ERIKI heard the antechamber door open and close, and I knew it was Birgir. He was the only one who would be brave enough to defy the guards and my orders. He was also smart enough to only do it when he knew it wouldn’t be an issue. Like now.He walked into the office carrying a paper wrapped parcel. He gave me a half bow and then handed Tova the package. “Thank you, Keeper,” she murmured. He bowed to her and she started tugging on the strings.“What is it?” I asked. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Tova receiving gifts from others.“It’s from Brunhild. She was making one of your illegitimates an outfit when I made the request for Tova’s clothing to her. She altered the boy’s clothing and had it fitted for Tova.” He looked at Tova who was opening the package with glee. “I have seen it and I liked it enough to tell her to make several more. Then I ran into Abot who told me that Tova is joining the march and that he was ordered to make sure she had clothing.” He shrugged. “B
ERIK The servants set up a large table in my anteroom and pulled chairs around for all. The generals started filing in and taking their seats, passing around the bowls of stew meats and potatoes. I ignored Tova and she ignored me. I was pretty sure I could trust my generals but I didn’t want to take the chance and so we played the charade. She did well. “We will be leaving in two days,” I began. “We can not allow King Triz’s act of treason to go unpunished.” “What are your plans for his kingdom, sire?” asked one of my generals. I looked at him sharply. Loki was one of my least favorites of the generals. He always seemed to be looking for a way to self-promote. “What do you suggest?” I asked him. “Beyond hanging Triz and his traitorous family publicly, I haven’t thought about it.” I was curious how he was going to turn this into benefitting himself. “Well, I believe that someone should lead the country. You would have to be very careful about who you choose, of course.
TOVAI stood in front of Erik, unsure of what was going to happen. He was gently running his finger up and down my arm while looking at my naked body. I had goosepimples from just that touch and I could feel myself getting wet. I know Erik noticed because he smirked a little.He patted his lap. “Lay over the top of me,” he said, softly. I looked at his lap and then awkwardly lay across it, my waist over one of his legs. He tugged at me a little, lowering my head and my feet so that my rear was directly over his leg. I could feel his rod poking into my stomach, and I realized that he, too, was aroused.I heard the sharp intake of his breath and felt one of his hands on my back, holding me in place. His other hand rubbed my bottom in a circular motion. I was starting to relax; it felt nice. Then it stopped and a stinging slap was smacked on to me. I jumped and gasped.“No, Tova,” he said, gently. “When I am spanking you, you are not allowed to move or to make a noise. If yo
TOVAI lay back across the bed, my legs splayed wide. I could feel Erik’s breath on my legs, looking at me. He used his hands to spread my slit, holding it wide, and then I felt his tongue on me.The gentleness of his tongue was welcome after the intensity of the spanking and it was relaxing me. He licked the length of me and then kissed my nub. I moaned and moved my hips.Erik used his fingers to part me and then slipped a finger inside, stroking my insides while he continued to suckle. I arched my back and moaned again, starting to hump my hips back and forth. Erik pulled back. “I can’t take it, Tova. I need you. I need to be inside you.” He raised up and crawled on top of me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and lifted my hips to him. He dipped down and crashed his lips on top of mine, his tongue insistent. I could taste my sweetness on his lips. His tongue was pushing past my teeth, so my tongue met his and we crashed together in a tangle of movement. And then he
TOVATwo days later I was astride Bo waiting for Erik to join me. We were leading our convoy out of the castle walls to the lake where we would be taken across and the march for the war camp would begin. Several convoys had left prior with instructions to set up camp and to find food and supplies for us along the way. Behind my saddle was a pack with another set of clothing and food for myself for four days. I had two full skins of water and would have to find more as we traveled.I was in doeskin breeches with boots that came up almost to my knees. I had a long tunic over the top and a fur stole was around my shoulders to keep out the damp and chilly air. I had a longer cloak rolled up and tied behind my saddle for easy access if I needed it along the march. I was ready.Erik came riding up and pulled Troi in, bringing her aside me. I looked over at him and he nodded, urging her forward. Bo hated to follow and was eager to overtake the King, but I reined him in and we canter
TOVAThe day of traveling was broken up by the conversations that Laila would start. She was mostly curious about life in the castle which sounded vastly different than the life she led. She wasn’t really part of any particular kingdom, rather one of the few occupants of the swath of land that was surrounded by kingdoms and owned by none.She was the daughter of a Doctor of Animals. Both her parents had the gift of healing beasts of all sorts and they passed along their fearlessness to their daughter. Watching her mother perish beneath the claws of an egg-bound Corinth, a type of small dragon, was enough to convince young Laila she wanted a different path. Her father did not approve so she had to sneak out one day to run away to warrior training. She was strong enough and persistent enough to get one of the outlying villages to take her in and train her as a warrior. She trained with all men, and they were tough on her. As a result, Laila was a fearless warrior that could riva
ERIKWhere was she? How long could it possibly take to curry a mount? Granted, Bo had eight legs, but she should have been done by now. I was pacing back and forth inside my tent when I heard her voice outside.“Thank you, sir. I would not have found my sire’s tent without you.” I loosened the flap and opened it up. She was standing uncertainly in front of the tent. I frowned at her and gestured inside. She bowed her head and scurried in, and I fastened the tent again.I turned to her with a smile and then stopped. She was intentionally turning her head and I could tell that she was hiding something from me.“Tova,” I said sternly. She put her hand to her face and bowed her head in submission.“My lord?” she asked.I sighed. “Get on the bed,” I ordered. She gave me a wink but didn’t remove her hand from her face. She turned to walk to the bed and sat on the edge, leaning forward to unlace her boots. Her hair swung forward and covered her face. I stood in front of her an
TOVAErik gently covered me with furs to keep me warm from the chill wind that blew across the prairie and managed to come under the tent and swirl around us. Between his body heat and the fur, I was comfortable and slept well. He slipped out from the furs when the dawn light broke and I soon followed, slipping into the garments I wore yesterday. I then followed him out of the tent.He possessively clasped my hand and strode over to the mess tent. Men bowed and moved out of his way. I could see Leila peeling apart a biscuit and dipping the morsels into honey before poking it into her mouth. She gave me a conspiratory wink as I was dragged by. Erik went to the cook and pointed. We were given two steaming plates.He led me over to where the Generals were gathered. They made room for the two of us to squat on the ground near them. I started eating my breakfast, listening to what was going on between them.“We have two rather large rivers to cross today,” General Zerg announced
TOVALater that night Erik was helping me take off my ornate dress. I had my back to him, my hair lifted up and he was untying the lacing.“Why do they tie these so tightly when you’re obviously with child? Of course you won’t have a waist,” Erik complained, picking at the knots. I shrugged.“Fashion, I guess,” I replied. He finally got the knot untied and spun me around, lifting the heavy dress off from me. I gave a sigh of relief and collapsed on the couch. He sat beside me and lifted my feet into his lap, idly rubbing them.“She will tame the Lion,” Erik mused. “You know who the Lion is, right?”I sighed again. “Yes. And I hope HE isn’t who that prophesy is about.”“The king of the Minot Realm does have a fearsome reputation,” Erik acknowledged. “But so did I.”“She is only six,” I commented. “That’s the same age I was when Birgir came and got me from my parents. I’m not letting Greta go if he comes knocking.”Erik nodded. “I agree. I will fight to keep Greta here unti
TEN YEARS LATERTOVAI was on my knees in the nursery trying to finish braiding six-year-old Greta’s curly red hair. It was normally a mess and I normally let it be a mess, but today was the day she was going to get her prophesy. Her brother, Leif, had gotten his years ago and the seers were finally back in the area. It was a tradition that all the children of the realm participated in. Even Erik had gotten a prophesy at one time.I clumsily climbed to my feet, again big with child. The midwives were convinced I was carrying twins this time. I had another easy birth when I birthed Greta and I was hoping this pregnancy would not be any different. “My lady, can I help?” One of the maids came forward to help me with Greta’s hair. I smiled at her. “Please try, Berta. I can not do a thing with it.” I handed over the brush and ribbons and then looked for my son. I found Leif sitting in the rocking chair near the window, reading a book. I smiled at him. At age ten he looked
TOVAI woke up in the middle of the night with a start, unsure what had woken me. I felt achy all over and decided to take a bath in the morning. I would ask the medicine man for some herbs to put into the water to soothe my muscles.I rolled over and snuggled into Erik. He rolled slightly in his sleep, pressing further into me. I dozed back to sleep when I woke again. This time I knew what had caused it.I carefully rolled away, hoping not to wake Erik. I felt a horrific pressure in my low back and sharp pains were shooting down my leg. I got up and carefully put on a dressing gown over my hugely swollen body, tying the straps in the front. I began pacing up and down the room, hoping to alleviate some of the pressure in my low back. I was in labor.I knew from my lessons with the midwives that the baby could take hours, or even days to come. I wasn’t prepared for this amount of pain, though. The pressure made me feel like my body was going to drop out of my bottom and the
ERIKI rode Troi into the stable at a run. It had been a long time since she got to go out and ride hard like that. Tova was too large and too far along in her pregnancy to ride, but she still came down to the stable to pet and talk to Bo. He wouldn’t allow anyone else to ride him, including me, so he had to stay when I went out with Troi. I gave the reins to one of the stable boys and then went into Bo’s stall, patting him. “She’s doing okay, boy,” I murmured to him. “It’s just too cold for her to come down and see you.” The new year had come in with a bang, the snow falling enough to cover the first story windows in the castle. After the snow came the winds, biting and freezing everything into a glossy, slippery mess. Tova was large with child and clumsy, so venturing outside wasn’t a good idea. She was going stir-crazy inside the castle. She recently began rearranging the baby’s room for the third time.I dropped a handful of oats into Bo’s feed bucket and carefully made
TOVAThe days of the celebration passed. It took a week for the castle to become back to normal. Our guests spent a day or two recovering from the merriment of the day before heading back to their lives. Birgir and Ulka stayed a few more days, working out some of the details of their new acquisition. “I’m too old to have kids,” Ulka said, abruptly one night at dinner. Erik choked on his soup and Birgir had to pound him on his back. I started laughing and couldn’t stop.“What on earth brought on this conversation?” Erik asked, horrified. “What are we going to do about an heir?” Ulka said. “Birgir and I aren’t exactly young. We probably have fifteen to twenty good years left to rule, but what will be do after that?”I tipped my head to the side. “Exactly how old are you, my lady?” I asked, curious. Erik gave a shout of laughter. “Good luck getting that information from her. It’s a closely guarded secret.” I threw my wadded up napkin at his head and he ducked. Birgir grinn
TOVAI thought my knees would buckle under me but Erik’s steadying hand on my elbow and waist helped. One by one the kings and queens stood. The king of Skaldik stepped forward and dropped to his knee.“Kings and Queens of the Four Kingdoms. I, King Olgir, pledge my alliance to each and every one of you. I pledge to work together, to contribute to the well-being of all of our people.”The remaining kings and queens stomped their feet, pounding out their acceptance. And one by one, each of the royalty took to their knee and made the same pledge.Then it was my turn. I wasn’t sure if Erik had intended on participating, but I knew I needed to. I dropped to my knee and bowed to them.“Kings and Queens of the Four Kingdoms. I, High Queen Tova, pledge my alliance to each and every one of you. I pledge that we will work together and contribute to the well being of all people, regardless of where they dwell.”Erik fell to his knee beside me and repeated the oath. We stood together a
TOVAI stood in front of the crowd, nervous. I looked out, shocked at how many people were there. Every flat surface that could be used as a table and every stool, step and chair had been brought from the castle and were filled. Furs from the beds were placed on the ground with cushions for those who arrived too late to find a seat. As far as I could see there was a sea of people, and they were all looking at me.I cleared my throat and began speaking. I spoke loud, partly to control the shaking in my voice, and partly because I wanted all to hear what I had to say.“Men and Women of Oremgoth. I am speaking to you now as a sister from Nidavelle and as your High Queen. Hear my words.Oremgoth is a realm that is made up of four specific kingdoms. Because of location, each of these kingdoms has a specific gift that is from nature, herself.”I turned to the king of Skaldik and inclined my head before turning back to the people. “Skaldik is to the north. Their people are hardwork
ERIKI stood on the podium in the pavilion and looked out on to the field. More people than expected had shown up to the ceremony and that pleased me. Some of the guests didn’t look too pleased and some looked uncomfortable, but my mother was down there doing her best to stop the muttering.The muttering was happening because Tova insisted on mixing the perceived social ranks. Peasants were seated at the table with noblemen. Children from all classes ran around together, playing games and enjoying each other’s company. And those who did not send a response saying that they would be attending, regardless of status, were seated on furs and cushions that were placed out last minute. I knew that the only reason no one had left in a huff is because they were curious about what was going on. I stepped out and raised my hand, garnering the attention of everyone. The hum of conversations slowed and then finally stopped, the only noise made from the servants clanking silver together in
TOVAI was happy to see that the servants had filled my bath with lightly scented water. I climbed in and let the warm water relax my body before quickly washing and coating my hair with oils. I climbed out, wrapping myself in my robe and wandering back to the bedroom where my chambermaid had laid out my gown for the evening.Instead of the chambermaid, Erik was sitting on the couch, shirtless. I looked at him and breathed in, hard. I knew the look in his eyes.“Come here,” he said, widening his legs. I stepped forward until I was standing within arm’s reach of him. “Take off the robe,” he said, eyes smoldering. I obediently untied the sash and let the robe drop to my feet. He hissed his approval through his teeth when he saw my body, still glistening with the oils I had used. He lowered his head and started sucking on my nipple and I threw my head back and moaned. “You know we only have a few minutes,” Erik whispered, his mouth full of my breast. “No, we don’t. Take your