413

Coral can’t help but laugh at this, as she knows it to be true.
“He fell deeply in love at a young age with a maiden centaur named Searra. They were almost inseparable and when they reached the age of consent they mated at once. He worshiped her; he became a kinder, gentler man. When the fates saw it fit to take her from him, he changed. He was bitter, almost cruel for a time after her death. Perhaps a year ago, he started to withdraw inward, spending more time alone, not speaking much unless he needed to. I think that is why King Rainer brought him and Wistan along on the Atonement this year, to expose him to new places, to try to jar his personality back into what it once was. He has changed, being around you. I can see in him remnants of the boy and man he was before.”
The walk up the ramp towards the castle; Reid stops just before opening the door for her, “I do not envy you, maiden. It is an impossible choice. All I can say is this-make this choice, for you. Don’t do it for either one of them.” He pushes the door open, no longer walking beside her but behind her as he escorts her up to her room.
Coral manages to catch Gladys walking down the hallway. The old woman takes her bag, following her into her chambers, “I was very worried about you last night, my lady.” She rests the bag on the small desk, waiting to take Coral’s mud covered boots away for cleaning. “I thought Prince Quell was going to work himself up into a fit-he would have galloped through the storm if his mother hadn’t forbid it. He spent most of the evening pacing in his room, that poor thing.”
Sitting on the small sofa, she unlaces a shoe, handing it to the woman. As if to push that subject aside, she says, “Gladys, I have a new elixir I’ve concocted. I’m curious as to if you would test it for me?”
The woman’s brow crumples, “I… I suppose I could give it my best, my lady. What does it do?”
Handing her the other boot, “Well… there really isn’t a way to ‘dance around the truth’ as the centaurs would say, so I’ll just out with it. It is supposed to open up your nether regions so that they can easily receive a centaur man. And, ah, it is supposed to make it just as enjoyable for the woman as her mate.”
Gladys’ eyes grow wide, “Good heavens,” is all she can stammer out.
“You don’t have to agree, you can tell me no and I will think nothing of it, Gladys,” Coral says, pulling her damp socks off.
It takes the woman a few moments to respond, “It sounds too good to be true, in all honesty.”
“I know it sounds like magic, that is why I am in need of someone with a centaur mate to test it,” she pulls off her dress and shift. Smelling her skin, the scent of Vadim invokes memories of last night, “though I am almost positive that it will work, I just need to be sure.”
“Ah… all right, my lady. I will test it. My mate has been wanting a child for years now, as do I, but the actual act of conceiving doesn’t happen near enough for me to become pregnant,” she frowns, “it always takes me a long time to heal up so that we can mate again.”
Finding a soft, deep blue robe, Coral pulls it on over her naked body, cinching the tie around her waist. Though the fabric is not sheer, it clings tight enough that it leaves little to the imagination. She walks to her bag, pulling out the vial, pouring a bit of it into a second empty vial, which she hands to Gladys, “Use just a bit of it, about the size of a berry. Have your mate rub it… on your womanhood. More so the upper part, between the flesh folds.” The words come easily, though she feels awkward saying them.
Gladys nods, “Do you want me to have them bring the tub back in here, my lady?”
“Actually, I want to use the castle bathhouse, could you take me there?”
The woman shifts awkwardly, “Of course, my lady.”
Gladys leads her out into the hall, Reid skeptically watching them as the head to the east wing of the second story. He follows a ways behind and Gladys takes care to speak so quietly not even he would hear, “I have never been in the bathhouse myself, but from what I understand it is a large waterfall. The doctor says that it has a natural mineral in it that calms one right down. Do not be surprised if someone from the royal family is already there, they have no qualms about bathing together. In fact,” she clears her throat, “at least in the public bathhouses in town, it is not uncommon to find a couple mating, with several on lookers. I’ve always found it odd myself, but my mate says that is how young centaur males learn what to do with their future mates, from watching others interact.”
Coral, starting to regret her decision, nods in thanks as the woman points towards the door. Leaving her and Reid behind, she pushes against it; it opens into a wide enclosed cavern. There must be an opening somewhere high above, as natural day light shines down on the wet stone. It is large, the size of a small pond with a beautiful waterfall pouring down into it, the water sparkling in the light. She hesitantly glances around, but doesn’t see another soul in the room.
She walks to the edge where there is a bench carved into the stone; shedding her robe, goose bumps forming on her body from the brisk air, she looks down into the pond. Able to discern that it is deep enough, she dives right in. The water is surprisingly warm, the rush of swimming about invigorating her bones. With the scent of Vadim washed from her skin, she almost feels normal again, as if he had marked her. Floating on her back, staring up at the high stone ceiling, she contemplates the possibility of her future with either Quell or Vadim. She does not lightly weigh the choice, but forces herself to imagine the possibility of living her life with one and not the other. Only when her body aches worse at the thought of continuing on in one of their absences, does she know who her heart beats for, who she truly bothers drawing in her next breath for. She knows it will still cause her pain, as it will for one of the brothers and it causes her sadness to know that she will always hold a small place in her heart for the man she will not choose as her mate. With her choice made, she feels at ease.
That is, until she sees Rainer looking down at her.
“You have a remarkable body, maiden,” he says with a half smirk on his lips, not hiding the fact that his eyes wander down her front to take the entire view in.
Startled, Coral thrashes around a bit until she has righted herself, embarrassed by her nakedness, “I-I didn’t realize anyone else was here,” she stutters out, “I apologize for my intrusion, King Rainer.”
“Nonsense,” a gentle voice replies; Coral turns her head to see Kiera drop her robe, her smooth skin almost as white as her coat. Her long blonde hair barely covers her large breasts, which sway slightly as she walks into the pond, “and I have to agree with my husband, you are very beautiful.”
Unsure how to respond, she awkwardly half paddles away from the pair as Kiera swims out to Rainer, her hands gently washing his deep black coat. Coral hovers near the edge of the pond, trying her best not to watch the centaurs bathe each other, though her eyes are drawn back. They splash playfully, Rainer throwing his arms around his mate in a surprisingly loving way. When she manages to break free, Kiera swims to the shallow end of the pond, Rainer pursuing her immediately. As the top of Kiera’s white back barely shows above the level of the water, Coral’s eyes grow wide when Rainer comes up from behind her, raising his forelegs on either side of her back. In one swift motion he mounts her, his body leaning forward to capture a kiss from her lips, his arms wrapped around her torso as he thrusts against her.
Coral, burning red with embarrassment, dives under the water and swims towards the waterfall to give the mating couple some privacy. As she comes up on the other side, she finds a small shallow cavern where she is able to stand up in the water. Smoothing her hair back, she draws in a deep breath and huffs it out, trying to ignore the sounds of Kiera’s moans and Rainer’s grunts.
“I still find it awkward too, to this day,” Quell’s familiar voice says to her.
When her eyes focus, she sees that he casually leans against the back ledge, watching her, having been there the entire time.
“My handmaid forewarned me, I just didn’t… I didn’t think anyone was here.” She treads water, watching him. It is the first time they spoke since she got back from Severton.
Quell’s gaze leaves her. He starts to swim away from her, halted only when she speaks again.
“Quell… can we talk? Perhaps somewhere more private?” Her voice is small, she is nervous.
His shoulders seem to droop; he doesn’t turn back to her, he simply nods and climbs out of the pond. Coral follows, ringing out her hair before grabbing her robe and hastily tying it around her naked body. Walking behind Quell, Kiera and Rainer seem oblivious to the pair leaving, they themselves wrapped up in the throes of mating.
“Your room or mine?” Quell asks quietly, opening the door out into the hallway.
“Yours?” She says, her eyes falling on Reid. When he sees the pair, a nod from Quell dismisses him.
Quell’s room is not far from the bathhouse; it is large, overlooking the front of the castle to the town down below. She enters first as he holds the door open for her; a quick glance around and she sees the lavish mound of pillows he sleeps on, a few tables, a fireplace, a large wardrobe, a display case with a set of fine looking armor and weapons and a few other ornaments, though nothing excessive. She walks to the window, looking out at the streets full of people getting ready for supper. Coral knows what she wants to say but before she can, he speaks.
“He will make you a fine mate,” his soft voice says. There is no animosity in it, only a hint of sadness. When Coral turns to look at him, he continues, “He can give you all that you want. More than I can, perhaps. I can see the happiness in his eyes when he looks at you. It is just as well, that you find a human mate.” His last words sting of bitterness.