THE IRON CROWN by Andrej Koymasky (C) 2009 written on on May 28, 2002 translated by the author English text kindly revised by Randhir
USUAL DISCLAIMER
"THE IRON CROWN" is a gay story, with some parts containing graphic scenes of sex between males. So, if in your land, religion, family, opinion and so on this is not good for you, it will be better not to read this story. But if you really want, or because YOU don't care, or because you think you really want to read it, please be my welcomed guest.
Chapter 1 - FOREWORD
Niderhuligh is a country of which memory is now lost. The river Hulig is also no longer called so. It is a hard land made of tall granite mountains, often wrapped in thick fog at the end of autumn, snowy and icy all winter long, but where spring is sweet, and summer mild. So are its inhabitants - hardy, harsh, closed and cold, at times but in case of need they are sweet and gentle. So is also king Waltha, the loved and respected sovereign of Niderhuligh. His subjects love him and at times fear him; the neighbouring kingdoms respect him and always fear him.
The kingdom boundaries coincide with those of the high valley of the Hulig river - they were already consolidated in the times of the present king's great-great-grandfather; evil always befell any who tried to seize even the smallest village, a mountain pass, a spring or a pasture. The king and his knights were, and still are, strong and valiant men, always ready to fling back any attempt at invasion. All of them are valiant warriors. But the king is also a wise man - after repelling the enemy, he never pursued them to their lands, and never tried to seize their lands in retribution. King Waltha did not desire to expand his kingdom beyond what the gods and the nature marked as his boundary - the ridges of the mountains surrounding the kingdom on three sides and, on the fourth one, the wide lake that bars it. So, there are only three ways to enter into the kingdom from the Lower-Hulig - two siding the lake and the third crossing it with boats. The lakeshore towards the mountain belongs to king Waltha, the shore towards the valley to his brother in law, king Grunek.
At the centre of the valley, between the lake and the head of the river, on a spur of inaccessible rock, stood the capital city, Edalok, dominated by the king's fortress, as ancient as his family. The fortress was in fact made of four buildings set one in the other - the central one closely resembled a stone cube with a narrow central yard. At its corners there are three circular keeps - the central one, called the Old-One, contains the living quarters of the royal family; the north-east one is the Donjon with the lodgings of the court aristocracy; and the south-west one, called the New-One, contains the court rooms, the throne hall, the convivial hall, the treasure room, the private hearing room, the tribunal and many other government administration halls.
The square in front of the castle is allotted to the warriors, the servants, with the warehouses and the stables. King Waltha's father determined this settlement. South of it, there is the honour field for the warriors exercises, the jousts and, on the side opposite to the castle, there are the knight's lodgings - they are a row of small houses, interrupted at its centre by the entrance portcullis. The external wall of the houses corresponds with the tall external wall of the entire fortress. At a lower level stands the High-city, where the middle class, merchants, landowners and the best craftsmen are housed. A second tall wall protects this part of the city. Still at a lower level, outside the walls, there is the Lower-town where the common people, the poor people, the workmen lived. On the fringes of this settlement the beggars lived in cramped little hovels.
If you look at the capital from down valley, it is an imposing complex, with its down sloping roofs, made of straw in the Lower-town, of tiles in the High-city and of stone up in the fortress. The people of the capital are proud of their city, so big with its almost twenty thousand inhabitants.
Then, both uphill and downhill, there are many villages and small towns, some of them very old, others more recent, some with walls and others without. There live farmers, stockbreeders and craftsmen. The second town of the kingdom, Osavyk, stands on the lakeshore. It has around eleven thousand inhabitants and it is the seat of the market and of the late spring fair. Nominally each aristocrat and each knight rules a town or a village, but for a long time all of them live at the court, leaving a bailiff - in old time he was chosen by the head of the noble family, but nowadays it is the king who appoints them, so that each bailiff is directly accountable to the king.
King Waltha is thirty-six years old and he reigned for twenty-four years thus far even though for the first five years his paternal uncle, Bathem, was regent. But king Waltha, when he was seventeen, assumed power and kingship with the help of his knights. Bathem, who tried to oppose Waltha, ended his years as a prisoner in the dungeon. The old aristocrats sided with Bathem. Not so the knights, many of whom had grew up with the young king, swearing a blood oath of feilty to the king. It was the old king who, foreseeing this, had asked them to take the oath. Administration rested in the hands of the aristocrats, the weapons in the hands of the knights. However in the long run the sword wins on the exchequer.
The old king used to often say to the child Waltha, "Give to the nobles leisure and luxury, with a formal homage, and they content themselves. But your strength resides on the sword of your knights never forget it. To them give little leisure, great respect and something to do. Laziness weakens and makes the man greedy. Luxury makes the man weak and lazy. The homage satisfies the appetite of the pride and of the haughtiness but at the same time makes it bigger. A moderate ease gives to the man energy, respect gives birth to respect, and activity strengthens the heart. Therefore you too, my son, have to be more a knight than an aristocrat. Never forget it."
Waltha didn't forget it. His most cherished days were those when he trained in the honour field with his knights until he collapsed on the ground exhausted; or when he went hunting with his trusted young men of arms; or when he toured his land, from village to village, to ascertain in person that all proceeded smoothly.
"The duty of a king is to protect the poor man from the rich man, in fact the rich and powerful are able to efficiently protect himself. But the poor has no other protector besides the king, therefore never deceive him." his father told him just little before he died.
And Waltha never forgot it.
"There are as many kings as there are gods in this world. Like the gods, some are wise and others foolish, some are strong and others are weak, some are greedy and others generous. You, my son, must be similar to the god Sunner, who is untiring, methodical, imperturbable, generous, hard, lovable and above all wise." his father told him one day.
And Waltha always remembered those words.
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THE MYTHICAL CROWN
King Waltha decided to go upstairs in the Dungeon to meet the old wise man, the Wizard Arseno. He was living up at the last floor - a long spiral staircase dug into the thickness of the stone walls of the tower, with tall and narrow openings towards the exterior, leading from the ground floor directly into Arseno's lodging. From the openings the icy winter air entered with modulated hissing. The lanterns in the wall niches were waving about and creating dancing figures from the king's shadows that created a mystery atmosphere all around, and that at times preceded, at times followed the strong man ascent. Waltha caressed his coppery beard, re-thinking about what was leading him to climb to the Wizard instead of summoning him - it was a sign of homage that had much more value than any material gift - homage to the old man who saw his birth as well as the birth of is father. The Wizard at his birth foretold a long and prosperous reign for him, as it had been up to then. The young sovereign trusted Arseno. A complete and well-placed trust.
When he nimbly reached the top of the long and narrow winding stairway, Waltha stopped in front of the massive wooden door that was moaning from time to time under the assaults of the strong wind. He pressed on his body the bear fur and knocked with three dry strokes, as he was used to do.
"Come in, Waltha, I was waiting for you!" yelled from inside the weak voice of the old man, that was confused with the wind's hissings, and that anyway the king clearly heard as if it was whispered directly in his ear.
He pushed the door leaf. The wide circular room was lit by some lanterns and on a side wood was burning on a fireplace. It was not really hot in there, but there wasn't either the severe cold of the stairway, so Waltha let glide to the floor his bear fur mantle.
Arseno, who was sitting near the fireplace, bowed without standing up, "Forgive me if I don't stand up, but my legs are more and more weak, as you know."
"You are not asked to stand up at my presence, you know that." the king answered with a kind tone going towards him and, taking a stool, sat in front of him astride, at the other side of the fireplace.
For a good while the two men looked at each other in silence, a light smile on their faces, without uttering a sound. The blue eyes of the sovereign were deep like mountain lakes, and like them, serene. The grey eyes of the old man were peaceful like those of a dove but sharp like those of an eagle.
Waltha caressed again his red beard, unconsciously, as he used to do when he was immersed in his thoughts. Then he lightly scratched the back of his hand and made the big seal ring turn three times on his finger.
He emitted a light sigh, almost as to signal that his mind had focussed again on his visit to the old man, and with his deep and warm voice, said, "A ballad singer, at the fair, sang about an iron crown... do you know anything about it?"
"I was waiting for this question, my king. And rather, I didn't think you would have been brooding it into your heart for such a long time. The iron crown of justice and wisdom, of the right power and of knowledge... Yes, Waltha, I know something about it."
"It really exists, then?"
"It exists. And you want it, isn't it so?"
"I would like... but only if it is right to desire having it."
"The crown that becomes heavy like all the mountains of the earth if an abuse is done, but light like the feather of a newborn eagle if one behaves fairly. Yes, it is right desiring to have it."
"And... where is it? How can I get it?"
"Where is it? It is in the Mystery Cave, in the land of the Great Priest. The crown that kills the contemptible man, then mysteriously disappears to go back to that cave. The crown that only the man who has a king's blood can take in his hands scot-free. It is contained in three caskets, the first one wooden, the second one of iron and the third one of pure gold." the old man explained with a light voice, then became silent.
"And how can I get it?"
"You have to send the three best of your knights in a quest for it - the most fearless one, the wisest one, and the strongest one. They will have to surpass many difficulties to find it and many more to get it back to you, It isn't an easy task."
"But not impossible..."
"Not impossible."
"And where is that land of the Great Priest?"
"Far away... but I don't know in which direction."
"You know plenty of things, but also your knowledge is limited." the king said in a kind-hearted tone - he loved the old man, besides respecting him.
"Of course, exactly like you, king Waltha." the old man answered with an affectionate smile.
They again became silent for a long while, looking at each other. The wind hissing became sharper and the flame in the fireplace waved strongly, dancing and twisting. The wizard bent at his side and picked up a small bundle of leaves. With a branch, he put it in the fire - it burned with a sharp crackling and a white and scented smoke rose towards the chimney flue.
"A spell?" the king asked in a low voice.
"No, a charm - the smoke went up white and straight. Your choice of the three knights will for sure be the best one."
"Will they succeed?"
"If not them, nobody else can. The best choice."
"Can't you know if they will succeed?"
"I can't. Only the gods know the future, not us mortal beings."
"Are you a mortal?" the king asked with gentle irony.
"Do you doubt it? I'm not immortal, but I will not leave you so soon."
"I have no doubt about this." the man answered standing up. He went near the old man and shortly embraced him. "I'm leaving you." he murmured almost with regret. He always felt well when he was near that old and wise man.
"Start your choice in three days, at noon." the old man said, "It will be the best time."
"For sure, as you say." Waltha answered, understanding he was referring to the tests to choose his three champions.
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AXEL AND DERK
In the wide convivial hall, around the big, central fireplace, the knights were sitting, as every evening. In groups, some were singing, other telling past adventures, some talked about women, others about weapons or any other subject that could be of interest to that maniple of first choice warriors. They were wearing short tunics and tall felt jambs, as always when they were in leisure like now. Men and women servants were passing with trays full of food, and jars of water or warm beer.
Their squires were near their knights, or else in small groups between them. Their chatting was not dissimilar from that of their knights.
Somuh bent towards Derk and whispered at his ear, but not so low not to be heard by the other squires, "Is it true that you are so available to your sir Axel that this is the reason why he never chases every bit of skirt he sees?"
Many of them sneered, but more with malice than with contempt.
"Ask that to Axel." Derk quietly answered.
"Well, you know that it happens quite often, don't you, Somuh?" another of the squires said, almost to shield Derk.
Another of the squires said, in a merry mood, "Eh, you have to know about it quite well, dear Somuh, as it happens to you quite often!"
Everybody laughed and one of them made a sign shaping like an "O" his lips, and another pushing his thumb between two fingers and moving it back and forth. Everybody laughed out loud, and Somuh more than the others, nodding with energy.
Derk noticed that more than one of his companions' tunics were rising in front, tenting up, clearly showing they were getting an erection - none of them was ashamed of that. The knights, especially when they were far from home and their wives, and even more the ones not yet married, used to take avail of their squire presence to give relief to their natural sexual desire. It had always been so, and often, when a father was sending his son to become a squire, recommended him to be "always ready to satisfy your knight in any way he asks you, doing your best, also in bed".
Derek entered Axel's service when he was fourteen years old, and the knight was twenty-three years old. The first night he slept at the bottom of the bed of his knight, as it was custom. Already in the second night, Axel told him to lie near him - it was summer time and both slept totally nude. The knight pulled him against his body and caressed him for a long time, until he fell asleep. Derk couldn't fall asleep soon - the gentle and long caresses of the young man, the warmth of his body, aroused him pleasurably. He also could feel the knight's hard-on pushing against him.
He admired Axel, his massive and strong body, his powerful muscles - when in the previous night they undressed, he couldn't help to admire the young man's naked body, and he was fascinated - his legs two firm columns, his buttocks small and sinewy, his waist narrow, the chest wide and well defined, his shoulders wide and straight, his arms powerful, his face framed by thick blond curls was manly and beautiful... but above all between his legs, emerging from a thick bush just a little darker than his hair but more curly, his soft member longer than a span and almost three fingers thick, smooth and pink, the tip just darker, was fascinating.
Axel noticed his long look and smiled, "Are you pleased?" he asked.
"You're beautiful... and big, you are the double of me in all aspects!"
"Well, not in all. Your nose is at my nipples level. Anyway, you too are well built, you cannot complain."
"I'm still just a boy..."
"You'll grow up, you'll grow up fast, and you've the right age. I too, at your age, was more or less like you. Lot of training for about ten years made of me what you see now." Axel said, and lied down on his bed.
Derk lied on the palliasse at the bottom of Axel's bed, his eyes still full of that vision of a perfect male, so strong, so virile.
"Who knows how many women you have had, with that magnificent body of yours!" he murmured after a while, hesitantly, asking himself if Axel was already asleep.
For a while there was silence, then Axel voice answered, "No, very few..."
"I can't believe you!" the boy said, and at once bit his tongue - it was not a good thing to doubt of a knight's word.
But Axel didn't take any offence, he giggled then said in an amused tone, "You have to believe it, because in reality I like better a man... do you see?"
"Yes, I see..." Derk answered in a low voice, asking himself how could be having sex, and having it with his knight.
"You are a really handsome boy, I like you a lot..." Axel added in a more serious tone.
"Thank you, knight... but you have to teach me everything, as I never did it... not yet." the boys said in a whisper, slightly ashamed of his inexperience.
Axel answered with just a "Mmhh!" of assent, without adding any word. While falling asleep, Derk thought of that time when he saw two dogs coupling and said to himself that it should not be so much different...
When on the second night the knight called him to his bed, Derk thought that he was finally going to lose his virginity... but nothing happened.
On the third night Axel caressed him also between his legs and, feeling his erection, asked him, "Do you like if I touch you there?"
"Oh yes!" the boy answered holding back his breath.
"So, then, do the same to me..." the strong young man suggested him, going on top of him.
While the boy shyly brushed him there with trembling hands, the young man bent over him, wrapping him with his arms and legs, pushing his strong erection against that of the boy. Lowering his face, looking him in the eyes, where was reflected the quivering flame of the lantern, put his lips on the boy's lips.
Soon Derk felt the young man's tongue pass on his lips, opening them and uttered a short "oh!" of pleasure, shuddering. He parted his teeth and the tongue worked its way inside, searching for his tongue, played with it, sucked it gently and Derk felt he was in paradise. That strong, beautiful man was on top of him, around him, inside him... but he wanted him even more inside him, he wanted to be filled also by that member that was pulsating against his pubes. As he saw the dogs do, he desired to turn, to go on all fours and to offer him his little hole that was already palpitating with desire. But Axel was keeping him steadfast, so that he couldn't move. Moreover, the boy thought, it was up to the knight to teach him how to please him...
Axel parted his lips from the boy's and again looked in his eyes, "Do you like it, kid?"
"It's... it's too good. I didn't know that sex was so good..."
"It could be even better than this. If it wasn't something special, why do you think that everybody desires doing it?"
"That's true, yes... It's just that for me... all this is so new..."
"You never, never ever did it? Not even with your mates?"
"No, ever."
"And never alone?"
"Alone? How, alone?"
"Wanking off."
"Wanking off? What does it mean?"
"Making the seed come out from your willy tossing it with your hand... You already shoot your seed, don't you? You already have some hair around it..."
"Yes, it comes out... at time in the morning I wake up feeling all sticky there... It's what you mean, isn't it?"
"Of course it's it. And you never did it come out by yourself?"
"No, it comes out by itself. It comes out while I sleep..."
"Didn't your mates teach you?" the young man asked, surprised.
"I... I never had many mates, I've just a sister and I was forbidden to play with the farmers' boys or the servants... I always lived amongst adults and women, I..." the boy whispered, as to excuse himself.
"Therefore you're a virgin, totally entirely, really a virgin!"
"Yes, but... also for males it is said to be a virgin?"
"Yes, even though the virgin boys are way less than the virgin girls... who anyway are really few. Usually one remains a virgin until the body starts to ripe... and at times one can lose his virginity even before that... I lost my virginity when I was just eight years old, for instance."
"With a girl?"
"No, wit my cousin who was twelve years old. He already shot the seed. He taught me everything. Yes, everything." Axel said and smiled with malice, then added, "Yes, really everything!"
"And now you are going to teach me?"
"A little at a time... Some of those things can even be scary at first, if they aren't done in the good way. I don't want that for you. But are you ready to give me your virginity?"
"Sure! Even now!" the boy answered in a self-assured tone, but feeling a light worry inside himself.
"No, not now... but soon... I like you a lot. Hey, what's that? Are you blushing?"
"Forgive me..."
"No... I like you also for that. You are a clean boy, a rare value. Virgin also in your soul. You are giving me a precious present, boy, and a really precious gift. But I've to ask you just one thing..."
"Asking me? You can order me, you don't have to ask me." Derk said, amazed.
"No, not order, just ask. In these maters it's right so. Will you trust me, even if some of the things I'll ask you will seem to you weird, or even a little scary?" he asked him with a serious face.
"Of course I trust you!"
"You don't still know me..."
"But you're a knight!"
"Not every knight is... We are not perfect, we too have our selfishness, our yens, our whims."
"King's Waltha knights are the best ones. Moreover, I trust you!" the boy stated, almost vehemently.
"Good. I'll try to never deceive your trust in me." the young man said with a smile, and went down again to kiss him. This time Derk felt a little less awkward and fully enjoyed that kiss that he gave back with all his soul.
"Let's have a good sleep, now..." Axel said, parting from him and letting go a short sigh.
"Will you keep me in your arms?"
"You don't need to ask me... Sure... Yes, I really like you." Axel said, lying down at his side and keeping him embraced, against his body. "Have good dreams, my nice squire."
"The same to you, my beautiful knight." Derk answered, leaning his check against the strong chest of the young man, with a light, contented smile.
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A NIGHT OF THOUGHTS AND OF LOVE
King Waltha was lying on his bed. At his side, the queen was serenely sleeping. A lantern lit near the bed painted in ancient gold the beard and the hair of the man. He was thinking about how to organize the three tests he had announced when that same evening, after leaving the wizard, he went in the convivial hall. The knights were at once enflamed with enthusiasm at the perspective - it meant adventure, honours, and making an important gift to their beloved king. All of them were ready to go, but the king told them that only three knight would go - the winners of the three tests.
The strongest one, the wisest one, and the most valiant one. The strongest was possibly Roval... the most valiant? Possibly Ralegh... And the wisest one... who knows... either Hemar or Datakh.
The good king didn't know he didn't hit the mark, not even for one of his forecasts. The strength test... was the easiest - a special joust could easily put to test their strength, ability and stamina. Yes, it was the easiest test to organize.
About the bravery, the courage... all of them were valiant. Moreover, one can judge the courage in a war, when it's your life at stake... How could he do? Of course he couldn't start a war and risk his men's life just to carry out a test...
And what about the wisdom? That was the most difficult to judge... He had to ask for advice to his wizard, who would for sure find an answer, suggest the good test, as he was a wise man.
Waltha looked at his wife. She was beautiful. And in her belly was taking shape his third son, or daughter, as the first two were boys. He would have liked to have a daughter... and she could be good to tie an alliance, that's known. No, he would never force her to marry a king just for political sake...
He put out the lantern flame with the clay cone and lied down to sleep. He could not touch his wife until she didn't deliver the child. At least his knights had their squires to... He could lie down with a female servant, as long as he was careful not to make her pregnant. A king cannot have a bastard child, the rule was to kill him as soon as he was born... and Waltha hated that perspective. Possibly a male servant... but one could ask his squire, as he was a free-man, but not to a servant - in fact this latter would have had to obey to his king's request, he would not be free to make a choice. No... well, he had to talk about that too, with Arseno - he would for sure give him a good advice, he thought while starting to massage his turgid member to get some relief. He heard that some wives, in these cases, were giving relief to their husbands with their lips or their hands, but the queen, even though she loved him, and loved to be taken by him, didn't accept this kind of practice... Unhappily!
In the knights' houses, down there in front of the castle, everybody was deeply sleeping, apart for five places where, some with the lantern lit and other not, were feverishly going on the activities that the good king desired and could not have.
Bokar was tossing on top of his wife with all his energies, spurred by her who seemed to never be sated of her husband's member. She first made him enjoy with her lips, then welcomed him in her back door, and finally, now, in her front slit... As the woman often said to him, "Nature gave me three holes, you have to make me enjoy with all three of them, and you have to take your pleasure in all of them, dear husband!" That didn't annoy at all Bokar...
Serth was with his wife who was sucking his nipple while he aroused her playing with his fingers in her wet and warm slit. Meanwhile his sister in law, crouching between his muscled spread legs, was going up and down on his erect member making it reach her throat - the knight was asking himself which one of the two women he would take for first that night...
Dubarton was in that same position, but instead of his wife and sister in law, he was with his wife and his squire, who were busy to give him pleasure. He was not asking himself which one he would take the first, he already knew it - his wife accepted the squire in their bed only if he took her the first; after satisfying her, if her husband was still not sated, could also take his squire. So, Dubarton used to take both of them every night, so that when he was far from the capital and had only his squire with him, he always took him twice, and even three times each night. Anyway his wife liked to look at her husband while he was fucking the young squire - that's why in their bedroom, the lantern was always lit until very late.
Kesla, in the dark, was filing with long and calm strokes his squire's anus, with his long and slim member. The man's rhythm would soon become faster, as he could feel his squire's orgasm approach - he liked that young man, because he reached his orgasm without even touching his member, it was enough to screw him in the right way. So, when he heard the squire moan louder, prey to the pleasure, and felt him wriggle and squeeze his pole with his anus, he too unloaded pushing it down as deep as he could, like a madman, until his heavy balls were well pressed against the beautiful buttocks of his squire. Amongst all the squires he had had in the twenty years since he was invested as a knight, this one was for sure the best one, as he liked a lot being screwed by his knight. Laughing in himself, Kesla thought that when his squire would finally become a knight, would for sure choose a squire skilled in fucking his arse. But he would have to keep that well hidden, or else he would lose his face...
In the fifth house, the lantern still lit, Axel and Derk were making love. Their union was not just sex; it was love, real, deep, sincere love. That virile love for which each one of them was ready to give his life for the other and, in that intercourse, each was only caring about giving the utmost pleasure to the other with all his body and soul. It was that kind of love where role and age has no more importance. That kind of love that makes you feel that, without the other, your life doesn't have any more taste.
Lying on his back, his legs on the young man's shoulders, Derk was looking at him with a smile filled with joy, enjoying his back and forth movements in a strong and sweet rhythm. From time to time Axel bent down to kiss him with all his passion. Derk was caressing all his knight's body and moved his pelvis in time to his pushes.
"When you too will be a knight, how can I do without you?" Axel whispered after a kiss.
"Can't I be forever your squire?"
"No, my boy, you can't..."
"But we could make love all the same, you and I... It will be enough to hide it from the others."
"And would you go on, even after you're a knight?"
"Yes, if you want of me."
"Of course I want of you. You know how much I want you. We will never part."
"Yes, never. I'll rather kill myself."
"I love you!"
"I love you!" Derk answered, his eyes glossy with emotion.
Axel led him gradually to the night of his deflowering, after more than two months they were living together. The boy came to desire it with such intensity that, when finally the stout member forced his virgin sphincter, Derk welcomed the initial pain almost with joy. But Axel had prepared him carefully, leading him to desire to be touched, then to receive in him a finger, two then three, making the boy used until he was ready to make a further step, resisting to the boy's insisting to finally take him.
"Trust me," Axel repeated, "when you will be really ready, I'll make you mine... I don't want to hurt you, don't you see how big it is?"
When finally he slipped inside him and the massive flesh column brushed against his prostate, Derek came even before totally keeping in him the entire member of the young man.
"Do you want me to withdraw?" Axel then asked him, shuddering.
"No! No, stay inside me all the night long, I'm way too happy having you in me! Fill me with your seed and stay inside, please. Oh, good gods! It's too good!" Derk exclaimed when Axel, immersed into him to the very root, finally started his back and forth.
The boy's member, that after his orgasm was becoming soft, became at once hard and palpitating again, pushing again the belly of the young man who was bending on top of him.
"Do you like it, Derk?" he asked, hammering inside him with more and more strong strokes.
"Oh, Axel, Oh Axel, I... I'm..." and started to cry.
The knight at once became still and looked at him with worry, "I'm hurting you?"
"Oh no! Don't you know that one can cry also for his joy? I'm feeling you inside me, and this is the most beautiful feeling I ever felt in all my life! You are not hurting me, on the contrary, you are leading me on the gods' meadows, where is the never-ending happiness. Oh yes, so... I can feel your strength, your power..."
Three years elapsed after that night.
They had renewed their union, almost a sacred rite of the nature, every day, until, almost an year later, the boy found the gut to whisper him what for a while was burning inside his heart, "I love you!"
That time, it was Axel who cried for his joy, kissed him and said, "I too love you, my sweet Derk. You are my sweetness; I will be your force. Force and sweetness - one without the other is very little thing. Feeling myself inside you makes me intoxicated way more than the best beer. It's so... incredible. Derk, you have to promise me something..."
"Anything, my beloved!"
"It's now three years we are together, you grew up and you're so strong..."
"Never like you; you are a giant, I'm just a plain youth..."
"Tonight, you have to take me, to enter me, so that our union will be really perfect."
"Taking you from the back? You desire it?"
"Yes, since I became a knight. But nobody was worthy, up to now. You... only you are... the right person."
Derk looked at him in amazement - it was never heard that a knight asked his squire... but he promised, and so... He looked at his beautiful blue-green eyes and read in them a yearning desire mixed with a silent entreaty. He felt like melting, so much moved he was.
He smiled and said, almost in a whisper so much was feeling overcame by that request, "With sheer joy, my Axel."
"Thank you, my beloved." the young knight muttered.
They kissed, full of love and passion.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
KING WALTHA'S DREAM
That night Waltha made a dream. It was one of those odd dreams that only the wizards or the soothsayers can understand.
He dreamed he was in his castle, at the window of his room. His kingdom, under his eyes, green and prosperous in the sweet summer sun, seemed to suddenly change its colours, tremble, and fade little by little. Soon everything was just a wide, bare, flat extent of grey granite, devoid of any kind of life. He ran to the other windows - everywhere he saw that same, distressing sight. Also the warm light of the sun became greyish, pearly, and cold. The mountain surrounding and protecting his kingdom started to move, to melt together, until they became just six peaks, three of them tall, the other three low. Then these peaks moved far away, becoming more and more small, more and more far and the king felt a deaf anguish invade his heart and was not able to chase it away. In a short while his kingdom was totally flat in all the directions, and to the horizon it was empty and dead.
Then the sun in the sky changed of colour and seemed to whirl, or to better say to roll and soon disappeared in the north and everything became black and dark, indiscernible. An absurdly hot wind came from the north, where the sun disappeared, and the king started to sweat, to sweat, and to sweat. He undressed himself, but even when he was totally naked, he was sweating, and sweating, and sweating. The sweat was running down from him in trickles, in streams, in rivers. He could feel the water rising up to his ankles, to his knees, to his pubis, so hot, whirling like in a vortex.
He then felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look - a black shadow, darker than the dark, was standing near him and even in that absolute darkness, he could see it. It was a disturbing and yet reassuring presence at the same time. The dark shadow wrapped him as if it was a wide cape and the water disappeared, the hot ceased, the wind stopped. Then in that deep darkness he saw something like a swarm of fireflies, a more and more thick swarm, almost like a starry sky in a clean winter night. But those stars weren't still, they mowed, seemed to slowly fall all around him with light, silent trails, and he counted twelve of them. Each of those stars lit a piece of his kingdom, and he saw it was again green, full of life, each town and village again at its place, and also the mountains where again there, and the river...
All of a sudden everything was again in the darkness for some distressing moments, but soon the sun was also back and the king noticed that, at the window near him, there were his three children and his spouse, joyful, greeting somebody who was down in the esplanade of the castle with wide gestures. He leaned out to see who was there...
And he woke up.
He got up, worried - what meaning could that dream have? Wearing only his heavy woollen tunic, bare-feet, barely aware of the cold of the floor stones, he went at a fast pace towards Arseno's lodging.
In the dark, as the lanterns and the torches were shut, he groped his way up the long spiral stairway dug into the thick stone wall. When he finally reached the last floor, he saw that Arseno's door was open, in the fireplace was shining a flame and the old man seemed to be asleep on his high-backed chair near the fireplace.
But as soon as he passed through the threshold, Arseno greeted him with his faint but limpid voice, "I was waiting for you, Waltha."
"You already know?" the sovereign asked, not even astonished.
"In part, but you have to tell me in detail your dream, to let me totally understand."
Waltha sat in front of the old man and started to narrate.
"Are you sure you told me everything?"
"Everything, Arseno."
"I still miss some elements. I am not yet able to clearly interpret your dream..."
"Does it foretell a misfortune or a good luck?"
"A good luck, but after hard times. For the moment I'm not able to tell you more. Are you really sure you told me everything?"
"All I remember. For sure."
"The gods are mysterious - they unveil and veil at the same time. What we can't understand now, we will understand a day, it is sure. Don't worry. Ah, and about the two other tests you asked me about, I found what you asked me - for the courage test your knights will have to face a sure death, in their hearts, but none of them will really die. Who will come out of the test the first or the last, will not be the chosen one..."
"I can understand for the last one... but the first one? Wouldn't he be the most valiant?"
"No, my king, he would just be the most reckless. Courage doesn't consist in not having fear, but in overcoming it. The first one, thus, will be the most foolhardy, the last one the less valiant, even though not a coward if he comes out from the undergrounds of your castle."
"The undergrounds?"
"Yes, it is there that the test will be carried out."
"And what about who doesn't come out at all?"
"Your knights will have a full day for their test, from the sunrise to the following day's sunrise - who is not yet out has not been able to overcome his fears, therefore he could be a good knight, but he will never be an hero."
"Fear of an underground? Of the darkness? Only children fear the darkness..."
"But in that darkness... will lurk all the most secret fears of every man. Each of them will have to face his own fears and surpass them. Naked and lonely like when he saw the light at his birth. It will not be easy..."
"You are tempting me... I would rather be included in those who will undergo this test."
"I guessed that, but it is not possible. I will never cast my spell on you, I promised it to your father. No, it is absolutely not possible."
"It's a pity. And what about the wisdom test?"
"Oh, that one will be the easiest one. I will put them to test, I personally. You see, I prepared this candle-holder and these graduated candles that will tell me in what time your knights will solve my problems. The fastest one amongst them will be the winner."
"Which problems?"
"If you like, you can assist to the test... they will not be easy problems, especially the fifth one..."
"But... what if none of them is able to solve all your problems?"
"We will see... I will anyway know who solved more of them, or in a better way, or in a lesser time..."
CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 2
In my home page I've put some more of my stories. If someone wants to read them, the URL is
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