Chapter 6: The Mountains of Pathos
The sun began to rest behind the western hills as they rode back to the palace. Lenore left a child, but returned a woman. Her body was sore from the afternoon escapades and her heart fully awakened to the power of his violent storm.
She knew he was a monster. She knew he had a sinister disposition, but not with her. With Lenore he could express a tenderness and tranquil nature he could not show the world. The secret of his true self excited her and made her feel more valuable than all the resources of his lands because she possessed the heart of a monster. She was the one who could calm his storm.
They rode peacefully through the countryside. They didn't need to say anything. Their souls seemed to speak for them as they continued on lost in the moment, refusing to give thought to what may lie ahead. Anthony began to slow down as they approached the palace. He helped her down from Arwen's back and passed the horses to one of his servants. He held her in the courtyard not knowing what to say, but she didn't need him to speak. His presence was what she longed for.
He grabbed her hand and led her to their chambers. Once they were alone, he kissed her softly yet quickly wanted to do more when her stomach growled alerting them to other needs that should be attended to.
"We've had the most lovely, adventurous day but it's time you get something to eat. I'll let the servants know we are ready for dinner and I'll meet you in our garden," he said. He gently kissed her lips and brushed her cheeks with the back of his hand.
"I'm hungry yes, but I'm starving for you. Let's eat dinner and then…" Lenore could not finish her sentence as her cheeks blushed with the talk of things a lady never speaks of.
"Your innocent mind and womanly desires makes my arousal grow stronger by the minute," Anthony said as he pulled her in close and played with her blonde curly hair. "Let's get something to eat and then I'll attend to your needs throughout the night."
He lifted her head and kissed her passionately like she was his most prized possession. Lenore walked to her chambers and called for her servants. They dressed her in a beautiful blue dress and styled her hair with jewels and adornments. She wanted to look her best for her husband as the thought of him pinning her down in the meadow and rocking inside her till her pleasure couldn't be contained made her blush with embarrassment.
What was this man doing to her? Never did she think she would crave his closeness and his hardness inside her but as she remembered the events of the day, her thoughts left her wet and ready for his touch. She wanted to eat quickly so he could fulfill more important needs and she knew she wasn't the only one longing for release.
They ate in the garden together and Anthony asked her questions about her childhood. Lenore talked about her family and education. She told him about her love for horses and afternoon rides she would take by herself. She told him she was skilled in fencing and loved to play the harp. Anthony was intrigued by her ability to ride and fence.
"It's not common for princesses to be skilled riders and know how to yield a sword. I'm surprised your father allowed this," he said as they enjoyed grilled fish and delicious steamed vegetables.
"Well," she replied. "He didn't allow it per say. My father and mother were too busy entertaining ambassadors and conquering lands to really pay attention to what I was doing. My nurse, Alma, believed I needed to be educated and able to defend myself. She made sure I had accomplished tutors and instructors. My parents only were concerned about my beauty and temperament. I never had much of a relationship with them."
She became melancholy as she talked about her parents. They never took interest in her nor did she have an attachment to them. It didn't seem natural and it wasn't the future she wanted for herself with her children, but their apathy built a strong resilience in her and gave her the opportunity for an education few females could boast. For this, she was grateful.
He continued to ask her questions and would occasionally talk about himself. She couldn't remember a time where she had talked more and his interest in who she was only made her hungry for his touch. After dinner, he took her hand and they walked in the garden. The flowers were beautiful shades of pink and red. Roses, peonies, and carnations lined the brick sidewalk that led to a wooden fence. Anthony unlocked the gate and inside the secret garden was a wooden swing.
Through the moonlight, she could see the beautiful carvings on the seat of the swing. Lenore sat on the seat while Anthony pushed her. She laughed and pumped her feet so she went higher and higher. Lenore hadn't been on a swing since childhood and she forgot how fun it was to play outside like she did when she was young. They left the secret garden and continued to walk through the palace grounds when a group of Anthony's soldiers came upon them. They halted, bowed, and the captain of the guard stepped forward.
"Sorry for the intrusion my lord but his highness is needed for an urgent matter of state," the captain of the guard, Rameal said. Anthony's demeanor changed to a callus stoic presence.
He looked at two of his trusted soldiers. "Tobin and Hansel, take her highness back to our chambers and stand guard by our door. Do not let anyone enter. Everyone else, come with me."
Anthony looked into my eyes and I could see the color changing and flashes of white light that reminded me of lightning in the distance began to build in his eyes. I smiled and gave him a nod. He nodded slightly and left with his men to attend to this urgent matter.
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Anthony's POV:
The euphoria I had experienced today came to a sobering end when Rameal approached with a group of my most trusted soldiers. We'd been having issues in Pathos, a kingdom we recently conquered. There were a rebel people group who lived in the mountains that wreaked havoc on the towns and villages, pillaging and burning as they went. I sent a company of soldiers to eradicate these mountain men and I wondered if the urgent matter was due to the turmoil we were facing there.
"Rameal, what the fuck is happening?" I demanded to know as we walked in hast towards the palace.
"The mountain men, your highness, have defeated a company of soldiers and sent a letter written in their blood. The letter bore gifts of our soldiers' heads." He replied. My blood boiled and the storm inside me raged with fury. I didn't anticipate my soldiers facing opposition and I rarely make mistakes that cost the lives of my men. The weight I felt fueled my anger as I gathered with my commanders and heads of state.
"Have a battalion of soldiers ready to ride at daybreak to the mountains of Pathos. I will leave at once with my squad of men and kill these mountain men. They will pay for our losses with their lives but not before we make an example out of them so others know what happens when you try to challenge my lordship over these lands." My fist hit the table hard as my voice echoed in the hall. Anger brewed inside me and I didn't trust myself to be around my delicate wife but the thought of not seeing her before I left was excruciating. Her safety was more important than my desires, so I wrote a letter quickly, closed it with my seal, and had it delivered to our chambers.
I saddled Xanthos as my squad readied their horses for the journey ahead. Rameal and my men always accompanied me into battle. They knew me better than anyone and had seen me unleash my supernatural force as we killed with brutality and claimed the lands of our enemies. I had underestimated the mountain men of Pathos and they would pay for this mistake.
We rode in hast to the mountain's edge. The storm continued to build like an unrelenting force inside me and my fury was so fierce it began to alter the weather above our heads. We rode as the weather morphed and became unstable the closer we came to the mountain. Dark clouds formed out of nowhere surrounding the mountaintops and the winds howled forcefully through the trees. Rain began to fall in thick heavy drops as thunder clashed and lightning filled the sky.
We reached the mountain passage and the weather was so volatile it would have caused panic with any other group of soldiers, but not my men. They had experienced the fierce storm transcend upon our enemies many times before and fear did not fill their eyes, just vengeance. I closed my eyes as I pictured the mountain in my mind and scanned its caves for signs of humanity. Deep within was a fortress built to contain the rebellion. I entered into their dreams causing complete turmoil as they awoke in panic and desperation. I filled their minds with chaos and hallucinations so they would flee from their fortress trying to escape the violent storm.
When the mountain men were frantic and at their weakest point, my squad and I rode towards their fortress ready to destroy them and make their nightmares a reality. We broke through their defenses and brutally killed everyone we passed. My anger caused lightning to strike and kill these rebels who tried to oppose us as we slashed and struck these men with a force they couldn't comprehend or imagine. The rebellion was too shocked and afraid to pose much opposition, we defeated then and killed all the rebels except for their leader who was taken captive and badly injured. Rameal had him by his hair bruised and bloodied from the beating he had just received.
He knelt by my feet in complete horror in the presence of my supernatural abilities. He screamed and begged for mercy that he never bestowed as I cut and maimed him slowly experiencing my vengeance with every piece of him I took to send to his allies with a letter written in his blood. When he was at the brink of death, my anger and rage fueled a bolt of lightning to relieve his sufferings.
Once the mission was complete and my dominion was secure, we rode back to the mountain's edge to meet the battalion. I instructed my soldiers to go into the mountain and see what happens to those who oppose us. Then commanded they pillage their fortress and burn it to the ground. I sent letters written in their leader's blood with tokens of his dismembered body to all his allies as a stern warning of what happens when my lordship is challenged.
I wanted my soldiers to see the brutality my squad left behind. I wanted them to talk throughout the lands of what happens when someone opposes our kingdom. They went into the mountain fortress and took any resources they could find before lighting fire to its defenses. My squad took the severed heads of this rebel force and displayed them by the mountain's edge as a visual reminder to our enemies.
I spent the rest of the day planning how to protect Pathos and claim complete lordship over these lands with my most trusted commanders and advisors. My soldiers drank and celebrated our victory as they encamped at the foot of the mountain. When it was nightfall, I retreated to my tent and washed for the night. I laid down on the soft bedding and closed my eyes in hopes Lenore would be sleeping.
I ached for her and desperately wanted to hold and comfort her. I wanted to feel her naked body under me as I listened to her cry out my name and push her orgasm to heights of pleasure she's never experienced before. She gave herself to me and I wanted her to experience many new firsts of ecstasy and pleasure as I awakened her sexually.
I found her deep in sleep from exhaustion and distress. I could sense her panic and fear for my safety. Her dreams longed for my closeness and as I was about to comfort her, I felt her fear take another form. As she dreamed I sensed a fear of abandonment as well. Why would she be afraid I would leave her? Did she truly not see how madly in love with her I was? How could she not feel how her presence had altered me completely?
As she slept, memories of her childhood and the rejection she felt by those she loved most crushed her. Everyone she was supposed to love had rejected her or passed on and until our union, she spent her life utterly alone. The storm inside me grew as my desire to punish all those who hurt her festered in my mind.
But, my need to hold her fragile body and kiss away all the memories that haunted her, consumed me. In her dream, I reached out and pulled her closer to me. Her mood began to change and her thoughts became more erotic as her dreams were filled with my presence. I allowed her thoughts to lead as I answered her sexual desires. I passionately kissed her while I took off her clothes and touched her in all the places that caused her to moan in pleasure.
In her dreams, Lenore was not the shy and modest princess she seemed to be, she was wild and erotic. Her hands were eager to touch me in sinister ways as she kissed down my chest exploring me with her mouth. I laid back and allowed her to fantasize about taking me deep into her throat as she bobbed her head up and down my hard shaft. My cock was sloppy and wet as she continued to tease its tip with her tongue. Her sex was throbbing and needing release, so I answered her desires by teasing and stroking her folds with my fingers.
Her climax built and I moved my attention to her g spot pushing her completely over the edge. She cried out my name and begged me not to stop fucking her so I kept stroking her and whispering words to bring heighten her arousal in her ear. She fantasized about us making love throughout the night. We pleasured each other in sinister ways I never thought she would imagine. As the sun came up, I held her in her dreams not wanting to leave her but knowing she needed to rest and wouldn't if I was present. I kissed her tenderly and gradually left her mind to sleep relaxed and fulfilled.
I got dressed for the day and called for my soldiers to ready my horse. My commanders could take it from here. I needed to get home to Lenore and make all her fantasies come true.
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