spiced cubitos

&some other treaties for you tf!scott/cam/pyro

The grand hall of Castle Soluna stretched endlessly toward vaulted ceilings painted with scenes of ancient conquests, but Princess Cherri could not have named a single one of them if her life depended on it. Her attention had drifted miles away from the diplomatic proceedings taking place at the far end of the room, where her father's advisors debated territorial disputes with visiting dignitaries from the neighboring kingdom. Her mind was consumed by the woman standing three paces behind her, close enough that Cherri could smell the faint scent of leather and steel that clung to her knight's armor.

Apokuna. Her lady in hand. Her sworn protector. Her everything.

Cherri's fingers found the silk of her own long sleeves, and she wound the fabric between her thumb and forefinger, staring at the intricate embroidery along the hem of her dress. The gown was a masterpiece of royal tailoring: layers upon layers of silk that cascaded from her waist to pool at her feet, the bodice fitted and beaded with tiny crystals that caught the candlelight. It was beautiful. Impractical. And, she thought with a secret thrill, the perfect camouflage for what she desperately wanted to happen.

She felt more than heard Apokuna shift behind her. The soft scrape of armored boots against marble. The barely perceptible change in breathing. Years of intimacy had taught Cherri to read her knight's body like a sacred text, to interpret the subtle language of her presence without need for words.

"Your Highness." Apokuna's voice was barely a murmur, meant for Cherri's ears alone. "You're fidgeting."

Cherri's lips curved. She didn't turn around. "I'm bored."

"The negotiations will conclude within the hour."

"That's an hour too long." Cherri let her hand drop to her side, then carefully, deliberately, let it drift backward until her fingers grazed against Apokuna's gauntlet. The metal was cool through her silk glove, but the touch sent warmth flooding through her chest. "I can think of far better uses for our time."

She caught the sharp intake of breath. Saw, in her peripheral vision, Apokuna's head tilt slightly downward, the knight's dark hair falling forward to partially obscure her face. They had discussed this. Planned it. The risk made Cherri's pulse quicken, made her skin flush with anticipation that she struggled to hide.

"Cherri," Apokuna breathed, and the use of her name rather than her title sent electricity cascading down the princess's spine. "You're serious."

"I've never been more serious about anything." Cherri's voice dropped to match her knight's whisper. "The balcony. Behind the eastern pillar. Now."

She didn't wait for a response. With the practiced grace of royalty, she turned and walked toward the arched doorway that led to the balcony overlooking Soluna's moonlit gardens. She moved with unhurried steps, nodded politely at the courtiers she passed, smiled benevolently at the servants carrying trays of wine. No one would question a princess seeking fresh air during a tedious diplomatic session. No one would think twice about her knight following at the proper distance, ever vigilant, ever devoted.

The balcony was empty. Of course it was, the autumn air carried a chill that most courtiers found disagreeable, and the gardens below were lit only by the pale glow of the twin moons. Cherri walked past the ornate stone benches, past the potted topiaries shaped like mythical beasts, until she reached the eastern corner where a massive marble pillar offered concealment from any curious eyes that might glance their way.

She stopped. Waited. Heard Apokuna's footsteps approach.

"You're reckless," Apokuna said quietly, but her voice held no true reproach. "Someone could see."

"Then we'll have to be quiet." Cherri turned to face her knight, tilting her head back to meet Apokuna's amber eyes. In the moonlight, they gleamed like polished honey, warm and wanting. "Unless you'd rather return to the hall and listen to them drone on about grain tariffs?"

Apokuna's lips twitched. Her hand came up, gauntlet removed at some point during the walk, and her bare fingers brushed along Cherri's jaw with heartbreaking tenderness. "You know I'd rather die than deny you anything."

"Then deny me nothing." Cherri pressed her cheek into Apokuna's palm, feeling the rough calluses that came from years of sword training. "Tell me what you want."

A muscle in Apokuna's jaw tightened. Her eyes darkened, the amber turning to fire. "You know what I want. What I've wanted since the moment I swore my sword to your family."

"Say it."

"You." The word escaped Apokuna like a prayer, reverent and hungry all at once. "Every part of you. I want to taste you, Cherri. I want to feel you come apart beneath my tongue and know that no one else will ever have you this way."

Cherri's breath shuddered out of her. She reached up, took Apokuna's hand, and guided it to the hidden fastening at the side of her dress, a clever construction that allowed the outer layer to fall away while the inner shifts remained in place. But that wasn't what she wanted tonight. Tonight, she wanted the dress to stay on, wanted the scandalous concealment of fabric hiding what her knight would do to her.

"Leave it," she commanded softly. "I want to feel you through the layers. Want to know that anyone who sees us will think we're doing nothing more than having a quiet conversation."

Apokuna's nostrils flared. Her hands trembled slightly as she processed the request, the thrill of it, the forbidden nature of what they were about to do in a space that was public even if currently unoccupied. Then she nodded once, sharply, and dropped to her knees before her princess.

The marble was cold and hard beneath her, but Apokuna barely noticed. Her entire being was focused on the woman before her, on the miles of silk that covered legs she had memorized in private moments stolen between official duties. She gathered the fabric in her hands, lifting layer after layer until she could duck beneath them, until she was enveloped in darkness and warmth and the intoxicating scent of Cherri's arousal.

"I've got you," Apokuna murmured against Cherri's inner thigh, her lips brushing sensitive skin that jumped at the contact. "I've always got you."

Cherri's response was a soft moan, quickly bitten back. Her hands found Apokuna's shoulders through the dress, gripping tightly, steadying herself as her knight's mouth traveled higher. The world narrowed to sensation: the cool night air on her face, the warmth of fabric surrounding her lower half, and the wet heat of Apokuna's tongue as it finally found its mark.

No teasing. No buildup. Apokuna devoured her with single-minded focus, her tongue working in broad strokes that made Cherri's knees buckle. One strong hand gripped Cherri's hip to steady her, fingers digging into flesh through the silk, while the other traveled upward, sliding along Cherri's stomach, ribs, until it found her breast and palmed it through the bodice.

"Apokuna—" Cherri's voice broke. She clapped her hand over her own mouth, muffling the sounds that threatened to escape. They weren't alone in the palace. At any moment, someone could wander onto the balcony for their own escape from the diplomatic tedium. The risk made everything sharper, brighter, more intense.

Apokuna hummed against her, the vibration traveling through Cherri's core. Her tongue found that spot, that perfect combination of pressure and speed that she had discovered through months of intimate exploration, and she worked it with devastating expertise. She could feel Cherri getting close, could read the princess's body with the same precision she used to read opponents in combat.

But she wasn't ready to let her fall yet.

Apokuna pulled back slightly, and Cherri whimpered at the loss. Then teeth grazed over her inner thigh, gentle and deliberate, nipping at the tender flesh in a series of bites that sent electricity cascading up her spine. Not hard enough to bruise. Just enough to make Cherri's entire body jerk with sensation.

"Quiet," Apokuna whispered into the heated space beneath the dress. "You must stay quiet for me, my princess. Can you do that?"

Another bite, higher this time, closer to where Cherri desperately needed her mouth.

"I asked you a question."

"Yes," Cherri gasped into her palm. "Yes, I can—I can be quiet, please—"

"Please what?"

"Please don't stop."

Apokuna smiled against Cherri's skin, then leaned in and resumed her worship. Her tongue returned to its work, sliding through slick folds, circling the bundle of nerves that made Cherri shake. She could taste her princess's essence, sweet and musky, coating her tongue and lips. She had never tasted anything so perfect. Never wanted anything more than to drown in this moment, in this woman.

"You taste like paradise," Apokuna breathed against Cherri's core, the words vibrating through sensitive flesh. "My royal nectar. I could feast on you for hours."

Cherri's hips bucked, seeking more pressure, more friction. Apokuna held her steady, controlling the pace, denying her princess the rhythm she needed to reach completion. This was her domain now, her sovereign territory, and she would tend to it however she saw fit.

She slowed her tongue, focusing on long, deliberate strokes that made Cherri's breath catch. Then, without warning, she sucked hard, pulling the sensitive bud into her mouth and releasing it with an obscene pop that seemed impossibly loud in the quiet night air.

Cherri's whole body spasmed. Her hand flew from her own mouth to grip Apokuna's shoulder, her fingernails digging through the fabric hard enough to sting. "I'm—I'm going to—"

"Not yet." Apokuna's voice was firm despite its whisper. Her teeth returned to Cherri's thighs, biting and nibbling, marking the flesh with love bites that would bloom purple by morning. Each nip sent Cherri higher without pushing her over, building pressure that made her vision blur.

"Apokuna, please, I can't—I need—"

"What do you need?" Another bite, dangerously close to her core. "Tell me. Command me."

"You. I need you to let me—"

Apokuna's tongue returned, but slowly now, torturously, tracing every fold and crease with deliberate attention. She was mapping Cherri's pleasure, committing every reaction to memory, learning exactly how to keep her princess balanced on the edge without sending her over.

"I could do this forever," she murmured. "Keep you here, trembling and desperate, knowing that your pleasure belongs to me. That your body rises and falls at my command."

"Devil," Cherri gasped. "You're a devil."

"Your devil." Apokuna's tongue pressed flat against Cherri's clit, holding firm without moving. "Say it. Say that I'm yours."

"You're mine. My knight. My protector. My—oh—" Cherri's words dissolved into a moan as Apokuna finally, finally began to move again, her tongue working in tight circles that built the pressure back to its peak.

"That's right." The words vibrated against Cherri's flesh. "Yours. Always yours. Now come for me, my princess. Let me taste your pleasure."

Cherri's release crashed through her like a wave, stealing her breath and her sanity all at once. She clamped her hand over her own mouth again, muffling the scream that tore from her throat. Her body shook, her knees buckled, and only Apokuna's strong grip kept her upright as pleasure rippled through her in endless pulses.

Apokuna worked her through it, gentling her touch as Cherri's spasms slowed, coaxing every last tremor of pleasure from her princess's body. She could feel Cherri's slick coating her chin, her lips, her cheeks, and she wore it like a badge of honor. Like a proclamation.

When Cherri finally stilled, trembling with aftershocks, Apokuna carefully lowered the layers of the dress and emerged from beneath them. She rose to her feet, her knees protesting the cold marble, and found Cherri watching her with glazed, satisfied eyes.

The moonlight caught the wetness on Apokuna's face, and Cherri reached out with a trembling hand to touch her knight's lips. Her essence gleamed there, unmistakable and intimate.

"You're wearing me," Cherri whispered, her voice raw. "Like a cosmetic. Like a claim."

Apokuna caught Cherri's fingers and pressed a kiss to them, not bothering to wipe her face. "I'll never hide what we are. What I am to you."

The sound of voices drifted toward them from the hall, courtiers spilling out for their own breath of air, laughing and chatting about the evening's entertainment. Cherri's eyes widened, but Apokuna was already moving, positioning herself beside the princess in a stance of protective vigilance that would look entirely proper to any observer.

Except for the evidence that still shone on her lips, visible to anyone who looked closely enough.

"Someone will see," Cherri hissed.