One last night as a Prince.

After stopping and getting his letter from Akim, Aarni, as instructed, took dinner in his room. Afterwards he looked around his room and took what he felt he needed most. His signet ring, the necklace that his mother had worn when he was born, the ancestral knife his father had passed down to him when he turned 12, and of course his sword that he had received just one year ago when he had earned the rank of duelist. He laid out his plainest set of travel clothes, he didn’t know what else to do but sit and wait, hoping he could trust Yrsa.

Before the sun fell low in the sky, there was a knock at his door. When he answered, the steward there bowed and gestured to the young lady beside him, it was Erna.

“You requested this young lady to come to your room this evening?”

“Yes, thank you.” Aarni dismissed the steward and brought Erna into his room.

He led her away from the door a safe distance, then whispered, “What’s the plan?”

“I am,” she stated as she dropped hooded cloak she was wearing, the only thing she was wearing.

Aarni was not expecting this, and frankly, he didn’t trust it.

“What are you doing?” he whispered.

She knelt, “What do you think I’m doing?” she said playfully as she undid his belt and pulled his pants down. His penis didn’t care about the importance of getting out of the castle, and it did not care about Aarni’s concerns over Erna’s intentions, it stood straight up.

“I don’t. . . oh goddess, Erna. . . I don’t have time for this, I have to leave.”

She removed her mouth from his shaft. “Don’t worry, Aarni, I’m here for Yrsa, I’m your alibi, but if I’m going to cover for you, I want something from you first.”

Aarni gave in, let her push him onto the bed, she took him inside her mouth again, farther in than before, she had been working on suppressing her gag reflex, and with a little work, she was taking him all the way into her throat, his entire length inside her. Aarni was close to the edge, desperately holding on, he used the trick Yrsa had taught him, to distract himself from the incredible feeling of her throat constricting him, he closed his eyes and thought of a wagon wheel, he pictured it turning, focused on the image, and pulled himself back from the edge. He didn’t know why, but even though he felt pressed for time, he really wanted to leave Erna with a good impression of him, he wanted to fuck her good, hard and long.

He was thinking this when he heard her ****, she pulled off of him, breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath.

“That felt amazing,” Aarni said with awe at how good she had gotten at that in so short a time.

“I’m glad you liked it, I’ve been practicing.”

She climbed on top of him, put one hand on his chest, the other she used to guide his cock to her opening, and pushed down, taking him inside her, as she moaned.

“Oh goddess, I’ve missed you so much.” She cried as she started moving on him. Up and down, finding a rhythm, biting her lip, both hands on his chest, grabbing at him, scratching him.

Erna pushed down as far as she could onto him, and started grinding her hips, forcing him as deep inside her as she could. She shuddered, and he felt her tighten around him, squeezing him.

“Oh, goddess, oh fuck, Aarni, oh!” She called out and stopped her movements. She laid her head down on him, breathing hard.

“Oh goddess, oh Aarni,” she repeated, then kissed him, hard and deep, jamming her tongue into his mouth and pressing her chest into his.

Aarni was taken off-guard and a bit confused, but he wasn’t going to interrupt so he kissed her back and grabbed her ass, moving her a bit since she seemed to have lost interest in that part of the sex they were having.

“I’m sorry Aarni, I’m just. . . I don’t. . . do you want more?”

Aarni definitely did, he’d never experienced anything like this, he’d never had a girl stop in the middle before, of course he had tried his best to make this time last longer, had he messed up? Had he worn her out?

“It’s okay, you can do whatever you want, I’m just tired.” She said, smiling at him.

Aarni flipped over, putting Erna underneath him. He moved his hips, thrusting inside her slowly and deeply. She kept her eyes locked on his, as Aarni looked her over. She looked so hot laying there, her red hair sprawled out, her tired, content smile, her skin soft and glazed with sweat, her perfect breasts and small nipples. He ran his hands over her stomach, she seemed to like that, clenching her muscles and moaning softly. He was close now, and she could tell. She arced her back and grabbed his butt, pulling him toward her, demanding every bit of his penis. “I can feel it Aarni, give it to me, please. Please cum inside me.” He let go, filling her with everything he had. Spent, he laid down on top of her, his head on her breast. She wrapped her arms around him and entangled her legs with his.

The silence hung in the air. Both of them knew he was leaving, that this was probably the last time they would be like this. They soaked in the moment as long as they could, silently holding each other in the afterglow.

Finally Aarni picked his head up, gently stroked Erna’s temple, then cupped her head and kissed her. Erna untangled her legs from his and kissed him back passionately. When Aarni broke the kiss and started to get up, Erna’s face became serious.

“Let’s get you cleaned up and dressed, the sun is setting and we need you ready for Yrsa’s distraction.”

“Mhm.” Aarni couldn’t even find words. It was one thing to know he was leaving earlier today, but now? With all he was giving up right in front of him. . . It was too much to deal with, so he pushed it down and focused on getting ready.

Cleaned and dressed, Aarni was sitting on the bed, Erna, in only a thin, see-through gown beside him, hugging his arm, pressing her chest into his side. He had liked her from the moment he saw her, he remembered Tove’s game, his failure at the stables, fucking her in front of Yrsa, and now this, he hoped she was pregnant, he hated to think of her stuck at the castle for years, or worse, having to seduce his brother. He took a moment to fantasize about running away with her, finding land somewhere, settling down with her, raising the children they would have. He chuckled to himself, he wasn’t a farmer, and Erna wasn’t here to find a husband, she was trying to elevate her whole family. He turned his head and kissed her on her forehead. If she was pregnant, she would return to her family victorious, give birth, and then would be free to marry. Former women of the breeding program were valued for their beauty, training and their connections. A noble born man wouldn’t take her, but wealthy middle-class men would compete for her.

He was consoling himself by thinking about her living happily on a ranch when Erna released his arm, “There’s the signal. It’s time.”