The Shadow, the Orc, and the Princess: Part Four (complete)

Female Main Character x Male Monster (both cis)

During dinner I was quiet, but that’s not unusual. Ever since Arda the First gave me the news, I hadn’t exactly been up to talking about anything. The long table was dotted with relatives, some I knew and lots I didn’t.  All of them were in their own little worlds, mumbling to the one beside them or just into their soup.

Arda the First sat at the head of the table, sipping her wine and watching all of us laid out before her. Her dog stood at her side, watching us just as closely as she did. After a tap on the head the dog rose and came to stand beside me.

“She wants you to sit with her,” a distant cousin told me. He raised his head from his plate long enough to tell me that, and for me to see he wore an eyepatch.

“Can you understand the dog?” I asked as a joke.

He just started and me and turned back to his food.

I carried my plate and cup down to the head of the table, sitting at Arda the First’s left where the dog led me.

“Thank you for joining me, Leopoldine. I feel you’ve been quite distant since you arrived.” She filled my glass with wine even though there was water already in it.

“I’ve been trying to let it all sink in.” I looked into my glass then back at her. “I’m not sure what to think or who to trust.”

Her smile grows and she leans in closer to me. “I understand.” She coils her hand around mine and holds it towards her. “You can take all the time you need here. I would love to have you around.”

People around me shift in their chairs and I hear some chuckling.

“Thank you, Arda-”

“Buh buh buh,” she pats my cheek. “Grandmother, Leopoldine. Call me grandmother. I insist.”

“Grandmother,” I mumbled reluctantly. The name didn’t suit her in the slightest; it was weird and forced when I said it out loud.

He chuckled and pushed my glass to me. “Do you drink wine back home?”

“Sometimes,” I murmured. “I don’t really like it that much.”

“But it’s good for you! Wine keeps the skin healthy and young. It’ll help heal those scars you have the more you drink.” She topped off my glass even though I hadn’t drank anything. “A girl like you needs wine.”

I frowned a bit, sipping the glass with caution. Even with water in it, the wine tasted too strong and bitter for me.

Grandmother smiled. “I want to keep your safe and healthy, Leopoldine. I don’t want to see what happened to your father happen to you. After all, you and your brother have very similar circumstances.”

I was shoving food into my mouth to get rid of the flavor of the wine. “What do you mean?”

She sighed, touching her fingers to her lips while concern painted itself across her face. “I just mean it’s very similar. You’re the heir right? Or at least, I’m sure it’s been promised to you all this time. At least, before your brother was born. Which, if I remember this correctly, is the same age Julain was when Falko was born.”

She was correct, this I knew because it had been at the forefront of my mind since Bronn was born.

“Although, by now Julian was king,” she chuckled. “Your grandfather knew when to step down. But Falko? I am not so certain.”

“My father…he’s much younger than my grandfather was,” I tried to argue, but I felt the fight in me dying.

“Drink up, Leopoldine.” Arda the First urged me.

I took a sip under her watchful gaze. “I’m not even ready to be a ruler. At least, I don’t think so.”

“You think? Or have you been told that?” Arda whispered to me. “You’ve proven yourself haven’t you? You’ve mastered your father’s training enough to have your own knights. You’ve studied under your mother. You’re smart, strong, and have been promised it since you were born. Men have risen to such powers far younger than you. What’s stopping you?”

It terrified me that Bronn was the first thought in my mind.

Arda the First leaned in closer to me, placing her hand around my wrist and squeezing tight. “Let me help you, Leopoldine. I can send with you an army so you can take what is rightfully yours. Falko doesn’t deserve that throne. He is a king slayer, a usurper. The crown rightfully belongs upon your beautiful head.”

When did I begin to doubt myself?

Arda the First’s hand squeezed tight around my wrist. “I want what is best for my family. My daughter, my beautiful grandchild, all I ever wanted was to see you happy.”

I looked into her eyes and felt exhausted. “What about mom?”

Arda the First grinned and she released my wrist. Her long fingers coiled around my chin and jaw, holding my head up. “I loved Julain with all my heart, that was the only reason I felt safe giving him my daughter. I was hurt he chose her over me, but I knew it was what was best for us. And it gave us you.” She released me then placed my glass into my hand.

“I thought Julian went mad,” I murmured. “What really happened?”

Arda the First sighed, turning her eyes away, but I felt the eyes of the rest of the table fall upon us. “He didn’t go mad, Falko did.”

I drank down the wine, but only because I wanted it to dull the rest of my body.

“No more talk of this, I can see it bothers you.” Behind Arda the First’s hand I saw a smile. “Finish up.” She refilled my glass. “And I’ll tuck you into bed myself.”

I didn’t feel like finishing my plate. Instead I drank another lass of wine before Arda the First took me to my room. She helped me change and tucked me into bed as she promised. As I laid there, staring up at the ceiling, she caressed my forehead, making strange shapes on my skin.

“Sleep well, Leopoldine. Know that I am here for you.” She left the room and everything went silent.

I rolled over in bed, closing my eyes as I thought of Bronn. I saw him grow, becoming tall and lean. He was beautiful and beloved, held up by the kingdom. I stood below him, watching as he ascended far above me until he was out of sight and I was alone.

I felt a stirring at the back of my mind that began itching, itching, itching until it became a rising of my skin. I didn’t open my eyes and continued to feign being asleep as I listened all around me. The chilled room I had been staying in was always so quiet, most of Arda the First’s castle was a quiet tomb. I heard the whisper of the curtains fluttering and the sound of rain beyond them. I lifted my head, seeing the window was open and the continuous rain had not ceased since I laid down my head.

I rose from bed, keeping myself alert for any sound of presence in the room. My skin was still gooseflesh, and that itching remained. I went to the window, looking out at the gray night that was covered by mist and downfall. I closed the shutters and turned to the shadows.

“Do you want to die?” I asked.

A shifting of the darkness revealed him to me. The shadow man was sitting in front of the cold fireplace in one of the overstuffed chairs.

“Do you?” He asked.

I furrowed my brow at him as I placed my fingertips on the large sewing needles I kept hidden in my nightgown. “Is that what you’re here to do.”

“Not even a little.” He stood from his chair. “I was told to bring you back alive.”

I could barely make out the shadow man’s shape because the room was so dark. “What for?” I asked, taking steps closer to him.

“Because your father asked me to.” He tilted his head slightly, and I could hear the fabric of his head covering.

I reached out, touching his chest and ribs, feeling him stiffen in reaction. He was soaked to the bone and completely chilled.

“You’re freezing.”

He scoffed, grabbing my wrist and pulling it away. “Mere price to pay to keep my eye on you.”

“You might as well leave and tell Falko I know everything.”

“Falko?” He balked. “Since when do you call him that?”

I continued to press my hand to his body. “Do you not know the truth, shadow man?” I found a rip in his tunic, possibly from climbing up the side of the castle. My fingers touched bare skin, I felt hair and muscle, and I remembered how he felt inside me.

The shadow man’s hand gripped tight around my wrist, but he didn’t force me away. “Princess, I only know what I have been told. And I have been told you belong back home with your family.”

“I’m with my family here, too.” My fingers touched his nipple and I pinched itas hard as I could.

The shadow man yanked my hand away, holding it high above my head.

I chuckled. “What’s the rush?”

He growled low under his breath, not saying a word.

I licked my lips and moved closer to him. Even with my hand yanked up, I could still touch him. “You’re freezing and soaking wet. Why not take off all those wet things and hang them to dry until dawn.”

“And what do I do until then?” He snarled.

“Me,” I laughed.

The shadow man yanked down my arm and forced me to turn around. He shoved my arm into my back then leaned over my shoulder. He growled into my ear, both as a warning, and as a show of his desire.

“Do you not know fear, princess?” His free hand grabbed onto my thigh and dragged up, sinking his fingers into my flesh.

“Not with you,” I moaned. “As many scars as I’ve put on that body, I know how to handle you. There’s no fear between us.”

“Oh, but there is.” His deep voice vibrated along my ear and through my whole body. “We both know it’s there.” His hand pulled up my nightgown around my waist.

I bit my lip as his hand cupped between my thighs. I let out a small moan as i was desperate for his touch.

“I thought you would fight me before you let me do this?” He whispered into my ear.

“I need it, I’ll fight you later.” I pressed my rear into his lap.

The shadow man’s grip on me softened. He released my arm and his hand between my thighs smoothed up my belly. He kissed my neck through his mask and I turned my head to steal it.

“I thought I could always trust you,” I whispered. “I thought you were mine.”

“But I am. When we’re alone, you don’t need to question it.”

I turned around, resting my head upon his shoulder. “I don’t want to think. I’m so confused and lost…please. Please just for tonight.”

The shadow man scooped me up into his arms. “As my princess wishes.” He carried me to bed and laid me down. A moment later his naked body was beside mine. I could see the faint shadow of him in the dark, but when I touched I could feel everything.

“You really are freezing.” I stripped off my nightgown and pressed my bare body to him. I kissed hi chest, his arms, his hands. I licked his finger then brought it between my lips to suck.

The shadow man snarled and he put his free hand around my hip. He pulled my leg over his and I felt something warm upon him.

“Whatever you want, I’ll give.”

I stroked down his chest until I felt the tip of his impressive member against my fingertips. I licked my lips as I went further, feeling his soft shaft and gripping it in my hand.

The shadow man put his arm around me. “Oh princess.”

I wanted him now. I wanted him to fuck me mindless. “What'll make you harder?”

He pushed me down and moved under the covers. He spread my legs, throwing him under his shoulders. His fingers opened me, spreading my mound and tracing the shape of me. His fingertip tapped against the sensitive button and I twitched in surprise.

“Wait-” I tried to keep my composure. “What’re you doing down there?”

His hot breath beat against me and I laid back with my eyes widened open. His warm, wet tongue went down my thigh and onto my lips.

“Oh-” I gasped. “Oh!” I yelped in surprise as he kissed and nibbled on my mound. “Oh wow! Shadow man I-” I closed my eyes as his tongue lapped against me, pressing inside me to taste me. His low growls vibrated through me much deeper than before.

“Shadow man-” I tapped his back through the blankets. “What are you doing?”

He chuckled as a finger slipped inside. “Getting hard.”

I squeezed around his finger, thinking I would not feel anything more than this. Then his lips touched upon that button and it felt like he was trying to suck the life out of me. I cried out, aching my back as he sucked and licked. His snarling and moaning made my body tremble in response and his finger began to slosh with my wetness.

“Messy girl,” he growled.

I cupped my hand over my mouth to keep my voice muffled. In this quiet castle I’m sure my exclamations of pleasure would be heard.

The shadow man added another finger and made a curling motion. I surged, nearly lifting myself off the bed as he struck something inside that I never felt before. He continued licking and teasing that button.

I took a pillow, using it to dapen my moans and cries. My body rippled, shaking and spasming to the rhythm of curling fingers. I laid there for a moment, still coursing with heat from his touch. His fingers slowly removed, his tongue slurped and licked up what mess he could.

The shadow man laughed as he rose up from under the covers, tugging his mask back down. “There. Now feel me.” He grabbed my hand and placed it upon his cock.

“It’s a rock,” I moaned.

He stroked my hand along his shaft, which was wet from his dribbling tip. “Is this what you wanted, princess?”

“Yes,” I breathed. I sat up in bed, kneeling on all fours before him. I took his cock back into my hand so I could place the tip against lips. I wasn’t quite sure what to do, I only wanted to repay his efforts from moments before.

“Don’t bite,” he laughed.

I stuck out my tongue, licking him like a lollipop. His great hand grabbed the back of my head, pulling my hair and forcing me closer. His cock slipped against my cheek and my mouth smashed into his sack. I forced back, licking up his shaft and grabbing that sack into my fist.

“Oh, princess,” he growled.

I kissed his shaft, feeling it throb against my lips. I took the tip into my mouth again, suckling while I gently palpated his balls.

“Good, good,” he growled. “Easy does it.”

I tried taking more of him into my mouth, but I began to gag. I pulled back, saliva connected his tip to my lips.

“That’s enough.” He pushed me down into the bed and yanked my legs up around his waist. He slapped his cock against my folds a few times, making a satisfying wet sound.

“How long will it last?” I moaned.

The shadow man stilled, his cock poised at my entrance. “Don’t worry about time, princess. Dawn is the only thing that will take me from you.”

He was inside me, thick, hard, and familiar. I cried out and his hand clamped down around my mouth.

“That’s my girl,” he snarled. “This sopping wet cunt fills my dreams so I can’t rest. Now that I have it, I don't want to.” He kept his voice low and quiet so only I could hear him.

I closed my eyes, trying to envision how his body looked above me. His hairy, muscular chest, maybe we stained completely dark, maybe his skin was pale, or tanned. I moaned against his palm, urging him to go deeper inside me.

“Let me take my time,” he whispered. He hissed air through his teeth. “I’m trying my hardest to win this fight. But I fear I’m weaker here than you,” he laughed. “You don’t even know what you’re doing to me, princess. You don’t know how good you feel wrapped around me. So wet. So warm. And mine to boot.”

I squeezed around him, feeling his aching rod twitch inside.

“Mercy, princess,” he snarled right into my ear. His body pressed against mine. I could feel his body hair, his muscles and warmth. I put my arms around him, sinking my fingers into his back. I wanted him to stay with me, to hold me whenever I needed him. I didn’t want him to bend to my father’s will, I wanted him to bend to mine and only mine. I wanted him beside me when I married Brevalan. I wanted them both.

“You hold me tightly, princess.” His hand moved away from my mouth and cupped the back of my head.

“Don’t let me go,” I whined. “Don’t stop!”

He grinded inside me as deep as he could go. “Why would I ever stop when I have the greatest pleasure into the world around me?”

I whimpered into his neck, trying to breathe. I felt teras rush down my cheeks and despite my best efforts I sniffled.

The shadow man suddenly went still and he placed his hand on my cheek. “Don’t cry. Are you hurt?”

I shook my head. “I’m frightened. I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

He wiped away my tears and pulled me up into his lap. Our bodies were so tightly pressed together I couldn’t tell us apart.

“Breathe,” he whispered. “Hold onto me. Feel me.” He rolled his hips upwards into me. “This is real. This is us.”

I moaned softly, hugging him tight as I moved in his lap. “I feel you.”

“My nemesis, my warrior,” he growled. “You know what to believe in. I know that you do.”

I bounced in his lap, breathing into his ear. “Shadow man-” My voice choked before I could finish my thought.

“Princess, oh, princess,” he moaned. “Keep going. You have to!”

I held on tighter to him as I bounced, his own hips thrusting upwards into me. I shuddered, throwing my head back as his whole body tensed. I felt him inside warmer than before. He pulsed inside leaving behind a thick, sticky mess.

The shadow man breathed and we laid together in bed. It was silent again except for the sound of his heart beating.

“I can’t go home,” I whispered. “I’m scared.”

“I’ve never once known you to be afraid. Least of all your home. I’m taking you back, princess. There’s no other choice.”

I reached out and touched his face through his steamy head covering. “I’ll fight you.”

“Good. I want you to.” He pulled me into his arms and held me. “I won’t let you go.”