The Passage

All Characters in any sexual situation are 18+.

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“Alara,” He said, with the most confident voice he could muster. “I choose Alara.” He had waited so long to say that name, planned this moment for three years.

“My son,” the old king started, but stopped. The queen took up for him, “Aarni, you choose Alara, but you’ve never shown interest in her before.”

He knew that tone of voice, sweet and laced with condescension. He expected the queen would meddle, and he was prepared to stand his ground. “And yet she is my choice.”

“She is your choice, indeed. But a difficult one to fulfil. You see Aarni, you showed so little interest in Alara that she was sent away. We couldn’t have her as part of the breeding if she wasn’t wanted at all. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed; she’s been at the temple for two weeks now.”

He saw through her words, even as he felt his anger build, he stayed composed and analyzed the situation. Aarni noticed her sly look to his left, and resisted the urge to follow her gaze, he saw the subtle smile, and he understood. He was not surprised when the receiver of that smile, his oldest brother, the crown prince, interrupted. “Aarni, don’t sweat it, there’s a hundred girls in the castle as beautiful as her, pick one, pick two if you want.”

Aarni was falling apart inside. Somehow, they had figured out how he felt, he had tried to hide it, be distant and aloof to all the girls, because he knew they wouldn’t approve of how he felt toward Alara. Being in love with a girl from the breeding was not prohibited, but it was frowned upon. He kept his outward composure, he wouldn’t melt down in the throne room, could not show weakness in front of his father. But he couldn’t speak, he was angry at the Queen and angry at his brother, but mostly he was furious with himself.

She had been gone for two weeks, and he hadn’t even noticed. The love of his life, his true Queen, they had sent her away and he didn’t know. He spent two weeks dreaming of her scent, her skin, the moment she would be his, and he didn’t even notice she was gone.

“Bud, you okay?” His brother asked, “Hey tell you what, let me pick a girl for you.”

“Yes, we’ll pick a girl for you, don’t worry Aarni, you’ll forget this disappointment soon enough.”

There was more talking but Aarni didn’t listen, couldn’t hear anything but his own guilt and stupidity. His head was swimming, he was led from the throne room by an older steward, but he barely even noticed. He just walked down the dimly lit stone hallway, his thoughts flowing freely and angrily inside his head.

His brother Sune was the perfect prince, he fooled around even before his 18th birthday with the servants in the breeding, wooed multiple princesses, and as soon as he had his crowning, he started pumping out babies left and right. And now the worst kept secret in the castle was his seduction of the Queen, herself a scheming and manipulative woman who held untold power in the capital. She was one of the youngest of his father’s wives, but she had quickly moved up the ranks and took the title of Queen when Sune’s mother died.

The steward was droning on about the importance of the breeding, the source of all the officials in non-royal offices in Mnozimar, as well as plenty of officers in the military, and many important civilian positions as well.

The breeding was an important part of their culture, it tied the citizenry to the royal family, and gave every family hope that a beautiful enough daughter could get selected, and if she bore a child, they would gain status and connection that often meant a significant upgrade in their family’s wealth.

Aarni had hated it for years. His family had been warriors, earning honor in battle and winning the most beautiful princesses with their bravery and prowess. And now his noble father sat as a figurehead in his own castle, cuckolded by his own son who was a perfect prince only because he’d fuck anything that moved. His brother was lousy with a sword or a spear, was a solid thrower only by natural talent, and just clever enough to be used by the more ambitious and intelligent women in the castle.

Sune looked down on him, and Aarni was happy to return the favor.

Aarni set his mind. He would follow his chosen path, he would continue his weapons training, he would continue to focus on a military career, no matter what the “crown” wanted. And one day, soon, he would find out where Alara was, and he would go to her, rescue her, he would be her champion, and she his Queen. His spirits revived, Aarni turned and walked down a different hallway, away from his room, The Steward stammered and followed, “Sir, the armory, at this time of day?” Akim would be there, and Aarni needed to blow off some steam before he faced this night.