Chapter 7

Since the revelation that Yolande was the captive of Prince Igor, there had been developments at the court of Parvania. Queen Ingeborg had come to her senses somewhat, and decided that a rescue mission was to be organised. To that end, she would summon to the castle not Yolande’s sister, Thalyssa, for whom the queen had nothing but contempt, but another close relative.

Queen Ingeborg had a brother, Lord Orfeo. He was a scholarly man, a reclusive who spent most of his days, and much of his nights, in the library, writing a history of the kingdom, from the beginnings. Some parts of it had already been copied by a team of scribes and was available to be read, though few had done so. But no matter; he wrote for posterity, not for the multitude. Lord Orfeo’s wife had died giving birth to their second child, a son. The firstborn was a daughter, Seraphina. She was a girl of noble bearing, tall, dark-haired. Her face, people declared, had an ethereal beauty. She also grew to possess an imposing bosom, which she was proud of and often displayed in gowns with necklines lowered almost to the nipple. She had long, shapely legs and a bottom which the privileged few who had seen it in the flesh described as perfection.

Seraphina was devoted to the art of war. She and Yolande were the youngest generals in the army, a position which she discharged with bravery and tactical astuteness. Some found her manner a trifle haughty, but her soldiers revered her. Unlike her cousin, she had a strong interest in sex, but unlike her other cousin, Thalyssa, Seraphina was highly discriminating in the bestowal of her favours. Most of her time was occupied with military matters, and so she had little leisure to engage in flirting or courtship. She had discovered early in life that one could not predict a man’s sexual proficiency from his appearance, nor from his demeanour or ability to deal in fine words. The only proof of whether a man could fuck well enough was to try him. But she could not afford to waste time in discovering, too late, that a man she had taken to bed was not up to her standard as a lover.

Fortunately, Seraphina had a friend, Rowena, the daughter of her nurse. Since childhood they had shared all their secrets, their joys and sorrows. Rowena managed Seraphina’s household, but she also performed another function for her friend. It was her duty and her pleasure to try out potential bed partners. If Seraphina came across a likely candidate, or if Rowena should happen upon one herself, Rowena would invite him to service her. Of course none of the candidates knew that this was an audition. Afterwards, she would deliver a report to Seraphina. Standards were high; Seraphina wanted nothing but the best, and it has to be said that only a few of those tested passed muster, many getting no further than Rowena’s bed, though that was a pleasant experience in itself.

As time passed, Seraphina became more and more choosy about her lovers, becoming an epicure of the erotic, a connoisseur of cock (and of cunt on occasion). She had less and less time to spare, and so wished for every encounter to be worth spending time and energy on. The fortunate few might find, if they performed particularly well, that they were invited back, for a second or even a third helping of Seraphina’s beautiful body. But it was rare indeed for any to last longer. Not only was Seraphina very choosy; she liked variety, and moreover she had no interest in emotional attachments, which she deemed unsuitable for a military woman.

The summons for Seraphina to present herself at the castle to meet the queen came just as Rowena was entertaining her with an account of a youth whom she had taken to bed and who had proved spectacularly talented. Seraphina had had a long day on manoeuvres with her army corps and was soaking in a hot bath while Rowena sat on a stool.

“His cock, I have to say, is of impressive dimensions, my lady,” Rowena said enthusiastically. “I know that you always say this is no guarantee that a man can fuck well. But this boy not only has a big one, he knows what to do with it.”

“What does he do with it?” Seraphina asked, anxious for details.

“Firstly,” said Rowena, her face lighting up at the memory, “he has a very deft way of putting it in. He teases you, inching in very slowly, then withdrawing a little, and then just as you fear he is going to pull out altogether, he slides it in further, and then he starts the process again, an inch in, half an inch out. And then, just when you are nearly fainting with the tension and the desire, he rams in the last two or three inches, with such force that all the breath goes out of your body. And it is such a delicious sensation, I don’t think I ever felt so full of cock in my whole life.”

Seraphina laughed. “What a little slut you are! So what then? Does he just leave his cock there?”

“Oh, by no means, my lady. He starts to move it. And such movement!”

“Well, tell me exactly how he moves it.”

Seraphina had her hand under the bathwater, between her legs, gently stroking. At any moment, she thought, she would push a finger or two inside her. She had in mind a nice relaxing evening after the labours of the day. She was between lovers at the moment, which was why she was so anxious to hear Rowena’s account of the new prospect. But if there were no others to pleasure her, she could always rely on Rowena, whose skills in cunnilingus or in any other method of satisfying a woman had been perfected through long practice.

Rowena had just drawn breath to describe exactly what the boy had done with his cock once it was lodged inside her, when the door flew open and a maid hurried in.