Realm of the Chosen: A Reverse Harem Romance

Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Two weeks was an eternity of seconds but when assembled together as minutes, hours, and even days, the passage of time seemed to shuffle on at an acceptable pace to the rest of the world. Kit spent too much of that time dreaming about someone she could not have and not enough of it focusing on the task before her.

The large barn always called to her in her free moments when she was too restless to sit in the garden, so one afternoon, a week after her Clearing was over, she found herself meandering from stall to stall, petting the horses on the nose and slipping loose bits of hay to those who would chomp it from her hands. The men who ran the stable and their young helpers were used to seeing her and no longer bothered with the courtesies her station demanded. Rather, they bowed slightly or nodded their heads as they passed, bid her good day, and went about their usual tasks of mucking and feeding and other such chores Kit was glad not to be tasked with.

A large roan stallion pressed his nose against her palm, and Kit smiled at the beast. “You’re such a beautiful creature,” she said, stroking him lovingly. His coat was mostly a reddish brown though his nose had a white stripe, and he was sixteen hands high, if not taller. She imagined he could leap creeks and scurry through brambles faster than most of the others.

“He’s remarkable, isn’t he?”

Kit turned, surprised to hear anyone behind her, but then she’d been so caught up in the horse, she hadn’t been paying the rest of the barn much mind. It was the new guard, the one who had been with her the day that Eli left. She had seen him a few times since then but hadn’t had an opportunity to speak to him and realized she still didn’t know his name.

“He is,” she agreed, still stroking the horse’s nose. “Do you know if he is new? I don’t believe I’ve ever seen him before.” She looked up and down the rows of horses, many of them familiar to her. These horses were mostly used for her mother’s carriages and for fox hunts when the majority of the noble class would participate. Kit had a horse of her own, a smaller black mare by the name of Belle, but the princess didn’t ride her much anymore even though she had always enjoyed horseback riding. There just didn’t seem to be much time for such activities now that she was older.

“I believe he was acquired just a few days ago,” the guard replied. “I used to work here, in the barn, before I joined your guard, my Princess, and to my recollection, he wasn’t part of the fleet then.”

Kit turned to study him. Perhaps that was why he looked slightly familiar. She had likely seen him out here many times and never paid much attention since the creatures that inhabited the barn generally demanded her focus more so than any of the humans. “I’m afraid I don’t know your name,” Kit said, finally moving her hand from the horse’s nose so that she could turn to face him.

“I am Dullen, my Lady.” He bowed at the waist, his arm tucked across his middle. “And I am pleased to be in your service.”

“Dullen,” she repeated as he stood. She extended her hand, and he took it in his, pressing it to his lips. Kit raised her eyes at the formality but also at the tingle that went up her arm.

He was young, perhaps her age or a year older. His red hair was short, and the front stood up just a bit at the part. His eyes were green, but unlike the emerald orbs she was used to looking into, they were a bit dull, and there was nothing sparkling or shining about them. His nose was the perfect size for his face, though, without an upturn or downturn that might’ve been off putting, and the sprinkle of freckles across his cheeks was endearing to her. As she stared at him, her hand still in his, a slow smile spread from one side of his face to the other. “Is everything all right, Princess?”

Color rushed to her cheeks as Kit brought her hand back, folding her fingers and covering it with her other. “Yes, everything is fine. Thank you.” A stirring inside of her, not unlike the butterflies she’d felt before the Proem but marginally different, drew her attention, and she wondered if he could feel it, too.

“Would you like for me to go?” he asked, gesturing with his thumb back the way he’d come. “I’m not on duty right now, but when I saw you walking among the horses, I thought perhaps you’d like some company. You’ve looked rather sad these past few days, and I couldn’t help but think perhaps having someone to spend some time with might cheer you up.”

He was kind, that was obvious. Thoughtful. Those were traits Kit appreciated. Her eyes spilled over his arms, the way they filled his uniform. Though he wasn’t a large man, she imagined his biceps were strong from all the lifting working in the barn would necessitate. Her mind immediately went to another stable boy, and she thought of the way Eli’s muscles rippled whenever his arms were tight around her. “No, I don’t want you to go,” she said, her voice airy. “The idea of company sounds appealing.”

The smile had never left his face, but it widened, and he nodded, moving to brush his hand across the roan’s nose. “I’m not sure of his name, but I should find out. He really is a lovely creature.”

“Yes, he is,” she agreed, turning her attention back to the horse.

“Not as lovely as you, of course.”

Kit turned to look at him, once again feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. He was being foreword, something she wasn’t used to. But then it occurred to her, she was in her Exploration now, and everyone knew that. Was it possible Dullen was only paying attention to her because he thought she might invite him into her chambers?

She had to look away. Her eyes were wide, and fear began to creep in to mingle with the butterflies. In the past two weeks, she’d seen lots of smiling men, had lots of incidental meeting in hallways and brushing of hands against hers in the most nonchalant ways. There had been visiting nobles, artists of the court, other guardsmen, even one of the servers at dinner had winked at her, but no one had been this forward—until now.

Avinia and Isla had told her to look for men she was attracted to who also seemed willing, and Dullen seemed to fit that description. Despite the fact that he was not Eli, and that he didn’t quite seem to be a grown man, he was attractive. Perhaps even better, he seemed like a genuinely caring individual. However, Kit was not the sort to immediately invite someone she’d just met into her chambers. That wouldn’t prevent her from getting to know him, however.

“Would you care to escort me to the hay loft?” she asked, gesturing at the ladder that led to the area above the horses. She liked to sit up there and peer out the large window at the sky, breathing in the scent of hay and horseflesh. Like the garden, it was a place her mother would never roam.

“It would be my pleasure,” he replied, and he motioned toward the ladder.

Kit made her way over but realized once she started to climb that he’d be staring at her bottom the entire way up. The thought made her uncomfortable at first, but then, the idea crossed her mind that it might be fun to tease him a bit. Suddenly conscious of her own hips, she began to move differently, more fluidly, and she heard a catch in Dullen’s breath behind her and held back a wicked grin.

Some of the hay was still in bales while other piles were spread throughout the loft, which didn’t run the entire length of the barn but was still large. She found a bale with a perfect view of the cloudless sky out the large window and spread her lavender skirts to one side so that there was room for Dullen to sit next to her.

“The sky is a lovely shade of blue today, don’t you think?” she asked, noticing a warmth radiating from his leg which was just a few inches from hers. “I love it when it’s a deep blue, like a pool of water, as it is today.”

“It is beautiful,” he agreed. “But your eyes are the loveliest shade of blue I’ve ever seen.”

Her first reaction was to blush, perhaps to look away, but instead, Kit raised an eyebrow at him and let a slow smile spread across her face. The effect it had on him was what she’d hoped for. His breathing hitched, and perspiration began to form at his hairline. “How long did you work in the stables, Dullen?” She said, her voice slow, spreading his name out over a few syllables. She leaned in slightly so that he could see her interest.

“Uh… about five years.” His thinking was growing clouded, a phenomenon Kit found quite intriguing. “My mother was able to procure the position for me. She’s in the service of Lady Prinda.”

“I see.” Kit was familiar with one of the lesser noblewomen who lived in the nearby province of Killmont. “Lady Prinda is a favorite of my mother’s. She visits often.”

“Yes, and my mother often accompanies the lady. One time, I came with her, and Lady Prinda was kind enough to ask the stable master to give me work.”

“That was very thoughtful of her.” Every word Kit spoke, she laced with sugar, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she studied his reaction, finding the resulting fever induction both fascinating and titillating.

Dullen ran the tip of his tongue along his bottom lip. “You smell wonderful, my Princess. Is that… lavender?”

“It is. And honey.”

“I very much like it.”

Part of her thought perhaps she should take a whiff of him and compliment it, but she knew what she would not be smelling, so she didn’t bother. “Thank you.”

He shifted in his seat a few times, and Kit felt slightly guilty for being such a tease, particularly since he seemed like a nice young man. She raised her hand and rested in on his bicep, surprised to feel the muscle there was larger than she had imagined. A stirring rose up inside of her unexpectedly. He turned and looked her in the eyes, and as she parted her lips to speak, he thrust his tongue into her mouth.

Kit was caught off guard, and for a moment, she wanted to push him away from her, but the feel of his smooth tongue against hers, the way he probed into her mouth, was soothing in a way she hadn’t expected. It wasn’t the same as kissing Eli had been so many years ago, but she realized nothing would ever be the same, and she found herself kissing Dullen back.

Her hand slid up his arm to his shoulder, and his encircled her waist, pulling her closer as his tongue continued to explore every inch of her mouth. She ran her hand up his neck, tangling her fingers in the hair at the back as his thumbs inched higher up the front of her dress. Her thoughts became fuzzy as he continued to kiss her, and then his thumb ran over the thin material of her bodice, sending a shiver down her spine as he made contact with her breast through the satin and other layers.

Dullen pulled back slightly, as if he were trying to gauge whether or not this new touch was acceptable. Kit felt her n*****s harden, a sensation she’d never noticed before, and when he brushed his hand back over her breast again, she leaned in to him. Encouraged, the guard moved closer, pressing his hands against both of her breasts now, his tongue exploring the flesh of her neck. Kit let out a small groan. She was beginning to understand why it was called pleasuring.

“Princess, perhaps we should go somewhere else,” he whispered into her ear, his left hand lingering on her chest while the other went back to encircling her waist. “I believe I hear the stable boys below. ‘It would be a shame to be interrupted.”

Dullen’s request brought Kit swiftly back to herself, and she scooted away from him, her hand reaching up and plucking his away from her. While her Exploration had started, those nervous flutters inside of her were sounding an alarm, and she knew she wasn’t ready to invite Dullen, or anyone, back to her special pleasuring chambers just yet. “Perhaps another time,” she said, watching his face fall. “I’m afraid I have other matters I must attend to just now.”

Though his face looked pained, the young man nodded. “Yes, of course, Your Majesty. I hope that I have not offended you.”

“No, not at all,” she assured him, widening her smile. He wasn’t the most muscular or most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on, but there was something about his unassuming personality that put her at ease, and for a first experience of this nature, she thought it was a good one.

But it needed to end. For now. She stood, and he jumped to his feet, his nerves causing him to momentarily forget he was also a member of her guard. “I should exit before you, my Princess, so that you do not slip and fall down the ladder.”

While Kit certainly didn’t think she was all that clumsy, she allowed him to go first and then carefully picked her way down each rung of the ladder. When she got to the bottom, he took her hand to help her with the last few steps. A glance around told her that the stable boys were hard at work, and should she have let matters progress in the loft, they likely would’ve been interrupted. Dullen was a wise young man.

“Thank you for showing me the loft,” she said loudly enough that anyone standing around who may have wondered what they were doing would assume it was a tour.

“You’re quite welcome, my Princess,” Dullen replied, bowing. “And should you ever wish to see it again….”

She knew what he was getting at, and it had nothing to do with the loft. A warmth radiated up her cheeks as she nodded. “You shall be the first to know.” Kit smiled at him, though she felt slightly embarrassed and the butterflies in her gullet were relentless. She turned quickly on the heel of her boot and headed back toward the castle, hoping she would have a few moments to talk to her ladies. Isla and Avinia should be able to offer some insight on her handling of the situation, and she hoped they would be proud of her for acting so early on in her Exploration, rather than waiting for weeks or months looking for just the right young man as she’d feared she might, as Isla had three years ago when it had been her turn.