still staring at the floor. The queen rises from the bed and walks towards the window, "I understand your fear. I would not look at me either if I were you. Your uncle tells me you are a great warrior." Aamini starts to get more comfortable with it all and moves out of her uncle's shadow, "I am trying to become one my queen. I want to serve you well one day but there is still much more to learn. The king is a great teacher. I look forward to learning much more from him." The king catches Aamini staring at the fruit basket and throws a mangga at her. She quickly sinks her teeth into it. The queen smiles, "I couldn’t help it but to watch those lizards come to your aid Aamini. Does that happen often?" Aamini, still not looking at her, nods while sucking on the mangga. The king knows not to spook her now. She is opening up to them all on her own. He sits on a chair in front of the young elf and looks her in the eyes, "When did you first learn to call on the creatures of the forest to aid you in battle?"
Aamini senses a little hostility and clams up. The queen intercedes, "Don’t mind him. You didn’t do anything wrong Aamini. We just have never seen a warrior with druid skills before. That makes you very special. In fact, it makes you unique. How do you do it?" Aamini takes quick glances at the queen's face as if testing its lethality, "It just happens! Father used to call on the forest's creatures to follow him but they never attacked anyone. They would protect mother and me in his absence but never attacked anybody on command. One day, after father abandoned us and mother and I moved into the caverns, I wanted to play with the other children. Mother always said I was too small to play with the others but that day she gave in. I quickly joined the rest of them and we headed out into a clearing near the entrance to the caves. At first, they were very kind to me and welcomed me with open arms, but soon the games got a little too rough for me to handle and I was afraid to get hurt. I was being chased by one of the older boys and found myself trapped and scared. I know now that it was just a game and nothing was really going to happen to me but back then I was just a small elf at the mercy of strangers. Something happened inside me that made me close my eyes and think of the forest. The next thing I knew, the older boy was running away screaming and calling me a crossbreed. I heard a grunt behind me and when I looked, there were a few wolves standing there. I did not fear them. They meant me no harm. They followed me home and made sure I was safe. After that, nobody wanted to play with me anymore and mother's life got a lot worse." The queen does not know what to say. The king wipes a tear from his cheek. Aamini runs to his side, "I am so sorry uncle. I told mother to tell you but she thought it would be best if I kept it hidden. I know crossbreeds are impure and will leave if you want me to." The king wraps his arms around her, "You are not impure Aamini. You are unique, just like the queen said. And I promise to never make you feel any less. My tears are not from shame but regret that you and your mother had to suffer such humiliation. We need to find a druid willing to help train your magical abilities though. I know the way around a sword but unless you want to kill a lot of trees, someone else should help us with it."
The queen places her hand on Aamini's shoulder, "I know the right druid for the job. Do not worry. You are going to be one hell of an asset in the fight against the dark creatures that continue to invade our shores. I pity those who will dare cross paths with the likes of you and Ruscotelep." The king quickly stands up, "So you are ok with her coming here? When can we start?" He runs to her and hugs her tightly. She tells Aamini, "Can you tell the soldiers to fix the doors in the pool room? We are going to need them tonight." Aamini climbs onto the window's ledge and jumps out yelling, "Hey you two! The boss lady says to get working on the doors."
The king feels the room getting warmer and reaches for his book of tricks. He knows the queen is in the mood for some fun. She heads towards the pool room with the king following not too far behind, frantically browsing through his little book in search of something that will impress his queen. The heat in her wake is very strong, a sign that her needs are growing. By the time they make it to the pool room, her bodyguards are barely finished putting the big heavy wooden doors back on their hinges. The king tosses his book aside right before entering the room and the doors are shut right behind him. The stained royal robe goes up in flames while still on her body and the queen wastes no time jumping head first into the pool. The king stands at one end, admiring her glowing curves as they glide under the surface of the magic potion. The steam that rises from the pool fills the room with the aroma of the sampaguita flowers that are still tangled in her hair. The king waits for her to surface at the other end of the pool before he drops his loincloth and slowly enters the water. The grin on her face is a welcomed sign of approval. He is careful not to spend too much time staring into her eyes but can’t avoid them altogether, they are just too damn beautiful to ignore. It is a game they play. A very dangerous game where he is fully aware of the risk he is taking but pushes his limits in a futile exercise he hopes one day will make him immune to her curse. She is also very much aware of what is at stake, but still indulges his whim perhaps in hopes that one day he will be successful in rendering her harmless against him. The magic potion keeps them both cool enough for him to be able to grab her waist and bring her close to him. His focus changes from her now fire laden eyes to her red swollen lips that beg for a gentle bite before devouring them. Her skin continuously exudes an oily substance that tastes like the most intoxicating mountain berries the black dwarves use to make their ale with. The king spends a good amount of time lapping up at her skin and getting lost in the deliciousness of her flavor before grabbing the hair on the back of her head.
The queen decides to put up a bit of a fight just to see how committed to it the king really is. His response gives her the answer she hoped for. He yanks her hair with one hand, pulling her head back and with the other turns her around to hold her in place before roughly running his tongue across the nape of her neck. He stops where it meets her shoulder and whispers in her ear, "No matter what you feel or hear going on behind you, do not turn around." She tries to turn but he holds her in place and scorns her; "Ruscomalda, I told you not to move." Her eyes widen after hearing her name. He has never used her given name before. Even though she could take him out with one single stroke, the queen decides to play along and see where he is going with it. The king gently moves her long hair out of the way over one shoulder and blows cold air down the middle of her back before quickly licking his way back up to her neck. Between licks and blows, he follows the curves of her body with the tips of his fingers, eliciting tender groans from deep within the queen's body. Every once in a while he scratches the surface of her skin to make it a little more sensitive, a move she seems to enjoy very much. The king stops everything and steps out of the pool, leaving her completely alone in the middle of it wondering why he decided to stop. She can hear him breathe but misses his touch. He doesn’t say a word and just stands on the stone floor admiring his wife. After a while, a battle of sorts ensues. The queen wants to turn around and find out what is going on. She wants to tell her husband to get on with it. She wants to order him to get back in the pool and make love to her. She wants to demand he pleases her at once. She wants to do it all and control it all but the temptation of letting it all go is too great. The king knows his way around her body. He even knows his way inside her head. Many a time has he proven to be a worthy adversary in the games they play. Today is not any different. He just gave her the most pleasurable and exciting night of her life. She has to control nothing and just surrender to his will. If he wants her to stand naked in the middle of the pool and just wait for him, then that is just what she is going to have to do.
After what feels like an eternity, the king decides that she is ready. The queen has been patiently waiting for her lover to engage her once again and just as she is about to turn around and melt in his embrace she realizes something is very different. Her heart is not pounding as before. The worries she brought with her into the pool room are all but gone. She suddenly finds herself at peace. Peace! A new experience for her. She went from wanting to grab the king by the neck and ride his ass until his body could not take it any longer to a place in her head she has never visited before. A place of harmony and tranquility. There is no constant looking around to make sure she is safe, no listening to her surroundings for strange unfamiliar noises, no need to have a weapon within arm's length and most important of all, no hurry to finish what she is doing right now. She finds there is time to really enjoy his touch. The king takes a step into the water, breaking the mirror like surface and sending waves rippling across the length of the pool. The queen stares at his every muscle in awe of his prowess. He takes another step. She can't pry her eyes away. He continues to advance towards her until the water is up to his waist then stops. At first she doesn’t know what to do but soon realizes he wants her to meet him half way. The queen never meets anyone halfway but her desire is too strong. She hesitantly takes a step towards him and extends her hand, expecting him to continue walking towards her but he crosses his arms over his chest and flexes his muscles. His defiance would normally make her call for her bodyguards to remove him from her presence but not now. Now all she wants to do is run her tongue along the tautness of his torso, hair and all.
Varnanároello is enjoying the control he has over the queen, and short lived as it may be, he starts to fantasize about what it would be like to reign by her side. He is soon brought back to reality by her touch as she slides the tip of her tongue upwards from his navel to the side of his neck and bites him hard. He opens his arms and wraps them around her waist as they both lose their footing and tumble into the water. He holds her tight as they kiss under the surface. The temperature of the water starts to rise but the magic potions take effect and keep it under control. They frolic like young lovers for a while until a knock on the wooden doors breaks their trance. This is new. The bodyguards risk their lives by interrupting the queen at moments like these. The king barely escapes her wrath as she jumps out of the water and marches towards the doors, "Who dares knock on those doors?" From behind them, the voice of a scared servant, "The school is under attack your majesty. Aamini and your bodyguards are fighting but there are many more creatures on the way. We need help out here!" The king drags his ass out of the water, the queen summons her sword from the pile of metal in the corner of the room and they step out buck naked. The servant steps aside as the doors burst open and the royal duo runs out. The king heads to his room to grab his staff while the queen jumps out of a window and lands in the middle of the fray, immediately beheading one of the creatures with her sword. Her bodyguards are fighting back to back, using each other's body for leverage and protection and leaving a river of spilled blood in their wake as they plow through the dark creatures' flanks. Aamini is not doing too bad either, she has a nice rhythm going with her sword and those lizards of hers are tearing into the dark creatures without pity. The queen starts fighting her way towards Aamini and when she gets close, a familiar figure steps out of the shadows. It's the same elf she dismissed into the mountains for sneaking into Ruscotelep's room. She can recognize her daughter's work anywhere. His face is covered in scars but he seems quite adept with his staff. He has a very familiar fighting style. In fact, he has the same moves as the king. And he has backup. Those red wolves he was put in charge of protecting are following his commands and tearing into the dark creatures with the strength of wild beasts. He is verbally telling them what to do and they listen. Not like Aamini's lizards and her druid magic. The lizards are not told who to attack; they just go for it on their own since their main purpose is to come to the druid's aid and protection.
The king gathered his servants, every single one of which has been trained in the martial arts one way or another. They follow his lead armed to the teeth with everything from the most exquisite of antique weaponry to freshly gathered sticks and stones. It is quite an intimidating sight to watch though. They are loud, crude, strong and without mercy. Even the younger elves play a part in defending the school. The king gives orders with the precision and acumen of a true leader which they quickly follow through on. The dark creatures have no mind of their own and start dropping in droves. It is as if they are being guided by magic. Some of them continue to fight even after death. Only slicing their heads off seems to keep them from getting back up. Aamini is covered in blood from head to toe and so is her scarred friend. Their animals have joined forces now and are making some headway. The queen, always true to her nature, is completely immersed in the throws of battle, tearing into the creatures with a huge grin on her face. Her eyes are lit up like fire torches and the smell of burned flesh left in her path is enough to make anyone gag, but not her. She thrives in it. Every crease in her body is slathered in blood. Soon, she is smack in the middle of the school's arena, beheading the creatures by the dozen, and taunting the rest to get closer. The king can’t do anything but smile at the sight of his beloved. A most beautiful sight he has never seen. She never ceases to remind him why he has fallen so hard for her.
Aamini yells at her uncle while pointing to the top of one of the school's buildings. There; a dark figure in a black robe, holding a crystal staff on one hand, seems to command the creatures below with the other. He calls the rangers to action but their arrows are deflected by a protective spell. Only a close combat battle could put an end to his magic. The king fights his way to the queen, "We have a necromancer paying us a visit. Do you want to do the honors?" She quickly turns her head to the dark magic dealer, "I want his head!" With that, she effortlessly jumps to the balcony above her head and uses the wall stones to climb onto the roof. She has a thing for dark magic casters. It was dark magic that was used against her ancestors and made her who she is so every chance she gets for payback, she takes it. The necromancer is not alone though. His pets rise to his aid and try to keep the queen from killing the bastard but they soon fall under her blade. The necro summons them once again and they once again fall on the roof. He casts a fire ball spell against her. She laughs out loud and yells, "He must be new at this! The bastard tried to kill me with a fire ball." Then she quickly steps forth and sinks her blade into his chest. The blade spreads open behind him and she pulls him close, "I am Ruscomalda, Queen of the Fugans. Who sent you?" The necromancer lifts his gaze but she realizes there will be no answer to be had. His mouth has been sewn shut. Only an enchanter or another necromancer would be able to communicate with him and since there are none of those nearby, the queen has no choice but to finish him off. Using one foot for leverage, she pushes against him and pulls on her spread open sword to slice right through him until his limp body falls just like his pets before him. She gets a hold of his hair and with one swift swipe slices through his neck, and then lifts her arm victoriously to show her subjects the necromancer's fate. The remaining dark creatures drop in unison. The fugans lift their weapons and cheer at their queen. Aamini walks next to her uncle and chants a rain spell that washes over them.
After a quick recount, the wounded are taken into the school's main hall for treatment and the others regroup in the middle of the arena to collect the dead creatures and throw them into a fire. The queen and the king head into their bedroom, leaving Aamini and Berot, the scarred one, in charge of the cleanup. Once inside, the queen speaks, "Has this ever happened before?" The king puts his staff away, "No. There are rumors of similar attacks happening in the coastal villages but nothing this deep into the forest. I don’t think they really know what they are doing. If that necromancer threw a fire ball at you, then he had no idea who he was fighting. I do not think they, whoever they are, are attacking us with a particular purpose. I think they are just following someone's orders to kill everyone and everything in sight." The queen looks out the window into the fire pit, "Some of those creatures were our own people. There was no life in their eyes but I recognized some of them. We can’t let that happen any more. We have to stop the necromancers. I have to leave tonight. I must head to the palace and prepare for battle. How quickly can you train Ruscotelep?" The king tries to hide his excitement, "With Aamini's help, she will be ready for battle in no time. When will she arrive?" The queen looks at him, "You have to remember what I told you. She is stubborn and uncompromising. You need to be strong with her. If she thinks that you are weak, she will lose all respect and challenge you every step of the way. Remind her you are her father and the King of Fuga. We need to make sure she is ready. It is almost time to fulfill her destiny." The king wraps his arms around the queen's waist, "I know my love. It will not be easy for me either but we know she was born to save the world and as you can tell by those creatures, we do not have much time left." The queen summons her bodyguards and they hastily leave the school. The king, as he has always done, sends his best students to follow the caravan and make sure she arrives at the palace safe and sound.
Now that Aamini's secret is out, she is free to use her magic as she pleases and like every great druid before her, she throws her power into healing the wounded. Being so nubile at her craft, her energy reserves are not very impressive yet but she doesn’t let that stop her from doing her best. Along with her magic healing powers she also uses the herbs shown to her by the priests of her village and the bandaging tricks her mother taught her. The wounded servants and fellow students are very grateful for her skills and the king couldn’t be any prouder. They spend the rest of the night making sure everyone will survive and just as daylight starts to shine on the morning sky, the students that went to escort the queen return with news. The princess is already on the way here with a huge caravan of soldiers and bodyguards to be stationed at the school and its surroundings for the duration of her stay. The king didn’t expect any less, especially after last night's events. He rushes to the gate to await his daughter's arrival; today is the day he never thought would ever come. Aamini stays behind to let the king have his moment; she doesn’t want to get in the way of their reunion. There will be plenty of time for the two cousins to get to know each other. News has spread of the princess' arrival prompting those who escaped unscathed from last night's battle, to don their best clothes and hope to catch a glimpse of her majesty on her first day at the school. Berot, still infatuated with the princess and apparently not having learned his lesson the first time around, positions himself in a spot throughout the main house where he is sure to bump into the princess as she heads into her recently redecorated bedroom above the main hall.
The smell of charred dark creatures permeates the entire school and its surroundings. It is not a pleasant one and Aamini is not going to let that be the first thing the princess takes a whiff from on the way to her new home. She remembers a tome in the king's library that described how a druid communes with the elements and becomes one with them. In it, there is a spell that makes the wind blow, just what is needed right now to blast the pestilence away. She runs into the library and after finding the tome, starts chanting the spell. At first nothing happens and she thinks herself a failure but not being one to easily give up on anything, she scrawls the spell on a piece of parchment and climbs onto the highest tower in the school to read it out loud once more. The view from up there is breathtaking. There are trees as far as the eye can see and not a sign of the princess or her caravan in the horizon yet. That gives her plenty of time to summon the wind and bring fresh air into the school. She starts chanting her spell and after a few tries and different pronunciations of the words in it, the wind picks up. At first, a light breeze blows through the tops of the trees around the school, making them sway back and forth. She smiles and closes her eyes to let the breeze caress her face but something strange happens. The wind picks up and she feels as if her body was rising above the tower. She is startled and opens her eyes just in time to grab onto the very tip of the tower's pointed roof. Her body floats as the wind blows. She stops chanting the wind spell but it doesn’t relent. Panic sets in. If she lets go of the tower, who knows where the wind will take her. If she doesn’t figure out a way to stop the wind, not only will the princess never trust her by her side, the king is going to be one pissed off uncle.
She tries slowly repeating the words in the spell hoping the speed of her speech has something to do with the strength of her enchantment. That only makes the wind blow harder. Just as she is about to repeat the spell in a desperate attempt to stop it all, she remembers. There was another spell in the book right after the one she used that made the previous spell stop. She is really going to get it now. She might as well let go of her grip and take what is coming to her. And so she does, but as soon as her hands leave the pointed roof, instead of feeling her body falling to her death, she just floats there. The wind is not blowing anymore and she is just hovering above the tallest tower in the school trying to come up with an excuse for her uncle. Maybe one of those dark creatures got into her head and made her do something so stupid. Elves could have gotten hurt because of her stupidity. What if she would have dropped on someone's head instead of hitting the ground? That elf could die along with her. That wouldn’t be fair. Anyways, she is still hovering up there afraid to open her eyes when a voice she doesn’t recognize speaks, "You have got to be Aamini! Fancy meeting you here like this. I guess you and I have a lot more in common than I expected. You can open your eyes now, don't worry, I wont let you fall." Aamini opens her eyes and looks around but there is nobody there. The voice speaks, "Sorry about that! I keep forgetting to take off this invisibility spell. It's nice to meet you. You are very pretty!" Aamini turns around and right behind her, a huge rat hovers mid air. This thing has got to be the biggest rat in the whole island. She cautiously backs up but the rat hovers forward, "My name is Calien. I was sent by her majesty Queen Ruscomalda to assist with your training. I hope that my appearance is not going to be a problem. I could shift into something more pleasant to your eyes but then I would not be myself, and the one thing that I strive to always achieve is to present my true self first no matter what. Are you going to be ok?"
Aamini shakes her head, "I will be just fine. You just took me by surprise, that's all. I could use all the help you can give. Look at the mess I made. Someone could have gotten hurt because of my ignorance. How did you make the wind stop anyways?" Calien produces the parchment in which Aamini scribbled the spell in, "You almost had it. You have to trust your instincts. The writing of the spells is only there for non druids to learn about druid stuff. The magic that lies within you is ancient and pure. Everything you need to learn is already in your head. We just have to teach you how to get to it. The queen told me your father was the druid in the family and it is only recently that you have discovered your abilities, is that true?" Aamini notices that they are both slowly floating down, "It is. Mother did not want me to use magic. She came from a warrior family and after living with my father, she thought magic was the cause of all their problems. They also thought I was too young to understand when they fought in front of me but I know that every single argument they had was because of his use of magic and his aspirations within the druids' guild. Being married to a warrior was not well looked upon within the purists of his guild. Father thought his family was holding him back. The night I was to be born, he decided to go out to one of the guild's meetings instead of staying home with mother. I was born while he was gone and mother had to fend for herself. She was mad at him and made sure that before I came into my powers they would be bound. During another of my father's outings, mother took me into the dark side of the mountains to a witch that bound the magic within me. When I came of age and a decision had to be made about my future, father cast a spell to seek the seed of my energy but there was none to be found. Since mother comes from pure warrior stock, he didn’t even think twice about letting her raise me the warrior way. He threw himself into his work and slowly removed himself from the family. I think he thought that having a druid offspring would cement his status as a pure druid within the guild but when that dream was taken, he had to come up with another way to impress the elders. Mother would spend all of her time teaching me the warrior ways and making sure I knew how to protect myself while father stayed locked in his library practicing ancient spells and trying to come up with some new ones. One night, he brought home a tall dark stranger. He told mother that it was a friend visiting from a far away land but mother was very suspicious. He looked very much like the necromancer Queen Ruscomalda killed last night. He is the one that I hold responsible for the demise of my family. After he came into our lives, father would not spend any time with us. It was all about going away with his friend and hiding in his library. Once he was out of the picture, mother felt guilty for binding my powers and again took me to the witches to remove their encantation."
Calien points at her feet, "We made it. You are safe now and I bet you feel a lot better after telling me all that. Am I right?" Aamini digs her feet into the dirt below them just to make sure she is not dreaming, "Yeah! How did you get me to tell you all that? I haven’t told anyone. Not even my uncle." The rat turns and starts walking "It's because I am just too damn sexy to resist." Then he turns around while standing on the tip of his toes and takes a spin or two, giving Aamini the full experience of his physique. And quite a physique it is. The rat has luxurious long straight hair all over his body, very skinny arms and a huge gut that hangs over what could be legs that remain hidden from view. As he moves, the very lose skin that covers his body sways back and forth. The hair that covers his skin reflects the light around him in three different shades. Most of it is the color of the clouds in the sky. Around his head, a thick ring the color of dirt goes up into a strange pointed form at its top and around the back, a patch of golden fur stirs in perpetual motion even when he stops. Calien summons a small cone of spinning air that moves around the center of the school, sweeping dead leaves and making them disappear. As simple as it looks, it is quite a display of power. He is not even looking at the cone. Instead, he continues to walk around exploring the school with Aamini in tow while trying to keep up, "How are you doing that? Are you going to show me how?" Calien finds what he thinks is an empty room, "This will do. You and I are going to spend a lot of time in here. The windows are big enough to let the elements in while still keeping them out when we want. This is going to be our classroom for now on. Plus, you will be able to look into the arena." Aamini walks in and looks out the window, "It is perfect. I would really enjoy it too but we have one little problem. This is the king's bedroom. There is no way he is going to let us kick him out of his own room." Calien walks up to the window, "You let me worry about that. The king and I go way back. He can't say no to me. Now, run along and get the druid tomes from the library and bring them here. We have to start right away."
The king paces back and forth near the gate. The soldiers that normally guard the school are just as nervous but stand behind their king in support. The yeller at the top of the school announces, "They just reached the last bend!" He refers to the last bend on the road before the long straight path that leads up to the mountain top where the school rests. It should be any moment now and the king can hardly wait. He calls for his horse and takes off to meet the caravan. His guards scramble to find their own horses before chasing the king down the mountain. He has never done this before. He knows to wait for his guards in case something crawls out of the forest to attack him. About half way down the path he notices the dust lifted by Ruscotelep's caravan is high on the sky and way above the trees that line the road. That is a sign of high speed travel. Also a sign that they might be running away from something! The king reaches for his staff and speeds up worried the princess might be in danger. His guards notice his increase in speed and spur their horses to catch up. The caravan's lead scout reaches the king first, "Turn around your majesty; you can’t battle that dragon alone. We need the protection of the school." The king knows it’s useless to even entertain the idea of going at it with a dragon on a whim. Assured the caravan is still safe, he turns and gallops past his own very confused guards towards the school. He rides his mount inside the gates and screams for all to hear, "Dragon! Secure the school. There is a dragon on the way!"
Calien hears the call to arms and jumps out the window landing in front of the king, "Do not hurt the dragon!" The king is confused, "What are you doing here Calien? What do you mean do not hurt the dragon? It is chasing Ruscotelep and I am going to mount its head on my bedroom wall." Calien runs towards the gate, "He is not chasing her you idiot. He is making sure she gets here safe. What makes you think he would attack her? He saved your life and this is how you repay him?" The king dismounts, "What? You mean that's Crawlpaw chasing her?" Calien corrects him, "Following, not chasing, and yes, the one and only, your old friend Crawlpaw. The same dragon that taught you everything you know. When I told him what was happening he volunteered to follow the caravan. Now, call off your guards or I will." The king runs to the gate, "Do not attack the dragon! Do not attack the dragon!" But by now it is too late. The rangers already let their arrows fly. Vanyaómariel yells out, "Nooooo!" But there is nothing he can do to stop the attack. Calien, on the other hand, is not as helpless. He produces a diamond short staff out of mid air and aims it at the arrows. A bolt of light comes out of nowhere that turns every single arrow into ash that rains over the caravan as it rushes inside the school. The royal guards quickly dismount and assume a battle stance in front of the school. Calien confronts them, "What do you think you are doing? Get your asses inside at once!" The lead scout steps forth, "The dragon attacked the caravan. We have to protect the princess." The king asks, "Are you sure he attacked you?" Then, from inside the dust cloud left behind that is starting to clear, a voice thunders, "I did not attack them. I sneezed and might have spooked a horse or two but I did not attack them. I have to tell you Vanyaómariel, I don’t know where your wife found this bunch but what a group of pussies you have protecting your daughter. One little dragon sneeze and they took off running instead of standing their ground. What an embarrassment it must be for you." One of the soldiers steps forth, "A little sneeze my ass! The princess' carriage was engulfed in flames and we lost an entire regiment to the inferno. I consider that an attack."
Calien announces, "Do you mean that regiment slowly creeping up the road heading this way? They do not seem too burned to me."