A Gift Fit For A Prince (TW & Eden)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Exotic Solos =&gt; Topic started by: TheWriter on 22-05-2010, 15:37:33</h2>
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				Title: <strong>A Gift Fit For A Prince (TW &amp; Eden)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheWriter</strong> on <strong>22-05-2010, 15:37:33</strong>
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				Matthias sighed.&nbsp; Another day of wine and roses.&nbsp; Another day of being Crown Prince of Gallia.&nbsp; Another day of castle walls, castle tapestries, castle jesters, castle food and castle life.&nbsp; Another day of tedium.&nbsp; Ah, he sighed as he gazed out over the castle grounds, the tragedy of being an only son.&nbsp; Sure enough, once his father began to age, a younger brother would eye Matthias' neck in greed and lust for power, but until then the company would not go unappreciated.&nbsp; Even hunting had lost the appeal it used to have; the castle grounds were almost unchanging, he knew every track, every tree, every blade of grass, not to mention being hounded by servants and courtiers, their cries of "Good shot, my lord!" and "Very close, my lord!" and "Straight through the heart!&nbsp; Wonderful, my lord!" grated on his ears.&nbsp; Just the thought of it brought irritation, a gentle but calloused hand going to his temple.<br><br>Oh, how he longed for a real companion again!&nbsp; Not since he had lost his faithful bloodhound Cerberus two months ago (finally laid to rest at the ripe old age of fourteen; he'd had him since he was six) had he felt like he had an... ally, as it were.&nbsp; A partner in crime.&nbsp; A friend.&nbsp; Sure enough, some of the maids made for good sport, but in terms of conversation or kinship, there was their station to consider.&nbsp; They didn't dare trust him enough to speak their mind.&nbsp; And the servants were worse; not one among them didn't have a nose browner than his own tousled hair.&nbsp; Even his father was growing more quiet and secretive around him of late.&nbsp; Being an only child was lonely enough; being a royal only child was even worse.<br><br>Two sharp knocks echoed against his chamber doors.&nbsp; "Enter," he spoke.&nbsp; A servant entered, hand over heart, bowing his head before speaking.<br><br>"A shipment has arrived from the Duchy of Kygia.&nbsp; A token of affection from Duchess Marina, my lord."<br><br>Marina?&nbsp; So that's Father's game?&nbsp; He had met her once before, at a royal dinner.&nbsp; The pressures of protocol stopped him from gaining a true idea of her, but at sight... there was nothing disagreeable about her.&nbsp; And it seemed Father was set on marrying her to him.&nbsp; "Very well, have it brought here."<br><br>"Uh, I'm afraid that is somewhat impractical, my lord," the servant stammered, not suited for talking back, "I have been asked to escort you to your private pool in the rear grounds.&nbsp; You may want to prepare yourself appropriately, you may... get wet."<br><br>The words lingered in Matthias' ears, intriguing him further.&nbsp; "I shall go as I am.&nbsp; Lead the way."
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Gift Fit For A Prince (TW &amp; Eden)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nadir</strong> on <strong>27-05-2010, 02:54:48</strong>
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				It wasn't dark anymore, but it was still cold, so cold. The world kept tilting and it was far too bright and there were Tailless, all around her. Speaking their slow, ugly words and touching her. She struggled, but her arms were bound to her body. Her tail was heavy - she wasn't in the water! Where was the sea? The smell was so different. Everything stank of Tailless - but that was because they were touching her. The Tailless were being rough, carrying her - why, why? She was still so tired. So cold. She tried to lift her tail again and one set of hands fell away. There was such a burst of sound then - like gulls squabbling over dead fish. Like... but she wasn't dead. Did Tailless eat her kind? They ate everything else they could drag from the sea.<br><br>Her eyes rolled in her head and she hissed threateningly, baring sharp teeth, showing she wasn't yet defenceless. She lifted her tail again and swung it blindly. She felt it hit something. The Tailless moved faster, then they dropped her. Her side hit a hard edge, then - water. Warm, shallow, fresh water but it was still <em>water</em>. Her tail wasn't in it and she was still bound. The Tailless' hands grabbed at her again, at her tail. She thrashed it but then it was pushed into the pool after her. <br><br>She stayed still for a moment, blinking at the bright sky, then thrashed her way to the centre of the pool, much deeper than where she had been thrown in, away from the lingering Tailless and their dull gazes. Once she felt they wouldn't get her she started to twist, rolling over and over until the bindings that caught her arms loosened. He fought against whatever it was, her arms not moving very well, too cold still, and too asleep. After several long minutes, however, she managed it. Exhausted she gripped the ledge of the small island at the pool's centre and buried her face into the crook of her elbow, shying from the glare of the sun. She could taste the water around her through her skin. No salt but from what the Tailless sweated off. No freshness. No life but for... a few shoals. <br><br>How had she come to be here? Her mind felt so slow. She pulled herself a little out of the water, trying to warm herself in the sun. There were points of cold, radiating from points on her skin. She touched one, and felt an odd bump under the binding still wrapped around her. She jerked and tugged at it, but it wouldn't come free, but she found the edge of it and wriggled her fingers under and found the bit of cold. It was hard and slippery, but she caught it and pulled it out. It clattered and skid on the tiled island. A clear pebble As she watched, it started to shrink. Cold, hard and vanishing. Ice. She had ice wrapped around her? <br><br>She looked down her body, trying hard to concentrate and see where the long shroud started, so she could unwind it. She lost her balance and slid ungracefully back into the water. 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Gift Fit For A Prince (TW &amp; Eden)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheWriter</strong> on <strong>27-05-2010, 14:42:44</strong>
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				Matthias followed his servant out into the courtyard, a tier above his pool.&nbsp; The area was open; the large windows set into the walls unglassed, allowing a gentle breeze to roll in from the west, and a large arching entrance that opened onto a hedge overlooking the castle grounds proper.&nbsp; The sun bathed across the pool, bringing life and colour to the plant life that lined the walls in a raised tier, flowers and ferns native to the area thriving in the temperate climate under the diligent care of the castle gardeners.&nbsp; The pool itself was filled from a fountain at the northern end, a chubby baby with wings bubbling lake water from the mouth, the water returning to its source through a grate at the bottom of the south wall, lined like the rest of the pool in azure tile and grout.&nbsp; Only now could the commotion below really reach him; the quick pitter-patter of aggravated Kygian speech.&nbsp; <br><br>Rounding the wall down to the stairs, the scene played out; the carriage, narrow and of dark wood, a thin smoke billowing from the cracks in the timber, backed up close to the edge of the pool; the horses harnessed to the cart, anxious, held steady by their handlers; a group of servants not from the castle, arguing amongst themselves... and a thin human shape floundering in the pool, tangled in rags.&nbsp; Confound it all, their bickering would see her drown!<br><br>"What are you doing?" he demanded, rushing down the steps, "the poor girl's dying!&nbsp; A rope, a stick, something!&nbsp; Pull her out!"<br><br>The servants turned slowly, shoulders hunched in exhaustion.&nbsp; "What are you talking about?" one questioned, a larger man, sweat beaded over his brow, "You think we carted her tied up and drugged to the gills so we could drown her in the Prince's pool?&nbsp; She'll be fine."<br><br>The nerve!&nbsp; Matthias rushed to the servant, seizing him by the collar and pushing him against the side of the carriage.&nbsp; "No, I think you have marched all the way from Kygia to address the Crown Prince of Gallia like a serf!&nbsp; Explain yourself, or I shall speak to the Duchess of your insolence!"<br><br>His eyes widened in shock.&nbsp; "My apologies, your lordship," he began, "your, uh, bravado, startled me, is all..."&nbsp; Matthias' hands released the man, who cleared his throat.&nbsp; "Her Ladyship Marina, the Duchess of Kygia, presents you with a token of her affection, a beast native to the waters of the Kygian coast, renowned for their beauty and-"<br><br>"What - kind of beast?" Matthias cut in, walking to the edge of the pool, eyeing the shape under the surface with growing intrigue.<br><br>"A - a mermaid, your lordship," he explained, peering into the water from a few steps behind the prince, "sea-life, they breathe water.&nbsp; If anything, she would drown in air.&nbsp; Forgive us, lord, our exhaustion came through our efforts to..."&nbsp; The man's words drowned out as Matthias interpreted the information.&nbsp; A mermaid?&nbsp; Surely such things were strictly the realm of fantasy?&nbsp; A woman above the hips, and a fish below?&nbsp; Preposterous, surely, he thought to himself, even as the servant detailed the journey from Kygia, the binding with wet cloth and ice, the opium to keep her calm and docile...&nbsp; Matthias did listen, but the prince's eyes still searched through the ripples of the pool attentively, hoping for a clearer glimpse of the creature.&nbsp; A thrill began to grow in him, something he had felt since... since...<br><br>"Your lordship, you really should step back..." the man warned, unheeded by the prince.
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