Return Pt. 03

Author's Note: If you are an historian especially of the Medieval Period of Europe and the Middle East please do be aware that I have taken some serious liberties with all sorts of things, especially the time the story is set in, the people, the battle tactics and the politics so please accept this as a work of complete and utter fiction and not a new and butchered version of Medieval history. Thanx

And if you are confused about some of my character's names, my apologies. A sharp eyed reader pointed out to me the error of my ways. Lady Jessica in part 1 became Lady Jennifer in part 2 and will remain Lady Jennifer hereinafter. It all comes from writing more than one story at a time. Sorry.

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Lady Judy's funeral is a sombre affair. To my surprise it is attended by many from the farming community and only now do I get an idea of how well respected she had been. Lady Esme, my soon to be wife did not attend excusing herself for health reasons, but I suspect that she did not want to acknowledge Lady Judy as a force in my life. She also may have been relieved that her child would be my first born removing any chance of a challenger to her child's inheritance. The surprise attendee was Lady Jennifer and her retinue. Wearing the finest silks and satins of deepest, darkest black she swept into my home, demanding to be given "suitable lodgings".

My grief for Lady Judy and our child was still very raw so I wasn't a particularly gracious host.

"What do you consider "suitable" my lady?"

She turned around as if to snarl back at me, but somehow the movement softened, her face softened and she took me in her arms.

"Sorry! That was insensitive!"

She holds me at arms length.

"I hear Lady Esme is too ill to attend which is sensible considering her condition. In that case I will happily share your bed if needs be." and a wicked smile lights up her face.

And then she softly whispers "I have missed your gorgeous cock. You've been gone from court and from my pussy for far too long."

How can a man resist such an apology? I certainly couldn't.

"You will be provided with the best quarters available. The only downside of those rooms is that they are adjacent to mine and even worse still they have an inter-leading door into my quarters. You can of course lock the door. I will have a key sent up."

"Thank you. But I am sure I am quite safe without needing to lock the door to prevent you invading my privacy."

With that she smiles politely and one of the servants leads her up to the rooms that will be Lady Esme's when we are married.

====

Bishop Robert officiates at the funeral, says kind words about Lady Judy and we finally lay her to rest in the family graveyard. The decision to bury her in the family graveyard was mine. Lady Esme objected strongly.

"How can you bury that woman in our family graveyard. She was a slut. Everyone knew that. You fucked her regularly. Got her pregnant too."

I noted that my family graveyard had changed to our graveyard and I remembered my father's love of Lady Judy, how she had tended to him as he grew ill and how she had spoken so fondly of him even in his last days when he was old and feeble. Something deep inside me rebelled.

"I have seen women who sold their bodies on the streets of Jerusalem tend dying soldiers with no expectation of any reward, I had common soldiers who stood by my side when they need not have done and I have had men who thought themselves my betters slink away when the going got tough. I learned to measure people by their loyalty and their love. And Lady Judy? She qualifies in both criteria."

Lady Esme opens her mouth to object, takes one look at my face and hurries out of the room. It will take some time for her to start talking to me again.

I sleepwalk through funeral and the waking so I am really glad when the last person leaves and I can slink away to bed. I cannot enter Lady Judy's room as it has too many memories so I go to my bedroom and collapse in a chair looking out over the wheat fields that Judy had improved so well. Finally I cannot bear my company any more and I open the inter-leading door. Lady Jennifer is sitting on a settle staring out the window when I enter.

"I wondered how long it would take for you to come through. Loneliness bites hard doesn't it? Being newly bereaved myself..."

She leaves the sentence unfinished and doesn't look at me as she says this leaving me with the question. Is she joking or serious? It was me after all who killed her husband. I stand and look at her wondering about who and what she really is. Esme said Jennifer was the queen's closest confidant which makes her dangerous company and, if the plot for me to kill of her husband came from the king then I am way out of my depth.

"Oh! Do sit down! You are blocking my view and," her she pauses "And you are tempting me to take you to bed immediately despite the message I have for you."

She slaps her hand on the settle and, more from exhaustion than anything else I collapse next to her.

"Good! Now listen. I assume we can talk without being overheard?"

I nod and turn to look at her properly and close up. Her scent hits me like a wave, I reach out and touch her naked neck, her cheek and then her mouth.

"Stop it! We need to talk."

I am tired of talk, I am tired of conspiracies and I suddenly find I need a fuck. My cock is hard and just waiting to plunge itself into a woman. I need a woman, any woman, preferably the closest woman and Lady Jennifer is the closest woman. She is also Esme's friend, the queen's closest confidant and pretty likely the kings lover and adviser. Dangerous but immediately available, so before she can object I pick her up, dump her on the bed, flick her skirts up over her face and bury my face in her pussy.

"Oh. You bastard! I should have known you would do this."

"You are hot and wet. You knew this was going to happen."

Before she can answer I slide up her body and bury my cock in her mouth. She takes my cock in both hands and strokes it, firmly keeping me trapped in her mouth. She is expert at it and soon I lose control, thrusting into her mouth until I cum. As I cum I find myself shouting.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" until there is nothing left in me, physically, mentally or emotionally. Jennifer holds me, strokes me, comforts me until I start to surface, then.

"Now you definitely owe me. Eat my pussy. I need to cum, a lot."

What's a man to do? I go down on her, I taste her perfect musky juices as they flow out of her. My fingers find her g-spot and I massage that trigger point till she is writhing thrashing and demanding I mount her, which I do and we ride each other to an earth shattering cumming.

"Now. Having gotten that out of the way" Jennifer leaning on her elbow and looking down at me "We need to talk seriously."

"What do we need to talk about?"

"The queen will be attending your wedding."

"Oh! And the king?"

"Off on a hunting expedition, up north with Lord David of Sutchcliff. You didn't expect him for your wedding did you?"

"No. And if truth be told, I did not expect Queen Alice either."

"Queen Alice has a soft spot for you. She will be arriving a day before your wedding and Lady Esme recommends that you house her in what is to be her room when you are married."

"It is this room and you are aware that there is an interleading door?"

"Lady Esme did mention it, so don't go wandering through late at night expecting sex or something like that. Unless you are invited of course. As I say, she does have a rather soft spot for you and you might just get lucky, or unlucky if the king finds out."

=====

With just over a week to go to my wedding I leave the organisation to Esme, Jennifer and Cook and head off to St Anne's convent to fulfil Judy's request. The convent is a ramshackle affair crouching on the edge of a cold and inhospitable marsh which matches the the reception I get when I ask to speak to the Abbess. After waiting a long while an old bent woman shuffles into the waiting room.

"Sister Rebecca. Who are you?"

"Robert Montcrief."

She stares at me for a long while, nods to herself and sits in a chair behind a grubby desk.

"What do you want?"

"You have a lay sister here. Sister Bronwym. I want to talk to her. Please."

The please added as an afterthought, I am getting the feeling that things are going to be difficult and I am in no mood to be led around by my nose.

"Sister Bronwyn is not available right now."

"When will she be available?"

"I really don't know."

I sigh, look at my boots, at the glowering sister and at the Icon of the Risen Lord above her. My patience is fast wearing thin.

"I have heard of you Robert Montcrief. Treated Bronwyn's mother like a street walker. As did your father."

"My father paid money for Bronwyn's upkeep here and I am doing the same. I would imagine looking at this place that the money helped keep your heads above the marsh waters. Her mother asked me specifically to talk to Bronwyn. And I will whether you approve of me and my morals or not."

"I don't think I can help you."

"I am due at the kings court in 10 days time. At the kings command I might add. An in person meeting. Now I can tell him you were helpful or that you were obstructive. Your choice."

She sits and looks at me for a while then sniffs disdainfully, gets up and walks out without another word.

Another long wait. Just as I am getting to the point of breaking the door down, it opens and a nun walks in, hood down over her face, hands clasped together in front of her in a prayerful gesture.

"Bronwyn? I am Robert Montcrief. Before she died your mother asked me to visit you and find out what I could do for you."

"Short of taking me out of here and letting me continue my mothers work at your estate, you can do nothing for me. Just continue sending money." Judy's voice causes my heart to beat faster.

"Is that what you want? To go to my estate and work in the East Wing?"

"Yes, but not as your slut."

"Is that all?"

"My mother and I co-operated on her projects especially the wheat. We were so close to a break through before you killed her."

"She died in childbirth."

"It was your child that killed her."

The accusation strikes home, hard.

"She offered to abort the child but we agreed we wanted the child. She was too old. I should have..."

The pain of her loss overwhelms me. I can't stand the overwhelming guilt and I get up and head for the outside door.

"Wait!"

"Why? So you can insult me again? I think you need to stay her with Sister Rebecca."

"Wait!" She sweeps the the hood off her head in one furious swipe and I am looking at a young Judy.

"I needed to know. They told me ugly things about you. I needed to see your grief."

"Did it turn you on? Make you feel triumphant?"

"No. It made me feel safe."

"Safe?"

"Safe to leave with you."

I stand and gape at her.

"She said you loved her. That if anything happened to her, I should contact you and that you would fetch me. She told me you were kind, generous and gentle, She also told me that you thrashed her regularly. She said she wanted it. I didn't know if she was lying, covering up for you. It was incredibly confusing. I did not know what to think or to believe."

"And now?"

"You passed the test. She said I should trust you. That you would treat me well and I think I believe her. So, now we leave."

"What about your personal possessions?"

"I have none."

"Well, that makes it easy. Lets go."

And with that we walk out of the door. Of Sister Rebecca we hear nothing more.

At my estate I hand her over to Cook and Jennifer with strict instructions she is to be given any amenity she requires and that when she is ready we will go to the East Wing. I walk with a tiny bit of a spring in my step. Life is not so dark any more.

The next afternoon Bronwyn arrives dressed in plain clothing, not the nun's habit. Jennifer looks glum, probably because Bronwyn did not want to be a pretty clothes horse.

"Can we go to my mother's laboratory now?"

I summon Tom the groundsman and we go to the East Wing and I open the door and usher them in.

"Left hand laboratory, right hand playground. That is what she told me when I first visited here."

Tom cannot stop looking at Bronwyn because her resemblance to Judy is striking, not only her voice, but her looks and her confidence.

"Tom? You know far more about this place than I, please accompany Miss Bronwyn and answer any questions she may have. Bronwyn. You can find me somewhere in the house. Ask Cook if you need anything."

She scarcely acknowledges my words, so enthralled by the plants growing glass boxes.

I scarce see her again as she and Tom explore and discuss the laboratory. Tom comes to see me in the early evening.

"She is as good as poor Lady Judy. If not better. She will do great things for us." Then rapidly correcting himself. "For you."

====

A day later Esme and the queen arrive together, chatting together, seemingly old friends and Jennifer joins them. I show the queen the rooms next to mine and Esme is furious.

"Those are mine! How dare you?"

"She is the queen. Nothing I can do!"

"Knowing you, you will have your cock deep in her infertile cunt five minutes after she is installed. And you stay away from me until we are married!"

"Why?"

"Tradition! And because I say so."

I am just about to cause a fuss when Jennifer intervenes, whispering quiet platitudes to Esme and giving me knowing looks that I am reluctant to interpret. She then slides her arm around Esme and leads her away. At dinner Esme can scarce keep her hands off Jennifer and keeps looking at me to make sure I am watching. They leave together, arms around each other and giggling softly.

The queen retires and I make polite small talk with the other guests to ensure that I don't disappear at the same time as the queen. Eventually I go to my room, confused and incredibly randy. I need a woman and Esme has made it quite clear that she is not available, and judging by Jennifer's behaviour she will not be available either.

As I enter my room I notice that the inter-leading door is open and that Queen Alice is sitting on a couch at the window of my room.

"Sit down next to me here. I do not bite. Promise."

"You may not bite but your husband can quite easily take my head off."

She smiles at that.

"No he won't. He likes you and you are so much like him, but younger, stronger. You make me want to fuck you. Since I saw you first, I have wanted..."

Taking a chance, I lift her chin, and slowly bring my lips onto hers. She stays still for a long time and then her body starts moulding itself against mine. I flick my tongue across her mouth, she doesn't respond. I try again and now her mouth opens to me and her arms wrap around my neck. I reach down and lift her skirt, feel her naked thighs under my fingers, she rubs herself against me. Encouraged, I let my finger slide up her thighs till I feel her legs part and then the heat and the dampness of her pussy. I slowly part the lips of her pussy, sliding a finger up, taking her sex juices upward. She spreads her legs slowly so that my hand can access her pussy easily. I take her hand in mine and guide it down to my cock which is hard and ready for her.

She takes my cock in her hand and starts stroking it slowly. I remove her clothes, slowly and sensually, stroking her breasts, her belly, her thighs and then her pussy. She loosens my clothes, running her hands all up and down my body. We sit on the edge of the couch, our mouths locked, our hands frantically stroking each other.

"Don't wait. Do it now. I need you now! Fuck me."

I push her back on to the couch and slide my cock into her. We look at each other as I stroke into her, I hear her breathing get fast and ragged. She wraps her legs around my hips and her arms around my neck.

"Go! Go! Go! Fuck me. Cum in me!"

Our bodies slap against each other getting faster harder and more frantic, till she arches her back, groaning as she cums and I dump a load of cum into her.

I pick her up, lay her on the bed and I lie down next to her. She wraps her arms around me, then her legs and slowly she slides on top of me. She is so beautiful in the flickering candle light that I start to get hard again. She feels it under her and starts to rub her pussy back and forward along the length of me. Once she has got me hard enough, she slides my cock into her.

"I have always wanted to ride a stallion bare backed. Now I have the chance!"

I reach up and fondle her breasts, feeling the nipples harden against my palm.

"Ride my lady! Ride."

She rides my cock hard, rhythmically, gasping with each downward thrust. She rides me for a while but then I feel her start to lose rhythm, I pull her down so our mouths connect and I thrust my hips upwards, feeling her hot wetness enfolding me. She shudders again and collapses onto me.

"You are so good. Jennifer told me you were. Wait. You are still hard, don't stop. Keep going, I want to feel your cock moving in me. I need you to fuck me."

I roll her on her back, lift her legs onto my shoulder and ride her till I can hold back no more and I cum deep inside her. We fall asleep together. In the very early hours I feel her leave and hear the door shut quietly behind her.

A day before the wedding is due, a messenger arrives with a letter signed by the king.

"We are invaded. Assemble your levies and come as fast as you can to the palace."

I summon George Matthews my master at arms who has been master at arms for the family from before I was born and he taught me to be a warrior and a gentleman. He is an old, grizzled and experienced warrior. He walks with a limp, the legacy of a bad wound received twenty years ago during a barbarian invasion.

"Time for war again George."

"Good. It has been too long without some excitement."

"Knowing you, the levies are well trained and fit."

"Ay, but not blooded and only battle will give them that my lord."

"Now's the time I think. We march at dawn."

I summon Bishop Robert, and then Esme. We agree that there should be an informal marriage service to guarantee the rights of my unborn child, and so with only those guests who have arrived already, the bishop performs the marriage service for us. Esme is not happy about the informal wedding service, but is placated by the fact that the wedding party will continue without me as I march to the king's aid. I do think however she forgot that once married her ban on sex with me had fallen away so, with this in mind after the service, I changed and headed to her rooms. I didn't knock, just stormed in, only to find Esme flat on her back in the middle of the bed with Jennifer kneeling between her legs, eating her pussy.

"Stay just as you are." I say cheerfully and without delay, drop my pants and thrust my cock into Jennifer's pussy.

"Ah!" Jennifer yelps, surprised by the intrusion. She is hot and wet so no damage there. Esme is trapped, she can see my face, feel Jennifer moving as I thrust into her.

"Don't worry, I won't harm our child with Jennifer acting as proxy."

At which comment Jennifer laughs out loud. A few more thrusts and she is moaning and has ceased licking Esme's pussy, but I get the feeling that despite her anger at me, Esme is actually turned on by the experience. Jennifer and I race to a loud, exclamatory cumming, I disengage, smile at Esme and say:

"Sorry for interrupting your pleasures."

And walk out of the room. I find the queen waiting for me.

"A farewell fuck?" she asks as I spread her legs and taste her musky pussy.

=====

"Welcome and well met!" The king smiles at me after reviewing my troops, twenty in all. George my master at arms has done wonders with a bunch of farmers and part time soldiers and I am proud of them. I am however worried about George, during our forced marches he battled to keep up, his injury slowing him down and I wondered if I could afford to allow him to fight for fear of losing him. When I raised the topic with him he was adamant.

"No my lord, you cannot do this to me. These are my men. My comrades, we are a team."

Reluctantly I agree, but whisper quietly in ears that George is to be kept out of trouble, but as one man said,

"That will be difficult my lord. He always leads from in front." He paused. "I think he would like to die in battle too and not, to quote him, "A toothless, helpless cabbage"."

Iron John, who is the kings most senior adviser and rumoured power behind the throne comes to review my troops. Some whisper her is the de facto ruler of the kingdom. The king has instructed him to assemble an army and he has managed to find about 200 men of varying effectiveness. My men look thoroughly ready compared to the some of the others who are just farmers with no real training.

It turns out that barbarians have landed on the coast some 100 mile from us and have pushed up into the valleys, pillaging as they went. Normally, they would retreat when they had gathered enough loot, sail away and not be seen for some time. This time however, irate villagers had banded together and burnt the barbarian's boats, stranding the party, leaving them nowhere to go but forwards. Their numbers had been swelled by locals who saw better profit with the raiding party than living by farming. A force of about 100 was thus rampaging up one of the river valleys, pillaging as they went.

"Well?" asked Iron John. "Anybody got any suggestions? We have a two to one advantage, but they have experience and a touch of desperation on their side."

"Ambush them with troops on the high-ground. We have a goodly contingent of archers." a voice from the back.

"Problem is that they have one or two warriors on the high ground moving ahead of the body. No surprise possible."

"What if" George on his feet and talking, "What if we have a small group of soldiers in the valley waiting for the host. The high ground spies will see them, count their number and hopefully the host will charge the small group. Before any serious engagement happens, the small group retreats fast, rapidly outpacing the spies on the high ground and lead the host into an ambush. The main body will confront them on the flats, the archers on the high ground will fire arrows down on the host who are now stopped and bunching up. After that the troops on the high-ground swoop down on either side of them.

Iron John looks sceptical.

"I will lead the small group. Our fighters are fit and strong so we will have no trouble keeping out of trouble." says George and I get this awful feeling of what George has in mind. I am just about to object when Iron John nods.

"That is how the Romans fought. It might just work." Iron John looks directly at me, then at George and back at me. His meaning is clear. Leave George alone.

A day later my small band and I stand and wait for the host to come up the valley towards us. By my orders George is kept at the back of our platoon between two of my strongest soldiers while we wait for the host.

The host arrive and, as George suggested, as they surge forward. We start to retreat, putting up just enough of a fight to keep them coming in without thought or plan. All is going just fine until just before our small group meets up with our main group when somehow George pushes his way forward and charges at the front of the host. Before we can intervene he is cut down brutally. It takes all my will power to keep the group retreating and not surging forward to avenge George. I lose two more men before we filter into the front of our forces and the arrows start raining down on the host. The host come to a halt and then our men on the high-ground swoop down. Their sudden appearance breaks the host and the battle soon becomes a rout.

====

"He wanted to die in battle." says Iron John standing next to me at the bier that George is lying on. "He planned to break free all along. I knew him well. He has died a warriors death."

I shake my head and just walk away, more affected that I would like to show. I have lost four other men as well and I can only feel for the grieving families back home.

The king keeps my levy and I at the palace "To help with any mopping up." The "mopping up" doesn't please me at all as the locals who had joined the defeated host were hung outside the palace. Soldier I am, executioner I am definitely not. Hanging men makes me sick to the stomach.

It is the evening of the second day after we return from the battle that there is a soft knock on the door of my room. I open the door and find Grace one of the queen's ladies in waiting.

"Come with me."

I follow her through a secret passage to a door. Grace knocks on the door and a voices says, "Come!". Grace opens the door and ushers me in. The queen in fine silk is standing waiting for me.

"I had to show some sort of gratitude to our brave warrior."

She sinks to her knees, takes my cock in hand and starts to suck it. It does not take long for me to harden up and I have her head in my hands and I am pumping at her face trying to dump my grief and anger down her throat, but she doesn't let me. She pulls away, kneels on the bed and says "Doggy style. Fuck me hard!"

I thrust deep into her, but the time I have been without a woman and my grief defeat me and I cum fast and hard.

"Mmm, more later. Here, lie down while I massage you." I lie down and the queen runs her hands over me and of course that merely makes me hard again, but I get the feeling that is exactly what she wants.

We meet practically every evening thereafter and we fuck. Sometimes I am sent back to my bedroom early in the evening. I suppose the king is looking for his wife and a good solid release of cum so I don't argue. Then the nightly summons stops entirely and about a week after my last tryst with the queen I am summoned to the throne room. The king and Iron John are there alone.

"We are grateful for your exemplary service and, as a reward I have made you plenipotentiary to the Spanish court. Lord John here will escort you to your home, help you to pack and ensure that you get safely onto a ship heading for Spain. You need to be there within two weeks. Any questions?"

I struggle to think of anything sensible to say.

"How long?" is about all I can think of asking. "How long will I be there?"

"About a year."

As I head back to my room with Iron John for company I realise that he is there to ensure I leave for Spain and that the time I will be away will be time enough for the queen to gestate a baby and for the king to acclaim it as his rightful heir. It would seem, I think cynically to myself that that I have been used again. This time to impregnate the queen and give the king an heir.

Obsessed by my thoughts I mutter to myself "But why me?". Iron John hears me and laughs.

"Its simple! You are his bastard son. He got your mother pregnant during a hunting trip but decided not to acknowledge you. Lady Jennifer told him of the similarity and that he had a strong, handsome son. She also persuaded him not to have you killed. Seems she has a soft spot for you. So the king summoned you to come and translate. He could have used the Templars but he wanted to meet you. Once you were here and the kinship was obvious, the whispers started that you were going to depose him. Nicholas Lovell was the ring leader but jealousy got the better of him. So you were allowed free access to the queen as you had already impregnated Lady Judy and as soon as the queen was pregnant you would be sent off to foreign arts. The Spanish Ambassador getting killed in a sordid duel over a hot blooded Spanish woman was just fortuitous. So, once the child is born and acknowledged and you are no threat to him or his offspring, you will be allowed to return. When he discussed it with me I agreed that it made sense but that you were too valuable to execute after you had done the deed. I told him that I would only agree to his plans if I could guarantee your safety. We agreed to send you as an ambassador to Spain, you speak languages easily and have a great reputation so you were the obvious choice. Do not return before you are summoned. If you do, I will personally kill you. And yes, I am here to ensure you leave as soon as possible. Do not get any clever ideas as I am totally loyal to the king."

He claps me on the shoulder.

"Cheer up, you have a great future ahead as a diplomat and courtier. And, I am told that the Spanish women are really hot and willing so you will have no lack of female company. Seriously though, you go off and represent the king and I will keep an eye on your estate for you while you are away."

He leaves me at my door wondering how long I can survive in this nest of vipers. The idea of Iron John and my wife rutting for a year while I am away doesn't please me either but the thought of a new adventure did take the sting out of the situation and I found myself looking forward to going to Spain.