Author:  Phizzy Chan
Title:  Simple is Best

Zelgadiss’ head whacked the cement for the three hundredth time. He counted, he kept track. With every whack, he vowed revenge.

He would wreak vengeance on the person who’d put him into this position. The person who’d left him like this, the person who’s apparently forgotten about him and left him to die a horrible slow death.

To pass the time, and because his head ached, he tortured himself with thoughts of what future lay ahead. Rats would gnaw out his eyes first he knew. They were the softest part of him. Then they would eat out his brains. Bugs, maggots especially, would eat him and lay eggs in him as well. Eventually, his skin would crumble and turn to dust along with his bones. Then, maybe then, the person responsible for this would come back.

Could, should, he do the spell? His ‘captor’ might come back soon. In a minute, another thirty seconds, after he hit his head one more time, right now…Zelgadiss looked at the dishearteningly unopened door. The taste of chalk still lingered in the back of his throat, and he swallowed reflexively. It sounded very loud in the empty room. He wondered how much longer until he went insane.

There was nothing to be done. Nothing reasonable. He couldn’t use magic, couldn’t use a spell to escape, leave, run outside and enjoy the outside world. Even if Zelgadiss could still use a spell, it would be difficult. His hands were at his side, tight enough to make it impossible for him to move his arms. But his hands luckily still had some feeling in them.

He doubted they would continue to do so for much longer.

What could he do? Yell, scream? That might work, the tower was hardly used, but servants still came and went. He could yell, scream…

But then the image of her coming back and discovering him untied up popped into his head. Or worse, her coming back to the room and finding only the rope she had tied him up in. She would be so upset; she had spent so much time planning this… Damn his good nature.

The chimera squirmed around and tried to at least loosen the ropes that held him. No luck. They seemed to get tighter. It was becoming painful. His circulation was being cut off, and soon parts of him would go purple, then black and fall off. How would she like that then? Would she think he was so cute without feet and hands, hell no arms and legs? Not to mention the other parts of him she so enjoyed?

He hoped his limbs all fell off. That would show her. It was spitefully stupid and stupidly spiteful, but it was nice to imagine her face when she realized what she’d done. When, if, she ever came back, he would make sure that she heard he wanted to lose his limbs to make her feel bad.

The chimera sigh again, swallowed again in hopes of ridding himself of the taste of that potion, and wondered where Amelia was.


~~~~~~~~~
Amelia twisted in her seat for the three hundredth time. Her butt was going numb and it was beginning to hurt sitting here. She wanted to jump up, leap onto the table, and run down it before launching herself out the window. A Ray Wing would save her. Then she would fly to the tower where the ‘victim’ was, rescue him, and enjoy her reward for a few hours.

The thought of that made her squirm again. Gods, how much longer could she sit here and listen to this council talk about nothing important? Her hands curled into fists.

There was a big grandfather clock in the corner. Every minute, the small hand turned, and made that noise Amelia wanted to blow it up and rip her hair out.

It ticked.

Her knuckles went white.

This was so unfair, so unjust. Why were these people keeping her from her husband? They had repeatedly and unsubtly reminded her from eighteenth birthday onward that she should ‘settle down soon.’ She had married, had been married for the last two years, and was currently trying to produce the wondrous and all-powerful heirs and now, even if unintentionally, these people were keeping her from Zelgadiss.

Across the table, her uncle gave her a small reassuring smile that made the princess squirm again. This time from guilt. They weren’t really forcing her to be here, she’d said that she wanted to have more responsibilities, she’d asked specifically to attend this meeting…

Still, poor, poor Zelgadiss was waiting for her, tied up and lonely. Missing her. Tied up and uncomfortably. Waiting for his princess to arrive and save him and possibly aroused-- Amelia squirmed.

Her hand played with the quill in front of her, doodling on the border of her notes. From the corner of her eye, she could see her uncle’s amused face and noticed the new streaks of grey in his hair and the looks the various women sitting around the table gave him. The princess nearly smiled, and felt slightly better.

Then her eyes were drawn to the open window. A little breeze blew into the room and helped the people inside from falling asleep. It was such a nice day. Or had been. She saw how dark it had become and she frowned again.

It had been hours.

The potion Zelgadiss had taken, (or at least Amelia hoped had taken) before she’d hurriedly tied him up, only lasted so long.

The clock ticked again.

Gods, she squirmed. How was she going to get out of this? Would it take some dire action? Would she really have to jump out a window? Would she have to create a fire spell even Lina would admire and escape while the Council members panicked?

Determined, the princess tensed her muscles, preparing to make a run for it.

Any second--

“I think we’ve covered the important points.” Her glorious uncle. How could she ever have thought anything bad of him in her youth?

He held a hand up to the protesting Council. “Tomorrow, we can go over any missed topics.”

Amelia was the first out of the room.


~~~~~~~~~~~
Four hundred. Four hundred and one. Four hundred and two—

The best sounds in the world: An opening door.

The next best sound in the world: Amelia gasping his name.

Zelgadiss managed to raise himself high enough to see his wife properly, taking in the mussed dress, wind-blown hair and the red-faced young woman that clutched at her side. He smiled.

Amelia didn’t return it. She looked upset, and she struggled to fix her tiara. “I’m so sorry.” Her words were a rush. “The meeting ran long, I couldn’t get out of it, I nearly jumped out a window, and I’m getting rid of that clock in the Council room.” In a second, she was going to fall over.

“Please, princess. Help me.”

The princess blinked. Now she smiled. Her knees felt weak, and the shadows kept moving on the walls. “Oh, of course. You poor man. How long have you been here?”

“Forever. An eternity.” The chimera arched his back while Amelia watched with increasingly glassy eyes.

“That’s long.” Amelia managed out. It was so hard to concentrate, and she struggled to pay attention. Bright shapes clouded the edge of her vision, and she blinked in an attempt to make them go away.

Zelgadiss squirmed and Amelia wondered if he had any idea how nice his hips were. Then her eyes were tracing the rest of his much loved body, drawn again and again to a certain spot. Oh, it was indeed very long.

“I’ve been waiting for someone to save me.” He broke character by grimacing, but that only amused the princess. Immediately, she wished she were dressed in something more heroic. Or at least had a cape on.

“But, no one came.” Zelgadiss was pouting Amelia saw with interest. Why did he have to do that? It always drove her crazy. Although, right now all it seemed to do was divert her attention from the spinning room.

Amelia took an unsteady step forward. “Mm, forever? You must be lonely.”

“So lonely. It’s been forever since I’ve last…”

“Last what?”

The chimera arched his back again, and it took all of her will not to jump him right there. Or at least not to fall on top of him, and cuddle for awhile.

“Last touched someone.”

She grinned: cheer, with a hint of deviousness and dizziness. “Oh, well, let me help you out…of those ropes.”

“You have to hurry. He’ll be here soon, and then he’ll tie you up.”

“Who’s he?” The young woman blinked. This wasn’t part of that act, as far as she knew. It was hard to think though, and maybe she had just forgotten. Her head ached.

“The Black Sorcerer. He loves beautiful woman, and he’d surely love to have you.”

Despite herself, Amelia blushed. It felt like she was blushing, her head felt so hot. Zelgadiss’ grin was hardly visible underneath the wire and gloom of the dark room. She took another step forward, still very woozy. Was it worse? Why did she feel so dizzy?

“W-what would he do to me?”

“Terrible things.” He licked his lips. “He’d probably strip you naked first.”

“He would? Wouldn’t it be worst if he made you do it?”

The chimera mouth twitched. “You’re right. He’d make me strip you. Slowly. ”

“My dress first?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then my tiara?”

“The tiara would stay on.”

Amelia’s face burned and she stepped forward. The room was barely lit with a few flickering candles that would soon go out.

“Then?”

“Oh, I’d touch you. Run my fingers through your hair, and then move to your shoulders and neck. Your skin looks so soft...I bet it would feel wonderful against mine.”

Why did this tower have to be so hot? The princess squirmed for the three hundredth and one time. Sweat broke out all over her forehead.

“Then?” she repeated.

“Then, I’d touch your chest. Message your breasts, lightly at first, and just the tops and underneath. Then I’d play with your nipples a bit.”

Amelia struggled not to whimper and wished she could touch herself. She wished she felt the urge to touch herself. But her lust seemed to have disappeared somewhere between this empty tower and the stuffy meeting room.

“Then?” Why couldn’t the room stay still?

“Oh, I think I’d want to keep touching your breast for awhile. The Black Sorcerer would make me. He’d probably make me suck on them a little. Bite them, used my tongue to trace shapes on your skin.”

“Then?” She felt so dizzy…

“Move downwards. Touch and kiss your stomach. Keep moving down. Lick you.”

His arousal was even more noticeable, and Amelia normally would have wanted nothing more in the world than to touch him, undress him, and have him in her. But falling asleep in his arms sounded much better by the moment.

“Suck on you, touch you with my fingers until you’re moaning.”

“Then?” Had the candles gone out, why was the room so dark?

“Then, he’d make you touch me, kiss me, suck me off.”

“Oh.” Blindly, the sorceress reached out for the wall, but it was too far away. Somehow, the ground was closer.

When she awoke, Zelgadiss had awkwardly squirmed and wormed his way downward, so her head rested on his lap. The ropes were uncomfortable against her skin, and she felt sorry for her husband for tying them so tight.

He didn’t appear to care about the ropes however. His blue face was as close to hers as possible, and he kept whispering his name. Amelia cupped his cheek, loving the texture of it. Her ring grazed a pebble, and the princess smiled at the pale glint of gold. She remembered easily proposing to Zelgadiss, his shocked face, how pale his blue skin had turned. She’d been so afraid of his reply that she didn’t hear his whispered ‘yes’ at first.

The room had been like the one they were in now--but containing actual furniture. Amelia had lit candles everywhere, had a bottle of champagne resting in ice, and a fancy dinner all lay out. After spending most of the afternoon watching the chefs prepare the dinner, she could barely taste it or the rare wine she’d spent days searching for after hearing Zelgadiss mention how much he enjoyed it. All she could do was look at Zelgadiss, and imagine him as her husband and the father of her children, the prince, and king of Saillune. The dinner had lasted an eternity, and as Zelgadiss had walked away, saying he had to return to the library, Amelia had jumped up and clumsily pulled the ring from her pocket with a breathless ‘will you marry me?’ How soft and scared his eyes had been after agreeing.

“Have I told you how much I love you lately?”

“Yes, this morning,” he stretched his fingers, trying to touch her hair, ignoring the pain it brought from the strain of stretching the digits so far. “And after tying me up.”

“Mm, good.” She settled against him, and ended up cuddling his chest.

“Amelia?” His hands felt wonderful against her neck, and she just wanted to stay like this forever.

Zelgadiss was the only obstacle. “Amelia, the potion only lasts so long. Then this whole thing has been pointless.”

“I know.” Slowly, the princess removed her arms from around him. But she insisted on nuzzling his neck.

“How long has it been?”

“Too long. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I just got dizzy from flying over here so quickly. And running up the stairs.”

Zelgadiss carefully kissed her forehead. “I figured. So…”

Amelia nearly laughed. She settled for more cuddling.

“Mm, I guess I should get you out of these ropes.”

“That would be nice.”

Her hands struggled with the rope. They went all the way around him, and the knots were done elaborately, the way Zelgadiss had shown her. “Huh.”

“What?” The chimera squirmed, imagining how nice freedom would be.

“Uh, did you tighten these?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Huh.”

“…Amelia?” Something like unease was creeping into his voice.

“It’s just…I’m having a hard time.” The princess struggled to find some slack to work with.

“Where are the knots?”

“How should I know?”

Amelia blinked and tried to clear her eyes. It was becoming increasingly darker. Her hands followed the rough rope, trying to find a way to help her husband out of its hold.

“Do you have a knife?”

“Of course not. You know how I feel about weapons.”

“And of course I left mine in my room…”

“I could go get it!”

“No, Amelia!

“Wah?”

“You’re not leaving me here.”

“Alright…”

“Can’t you use magic?”

“No, these ropes are magic proof. Remember? ‘It’ll be more realistic that way, Amelia, and these orihalcon inlaid ropes aren’t too expensive!’”

Zelgadiss sighed.

“Outdone by my own meticulous and careful planning.”

“More like your fussiness and overdramatic attitude.”

“You’re lucky I’m tied up.”

“What would you do to me if I wasn’t?” Her grin shouldn’t have been visible in the dim light. But it was and Zelgadiss wasn’t sure whether or not to be happy or nervous.

“What wouldn’t I do to you?” Zelgadiss answered, hoping she’d drop the subject and focus on untying him.

“No, really, what would you have done?”

“What do I usually do when we’re alone?”

“Talk.” She stretched, eyes gleaming while Zelgadiss watched her.

“What do I usually say to you?”

“Stuff about your cure. Politics, magic.”

“Really? I’ve never told you—“

“What?”

“You know…”

“No, what? Come on, tell me!” She tugged at his shirt.

“I can’t say.”

“Why not?” Her blue eyes looked at him curiously. She was so innocent…

“I…”

“Come on!” Amelia squirmed and yanked at her handful of shirt and rope.

“I’ll tell you…when you remove the ropes.”

“But, I can’t.”

“Amelia, can’t you just use a spell?”

“Yes, but that ruins everything. We both wanted to try something new and—“

“It went horrible awry.”

“Not horribly. I mean, you’re alright, I’m alright. Everyone’s alive, and I didn’t destroy any of property. No towers were knocked down.”

“Still.”

“Yeah.” Abruptly, the princess leaned forward and kissed some of the rougher stones on his chin. After all these years, she was well acquainted with his body. Amelia bet that she knew the texture of every stone on her husband’s body. She’d even named a few, something that equally exasperated Zelgadiss and amused him.

“I missed you. From now on,” A few kisses on his forehead. “Let’s attend all those meetings together.”

“I usually do.” His mouth found hers for a short peck. “I was just a bit too tied up for the last one.”

“…did you just make a joke?” Her hands pulled his tunic further down so she could get at his neck. The chimera’s breathing began to deepen, enhancing her own arousal. She nuzzled him, enjoying how he smelled and the way his rough skin felt against her own. It had been almost painful at first, but after awhile she’d learned to love this unique texture of his.

“Sorry.” Zelgadiss turned his head. Amelia’s tongue was in his ear.

“I like it when you kid around.” She pulled away momentarily only to continue playing with his ear, tracing the shape with her tongue. Her hands went to his chest, pinching the nipple and listening to his roughening breathe.

He couldn’t precisely feel her hand underneath all his clothes and stone skin, but just knowing she was doing it was enough to make the ropes around his crotch tighten. Zelgadiss groaned and bucked his hips, knowing Amelia would quickly realize where he wanted her hand to go.

Teasing him, she traced a slow, very slow, line down his chest. The hard muscles only made the princess smile and her finger ran up and down his bellybutton. She could see his shirtless chest in her mind’s eye, the exact location of the various stones and could taste the salt of his skin. Zelgadiss didn’t entirely feel this, this touching, Amelia knew, but it never failed to arouse him.

“Amelia.” The word was a pant, and Amelia rubbed her hips against his while her hand traveled further down.

“Please,” He licked his lips, and the dark haired young woman began transferring kisses back towards his mouth.

She could taste his sweat on his lips and this only turned her on more. His tongue tangled with hers to play that old game. Amelia found herself sitting on top of her husband, adjusting so she could rub against his straining erection.

“Please, Amelia…”

“Mmm,” The princess licked his chin. “Please what?”

The words were a purr, and Zelgadiss could see the lust that darkened her normally clear blue eyes. She was so beautiful than when she was like this. Even dressed in her finest gown wasn’t this fine. The only time she was ever more attractive was when he was in her and she was approaching an orgasm. The way every muscle would tighten, her mouth open, eyes half closed, face flushed…

“Please,” His hips ground against hers. A moan escaped her lips.

“But isn’t the Black Sorceress going to be here any minute?” she asked innocently. Still, her hands went to the back of her dress, undoing the clasps.

“Amelia!” Amelia looked taken aback. The top of her dress fell to her hips. Zelgadiss blinked. He had surprised himself by sounding so angry and raspy.

“Let’s see if we can do this with the ropes.”

“I don’t think so.”

“We can find out.” Then her mouth closed over his and Zelgadiss moaned at the warm taste of her. He could still taste the oranges she’d eaten at breakfast and the mint of her toothpaste.

Amelia groaned and thrust herself against him, sitting so he would’ve been in her if it hadn’t been for the ropes around him and their clothes. Hurriedly, the princess pulled at her dress, shoving it off her and pushing it to the ground. The sound of it tearing made her stop.

“Huh?” She turned around, best she could to look at the fabric, confused. It was caught…on him. Amelia made a face.

“These ropes are becoming more bothersome than I expected.” The chimera interrupted her by grinding against her again. She nearly fell off.

“Zelgadiss!”

“I really like it when you yell my name.” His grin eased her annoyance.

“Wait, my dress—“

“Rip it.”

“No, it’s new and I like it and—“

“Rip it.”

“Zelgadiss! I told you—“

“Rip it.” Mindlessly, he thrust and Amelia nearly did rip it. What was one dress? And after all, that fertility potion only lasted so long…Weren’t their future children more important than a dress?

Amelia tugged at it again. Still caught. Part of it had slipped through his ropes, a clip in the back that clipped to his clothes before getting tangle in the ropes, and her husband’s arousal didn’t help matters. It was making the ropes tighter, and she tugged at them again fruitlessly. Maybe it was because she was tired, but the dressed seemed to be getting tighter, suffocating her.

“Rip it.”

“I like this dress.” Her hands were beginning to sweat.

“Rip. It.”

“It almost matches your eyes.”

“I’ll buy you a new one.”

“I like this one.”

“Amelia, please.” His hips ground again, and Amelia, almost thoughtlessly, bent down to kiss Zelgadiss. The dress ripped with a purr. His mouth was wonderful, eager, and the princess shivered when her tongue brushed his. They separated, his disappointed moan made Amelia smile. Her lips touched his chin, resting there, while she pulled at the dress.

“Rip it?” Zelgadiss could hear the grin in her voice, and he smirked.

“Mm, but I thought you liked it. It so matched my eyes…”

Amelia laughed and pushed the gown off her entirely. It looked absurd, ripped down the back nearly in two and tied around her husband’s form.

“It least it’s not your hair this time.”

Zelgadiss sighed. “Can we not—“

“Remember, we had to bring in those tailors, and hide in the closet? And we ended up being late for the meeting anyway?” Her fingers tugged off her fancy undergarments. They matched the dress almost perfectly Zelgadiss saw with some amusement.

“Yes, but—“

“I guess we learned our lesson about trying to make love while still dressed.”

“We weren’t precisely ‘making love’, Amelia.” His barely visible grin reminded her of the fading candles.

“We were…expressing our love, in a fashion.” The dark-haired girl nearly shivered as she settled on her behind to pull of her remaining clothes.

“What kind of fashion exactly?”

Amelia folded her underwear and bra and tossed them neatly to the corner of the room. “An…erotic fashion.”

His smile grew. “You’re cute when you’re embarrassed.”

“Stop it. I’m not embarrassed.” Her hands crossed her chest. “You should be embarrassed. Remember the tailors’ faces when they saw where your face was?”

“Ah, Amelia, that’s not helping.”

“And you said, ‘Amelia tried to climb on me to give a speech, and she slipped.’ I still don’t think they believed you.”

Then the little princess was tugging at his pants, and Zelgadiss forgot his comeback. It had been a good one, he was sure. Her mouth was on him, sucking through his pants and underwear, and Zelgadiss’ spine disappeared. He fell back and relaxed the best her could as his wife’s so-small-but-so-talented-hand played with him. Her tongue traced a pebble. It reminded him of the last time her clothes had gotten caught to him. Those tailors had eaten his story up though.

Amelia struggled. His clothes were snug from the ropes, and he weighed so much she had a hard time pulled them off. The edge of the fabric was becoming increasingly frayed from her pulling. Soon, they’d both have ripped and torn clothing from this adventure. In the back of her head, Amelia suddenly wondered how they would walk out of this place. Her with her ripped gown, he with his torn shirt…The princess’ efforts rewarded her with scraped hands and a flash of blue as Zelgadiss’ navel became visible.

She stared at it, hand going to trace around his belly bottom. He sometimes liked it when she would kiss him near this area, teasing him by moving downward slowly. Would he like it now?

The chimera twitched at the sensation of tongue on stone. There had been several things he’d felt clearer, her entire mouth or hand or womanhood on his crotch for example, or Lina’s fists raining painful blows on him, or the time he’d been struck by lightening, but none of that mattered. Right now, this seemed to be one of the best things he’d felt.

He’d seen her just that morning, but gods had he missed her. Since their marriage, they’d never spent much more than a few hours apart. They ate together, slept together and saw each other throughout the day just passing through the halls, but that Council meeting had lasted too long and breakfast had been so long ago, and he hadn’t been able to see her in-between meetings and sessions since he’d been tied up. Her tongue dipped into his navel, tracing a lazy circle, and then sliding lower. Or trying to.

Those damn ropes, she could only—Amelia growled and pulled at the rope, hoping to pull it up or down. Either way would be nice. The fabrics around the ropes were going to tear soon if they continued. But she refused to quit, and the ropes refused to move more than a few inches, so she settled for pushing her mouth underneath a rope to taste more of her husband’s skin. The dress was getting in the way too, and she wanted to rip it completely apart like he’d suggested. When they left, they could just go in the dark and hope no one spotted them.

As for the new, nice dress, he could buy her another one after all. Despite on how loudly Zelgadiss would complain about shopping with her, he did honestly seem to love making her try on clothing and would often be the one picking things out for her to wear. He enjoyed making suggestions to the tailors, almost always wanting them to make the outfit more revealing, and Amelia couldn’t count the number of times Zelgadiss had slipped into the dressing rooms to ‘help’ her change.

Amelia nuzzled his thigh, recalling how his hands felt on her as he’d slip off articles of clothing, or pull them on her. His mouth would always kiss her neck, every time a different spot. She slid her fingers under the rope, trying to undo the buttons.

Zelgadiss felt her finger run up and down his restrained length, going from pebble to pebble. Her lips were on his legs, and her other hand was running along the seams of his pants. Moisture already began to run down his penis, and Zelgadiss wondered if Amelia knew how much time they had left. Soon, he’d ejaculate, and the potion would be wasted.

He struggled in the ropes. He wanted Amelia, naked and on top of him, making love. He wanted out.

This had been such a mistake. The last time they’d used ropes in such a fashion, everything had gone smoothly. But why had they decided to get more adventurous?

If asked, Amelia would have said it was all Zelgadiss’ fault. He liked dramatic stuff, loved plays and enjoyed novels. One of their first dates had taken place at the opera, and he’d loved that. They’d done things like this before, only that other time Zelgadiss had been the black sorcerer. But her husband enjoyed playing around like this. He had been the one to get the ropes, the one to create the whole intricate plot. It had been his plan.

If asked, Zelgadiss would have said it was all Amelia’s fault. She had a flair for playing different roles, and she dragged him to plays, gave him novels all the time, and had asked him out to some surprisingly light-hearted opera when they’d first begun courting. Amelia had picked out the tall tower. She had recommended coming up with some plot to make things more realistic. It had been her idea.

But both agreed that they’d enjoyed the previous time, where Amelia had been the one to be tied up. Zelgadiss had been the bad guy who let her go only if she agreed to play a little game with him. Amelia had been the helpless hero, the one to be caught by the evil sorcerer, and she agreed to his treacherous deal. That had gone well, and the rope burns on both of them had amused them both. They almost looked like the love bites and hickies he would leave on her.

It was nice to see Zelgadiss marked for once, and Amelia mentally decided they should do it again. They had been trying for a baby, and she had said something about pulling out those old ropes in the back of their closet and giving them another try. Zelgadiss had gone running with the idea, and planned the entire thing. The last thing she’d had the chance to recommend was this place.

“Amelia, I can’t see.”

“What?” Her mouth was on him, and her words were muffled.

“The candles…”

“Do we need to see? We’ve made love in the dark before.”

“This is different. I can’t see what you’re doing, and I need to get out of these ropes.”

He moved his hips in a way Amelia loved, but she could sense his discomfort. The ropes felt even tighter than before.

“Use a light spell.”

“Wha’, but—“

“Amelia, please.” He rolled over, doing some awkward movement that made him look like a drugged worm having a seizure.

“Alright.” The spell was simple, and made things easier to see. But it completely ruined the mood she’d wanted set. She pouted momentarily, before forgetting her disappointment at the sight of her husband’s wiggling backside.

Her hands cupped him, and Zelgadiss flinched and struggled. She was so not helping. Despite it all, he still had an erection, and Amelia’s warm hands on his butt were only turning him on more. In the previously-dark room, Zelgadiss knew his blush and arousal were apparent. He tried to give her a look, the one that always made her stop whatever she was doing and look guilty. Instead, he ended up with his forehead on the ground, while he struggled to turn his body around properly.

Amelia continue groping him, watching as he ended up upside down, the top of his head on the hard ground, looking as best he could as her through his slightly spread legs, butt straight up in the air, while his legs were unsteadily planted on the ground. He looked adorably, completely undignified, and Amelia moved her hands down to cup his erection. As always, it throbbed and heated her entire body. Warmth began to pool in her stomach, and her mouth felt dry. She cooed at him to calm him down, while she jerked at his penis. One hand slowly moved to cup his testicles, playing with them through his pants.

Zelgadiss groaned, shifting his hips, more pressure resting on his neck. She shifted, suddenly, moving so her head rested underneath his groin. Zelgadiss did his best to readjust. Hard knees hit the harder ground. Her small hands squeezed at him, one hand undoing the buttons on his pants.

At this new angle, Amelia discovered she had a better view of things. The ropes were still in the way, but she could pull down his underwear just enough for his leaking-erection to nearly end up in her face. Amelia fought the urge to laugh, hand touching him again, spreading the liquid down his penis.

Zelgadiss grunted, trying to roll over. The princess reached up and grabbed his behind firmly, keeping him in place. Her mouth sucked at him, one hand going to cup her breasts, the other holding his butt. Zelgadiss grimaced slightly, unable to move away. He should say something, warn her, but her mouth felt so nice…

The opening door, a sound he’d once thought a salvation, nearly broke his neck. Light blinded him, and he shifted sharply to the left; Amelia made a bad noise of confusion.

Christopher made a worse one.

The two on the floor stared at the one at the door.

Zelgadiss had never seen such a wooden expression on someone’s face before. The one member of his wife’s family that he could always count on to be reasonable and sane. Guilt made his stomach twist. Yes, Amelia was his wife, but she was also the little girl this man had watched grow up. And everyone knew how protective Christopher had become after losing his son. Zelgadiss turned his eyes away, unable to meet the older man’s.

Amelia could only stare at her uncle, her favorite uncle, the one who she’d often gone to talk to when her father was busy. She remembered being five or so, and him complimenting her on the new scabs on her knees before handing her a piece of candy and telling her to go play with her Gracia and Alfred. Memories of her childhood, when he’d showed her a small discreet garden that quickly became her favorite place in the Palace, the time he’d shown her how to carefully catch fireflies without hurting them, how to figure out the most complex of paperwork. And now there his little niece was, resting in-between a man’s knees with his penis…Amelia lowered herself so Zelgadiss was no longer in her mouth. Her hand slowly moved her hand from her chest.

Neither of them could move, and slowly, eyes never leaving theirs, he closed the door. Darkness became a relief.

“…Zel?”

“Yes, Amelia?”

“I think I’ll get you out of those ropes now.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Zelgadiss?”

“Hmm?”

Her breasts made an inviting pillow, although he knew better than to rest on them. His hair would prick her delicate skin, and he’d never forgotten all the times he’d rested his head on something only to be stuck there for an eternity. Instead, he rested next to her, one arm around her.

Amelia cooed something and snuggled close. For the moment, the dank dark little room was comforting. Neither knew what to expect when they ever left. Perhaps it would be best if they just stayed here? Amelia could still sign papers and rule, her grandfather had ruled for some time while confined to his bed. Phil would just take up the mantle of being the hands-on ruler. They could raise their children here, maybe expand the tower and add more rooms. It would be nice and safe, and that possible addition of small innocent children made the idea even more attractive. Also, it would mean no more balls and parades he would have to attend.

Maybe put in a few windows, a balcony, kitchen, bathroom…clean up the all the dust and chase out the bugs…they could make this place livable. Zelgadiss eyed the walls, wondering how many bookshelves he could fit in the room.

His wife’s small hand rubbed at his back, both knowing that it had little effect on him. She murmured something, a name, and Zelgadiss realized she was naming more of his pebbles. The princess rested her small warm head against his back, and he nearly rolled over to disrupt her. His thighs and crotch still felt sticky and wet after their lovemaking.

“Do you think he’ll ever forgive us?”

“I don’t think he was angry.”

“Yeah, but…disappointed maybe?”

“Maybe. I think he was just…shocked? Disgusted? Horrified?”

“I just don’t think we’ll ever be able to look him in the eye again.”

“Not for some time, no.”

“I’m sorry about all this.”

“You should be.” Amelia sucked a little at one dark stone. Even embarrassed and uncomfortable, she was still ever eager to touch him. “This was all your idea.”

“Don’t start with that. You’re the one—“

“Who went along with your plan.”

“It was your idea!”

“And your plan!”

Zelgadiss rolled his eyes with a sigh. Had Amelia been able to, she would have pinched him like she used to do to her sister when she was being obnoxious.

“You think the potion took?”

“I don’t feel any different.”

“It might take a few weeks.”

“Maybe we should name the child after my uncle. You know, to apologize?”

“Didn’t you already promise to name it after Lina? Remember the poker game?”

“Damn those margaritas. And I also wanted to name one after my daddy.”

“So, what’s the kid’s name? Chris Phillip Lina El Di Saillune?”

“Our poor child,” Amelia said melancholy. “And Lina would want her name first.”

The chimera sat up, suddenly restless. “When do you think we should leave? Or should we get a servant to call on an interior decorator?”

A small smile flickered across her face. “Never. We’ll just spend the rest of our lives here. You know, my grandfather ruled from his room for quite some time.”

Zelgadiss buried his face in her hair. Amelia squirmed slightly, one hand cupping her stomach as though she could feel a child growing inside her already. He wondered if the potion had finally worked. “You have the best plans.”

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