Chapter Six #4
Iceland had lost, and East Forest had retreated since their own rulers were dead, and they’d had enough of pillaging and looting.
East Forest was safe since Iceland was in no shape to continue the war.
Crown Prince Kalen's oldest Uncle had pulled back and seemed content to allow Iceland to deal with the aftermath and manage their own shit.
It wasn’t being managed. Iceland split with Elswere taking one portion.
It had caused a tiny civil war before both sides quickly retreated.
The morale of those on both sides was in the pits with the war and so much of the Royal Family dead.
For now, things were at a standstill according to Tivar.
Elswere had the border on the east side guarded the best he could, and Tivar was doing the same.
Both sides didn’t have much for numbers, and in the meantime, Tivar would hold while he focused on getting a baby.
Edur didn’t care what the country did. Surviving each day with as little suffering as possible was his only goal.
When Tivar forced a tiny dot of truth resin into his mouth one night, hoping he’d spill secret plots and whispers that had taken place behind Tivar’s back, it didn’t work.
The resin made Edur light, the room faded, and he remembered nothing until the next morning.
Tivar didn’t try it again since resin did nothing except knock his mind for a loop.
The whippings didn’t stop. The heat made them bearable. In fact, the pain was almost arousing now.
December, 1647
“Cheer up,” said Tivar. “The Winter Solstice is almost here. Maybe you’ll finally have a present for me.”
Edur put on a smile even though he didn’t care about the Winter Solstice. “I hope so.”
After pretending and letting the heat make things easier for so long, pain made him aroused.
Even the feel of Tivar’s body against his made him hard.
His body wanted it, so he pretended he did too, and being eager and obedient made his fake brother happy.
Pain and sex were his life now, and if Tivar was happy, he usually wasn’t too mean.
Edur could survive.
The pattern of the sky through the glass skylight never changed.
With every day and season that passed, Edur knew what to expect even when Tivar’s moods were volatile.
Sometimes, he was happy, and other times, he was angry because Edur still hadn’t conceived yet.
The cane was used to correct him or because Tivar felt like it.
Sometimes the belt or the whip was used.
Tivar always healed him, and occasionally, he apologized for his anger.
Other times, he said it was all Edur’s fault, and if he conceived, Tivar wouldn't get carried away with his anger.
December, 1648
“Three years, and you still can’t do your fucking job! All I ask is that you give me an heir, and you can’t even fucking manage it.”
The skylight was the only thing that stayed the same.
Edur bled on the bed from the vicious cut since Tivar had come at him with a knife.
He hadn’t moved fast enough, and it wasn’t like he could go far with one wrist shackled to the headboard, so it had been easy for Tivar to pin and cut him while threatening to carve out his womb.
For a moment, Edur had thought Tivar would finish him, but he was left with a vivid red slash down his torso. Tivar needed his baby maker alive.
Tivar took a deep breath and watched his bleeding brother huddle on the bed with one arm around his midsection while he shivered and bit his tongue to keep quiet.
“I’ll sew you up, and you can heal naturally.
Maybe the scar will remind you to do your duty.
Serves you right. You need to focus more on conceiving or.
..” He started pacing. “This is your fault. Three fucking years?”
“I’m sorry,” whispered Edur.
December, 1649
The dim light from above said the sun was setting. Edur tasted blood in his mouth from the earlier backhand while he held his legs up. Tivar grunted against his shoulder with every thrust.
“You love this, don’t you?”
Truly, Edur did now. He’d told himself he did so many times, it had to be the truth.
December, 1650
He still hadn’t had a baby. His whole world consisted of nothing but the skylight, the bedroom, pain, sex, and the little snippets of things he could never have and only read about in books.
December, 1651
Still no baby. The cycle of light from above stayed the same.
December, 1652
No baby.
March, 1653
At the age of twenty-two, Edur still hadn’t conceived. Sometimes, he wondered if there was something wrong with Tivar’s seed. There was a test that could be done. Of course, he would never go and get it.
It was all Edur’s fault according to Tivar.
Sometimes, a little part of Edur’s brain wished for something else.
He didn’t know what because there was nothing else anymore.
One morning, he had to sit at the vanity with one wrist chained to the leg of it.
He was always secured to something even when bathing.
At that point, Tivar might as well have not bothered since Edur hadn’t thought to escape in years.
He didn’t hope or imagine anyone would find him either.
He figured Tivar was tired of his looks since he was rubbing black dye into his ears. Maybe he wanted to pretend he had a new toy. One who could give him a son.
“You need to change your looks. You’re grown up, and Elswere hasn’t seen you since you were just a tiny little thing when he had that fight with your Father. To be safe, I’ll change the color of your ears, tail, and hair.”
“Huh?”
“You’re going to be his pleasure slave and my spy. It’s been some years, and nothing has happened, but I don’t trust him. Even though he doesn’t seem ready to do anything, I need a set of eyes and ears there. You simply need to do what I say.”
Edur stared at himself in the mirror as his right ear was blackened. Tivar’s gloves were stained from the dye and black like the filth he’d spent years grinding into his little brother’s soul.
He was supposed to leave and go be a spy? How could he leave the room and let someone blood-related fuck him? Not that he’d dare show any defiance or say no to Tivar.
“I will tell you how to act, what to say, and what to do. I have this all planned out, and you'll practice what to say and how to act. Remember, I’m your big brother, and I’ve always got everything figured out.
I take care of you and everything else. You haven’t done your duty, but I still love you.
Now, if you could pick any name, what would you pick?
I’ll let you have that, and you can start practicing so you'll be used to responding to it.”
Edur could barely fathom going somewhere else after being in the room for so long. The question was easy. He knew from a book he’d read a few times. It was his favorite because it had a happy ending, and he knew what to expect every time he opened it.
“Lumi.”
“Can you remember it?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, Luuuumi,” Tivar said in a mocking tone. “That’s your new name.”
Lumi stared at his dark ears. He should have switched names years ago. After all, Edur was long gone. He’d died one violent morning when he was fourteen.
December, 1653
“That’s why you should never trust a werewolf,” Lumi said as he walked along the brick edging with his black tail swishing. “But it was easy to distract him. All the boy had to do was tie a bone to his tail, and while the werewolf was busy chasing his tail in a circle, the boy snuck away.”
The court erupted with laughter. Silk glistened as ladies shifted in their chairs, feathers fluttered as they waved their fans to cool their pink cheeks, and silver buttons glistened as lords clutched their midsections and tried to contain themselves.
Lumi paused as he waited for them to settle before he cocked one of his black ears. “Some say the werewolf is still there to this day and chasing his tail to get that bone.”
Some of the ladies had to support themselves with an arm on the table as they laughed, and a lord slapped his thigh as he guffawed.
One lady had tears rolling down her face as she fumbled for her hanky and tried to breathe.
King Elswere applauded his pleasure slave’s story. His son, Jaki, didn’t appear impressed.
Lumi let his gaze linger on the Prince who might very well be his half-brother. They’d never seen each other before that year, but Tivar had his suspicions. Perhaps Father had fooled around, and Elswere’s reclusive wife hadn’t had a child years after her first loss.
Elswere didn’t share much in looks with his son beyond his hair and its coloring.
Prince Jaki had many similarities to Lumi, although one wouldn’t notice unless they really looked.
Nobody bothered to look because how on Ymir’s dirt could a pleasure slave be related to Crown Prince Jaki? That was preposterous.
Nobody was left of the old family besides Elswere, Jaki, and Tivar.
Plenty of cat fairies existed, and Lumi also looked quite different.
It was amazing that blackening his ears and tail had worked so well.
He only had to keep it up and use a glamor shampoo once a month to keep his hair grey.
Dye worked better for tails since the fur was thicker, and it also made the skin under the short fur on his ears black instead of pale pink.
Lumi had changed inside too. When Tivar had explained the things he’d need to do and how to act, he didn’t think he could do it, but the idea of a form of partial freedom had sparked something in him.
As long as Lumi didn’t think too hard and packed down all of the unpleasantness, he could pretend the past years didn’t exist. His four-year taste of freedom would last forever.
It didn’t matter if half of the court fucked him or if he had to let his Father’s half-brother up his ass.
It was all worth it, and he told himself the freedom would never end as long as he acted and kept up the perfect facade.
Before, it was survival. Now, it was also about keeping his sanity so he could act. If he didn't, Tivar would make sure he suffered.
And while Lumi was free, he might as well have a taste of something else.
He really shouldn’t, but something about those pink eyes and the icy countenance was such a temptation, and he couldn’t stomp out the smoldering lust that burned in him.
He’d wanted Prince Jaki since the day he first saw him, and his ultimate goal besides spying and relaying information was to have the Prince’s cock.
Sex without his heat was unthinkable now. Lumi was sure there would be real enjoyment mixed in with the desperation that it brought. He didn’t even care if he was denied release as long as he could have the Prince inside of him and feel that firm, naked body against his.
Or he could get on his knees and look into those bright pink eyes while he took Prince Jaki’s cock in his mouth.
Despite the cold eyes and lack of interest, sometimes, he was sure the Prince wanted him too.