The bathhouse was a collage of deep gray slate and pale marble. Four shining pools filled with steaming aqua waters were surrounded by woven carpets and tasseled pillows. A raised platform against the back wall held a ring of plush sofas. Pushed against walls, flanking sofas and pillowed lounges, sat various glass tables filled with bottles of nectar, liquors, and juices. Fruits and desserts piled trays along with cheeses and meats in exquisite displays. In the spaces in between food and drink were small vials of potions, bowls of crushed crystals, tins and jars of sweet leaf. All crowded together, their purposes and effects nefarious and thrilling.
Men and women half naked and nude sprawled in the baths and on pillows. An entire side wall, hung with velvety deep navy curtains, opening to yet another garden.
Simone waved Wyn in before shutting the doors behind him. He moved across the room stepping over steaming beings gorging themselves on all of the decadence. A symphony of bodily sounds mixed with the bubbling of the baths and quiet music that came from some indiscernible location. Laughs and hushed conversations, sultry moans and tacky slapping sounds that only came from sex, met his ears. Everyone potion laden and rolling on the ecstasy of extreme and heavy nectar consumption. The air was sticky and sweet, a potent concoction of pheromones from a vast variety of beings.
At the head of it all, sprawled out on a large couch was the crown prince and his cousin Asarath Palov. A curvy fire nymph straddled the prince's lap, plump breasts sat at eye level, steaming from the effort she exerted to contain her fires. A slim and lanky vypnyr male with pale skin toyed with Esalis wisteria curls, sliding around his fingers effortlessly. The vypnyr laid spread out across cushions and silken pillows, his legs drooping over Asaraths lap. A vixen spirit with lush tufts of mahogany hair and a bundle of wiggling tails, coiled into his chest, running dainty hands over his thighs and the calves of the vypnyr.
The two cousins looked very little alike. Esali was cream and cinnamon with a curling halo of hair in pale lilac and lavender hues. Two braids sprouting from a series of silver beads at the nape of his neck laid down his chest. Monolid eyes with amethyst pupils were carved skillfully onto a face with a straight nose and high cheekbones. Fae were all pretty in the ways of leaves and flower petals but even among them the prince was heavily effeminate. Lush lips, delicate features, hinted curves on a body strewn in sculpted yet plump muscle.
And sitting next to the petaled and too pretty crown prince, was his cousin, lounging with the weight of darkness. Hardened muscles coiled his tall frame, built in the iron broad way of the vypnyr race. Brutal and sharp features, raven hair with skin in kohl darker than Delta's stormcloud gray. The image of him lent way to a regal and feline man.
He looked like a vypnyr, like a panther lazing in a pit, and yet at the apex of every cut there was a slight give. A faint rounding, dimming the angles of his features, hinting he was not entirely vypnyr.
The only likeness the two men had was a glowing silver sheen that occasionally rippled across their skin, iridescence caught in bouncing light. A trait inherited from their shared night fae blood lines.
They strobed like lighthouses guiding the room through the sea of lust that curled in the air.
Asaraths downturned eyes, rings of hazel in black, found Wyn first. "Ah, Wyn!" His voice filled the air with timbers of song and magic that caressed the fae's ears. "Long time no see! Come," He brought his hand up with a grin, large canines glistening and slick, and curled his finger through the air. He didn't exercise control over his powers of song, all his spoken words dripped in sung magic, "join us for a drink."
"I must politely refuse…" Wyn paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts, "...Advocatus, was it? Advocatus Palov." Wyn, in formal fashion used the master of the estates newly acquired title.
Asarath chuckled, tolling bells in the night.
Esali gave the fire nymph breast a final caress before moving her to the pillows on the floor, guiding her down as if he were pouring water from a vase. He proceeded to pull the male vypnyr to her, bidding them continue in their lewd ventures.
As they settled into each other's kisses, Esalis head rolled up to meet Wyns polite gaze. "I see my brother sent his best." He learned back into the sofa, crossing an ankle over his knee. His thin silk robe, just barely concealing his most private of parts, hinted way too much at what lay beneath.
Wyn gave the first prince a neat bow. "Greetings, great prince of the empire. I am honored by your praise."
Esali and Asarath giggled. He stood pure, modest, and unfazed in their room of debauchery.
Esali brought a glass of deep amber liquor to his lips, "I know my brother wishes me to return."
"This is correct, you're highness."
"And am I correct to assume that it is you who has been sent to retrieve me?" Esali swallowed down a mouthful of liquid, a devious smile plastered on his face.
Wyn nodded. "If you would be so cooperative, then yes, you would be correct in your assumptions."
Esali stroked his chin, looking through heavy lashes over Wyn. Eventually he gave the now empty space next to him a little pat. "I wasn't planning to return without resistance, but since he sent you I'll make an exception." He patted the seat again. "Come, let's make a deal."
Maintaining his composure, Wyn did not give in to the young prince, asking instead, "A deal, your highness?"
Esali smiled and then looked to his cousin who was massaging the thighs of the fox spirit. Asarath caught his gaze, the two looked to Wyn, and then back to each other.
Asarath moved the tailed spirit to the small puddle of bodies on the floor.
"Party with us tonight. We are to attend a gala. We'll bathe, dress in fine silks, drink and fuck ourselves silly, and in return, I will come home with you." Esali spoke in thick and alluring tones. He held out his glass to Wyn and gestured toward the area between him and his cousin. "It's an easy deal."
Wyn had managed to evade these 'deals' for the last two years. He knew it was only a matter of time and so did Esali, who caressed the cushion this time, a little more eager to draw him in, aware of his inevitable victory.
Wyn sighed. The princes were similar in this way. They both loved to push him outside of his boundaries. Eager to see him act out of character. But whereas Yuen would encourage another drink, puffs of sweet leaf, an occasional potion as he held him hostage to some celebration, Esalis tastes were more erotic. The crown prince was always searching for reasons to watch the swordsman undress. Ever since they had begun to crave intimacy and sex, Esali had set his sights on Wyn, loving the way the composed man flushed and fell apart. It was even funner for Esali that Wyn was typically crafty enough to escape his clutches. But this time he would not. His brother had set his prized and stoic vassal right into his den.
"Easy." Esali emphasized and caressed the seat next to him again.
Wyn looked between the men as his highness drew lazy seductive circles in fabric, purple eyes alight. Asarath, arms cast over the back of the sofa, stared down his nose. He dominated the space he occupied. With his legs spread Wyn could see his thickening length pressing against deep silken pants. The vypnyr were a large species, and that fact remained consistent throughout.
"Come on Wyn. We will make sure you enjoy yourself." Asaraths voice was naturally deep and silky, and the song of Wyns name came off of his tongue almost tone for tone. For a fae it was quite disorienting to hear the song of your name when you had not given it yourself.
The mixed breed sang it intuitively. Though– thankfully so– it didn't carry the power of command. As far as anyone knew the twins couldn't use any of the names they sang to control people.
There was a moment of contemplation for Wyn, where he mulled over whether or not to attempt to escape the situation he was about to find himself in. Delta had given him the cuffs to detain the prince if need be. He had immediately accepted them, folding them neatly into a small sachet on his chest leathers.
There were easy options and hard ones presented to him.
Wyn shook his head, sighed once more, and moved his hands to the fastenings that held his swords in place. With a few deft movements, leather straps and buckles were falling away, his swords, and the handcuffs, gathered by an attendant that blended into the deeper shadows of the room.
Esali beamed as Wyn approached, pulling back layers of spider silk armor. "Ah, my brother must really want me back. I've never seen you fold so fast." The crown prince winked at the rigid swordsman. "If I didn't know you any better I'd say you were eager to join the fun."
Wyn only lifted an eyebrow and Assarath laughed at his cousin's teasing, taking pieces of armor from Wyn as he shed them. The spider silk armor was the thinnest of its kind, silky and flexible, guarding against magic and stronger than any known metal. It was only created in imperial fae armories and by a few remaining dwarven tribes. Asarath admired the garments before dropping them to the floor.
"You have to get me some of this armor cousin."
Esali rolled his eyes in tandem with his hand, a low snort coming from his throat. "You know how those noble assholes love to hoard their goodies. You'de have better luck tracking down a dwarven smith."
Asarath let out an exaggerated groan while he pulled a topless Wyn in between the two of them. Wyn had tried to maintain his posture but Asarath pushed him into the cushions and Esali pressed into his side, entwining their arms and legs.
"What is the point of being the imperial crown prince if you can not get your cousin a single scrap of clothing." Asarath tucked a piece of Wyns dusty pink hair behind his ear, his long strands knocked loose from their ribbon.
"Fuck if I know." Esali laughed, a bark of sound disguising his disgust. A devious smile grew on his face and with a mischievous glint to his eyes he added, "but when I'm emperor, I'll gift you a whole damn spider silk armory if you want."
The cousins laughed and Wyn looked at the crown prince in quiet disapproval. Esali caught his look and clicked his tongue. "Don't worry little Wyn, we're far away from court and no one will hear us."
Wyn grimaced but said nothing. Esali was often very verbal at voicing his disinterest in the throne and dislike for the courts. It was an attribute that Yuen and Wyn often ridiculed him for, making him promise to share his complaints with close companions only. His expressive behavior set Wyn on edge in the bathhouse full of bodies. Full of ears.
Asarath ran his finger through Wyns hair and Esali clicked his tongue again, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Don't woooorrryyy." He stressed, running silken fingers along Wyn jaw guiding his head to observe the baths. " No one here will remember me at all, how do you think I have evaded my brother this whole time?"
"Now, we have a deal, and you are going to enjoy tonight." Esali clenched Wyn's chin and held his head still and pushed his lips into the swordsmans. They parted for him and Wyns tongue readily twirled with his. All around them colors and flesh mixed in piles of writhing limbs and soaked bodies. Soaking from the baths and glistening from the wet of slick and cum. Esali pulled back from the risque kiss and brushed his lips against his ear, "Where shall we start?" He ran a finger down his throat. "I want you to pick."
The kiss, the heated sensation of being touched, and the caresses of the prince's breath in his ear finally had Wyn losing his composure. A deeper coral swept up his neck, dusting his cheeks and flushing his ears.
He turned his cheek into Esali's palm, looking at the prince with red eyes that had become wet with shyness and glazed over with guilty lust. "I think you already know what you want, your highness. It is not necessary that we play this game."
Esali cocked an eyebrow. "But I love playing games with you Wyn." This time Esali sang his name, the only fae to know his song and hold its command. Its notes echoed in the air, soft taps of keys and lulling draws of strings.
Wyn simpered a little in his palms.
It was true though. Esali would play the game of having Wyn select their conquests from the crowd, only to reject each one of his suggestions before picking out someone he had already imagined Wyn with. Someone that he could watch Wyn fuck and sear the memory of it into his head to store away in a collection of erotic artworks dedicated entirely to the swordsman.
For Esali there was something delightfully sinful about seeing Wyn in the throes of carnal pleasure. Something secretive, and taboo. Something almost shameful. And it thrilled him silly.
He ran a trail of kisses down Wyn's temple before licking the hollow of his collarbone. "Why don't you at least take a guess?" Of course he had already thought of who here he'd watch with Wyn. He had thought of it long before his unexpected arrival. He always thought of Wyn in situations like these. Always prepared to pull his lovely rose into his lascivious endeavors.
Wyn beheld the room, ruby eyes landing on a blond who glew fluorescent, the palest of greens. She had been staring with heavy eyes since Wyn had entered the room, feeling him with rays of her glow. He roamed his gaze over her pillowy body full of curves, promising to be buttery soft.
His eyes swept back to Esali.
Esali shook his head.
Wyn let out a small exasperated breath. The prince cocked an eyebrow and gave a pointed smile. Keep going, it said.
A rain spirit dominating one of the tiled pools caught his attention next. A thin being with gel like hair that flowed over his body and blended with the bath. He possessed features like sprays of water in a cool breeze, Plush lips and smooth skin that attracted nymphs, aquatic beings, and other water spirits who splashed around him- basking in his beauty and the thick fog created from the coolness of his rains in the heat of the bath.
He looked to the prince again.
Esali weaved around with a smile, like he had considered it, then shook his head more firmly. No.
A lesser shrine spirit with patchy freckles, looking like a doe eyed deer, all soft browns and pinks, blooming little pink petals in the air around her.
No.
A being from worlds beyond, flushed in scales of pearly cream and cornflower, eyes solid liquid pools of deep blue. An elegance surrounded them that tasted of the draconis races- musky and spiced, ancient, lovers of conquest and fortunes.
No.
Wyn let out a thin puff of air, a controlled annoyance contorting his face.
"Oh, don't give me that face." The prince kneaded his finger into his thighs, pressing into muscles hardened from footwork and swordplay. Esalis voice grew low, a sensual rasp delivered in a whisper. "I know you love these games." His fingers suddenly gripped into Wyns pale leathers tugging them back, tighter, emphasizing his growing bulge.
Wyn looked away, eyes snapping to anywhere else but Esali with a near audible click. All he could do was swallow.
He couldn't deny it. Even if his body hadn't given him away, he could not lie. He loved these games.
Oh, how he hated them too. The way he was always pushed into little schemes and parties. Wearing and stretching the unyielding loyalty taught, stained, and bound to him- not only as a member of the court but as a subject of the power of the emperor. A need for absolute vigilance in servitude. To throw himself into intoxication and lust was to surely fail in his need to stay alert, constantly aware and capable. It was his innermost nature, a protector and aid to his masters.
But that moment of relinquishing control, accepting the invitation forced upon him, was so sweet and soothing it cooled the burns of any irritation he had felt. It was a realization carried through the mind on an easy breeze. The men in his life were not only masters. And he was not merely their subject, a created vassal. They invited them into their lives. One with camaraderie and friendship and the other with kisses and sweet words.
Wyn had often heard complaints that his young prince had too much like the ancient fae. And they weren't wrong. The crown prince was carnal in the way the fae of old were legend to be. Just about everyone in the palace had been invited into one of the crown prince's orgies, his sexual escapades famous across the courts. Gossip said it to be a trait he inherited from his mother, an empress consort hailing from the night court. A court known for their old ways and ancient powers.
The same fae, with his sensual nature, now rubbed Wyns' hips. Drawing circles over their curve, his thumbs spread wide, brushing dangerously close to his lengthening shaft. He cupped over their curves, pulling Wyn to face him and pushing him back. Then Asarath was running fingers up his thighs, leaving trails of prickled skin in their wake. Guiding him onto his lap, Wyns' back pressed into the fleshy muscles of his chest.
"One more guess?" Esali wore a sly grin while he knelt back on his heels, perched on his knees, robe clinging to his body. His eyes drank in the sight of Wyn wrapped in Asaraths embrace. His pale and mauve rose contrasting against coal and smoke.
Wyn gave the prince one of his rare smiles. A genuine little pulling of the lips, lopsided and charming. "You're such a pervert." Despite his resistance, his smile told Esali that he was pleased with his situation. Happy to be included.
Esali laughed, a fae laugh with song and magic that had the room rolling in little moans of ecstasy. Wyn felt Asarath, hot and twitching against his back, his cock having slipped from the pants when Esali guided Wyn into him. It jumped with the chimes of Esalis laughter, unable to escape the ripples of fae magic.
Asarath began to trail wet kisses across Wyns shoulders. The smells of jasmine, pollen, the musk of wildness and blood permeated the air as his fangs grazed over flesh in between caresses of the tongue and smacks of his lips.
The crown prince looked very pleased with himself, the tips of his finger softly brushing the base of Wyns cock, now full and straining against his pants. "You don't fool me, Wyn." He leaned in, hands still gripping hips, and pushed Wyn into Asarath until his ass was rubbing against the hybrid's hardened shaft. Precum quickly dampening the skin and silk between them,
Wyn let out an involuntary moan and Esali rubbed a cheek across Wyns flushed ones, coming around to lick the swordsman's ear. "You're a pervert too."