Court of the Crimson King
Copyright© 2025 by Fick Suck
Chapter 24
Fantasy Sex Story: Chapter 24 - When a cranky young veteran of the repulsed brutal invasion is found and returned to the Court of the Crimson King, he is shocked by the poor state of the kingdom. North is dragooned into the reigning queen’s retinue, a position fraught with politics, intrigue, magic, and hints of destiny. The Court is an intricate dance that one must master or else disappear into oblivion. Based loosely on the song of the same title by King Crimson.
Caution: This Fantasy Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa
The medic rubbed an ointment into the rope burns as North drank a pint of rum with grim determination. The Egg in the eagle’s nest was hanging from a tree branch on the edge of the camp. Its presence set his nerves on edge.
“My orders are to bring the Egg back to the Court,” North said to Alomar who was being treated with the same ointment and was already on his second pint.
“You can’t do it,” Alomar said. “The thing’s too dangerous. You need to get it off this world, preferably back from where it came. The Egg doesn’t belong here; it’s a theme thingy.”
“A what?”
“It’s an accursed object thingy,” Alomar said. “You’re the smart one: figure it out.”
North thought for a moment. “An anathema?”
“Yeah, a theme, ma.”
“How does your wife put up with you?” North asked. “Don’t answer that because I’m dead certain I don’t want to know.” They sat quietly, grunting when the medic touched a particularly raw spot. “I don’t see a method for destroying it either. The thing appears immune to our mage skills, like it’s constructed of something entirely different than our world. Our Queen will have me executed for disobeying her order.”
“No one expected that you would have to take it off-world to destroy it, but I see no other way, North. You hold some of the best tools in this world and none of it can touch the Egg. I’ve no doubt her Majesty would order you ‘to get the accursed thing out of here.’”
“Perhaps,” North sighed. “I want my bride.”
“Gods and country and all that nonsense,” Alomar responded until he saw the look on his fellow’s face. “Two weeks of courtship is not a good healthy length of time. She’s young and you’re a cranky fart, old far before your time. You’re a trained weapon of war and she’s, uh, dangerous-like. Take the time to make sure this marriage makes sense. What happens when you have your first fight?”
“We had it and that’s what led to the earthquake at the Court,” North said with a sad smirk before he decided to change the subject because Alomar’s words hurt. “Taking the Egg to the Celestial Way and disposing of it is not a task for the faint of heart either. If this thing is not from the human or near-human areas of the Celestial Way, then I don’t have a clue of how to dispose of it.”
“You will have to ask someone or some being,” Alomar said with a shrug. “I know, easier said than done, but upon you is the task. The faster you execute your duties, the faster you can return to us. Do you need someone to accompany you?”
North shook his head, regretting the movement instantly. “No, this new mission is not the time to train a neophyte in the ends and outs of traveling there. With the Egg in my possession, there’s no room for novice mistakes.” He started on the second pint of rum.
The next morning, his men helped him build a makeshift carrier for the egg, using the bird’s nest to cocoon the egg strapped to a pack frame with a hard, straight back and a short platform with a lip to keep the artifact in place. North was forced to move his sword to his front and wear it almost like a belt. He did his best to force the discomfort of the Egg’s nearness from his mind.
“Do you know a gateway?” Alomar asked as he filled the saddlebags on the horse.
“Yes, I do. I told you I found the gateway the Butcher used to get onto our world. With a horse, I imagine it’s only two or three days north from here and I don’t have to climb down a stupid mountain to get there. The first time was, uh, memorable and no one forgets journeys like that.” North swung up gingerly into the saddle, checking the lashing on the Egg carrier. “I’ll be as quick as I can. Wait for me at the Court; I know that gateway too.”
Three days later, North arrived at the gateway, two pillars of natural stone with a stone plinth on top like a door lintel. Unless one was looking for the device, a hunter or a woodsman would simply pass by the inconsequential formation. Only upon approaching and touching both sides would the gateway activate.
He dismounted the horse, having no expectation that the domestic animal would cooperate. When he activated the gateway, the horse balked, its eyes going wide as fear set in. With a grunt of disappointment, North removed the saddle and bridle after taking off the saddle bags and the backpack.
“The Lord Secretary isn’t going to like this,” he said to the horse as he slapped the horse’s rear and sent him trotting away. “Charge it my account.” He shouldered his burdens and walked through the gateway, letting the disorientation flow through him. Remarkably, the disassociation hardly bothered him. “Must be the anchor,” he muttered.
Someone once tried to explain to him that the Celestial Way was not what he experienced with his senses but how his brain interpreted what he was experiencing. Different beings experienced the Way in unique manners, with senses that were unknown to human-like beings. Even the gods, so he was told, experience the Celestial Way in a unique manner.
The stars were not the stars as one would recognize while walking along the path. Everything in the sky bent in different directions. Overhead, a sun boiled and burned with myriad colors of light. Sometimes the suns exploded with humongous rings of light and gas billowing after. At some places above, there were points that were blacker than black that a person could not really see, but the swirls of gases spinning furiously made it clear what was in the middle.
The path itself was solid and was neither hard nor soft. The walls were high enough to allow a tall man to feel secure but not so tall as to feel trapped. As far as North could walk in a day, there were several alcoves where the weary traveler could stop and rest. Presently, he was on a side branch that led to the main path.
When one approached a gateway, the power emanating at the juncture was clear to see, if one was human. Others had said its presence was clear to their senses as well. By placing a hand on the side of the juncture, one could receive an interpretative guide of where the gateway led. As an air breathing human with specifics needs of an atmosphere, North was careful to review the guide in detail.
When he reached the main path, he took a moment to get his bearings. He was confident that the human and human-like worlds were mostly to his right because he had come this way the first time. The world that hosted the Cat’s Whisker was certainly to his right. North turned left.
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