Herald of Shalia 2, page 19
“Herald Frost,” Lysandra struck his arm with her book. “You are about to get married to Princess Desdemona! It’s inappropriate to talk about this!”
“You’re just scared Ena would replace you,” Renna said scathingly. “She’s a younger and shinier version of you with long golden hair. Much better than a decaying ashy-haired witch like you.”
“Renna,” Lysandra’s face turned red as she prepared to cast a spell on the short-haired elf.
“Lysandra,” Frost slid his finger up Lysandra’s chest and neck until he reached her chin. “You know I’d never trade you in for anybody. Not even Ena.”
“I wasn’t thinking that,” Lysandra pouted. “But now I am. And what do you mean not even Ena? Why Ena specifically? Why would you say that if you weren’t thinking it? Is she special? More special than me?”
“Ahem,” Brynn gestured at the queens and a few of the palace guards taking their seats. “All of you be quiet!”
Brynn masterfully plucked the large harp she’d had moved to the stage. Frost was unaware that she was able to play other instruments besides the flute but he shouldn’t have been surprised. Bards were probably capable of playing several different instruments, although he started to wonder if different instruments had different abilities attached to them.
The large double doors at the end of the hall slowly opened and Desdemona walked in with King Asmund on her arm. She was wearing a bright red gown rather than a traditional white one but the lace decorations were no different than a typical wedding gown. She also wore an awkwardly fitted crimson veil which covered both her horns and her face.
Brynn played while King Asmund leisurely walked his sister down the aisle and helped her onto the stage. Then he took his seat at a table with three of his wives while the other three sat at the neighboring table. The women stared at Frost and Desdemona with either uncaring coldness or boredom.
“It’s really beautiful,” Desdemona whispered behind her veil. “I didn’t expect it to look this nice. None of my brother’s weddings looked this nice.”
Brynn, Lysandra, and the elves all glanced at King Asmund like he was the devil incarnate. They’d assumed that so little effort was put into the wedding because of its rushed nature, but it seemed that King Asmund just didn’t view them as worth the effort.
“Alright,” Lysandra positioned herself between Frost and Desdemona and looked out at the audience. “Thank you all for coming to this joyous union. Shalia welcomes you and gives you her love. Even if you hate her, even if you are broken, even if the entire world wants you dead, she loves you. And there’s nothing you can do about it, so there!”
Frost tried not to laugh. He wondered if that’d always been part of the official ceremony or if Lysandra decided to make it official after his and Brynn’s wedding.
“Ahem,” Lysandra gestured at the space between them while glaring at Frost.
“Right,” Frost chuckled as he reached out and pulled Desdemona close to him.
“What are you doing?” Desdemona whispered timidly as Frost positioned her arms around his neck. After he was satisfied with their placement Frost placed his hands on her waist and Desdemona started trembling. “Herald Frost…”
“That’s better,” Lysandra said cheerfully. “Princess Desdemona Asmund. Do you love this man?”
“Love?” Desdemona said as her shaking increased. “I’ve only…I’ve just…I don’t know…”
“Hm,” Lysandra sighed while glancing back and forth between the two. “That could be a problem.”
“Lysandra?” Frost asked anxiously as King Asmund glared at them. “Can’t you just…”
“The ceremony is the ceremony,” Lysandra said sternly. “Herald Sebastian Frost, do you love this woman?”
“I mean,” Frost chuckled nervously. “I don’t really even know her…”
“Hmmm,” Lysandra growled while staring at them judgmentally. “Nope. This won’t do. Shalia will only bless the union if you love each other.”
“What is going on here?” King Asmund asked. “Just finish the ceremony.”
“No,” Lysandra said defiantly. “And you stay out of this! You’re not the one getting married! And if I hear another peep out of you, I’ll have you escorted from the wedding!”
“Are you…”
“Not! A! Peep!” Lysandra interrupted while gesturing threateningly at him. She straightened out her robe and her hair before taking a deep breath. She opened her book and began flipping through pages. “It looks like we have to do this by force.”
“By force,” Frost chuckled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Remove the veil,” Lysandra gestured at Desdemona’s veil while staring at Frost. “Come on. We don’t have all day.”
“All of my brother’s weddings they just declared them married,” Desdemona said nervously as Frost lifted her veil. The timid demoness glowing red eyes sparkled like precious gems as she waited patiently for an explanation. “Is something wrong?”
“Okay,” Lysandra said while gesturing at the two of them. “Kiss.”
“Kiss?” Desdemona’s heart throbbed so hard that Frost could feel it just by holding her waist, the amount of force was surprising. “But…we’re not…”
Frost leaned down and kissed the demon while being careful to avoid her sharp teeth. He focused on her soft lower lip as he embraced it with his own. Desdemona’s shaking increased as she returned his kiss while letting out a quiet moan.
“And her neck,” Lysandra said authoritatively.
“My neck?” Desdemona whined as Frost kissed her cheek while slowly moving to her neck.
“What the hell is this?” King Asmund objected. “The consummation…”
“I said be quit!” Lysandra growled while pointing at the door to the hall. “If you don’t like it you can leave! I know what I’m doing!”
“Herald Frost,” Desdemona moaned as he kissed and licked her slender neck. Her pale skin was surprisingly warm to the touch and getting warmer by the second.
“Desdemona,” Lysandra said seductively while running her fingers through the demoness’ crimson hair. “Do you like this? Do you love this?”
“Uh-huh,” Desdemona muttered out.
“If you say you love him, he’ll keep going,” Lysandra said with a moan in her voice. “Do you want him to keep going? Then you know what you should say.”
“Yes,” Desdemona gulped. “I love him.”
“Herald Frost,” Lysandra leaned so close to his ear he could feel her breath. “Do you love the taste of her skin on your tongue? Do you love the feel of her heartbeat as you lick her? Do you love her soft moans?”
“Yes,” Frost answered.
“Don’t you crave this woman? Don’t you want to feel her beneath you? You know what you need to say, don’t you?” Lysandra said suggestively as if hypnotizing him. “Just a few simple words and every inch of her is yours.”
“Yes,” Frost said while moving his hands lower on her hips. “I love her.”
“There!” Lysandra said excitedly as if everything was on track. “Now! Demonstrate your love and if it’s sincere let your union be blessed!”
“Uh,” Frost chuckled nervously as the previous minute faded away like a drug induced dream. “Right.”
Frost leaned down and kissed Desdemona as he felt Lysandra’s arms wrap around the both of them. Ena, Renna, and Fayeth quickly followed suit enveloping the couple in a hug. Brynn joined shortly after and Hestia ran up on stage as Slade glared irritably at the group.
“Herald Frost,” Desdemona whispered as he kissed her. “I’ll do my best to be a good wife like I promised.”
“Don’t try too hard,” Frost chuckled. “Because you can ask Brynn. I’m not going to try to be a good husband.”
“Is that it?” King Asmund said impatiently while looking around the room. “Are we finished? Then let’s get this over with.”
“For fucks sake,” Frost took a deep breath while resisting the urge to yell at the king.
“Listen here you loud mouthed fucking idiot,” Brynn snapped. “A wedding is a celebration of a union! It’s bad enough that you couldn’t be bothered to decorate but I’ll be damned if I let you ruin the celebration! I swear to the goddess herself if you don’t shut your damn mouth and be happy for your sister, I will sing tales in every fucking bar across this forsaken country about your sexual inadequacy! My songs will be so fucking memorable that you won’t be able to walk down a street in any village without hearing children singing about your inability to please your wives! I’m warning you one fucking time! You do not want to incur the wrath of the Black Bard of Falion!”
“Ha!” Queen Silvana uproariously while pounding the table as the rest of the room froze in terror. “Now that’s how you threaten a king!”
“Fine,” King Asmund said through clenched teeth. “The celebration may continue but if this is some ploy to avoid the consummation…”
“Listen here your highness. I could write a song about the women or creatures my husband’s willing to consummate with but the song would never end,” Brynn said in a shockingly aggressive manner. “Rest assured, my husband will consummate the princess so hard we’ll have to carry her back to Pluma Forest.”
“Creatures?” Frost chuckled. “I think that’s going a little far.”
“I love this woman,” the muscular Queen Silvana laughed while finishing off her drink. She smacked King Asmund’s back aggressively knocking the gaunt man into the table. “Don’t look so grumpy. The girl’s right. It’s your sister’s wedding and you’ve finally married the little demon off to somebody! You should be happy!”
“I’ll be happy once everything is finalized,” King Asmund said. “And I could have done without the foreplay on stage! I’m obviously happy for my sister. Fine, let’s celebrate.”
“Lady Brynn is rather scary, isn’t she?” Desdemona blushed while staring at the petite bard. “My brother doesn’t normally listen to anybody.”
“Scary?” Frost stared at Brynn and laughed. The fact she was able to shelve her own feelings about the wedding in order to defend the docile demoness was admirable, not scary. She was softer than a room full of rabbits. “She’s doing it for you.”
“For me?” Desdemona looked up at him, her crimson eyes practically glowed as she stared. Bloody tears started welling up in the corners of her eyes. “You mean she doesn’t hate me even though I’m…”
“My wife,” Frost interrupted while grinning playfully. “And Brynn’s my wife. So, you’re kind of her wife too. Try to get along with her, okay?”
“Mmhm,” Desdemona smiled and nodded excitedly. Frost realized why she was wearing a red dress instead of a white one as she wiped away her ruby tears. “I’ll do my best.”
“Herald Frost,” Lysandra gestured toward the hallway. “Although I appreciate Lady Brynn’s fervor, in our ceremonies the consummation normally happens immediately after.”
“Right,” Renna said excitedly while breaking away from the hug. “It’s time to celebrate and consummate! Not necessarily in that order!”
“It’s definitely in that order,” Ena said while rolling her eyes.
“Don’t be so grumpy Ena,” Fayeth teased while squeezing Ena’s butt. “Just because you won’t be the one consummating.”
“I told you I’m not jealous,” Ena snapped. “Let’s just celebrate.”
“Are you going to pretend to get drunk again?” Renna teased. “If you want to join in why don’t you just say so?”
“Shut up!” Ena stomped back to their table. “I’m not joining in!”
“What are they talking about?” Desdemona asked curiously as the elves ran off. “Herald Frost?”
“Um,” Frost inhaled through clenched teeth. “I probably should have run this by you but they kind of have their hearts set on joining us.”
“Joining us?” Desdemona said while trembling in his arms. “In bed? During the consummation?”
“Not during necessarily,” Frost smiled nervously. “I mean, Lysandra has to witness it and Brynn’s my wife so she’ll want to be there. And Renna, well, good luck stopping her from being there. As for Ena and Fayeth, if everybody else is there they’ll feel left out. I suppose I could tell them they can’t…”
“No,” Desdemona objected. “If you tell them they can’t they’ll know it’s because of me and if they know it’s because of me they’ll hate me!”
“They’ll understand,” Frost reassured the trembling demoness.
“Were they there for Lady Brynn’s consummation?” Desdemona asked while glancing at the short-haired bard. “Or is it just me? Are they worried I won’t satisfy you? Are they worried I’m going to hurt you?”
“Actually,” Frost laughed. “Brynn had more observers than this.”
“She did?” Desdemona said in disbelief. “She must be really brave. Okay. I’ll do it too!”
“Hey handsome,” Brynn held up a bottle of wine. “Are you and Desdemona going to celebrate or not?”
“Let’s join them,” Frost smiled and gestured at the women. “Maybe it’ll help you get comfortable around them.”
“Okay,” Desdemona nodded as Frost led her to the elves.
“Thirty minutes,” Lysandra said as she followed behind obstinately. “You have thirty minutes to celebrate! Then we must finish the ceremony!”
CHAPTER 15
Frost inspected the windows and walls of the room they were granted for his first night with Desdemona. He wanted Slade to monitor the hallways but the bastard somehow got so plastered at the wedding ceremony Hestia had to help him back to his room. Although Frost was a little worried about her motivations given her eagerness.
“Is something wrong with the room?” Desdemona asked timidly as Frost inspected the windows. As far as he could tell there were no strange peep holes, no hidden passages, and no entrances other than the door. “I can ask for a different room if you don’t like it. My brother moves me to different rooms all the time for all sorts of reasons. One week he moved me to three different rooms.”
“The room is fine,” Frost said while staring at the audience of women around the room. Ena and Fayeth shared a large bench on the far side of the room while Renna sat on the dresser near the bed. Lysandra dragged a small chair to the edge of the bed and sat down while Brynn jumped in the bed. Frost stared at his tiny first wife as she slid out of her dress revealing matching black lace underwear. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Don’t worry handsome,” Brynn smiled impishly while adjusting some pillows. “I experienced this first hand and know it’s better if the observers are in the bed. I didn’t go through all that work setting up that wedding only to mess up her wedding night.”
“Lady Brynn,” Desdemona blushed while staring at the petite bard. The right sleeve of her red wedding dress was darker than the rest due to all the tears she’d wiped away. “Thank you for everything, it was much nicer than I ever imagined.”
“You’re welcome,” Brynn said while staring jealously at the curvy demoness. The short-haired bard turned her attention to Frost and grinned lasciviously at his pants. “And speaking of nicer than imagined. How long do you intend to keep your wife waiting handsome?”
“Lady Brynn,” Lysandra said in a judgmental tone. “Don’t rush them. Unlike you, Lady Desdemona is inexperienced in…”
“Unlike me?” Brynn glared at Lysandra. “I was as pure as platinum!”
“Pfft,” Renna burst out laughing while making a slow punching motion. “Your hand certainly wasn’t.”
“I apologize,” Lysandra tried not to laugh as Brynn glared at her. “Yes, your purity was without question. I meant that Lady Desdemona may have a different level of comfort.”
“Mmhm,” Brynn said unconvinced. “Des, what do you say? You want sexy over here to get naked, don’t you?”
“Um,” Desdemona blushed and while glancing at Frost. She quietly nodded while sitting on the edge of the bed. “I’d like that.”
“Well,” Frost smirked as he removed his shirt and tossed it onto his chair. He tried not to laugh as he watched Desdemona’s ruby eyes widen at the sight of his naked chest. He moved his hand toward his pants, getting ready to remove them. He grinned impishly as he stood there with his thumb in his pants like a model at a photoshoot. “That’s right, take it in.”
“Screw that! Take it off!” Renna laughed while clapping excitedly.
“Renna,” Lysandra reached behind her chair and tried to smack Renna’s legs but the dexterous elf lifted them out of Lysandra’s reach. “Be quiet!”
“I don’t mind,” Desdemona said softly. “It helps a little. I’m really scared of messing up.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Frost chuckled while unfastening his pants and allowing them to drop to the floor. “It’s not like this is your only shot.”
“It’s not?” Desdemona looked around the room. “You know you only have to sleep with me once for the marriage to be official.”
“I don’t really work like that,” Frost said while walking toward the beautiful demoness sitting on the edge of the bed. He ran his hand down the side of her face and neck until he reached her shoulder. He leaned down and kissed her soft pale skin while sliding down the strap of her dress. “I intend to savor every inch of your body over and over again.”
“Herald Frost,” Desdemona’s voice cracked as she slowly pulled her dress down. “You don’t have to…”
“I want to,” Frost said as her crimson lace brassiere came into view. He continued pushing the dress down until he revealed her red lace garter belt, panties, and leggings. The dress fell to the floor and Fayeth quickly scurried over to the side of the bed to pick it up and deliver it to a nearby closet for safekeeping. “You look beautiful.”
“Really?” Desdemona smiled widely, momentarily baring her sharp teeth before quickly closing her mouth. It was obvious that she’d trained herself to smile without showing her teeth. “Sorry.”
