Her New King (Finothing & Lunar Raven)
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Exotic Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Lunar Raven on 10-10-2015, 10:58:38</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Her New King (Finothing &amp; Lunar Raven)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lunar Raven</strong> on <strong>10-10-2015, 10:58:38</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/iceandfire/images/0/0a/Jon_snow_by_teiiku.jpeg/revision/latest?cb=20130220184151)</div>Upon the crest of the hill, the man on the horse reined in his weary steed.&nbsp; It stood with its legs wide-braced, its head drooping, as if it found even the weight of the gold-tasselled, red-leather bridle too heavy.&nbsp; Never far from the side of the horse and its master, a great white wolf from the northern climes waited.&nbsp; The man drew a booted foot out of the silver stirrup and swung down from the gilt-worked saddle.&nbsp; Still holding the reins of his horse, he turned about to survey his surroundings and the company of riders and marching soldiers that stretched behind him into the distance like dusky phantoms in the approaching dusk of the evening.<br><br>He was tall, with the broad shoulders of a middlander, and the narrow waist of a swordsman.&nbsp; Despite the appearance of youth, his whole stature reflected an unusual strength, an unquantifiable quality that transcended mere physical presence such as was present in those who were not only born to rule, but also capable of fulfilling that duty.&nbsp; With fierce eyes of volcanic blue, he swept his brooding gaze in the direction of the capital lay many miles ahead and queried the two riders who can galloping back from that direction.&nbsp; His eyes narrowed briefly, but he made no comment as both men dismounted and saluted.<br><br>"What's news sergeant?" he asked, observing the other's rank.<br><br>"The capital lies quiet highness," explained the decanus.&nbsp; "His majesty, your father, is truly dead, with my condolences highness.&nbsp; The city is in mourning and all are inside their houses at this late hour, but the nobility is ready to receive you upon arrival Lord Marcus."<br><br>Marcus considered this for a space, though he did not see the reason for the urgency that had been impelled upon him to return home as quickly as possibly – his mother, the Queen, was surely there to take up the reins of political power and keep the government stable – granted, perhaps, that her foreign origins may not have been too popular with the old houses of nobility, who had never truly tried to hide their contempty.<br><br>"You've done well," he noted, turning his back to them, his hands vanishing beneath his cloak as he straightened his posture.&nbsp; "Return to your tents and take the night off."<br><br>Both men grinned and bobbed their heads, at least until Marcus continued: "But first I'll have you tell me where Adalwin and Gaius are; perhaps you might remember them?&nbsp; The two men I <em>originally</em> sent to inform me of the goings-on in the capital?"<br><br>The two legionaries looked at him with uncertainty, their smiles sewn to their faces like the grins of idiots.&nbsp; Unlike many, Marcus made it a habit of knowing those who served with him and knew most of his men on a first name basis.&nbsp; "Well?"<br><br>Inactivity gave way to sudden motion, as both men snatched at the swords on their belts, but Marcus was prepared to receive them.&nbsp; His hand was already on the hilt of his sword beneath his cloak in preparation and as both men burst into action, his steel cleared its sheathe with a venomous hum and frosty blue arc flashed in the moonlight.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Her New King (Finothing &amp; Lunar Raven)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Finothing</strong> on <strong>16-10-2015, 20:41:49</strong>
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				News had not reached Queen Pompilia yet of the King's demise. All she knew for sure today was that her son would be returning for battle. So she had prepared a homecoming celebration. Nothing overly large but something to warm his return home. It would be his first time in true battle after all, and she did not want him to return to a cold and unfeeling castle that simply nodded at him and went about its day.<br><br>She woke and had her servants, all girls from her foreign land, loyal to her alone, help to dress her. She let her long red tresses hang today. Half fell down her back and the other half draped over her shoulders, part of it covering her ample bosom. She wore a green dress that exposed much of her flesh but because of the hair not much was shown. Gold bracelets from her motherland and some that the King had given her as a sign of her new place among these people decorated her. Her crown was also gold but small so as not to be cumbersome. <br><br>She set about preparing the day but multi-tasked, also telling the servants of the castle what needed to be done and what her husband's officials what they should be doing. She had always known they did not like her but as long as she was in charge they listened to her.<br><br>After her son arrived today her husband was set to arrive in his wake not long after. So having the castle running in working order would be important but she was confident of this. Before she came to this land she had learned politics under her father. There had been no son and it had always been planned for her to take over in case of an emergency. Fate did not turn out the way her family had expected. Her husband's family had offered more land and money than her family could have imagined and she was sold over to the King. Luckily, she was beautiful and skilled in politics, so she was not the frightened maiden she had read and heard about in tales. Often she took the reins in situations.<br><br>She had her servants set a chair out on a hill outside, right where they would expect the horses and knights to be riding in at dusk. That was a good estimate. Before she sat though, she collected the train of her dress and went to the royal barns in search of something or someone.<br><br>"Konos," the Queen called out, her blue eyes scanning over cows, goats, horses. There was no sign of the gift she had given her son at birth. <br><br>But eventually she found the faun asleep in the hay, curled into a ball. He was of a smaller stature than most fauns, a creature imported from her land. Her people bred them for their stregnth and loyalty-- as well as for their insatiable libido. She leaned down and shook his shoulder. He opened milky brown eyes and looked at her with a yawn.<br><br>"Marcus returns today. Wait with me on the hill."<br><br>His goat parts betrayed his excitement. The tail wiggled and the large ears shot up. He uncurled from the ball in the hay. Unlike most fauns, he had no beard, but was more androgynous. His hair was a curly, blackish brown. Below the waist his fur was a chestnut brown with goat legs. The Queen noted that he did not speak much-- not in human language anyway. Only when spoken to. Marcus was the only one he spoke to extensively. But he was well-behaved unlike many of the fauns she had grown up with at her castle who needed to be broken in. But that may have been because they had treated him with kindness and not so much like livestock.<br><br>She returned outside to the chair on the hill where a servant waited with a fan to to fan her. Konos sat in the grass besides the chair and looked off into the forest with some excitement. Pompilia thought aloud. "Gods don't let him be wounded."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Her New King (Finothing &amp; Lunar Raven)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lunar Raven</strong> on <strong>20-10-2015, 11:25:14</strong>
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				For a moment, Marcus took the time to catch his breath.&nbsp; Behind him, men were rushing to where he stood, though too late as it were; on the ground before him, the bodies of the two false scouts lay relaxed on the ground not far from the red tinged sword that had dispatched them only a few short moments ago.&nbsp; Stabbing the blade into the ground, he began to rummage through the corpses, though he expected it was unlikely that he would find anything incriminating, yet it was enough to know that those who would be his enemies had decided to be open about it.<br><br>"Sire!" blurted the first man-at-arms to make the scene, his hand on his sword inexplicit for the defence of the prince who did not need it.&nbsp; Marcus shook his head and shook him off.&nbsp; He could have ordered them to search the surroundings for enemies, but it was unlikely and it was best not to chance the loss of men in the thicket if assassins really were lurking in the bushes.<br><br>"Have the men gather up," he ordered briskly as he stood up from the fruitless search.&nbsp; "We won't make camp tonight; we march until we reach the capital – her majesty, the Queen, may be in danger."<br><br>As the men hurried away, Marcus once again looked toward the horizon again.&nbsp; Word of his father's death should not have reached the capital ahead of him, given as he was the nearest to the road any messenger must take to deliver such ill-tidings.&nbsp; Either there had been two messengers who had split up, though he had been assured that he was the only one who knew the news; or else someone had known the king would die ahead of time and was prepared for it.&nbsp; At this point, he did not expect to find Adalwin and Gaius alive, and he grieved silently that he would not know where their bodies rested.<br><br>Yet there was no time for that, now that the men were coming up the hill.&nbsp; He had hoped to come at his leisure, but now that he might have to rush, it was certain that there were those who would see it as an army coming to take the capital to put it under his control.&nbsp; Wishing that he had more control over his emotions and perhaps the patience of an older man, he set the army on the march, hoping to see his mother still alive and the brilliant red of her lock still vibrant and her person untouched from the dagger of an assassin.<br><br>Mounting his horse, he spurred it forward into the grim host that marched forward, sensing their prince's concern and making it their own.&nbsp; In their determination, at that moment, they could have taken on an army twice their size.<br><br>At his side, the wolf howled mournfully, as though mirroring his thoughts, the pristine white fur on its jaws daubed crimson with blood.&nbsp; It was often said that the great wolves of the north took on the characteristics of those who would be their master.&nbsp; Marcus often thought he saw a reflection of himself whenever he looked at the regal beast.&nbsp; But with a sigh, he look to the horizon: "Gods, don't let her be wounded."<br><br><hr><br>And so on the dawn of the day, they arrived with sun.&nbsp; Lining the horizon, they marched down the hill and into the city, into an unknown future.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Her New King (Finothing &amp; Lunar Raven)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Finothing</strong> on <strong>20-10-2015, 18:29:59</strong>
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				The Queen was soon joined by a dozen or so flower girls and servants waiting to greet the soldiers and the King and Prince. Soon minstrels provided much-needed music to chase away an anxious silence. She felt Konos' head rest on her thigh as he dozed off. She did not reprimand him but ran a hand through his curly hair. She knew that he had been pining for Marcus throughout his absence and it made him downtrodden. She did not think striking him would do much good to dispel the melancholy. Besides, he would be useful today in telling when the horses would arrive. Fauns were masters of nature and he would probably at least stand when his fellow hoofed creatures were close.<br><br>She looked around at all the whispering maidens who seemed to be chattering that the King was late and this was a bad omen. She, too, began to worry. This was an irregular time for them to arrive. She felt Konos shift at her side and his big ears shoot up.<br><br>"What is it?" she demanded.<br><br>But he did not need to answer, for one man emerged from the forest on a pony. He looked battle-weary. The crowd around the Queen went silent and during the length of time it took for him to reach them that silence became nearly crushing. He dismounted his pony and handed Her Majesty a scrowl, nearly falling to his knees. Two individuals from the crowd stepped forward to aid him.<br><br>She read the news with icy blue eyes, chest rising and falling. It was a message from Marcus' party.<br><br>First and foremost, her son lived and had no mortal wounds.<br>The King, however, had not been so lucky...<br>Marcus lead his men not far from here and should be there within minutes.<br>It was best to keep this message private for now.<br><br>She folded the scroll and set it to her bosom. She set it in her lap. "This news is mine to keep for now. Thank you for the message. You will be rewarded for your bravery."<br><br>She would have to deal with the members of the castle who considered her scum as soon as possible. But right now she needed to tend to her son. That was her immediate concern. Then the problem of her new political standing without her husband's power as a shield. She slipped the scroll between her ample bosom where she knew no one would touch or try to grab it for propriety's sake right now and then focused back on the horizon.<br><br>Perhaps fifteen minutes later Konos shifted again, this time standing completely. The Queen knew then that the horses would be arriving. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Her New King (Finothing &amp; Lunar Raven)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lunar Raven</strong> on <strong>12-11-2015, 22:43:52</strong>
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				Marcus arrived with the dawn, the sun rising against his back, yet it was not the triumphant homecoming that he had looked for.&nbsp; Having marched his men hard through the night, he looked towards the city for any sign that anything was amiss and was actually surprised to see that there was some form of greeting awaiting his arrival.&nbsp; The very familiar red locks of his mother's hair were instantly recognisable, and, for that, he sighed silently in relief.&nbsp; By her side, was the familiar figure of Konos, which at least indicated that not all was as bad as he had first thought.<br><br>As soon as he was close enough, he halted the company and dismounted, coming at as brisk a pace as dignity would allow, but he came quickly nonetheless.<br><br>"It has been a while, I was worried," he noted with relief to see her standing there, his eyes looking her over for any signs of mistreatment or injury, pausing briefly to wedge of paper barely visible between her cleavage, before looking away in embarrassment when he realised exactly <em>where</em> he was looking.&nbsp; "Mother, are you... well?&nbsp; I was worried something might have happened whilst I was away."<br><br>Whilst Marcus expressed his concern, he was also trying to skirt around the issue of the death of his father, not knowing that the news had already reached ahead of his arrival.&nbsp; Despite the circumstances, he flashed a wry grin at Konos, though at present his attentions were more focussed elsewhere.&nbsp; But it was still good to see that the faun had managed to settle in.<br><br>Deciding that there was no more pleasant way to present the matter than to meet it head on, he quietly explained the news that he had received out in the field that had prompted him to return with haste: "Mother, I'm not certain how to put this to you, but I'm afraid I must be the bearer of ill tidings – father has... passed on.&nbsp; He fell in battle, if what I have heard is to be considered accurate."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Her New King (Finothing &amp; Lunar Raven)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Finothing</strong> on <strong>10-12-2015, 20:12:52</strong>
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				Pompilia set a finger to her son's lips gently and shook her head. "Hush. I know."<br>Her eyes glistened but she kept her head held up, so as not to show weakness. "And soon the court shall know."<br>She reached in and gave him a long, warm embrace and used it to whisper in his ear "They will not act right away, I have too many magic allies in my service here. But I expect a rebellion within the week. We will leave quietly with those loyal."<br>She pulled away, though being pressed against a strong, warm body was nice. She knew it was hardly proper to dwell there for much longer in public like this. She swept a stray strand of red hair behind her ears and gestured to all the flower maidens greeting the soldiers with their wreaths and wine. <br>"For now, try to act natural. Start choosing those you deem most loyal. Have a list. Bring it to me to-morrow." She winked. She wiped away a stray tear for her husband and continued an attempt to act calm and natural. Next to her she urged the faun towards the bucket of wine that had been brought out for celebration. <br>Pompilia urged her son to take the chair she had been sitting to wait for him, for he was the true honored figure. Several of the maidens came forward to drape necklaces of flowers around him in thanks and Konos returned with a cup of wine to give him. When the humans had stopped giving him attention the faun hopped onto his lap playfully and started nibbling on the flowers. He simply enjoyed touching his master-prince and had missed him when he was gone. So he sometimes did naughty things just to get his attention. He knew something was going wrong by the way the Queen and the Prince spoke in hushed tone and the snippets of conversation he caught with his powerful ears, so he tried to comfort him with playing. <br>"Not even back an hour and he's already misbehaving," the Queen teased them. "You are a bad influence on that faun, my dear. He's so well-behaved when you are present but he's such a naughty thing when you're here."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Her New King (Finothing &amp; Lunar Raven)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lunar Raven</strong> on <strong>16-12-2015, 11:01:07</strong>
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				The feel of her finger quietened his concerns.&nbsp; Taking her hand in his, he nodded in acknowledgement and Marcus allowed a sigh of relief to escape him and permitted himself the first genuine smile, however small, for the first time in a long time.&nbsp; "Well, I shall defer to the matter to your judgement mother," he said with a small bow of his head.&nbsp; "Though I should warn you that those who do not... favour, your presence, may pursue their wishes sooner than expected – only half a day's march from the capital, I was beset by assassins.&nbsp; It was fortunate that I came to know my men well during the campaign."<br><br>At his mother's urging, he took the seat that was offered, grateful for the chance to be able to sit on anything other than a horse's harness.&nbsp; He accepted the flowers and wine with some impatience, being more in mind to discuss matters of life and death, however Konos' insistence on getting attention managed to distract him.&nbsp; When Pompilia noted the faun's misbehaviour, Marcus shrugged his shoulders and reclined back in the chair: "The campaign in the north saw me quite busy mother; how can I be expected to discipline an unruly faun when he is far from my influence!&nbsp; Surely I am blameless in this matter."<br><br>Whatever his protestations, the weight and presence of the creature so close to him reminded him that it had been long since he last entertained companionship to even an appreciable extent.&nbsp; Patting Konos on the back of the head to try and soothe his companion, he raised the wine to his mouth and drank appreciatively, though sparingly for his caution was piqued and until he had established himself, there was no telling who might be friend and who might be foe.<br><br>He wanted to believe her assurances, but in truth he could not shake off the clinging webs of reservation that clung to him tenaciously.&nbsp; Caught between concern and respect, he juggled mentally between assigning men, or perhaps remaining close at hand himself, for her protection and acknowledging that his mother was not a weakling or child to be coddled.&nbsp; Of course, any such proximity to her would be noted as weakness on his part; it was little secret amongst the peers of nobility that Marcus had always been closer to his mother – the outsider – than he was to his father who was adored.&nbsp; But then again, to Marcus, his father had always been a distant figure, more interested in his own legend than building a family that was meant to be his legacy.<br><br>That the king was gone still came as something of a shock; the man was larger than life and it was difficult to imagine what the future held with him gone.&nbsp; Undoubtedly, despite the fact that his mother and himself were still present, many saw this as a large power vacuum to be filled by worthier men.&nbsp; Patting Konos' head had turned into a slower, deliberate stroking motion as one might a pet, his eyes wandering over to his mother as he pondered her thoughts and what she might do now that she was no longer beholden to her husband now that he was dead.&nbsp; It was not uncommon for a woman in her position, especially one still in the bloom of beauty, to find a strong man to attach herself to, that she might seek the shelter of his shadow, but then, who might that man turn out to be?&nbsp; A few names crept to mind, but the idea found no favour with him.
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