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                      SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL   



Beauty, Sleeping and Otherwise (MF, mast)
By Heatheranne (hthranne@aol.com)

An erotic story for adults only.

A retelling of the story of Sleeping Beauty.

Clifford picked up the quill pen and carefully dipped it 
into the bottle of ink. He made one last notation on the 
parchment that lay before him and then he set the paper 
aside to dry. He glanced at the sunlight as it shone 
through the window of his tower room and reckoned that it 
was mid-afternoon. Clifford put away the quill, and 
smiled to himself. It was time for a break. He went to 
the only door to his chambers and carefully threw the 
bolt that would lock out any visitors. What he was about 
to do was for his eyes only. 

Clifford was a wizard. In fact, he was a very good one. 
He just didn't look the part. Instead of being a tall, 
imposing figure with strong features like the classic 
idea of how a wizard should appear. He was short and 
scrawny with a nose that was too large for his face. His 
thin hair defied any brush or comb to tame it, and the 
wispy strands stuck out from his scalp at all angles. His 
unfortunate looks drove away any desirable females, but 
children just loved him. Clifford always had an endless 
supply of tricks and magic to astound and amaze their 
young minds. 

But tricks for children were far from his mind this 
afternoon. It was definitely time for adult play. As he 
did a little dance step back across the room, Clifford 
sang tunelessly to himself, "What does a wizard wear 
beneath his robes?" He grabbed the opening of his 
voluminous robe and whipped it away from his body. "Why 
nothing," he announced to the air as his naked and very 
pale body came into view. He came to a heavy cabinet, the 
door of which would open only to his magical touch, and 
from there he removed a candle and a leather wallet. 
Moving to the wide cot that served as his bed, Clifford 
lit the candle and placed it on a nearby table. He opened 
the wallet and removed one long, dark human hair. He 
grasped the hair by one end and swung it into the candle 
flame. There was a puff of smoke that grew all out of 
proportion to the material burned. The smoke thickened 
and expanded and began to take on a human form, a very 
feminine human form. In seconds a simulacrum to 
Clifford's Queen stood before him. The candle was 
powerful magic and the hair he had used was from the real 
Queen.

"Hello, Clifford," she said in a sultry voice. 

"Hello, Anna," answered Clifford, using the Queen's given 
name. 

Clifford was in his late forties and the real Queen was 
almost twenty years younger. The double that stood before 
him now was slightly taller than Clifford and just as 
nude. Her thick, dark hair fell to her waist. She had 
flawless skin and a generous figure that had Clifford 
hard and throbbing in seconds. They came together in a 
deep kiss that became wetter and more frenzied with each 
second. Anna reached between their bodies and gabbed his 
rigid cock. "Make it bigger, darling," she whispered in 
his ear. Clifford responded by muttering an incantation 
that made his cock grower longer and thicker with each 
stroke of her hand. 

It was a conceit on Clifford's part, of course. Anna's 
double would have loved Clifford's cock no matter its 
size, but the growth added to the excitement of his 
fantasy. His cock enlarged until it was longer and 
thicker than his arm and its fist-sized head was trying 
to burrow its way between Anna's breasts. She stepped 
back and used both her hands to stroke the giant member. 
A gush of precum erupted from its tip and Anna swirled 
the clear liquid around and over his engorged cock-head. 

"Oh, Anna" moaned Clifford, the sensations from his 
oversized cock were almost more than he could stand. 

Anna wrapped her arms around his cock and clasped it to 
her breasts. When another pulse of precum washed over her 
breasts, Anna smiled and said, "I think you better fuck 
me before you waste anymore of this." She teased his huge 
cock head as she used it to rub the hot cum into her 
creamy skin. 

"I think you're right," said Clifford as he led her to 
his cot. 

Anna lay down and spread her legs wide for her lover. 
Thanks to his magic, Clifford's enormous cock slipped 
effortlessly into Anna's steaming hot pussy. He lowered 
his weight onto her pillowing breasts and stuffed his 
tongue into her mouth. Their bodies hunched and flopped 
around on the cot in a graceless rhythm. Clifford knew 
that he couldn't hurt Anna and he banged and thrust at 
her as hard as he could. All he wanted now was to drive 
his body to an orgasm that would have him streaming cum 
like a fountain. He was oh so close to his release when 
the door to his chambers rattled.

Clifford's eyes flew open and his body went rigid. Damn, 
damn and double damn, he thought. He took a deep breath 
and tried to make his voice sound normal and polite. "I'm 
very busy," he called out. "Please come back later." 

The door rattled impatiently and a commanding voice said, 
"It's me Clifford."

"Oh shit," Clifford gasped, and his stiff body quivered 
in surprise. It was the King at his door. He starred down 
at Anna. The King's voice hadn't bothered her of course. 
She wasn't the real Queen. In fact, her face was 
contorted with sexual pleasure and her pussy was in 
constant spasm trying to urge the cum from his body. But 
it wasn't going to happen. Clifford couldn't have 
produced an orgasm at this moment if his life depended on 
it. He sighed and stretched out his hand to snuff out the 
magical candle. Unfortunately, when the flame 
disappeared, so did Anna's body. Clifford fell onto the 
edge of the cot and then toppled onto the floor.

He scrambled to his feet, and called out, "Just a second, 
Sire." Clifford threw on his wizard's robe and ran to the 
door. In his haste, Clifford had forgotten about his 
freakishly huge cock and before his hand could reach the 
bolt, his cock fell from his robe and thudded painfully 
onto the door. 

"Damn it all to hell," muttered Clifford as he rubbed the 
hurt. He waved his hands meaningfully over the huge 
organ, and it quickly shrank back to its normal size and 
disappeared into his robe. Clifford threw the bolt and 
opened the door. He bowed as the King strode into the 
room.

"Clifford, is everything all right?" asked the King as he 
glanced around the room. 

"Everything's fine, Sire," said Clifford. "I was just 
working on a particularly sensitive spell."

"You're not going to make half the castle disappear 
again, are you?" chided the King, referring to an 
unfortunate episode from his and Clifford's younger days.

"It was hardly half the castle, Sire. And as I remember, 
you were right there, urging me on."

"But I'm not the one who substituted ingredients in that 
spell." 

"But you were the one who was so hot to see Lady Farvish 
in the nude."

Both men laughed. It was an old argument between friends. 
They reminisced and spoke of this and that until the King 
remembered why he had come. "Clarence," he said, "as you 
know, my daughter will be one year old a month from now. 
There will be a festival and of course we'll have her 
naming ceremony at the same time. I would like for you to 
send an invitation to the Fairies of the forest, and ask 
their blessing."

It was a tradition among royalty and commoner alike to 
ask the Fairies to watch over newborns, however the 
Fairies seemed to help or hinder humanity at their whim. 
Clifford could contact the Fairies of course, but he had 
no illusions that he could induce them to do anything; 
their magic was superior to anything he could conjure. 
"Sending the invitations is no problem, Sire. But I can 
hardly guarantee that they'll attend, and you may not 
know it even if they do."

The King nodded. "The Fairies do as they wish, of course. 
However, the Queen insists that we try."

Clifford cringed inwardly at the mention of the Queen. He 
felt guilty at using a simulacrum of his friend's wife as 
a sex toy, but he could hardly wait to resume his play. 
Outwardly though, he smiled and said, "I will attend to 
it immediately." After a few more pleasantries the King 
took his leave.

Clifford remained extremely horny, but he put duty before 
pleasure and went straight to work on the invitations. 
First he went to his window, and using a minor spell as 
well as a sprinkle of seeds, he lured several pigeons 
into a cage. He wrote out the invitations for the Fairies 
on a special parchment, and then he ground the parchment 
into powder, and mixed the powder with various potions. 
He fed the concoction to the pigeons and then one by one 
he removed the birds from their cage. He murmured a spell 
of protection over each bird, and then released it into 
the open. Each bird would fly to an area of the kingdom 
where a Fairy dwelt to deliver its message. 
Unfortunately, the closer Clifford got to the end of his 
labors, the hornier he became and the faster he worked. 
As a result, his spell of protection over the last pigeon 
wasn't worded perfectly. 

But Clifford didn't notice. He had already flung off his 
robe; regrown his cock back to its former stature, and 
relit the candle that brought the Queen's hot and eager 
double back to his cot. Clifford ravaged Anna's pussy 
with his rock hard penis until a magically enhanced 
orgasm overtook him. For a full minute he squirted 
copious amounts of cum into a pussy that sucked on his 
cock better than any ordinary mouth or pussy could have 
managed. After that, an exhausted Clifford fell asleep. 
He had no way of knowing that several miles south of the 
castle, his last pigeon had become a falcon's dinner.

**

It's not easy to ascribe human emotions to a Fairy, but 
the one named Elise seemed to be both pissed off and 
jealous. She was jealous because the other Fairies had 
received invitations to the King's festival and she had 
not. Elise was pissed off because she hated feeling 
jealous concerning anything to do with humans. Oh they 
could be amusing, but like any inferior and self-aware 
species, they thought that their antics actually had 
meaning in the grand scheme of things. 

The lack of an invitation certainly couldn't stop her 
from attending though, so Elise showed up at the festival 
after the other Fairies had departed. Once there she 
entered the mind of an elderly woman who had stood in 
line for hours to catch a glimpse of the new Princess and 
the babe's proud parents. A Fairy could enter the mind 
and body of a mortal at will. She could simply observe or 
she could control the mortal to whatever extent she 
wanted. When it became her turn Elise, as the old woman, 
peered into the child's crib where the Princess was 
quietly content to suck at a toy and watch the parade of 
adults pass by. "She is really such a beauty, Sire," said 
the old woman. 

The King nodded, "Thank you madam, many people have said 
that very thing today. In fact, I'm beginning to think 
that we should call her Beauty."

The Queen shook her head vehemently, "It would be cruel 
to saddle a girl with a name like that."

The King laughed, "I suppose you're right, my dear." Much 
to the Queen's chagrin however, their conversation was 
overheard, and despite the fact that the Princess was 
given a dozen other names that day, she was known as 
'Beauty' from then on. 
 
As the King and the elderly woman chatted, Elise studied 
the baby. It had been her plan to curse the child so as 
to make her father pay for his slight. However, she could 
tell that the other Fairies had blessed the child with 
beauty, intelligence and good health so there was nothing 
that she could do immediately. But Fairies lived long 
lives and Elise was willing to be patient.

**

It was Beauty's sixth birthday. There was no grand 
festival this time. The affair was a birthday party 
geared for children instead of their parents. The 
children played in the castle courtyard, while the adults 
stood around the edges and talked amongst themselves. 
Currently, both groups were watching Clarence as he 
performed a series of magic tricks for the children. They 
giggled and laughed as he made flowers grow out of ears 
and buckets of sweet, brightly colored goop suddenly 
appear and pour their contents over unsuspecting heads. 
For his last trick, Clarence placed a box that was no 
larger than his fist on top of a small table that he had 
been using. After warning the children that magic could 
be dangerous and that things didn't always go as planned, 
he flipped open the box then jumped back in terror as a 
huge tiger flowed from the small container and perched 
right on top of the table The big cat casually licked one 
paw, and then the children gasped as it roared and sliced 
through the air with its bared claws. Suddenly the tiger 
roared again and leapt from its spindly perch to soar 
over the head's of the children. They shrieked in 
delighted fear as the tiger looked as if it were about to 
eat them all. At the apex of its leap however, the tiger 
exploded into hundreds of candies and treats - the 
children scrambled from their seats to grab up the 
goodies.

The King watched the children with quiet amusement. He 
motioned Clarence over and pointed to one of the 
children. "I know that boy in the blue shirt, who is he?"

Clarence followed the King's gaze. The boy in question 
had garnered more than his fair portion of the candy, but 
he was sharing his gain with the smaller children who 
hadn't been able to get as much. "That's Hal, the son of 
stable-master Harold."

"Oh yes, now I remember. A well behaved and intelligent 
lad, I hear."

"Yes Sire," agreed the wizard.

The King looked thoughtful. "I want you to cast a spell 
on Hal. Beauty needs a companion from among the 
commoners. Bind him to her, lightly and subtly of 
course."

"Without his father's consent?" Clarence was surprised. 
The King was usually very conscious of his subject's 
freedom of choice in such matters.

"I'll take care of the boy," said the King. "He may 
attend school with Beauty and the other children of the 
nobles."  

"Yes Sire," said Clarence. There wasn't much else he 
could say. Anna, the King's beloved queen, had passed 
away while attempting to give birth to a male heir for 
the throne. The child had died as well and in his grief 
the King had become fixated on his daughter. She was 
going to be his heir and the queen of his kingdom when he 
was gone and that was that. Whatever the King thought had 
to be done toward that end was to be done.

**

Hal stood and stretched his lanky frame. Two horses, 
which were tied behind him, whinnied and stepped about 
nervously. Hal turned and patted one of the horses on the 
nose. He said, "Don't worry, she'll show up eventually." 
For the last decade Hal and Beauty had seen one another 
almost every day. They had school together in the 
mornings. And then in the afternoon, Beauty was tutored 
in the art and science of ruling a country, while Hal 
spent his time either in mock combat with the young 
knights in training, or he helped his father in the 
stables. Twice a week it was his job to saddle a riding 
horse for the princess and accompany her on a ride 
through the royal forest that surrounded the castle. 

Hal looked at the lengthening shadows in the courtyard 
and decided that they best cut this afternoon's outing 
short. He heard a door open and turned in time to see 
Beauty stomping down the steps from the castle. She was 
dressed in her usual riding attire, which tended to be 
more practical than fashionable. She was wearing a man's 
plain cloth shirt with long sleeves. The shirt was tucked 
into what looked like a mid-calf length skirt, but was 
really a pair of pants with large, pleated legs. Her 
boots were scruffy, but well used and comfortable, and 
she wore a large cloth hat like ones that the peasants 
used to keep the sun off their heads. Her only 
concessions to fashion were an embroidered vest that 
fastened beneath, and accented, her ample bosom and a 
colored ribbon that tied back her dark hair. 

Hal could tell by the way her boot heels smacked on the 
stones, and the way that she jabbed her hands into her 
riding gloves that she was definitely not in a good mood. 
She threw up her hand to forestall any comments from him. 
"Yes, I'm late," she said. She grabbed her horse's reins 
from his hand and threw herself into the saddle. "I don't 
know why I have to know the history of every square foot 
of land in this kingdom. Even father has advisors. And 
then the politics of ..." She went on and on as they 
trotted away from the castle. One of her many instructors 
had put her in a really petulant mood. Hal knew from long 
experience not to say anything beyond making agreeable 
sounds. They had been on the trail for an hour when he 
realized that she had stopped ranting and was actually 
talking to him. "How was your day?" she asked.

"Oh just the usual, tactics and strategy after lunch, and 
then swordplay. We were on the practice ground when..." 
He launched into a story that ended with a particularly 
unlikable mutual acquaintance lying face down in a puddle 
of mud. Beauty giggled and then laughed out loud. Hal 
congratulated himself on lightening her mood.  

They arrived at a fork in the trail and reined in their 
horses. One trail wound its way deeper into the forest, 
and the other was a shorter route that paralleled a 
stream that ran back to the castle. Hal said, "We better 
go down to the creek. We got a late start and I think 
it's going to rain." He frowned at the darkening sky. 

Beauty shook her head. "I've been looking forward to this 
ride all day. We can hurry," she argued to his 
disapproving countenance. "If you can keep up, that is," 
she laughed as she kicked her horse into a gallop down 
the longer trail. 

Hal shook his head. She was a good rider, but not in his 
class. He caught her soon enough and they slowed to a 
more reasonable pace. They had reached the halfway point 
in their outing when Hal's prediction of rain came true. 
They found shelter and waited out a thunderstorm. 
Unfortunately, the storm turned into a drizzle and as the 
day grew later and darker they had to take to the trail 
without any sort of rainwear. Slowly but surely their 
clothing became soaked. The brim on Beauty's hat grew 
heavy with rain and flopped around her face. Her shirt 
became plastered to her breasts and the cool temperatures 
made her nipples stand out. Hal took advantage of the 
erotic view to keep his mind off his own discomfort. In 
fact, the sight of Beauty's breasts bouncing and swaying 
with the motion of her horse gave him an aching erection.

I was nearly dark when they slogged back to the castle 
stables. When they were finally inside and out of the 
rain, the riders dismounted. They looked around but there 
was no one to be seen. Apparently the inclement weather 
had driven any other riders in early, and the grooms on 
duty had left for dinner or a warm fire somewhere.

Beauty took off her hat and wrung the water out of it. 
She ran her fingers through her hair and said casually, 
"Hal, put up my horse, I'm liable to miss dinner."

Hal snorted. He had always treated Beauty with the 
respect due a princess but he was miserable and in no 
mood to let her get away with this stuff. "Put up your 
own damn horse. You have a hundred servants to bring you 
a hot meal whenever you like. I'm the one who's liable to 
miss dinner." 

Beauty's eyes flashed. She took a couple of quick steps 
to stand directly in front of Hal. She planted her hands 
on her hips and said, "I know that's not true. I hear the 
young maids talking about you. 'Did you hear what Hal 
did? He's so nice. He's so clever and handsome,'" she 
mocked in a high girlish voice. "You're the one who's 
more likely to get his supper and his other appetites 
satisfied by the castle staff."

Hal blushed, he'd had his way with more than one of the 
pretty young chambermaids in the castle, but that had 
little to do with who was going to care for two wet and 
hungry horses. "Jealous?" he asked in a mocking tone.

Beauty's eyes flew open in rage. She took a deep breath, 
which thrust her breasts even more tightly against the 
clinging wet material of her shirt. She was about to 
verbally lash Hal, when he grabbed her around the waist 
and kissed her hard and fast. 

Hal couldn't believe that he'd given in to his lust like 
that. But she was just so beautiful and regal and 
desirable and vulnerable right now that he couldn't 
resist. He half expected Beauty to struggle and scream 
for help, but she didn't. In fact, when Hal thrust his 
tongue into her mouth, she returned the kiss just as 
ardently. They couldn't hold each other closely enough. 
Beauty's breasts pillowed against his chest and he could 
feel her hard nipples through their clothing. He had one 
hand around her waist and the other was on her ass, 
pressing her hips against his raging cock. Her hands were 
all over his back and in his hair as she pulled their 
mouths together even more tightly.

Physically, Beauty was no little girl. She was as tall as 
most men and her clothing was leaden with rain, but Hal 
easily swept her off her feet and carried her into one of 
the empty horse stalls. Without breaking their kiss, he 
laid her in clean straw. Their tongues dueled as Hal 
caressed her breasts. She moaned when he pulled the wet 
material of her shirt across her sensitive nipples.

Hal's cock was so hard it felt numb. If Beauty had been 
one of the castle maids, then he would have been pounding 
away at her pussy by now. But she was no chambermaid who 
was looking for a quick thrill; she was a princess and 
soon-to-be queen. He had too much respect for her and her 
position to assume that she wanted him to go farther. If 
she would just give some sort of signal, he thought. 

Beauty used both hands to push Hal away. He rocked back 
on his heels and made ready to give an abject apology. 
Beauty glared at him and said in a hiss, "Will you please 
hurry before someone comes along?" She began to fumble at 
her clothing and in seconds her riding pants/skirt were 
gone. 

And a sign is what I got, thought Hal as he tugged at his 
pants until they were around his knees. He waddled 
between Beauty's thighs and was surprised when she 
grabbed his cock and pulled it into her. After the 
coolness of the rain, Beauty's pussy was like liquid 
heat. He was going to ease himself inside her slowly but 
Beauty had other ideas. She hunched her hips up to his 
and hissed in his ear, "Come on, fuck me hard." Her nails 
bit into his back to urge him on. 

Hal responded eagerly. He pounded into her as fast as he 
could move. He knew that he couldn't last long at this 
pace, but it didn't matter. Beauty wrapped her arms and 
legs around him in a quivering embrace as she came, and 
he followed seconds later. The couple rolled on their 
sides as Hal's softening cock tickled its way out of 
Beauty's pussy. They embraced and kissed again, but more 
with affection than sexual heat this time. Beauty 
whispered, "Now we're really late. You really wouldn't 
mind putting up my horse for me, would you? Please?" 

Hal caressed her cheek with his fingertips and flicked 
bits of yellow hay out of her dark hair. He looked 
dreamily into her eyes and whispered back, "Put up your 
own damn horse."

**

Although Hal and Beauty thought they were being discreet, 
most anyone who knew them noticed the change in their 
relationship. There were shared smiles and whispers and a 
certain glow on their faces when they were in the same 
room. It took a while, but eventually even the King 
noticed a change in their attitudes towards one another. 
And when he did finally take notice, he called for 
Clarence. 

"Clarence," said the King, "I want you to remove the 
spell that binds that Hal to my daughter, and if they 
still spend time together after that I want you to do 
some of your spying on them. I want to know what kind of 
a relationship they're having." 

"Yes, Your Highness," was what Clarence said, but what he 
thought was: That little binding spell wore off years 
ago, and any young man Hal's age would obviously be doing 
his best to get his hands all over the aptly named 
Beauty. 

So the wizard went back to his room and prepared to do a 
bit of snooping. He captured another pigeon. And the next 
time that Beauty and Hal went on one of their little 
rides, Clarence cast a spell on the bird and set it to 
follow the young couple. 

Clarence was able to see what the pigeon saw through the 
use of a magic mirror. At first the bird had to swoop and 
dive and circle to keep the couple in sight. The jerky 
motions were enough to give Clarence a headache and a 
queasy stomach. But then Hal and Beauty left the main 
trail and picked their way slowly through heavy growth 
along a small stream. The bird had to take to hopping 
from branch to branch when the foliage closed in, and the 
couple left their horses tied to some brush while they 
continued on foot. After traveling for a few minutes, 
they popped through the dense growth and into a clearing. 
Hal spread out a heavy ground cloth that he'd been 
carrying and the couple smiled at one another. 

Beauty gave Hal a curtsey, complete with a dainty finger 
under her chin, and said, "May I suck your cock, kind 
sir?"

Hal returned her curtsey with a sweeping bow and said, 
"It would be a pleasure, my lady."

Beauty fell to her knees and unfastened Hal's pants. His 
cock popped into view, rampant and pointing at the sky. 
Beauty pulled it level with her mouth and wrapped her 
lips around the throbbing head. She slid her lips down 
his cock, twisting her head first one way and then the 
other.

Clarence's eyes flew open wide in surprise. He'd expected 
some adolescent kissing and fumbling and giggling, maybe 
even some heavy duty groping, but not this. I guess 
there's no question now as to how intimate they are, 
thought Clarence. 

Hal stood there with his hands on his hips, eyes closed, 
as Beauty bobbed her head on his cock. Hal began to grind 
his hips in slow circles, and then to pump them back and 
forth. He grabbed Beauty's head began to fuck his cock 
into her mouth faster and faster. "Ohhh...here it 
comes...here it comes," he moaned. Hal shuddered and 
convulsed as Beauty sucked and swirled her tongue around 
Hal's spurting cock. "Oh shit, oh gaaah..." he protested 
as Beauty continued to play with his swollen dick. 

Finally she released him and stood up. She slid her arms 
over his shoulders and gave him a hard kiss. She said, 
"Too much for you?"

Hal shook his head. "It feels like you're trying to 
swallow my dick when you do that." He kissed her back and 
then said with a grin, "But I like it."

"And now it's my turn, kind sir," said Beauty as she gave 
Hal another curtsey, and then she began to disrobe.

Clarence pulled open his wizard's robes and brought his 
fully hard cock into the open. "Oh my word," he said in 
an awed voice as Beauty's breathtaking body was revealed. 
The little girl he had amused with simple magic tricks 
was now a complete woman. Chestnut hair fell across her 
broad shoulders and swirled around her proud breasts that 
jutted out firmly. Clarence grabbed his cock and began to 
rub it as Hal put his hands on Beauty's waist and ran 
them down her full hips and ass as he kissed her. Beauty 
lay on the ground and pulled Hal down with her. She 
spread her legs and he immediately covered her pussy with 
his mouth. 

Clarence, through the eyes of the pigeon, could only see 
the back of Hal's head, but it was obvious that he must 
have his tongue buried in her pussy or whipping at her 
clit. Beauty rolled her head from side to side in 
excitement and rubbed her palms across her nipples. 
Clarence jerked at his cock with a steady rhythm that 
already had dribbles of precum lubricating his fingers. 

Beauty arched her back and moaned out her orgasm. It went 
on and on until she finally relaxed and Hal stopped 
tonguing her pussy just long enough to stick his newly 
hardened cock in it. He humped madly between Beauty's 
thighs until she came alive once more. "Oh yeah, honey," 
she moaned. "Slow down a little and I'll cum with you." 
Clearly, Hal didn't want to hear that. His hips continued 
to beat out a steady slapping sound against Beauty's 
body. 

Beauty put a hand and a foot squarely on the ground and 
gave a good push. In a second she was the one on top and 
they hadn't even broken their cock to pussy connection. 
"Hey," yelped Hal in surprise.

"Sorry," said Beauty in a tone that inferred the she 
wasn't the least bit sorry. "I told you to slow down."

"Well, please don't stop altogether," pleaded Hal.

"I'm hardly finished with you," Beauty assured him. She 
sat up straight and began to lazily roll her hips on 
Hal's cock like she was riding a horse. She put one hand 
on her hip and began to rub her clit with the other. 
Clarence flailed his fist up and down his cock as he 
watched Beauty arch her back, her tits pointing nearly 
straight up, as she came once more. Then Hal's face 
screwed up and it was obvious that he was pumping his 
second load of the afternoon into Beauty's grasping 
pussy. 

Clarence's cock gushed and cum spilled all over his 
fingers and dripped onto the floor between his legs. He 
sighed deeply and then he began to worry about what he 
would tell the King. Not the truth obviously, the King 
would probably have Hal beheaded. He would have to think 
of something very circumspect to say in his report to the 
King. 

**

"So what you're telling me," said the King, "is that 
Beauty and Hal are screwing their brains out."

Clarence winced, "I never said that, Your Highness."

"You didn't have to, Clarence," said the King with a 
sigh. "I threw those two together, I suppose that I 
should have seen it coming."

Like a knight on horseback charging though the throne 
room, thought Clarence, but he said nothing.

"Well they can't go on," said the King. "Beauty must 
marry a noble from one of the baronies in order to 
strengthen the political ties of the kingdom. Once he's 
taken her supposed virginity and sired a successor to the 
throne, then she can discreetly take all the lovers that 
she cares to." The King stared thoughtfully into space 
for a moment and said, "I'm going to give Hal a 
commission in my army and send him to Gorgia. Then I'll 
make Beauty one of my official advisors. That should keep 
those two separated and too busy to think about each 
other."

Clarence could only nod in agreement. Gorgia was the 
southernmost barony of the kingdom. Beyond it lay a 
desolate mountain region that was home to outlaws and 
petty tyrants who would constantly plunder the richer 
land to their north if it weren't for Lord Vance, the 
Baron of Gorgia. Lord Vance was a brilliant military 
leader and fiercely loyal to the King. Elements of the 
King's army were constantly rotated into Gorgia in order 
to give them training and to keep the southern raiders 
from growing too strong. It was dangerous work, Hal could 
advance himself nicely in Gorgia, or he could die there.

**

Two years passed and Beauty attended another ball in 
celebration of her birthday. She was breathtakingly 
stunning in an off the shoulder white gown decorated in 
pale blue gemstones. She spent the evening surrounded by 
most of the nobility of the kingdom. They knew that she 
was assuming more and more responsibility for running the 
country, and they all wanted to be near her. For her 
part, Beauty tolerated the attentions of the powerful, 
the near powerful and the mere sycophants with grace and 
charm. Throughout the evening she danced and chatted with 
those men her father had deemed most acceptable as 
suitors. Some of them were fat and smarmy, some of them 
charming and handsome, but none of them were Hal. 

Beauty was very careful not to mention Hal to anyone, 
especially her father. She knew that Hal was exiled from 
the castle because of her, and she knew that the less she 
appeared to care, then the more likely it was that he 
might return some day. That was also the reason that she 
hadn't tried to contact him, and she hoped that that was 
the reason she hadn't heard from him. It was a mighty 
thin thread of logic she was clinging to, but it was the 
best she had.

The Fairy, Elise, arrived at the ball unnoticed. She was 
still enraged at the King, and now more than ever it was 
evident that the best way to strike at him was through 
his daughter. She didn't have to read very many minds to 
find out that not only was Beauty the most desirable 
woman there; she was also unattached. And, thought Elise, 
there was nothing like a sex scandal among the high and 
mighty to bring them humiliation. Elise studied the men 
in the room and picked out a handsome military officer in 
his twenties. She entered his mind and body.

Beauty was sitting alone for once that evening. Alone 
except for the half dozen servants hovering nearby. Then, 
from around a clump of partygoers, a man in uniform 
approached with a goblet in hand. For a second her heart 
fluttered, she thought that Hal had miraculously 
appeared, but then the man drew closer and she realized 
that the soldier wasn't her beloved. 

The man stopped before Beauty and gave her a low bow. He 
said, "Forgive my impertinence, Your Highness, but I 
thought that you might like some refreshment."

Perhaps because the officer reminded her of Hal, Beauty 
reacted before her keepers could shoo the man away. She 
said, "Thank you," and took the goblet. She examined the 
wine and its container and said, "I appreciate your 
gesture, but I'm afraid members of royalty can hardly 
afford to accept drinks from strangers, Lieutenant...?"

"Miller, Your Highness, James Miller - if I can't serve 
you drink, can I offer you a refreshing walk on the 
terrace?"

That sounded like a wonderful idea to the hot and tired 
princess. She took James' arm and they strolled to a 
terrace just off the ballroom. The couple followed a low 
wall, which surrounded the terrace, until they found a 
dark corner. It was the first time in ages that Beauty 
had had a chance to talk to someone near her own age. The 
young officer was kind and charming, not - it seemed to 
Beauty - because he was out to advance his career, but 
because he was genuinely interested in her. Thanks to 
some magical assistance from Elise, the terrace soon 
cleared of everyone except James and Beauty.

"You must have danced with every eligible nobleman in the 
kingdom tonight," said James. 

Beauty laughed. "Yes, I'm afraid that I have to pick out 
a husband from amongst that lot."

"There must be dozens of them, it'll be quite a chore."

"Not really," said Beauty. "Only a few of them meet my 
father's approval."

"And which one meets your approval?" asked James.

Suddenly reminded of the conflict between her duty and 
her own desires Beauty said, "I'm not sure."

"I wish it could be me," said James. And with that Beauty 
was in his arms. They kissed as if they were old lovers. 
Their bodies meshed perfectly. Beauty ran her hands up 
James' arms to his shoulders and pulled him to her 
urgently. She could feel her juices begin to flow and her 
knees weakened. It was all she could do to break the 
passionate kiss and draw away from James. 

Beauty loudly cleared her throat. She avoided James' eyes 
when she said, "Please escort me back inside." James 
didn't speak, but he offered his arm and they reentered 
the ballroom.

Two hours later Beauty was in her bedroom. As she sat in 
front of her mirror combing out her hair, Beauty replayed 
every second of her encounter with James. Her breathing 
became faster as she remembered how his tongue had 
wrapped around hers. Beauty shook her head and looked at 
herself in the mirror. You meet a guy and two seconds 
later you're so horny you can't stand it, she thought. 
"You need to get laid," she advised her image in the 
mirror. 

There was a tapping at her door. Beauty frowned, 
wondering who it could be, her maid had gone to sleep 
long ago. "Come in," she called out. The door softly 
opened and James Miller slipped in. He smiled at Beauty.

"How did you get in here?" she asked. There were guards 
at the base of the tower that lead to her rooms, and her 
maid always locked the outer doors to their suite. 

James shrugged and began to remove his jacket. "I'm a 
trusted officer of His Majesty's Army, and by definition 
a very resourceful chap." He continued to strip off 
various pieces of clothing.

"What...what are you doing?" Beauty said. She tried to 
sound demanding, but the words came out breathlessly. 

"Exactly what you want me to do," said James. By now he 
was down to an undergarment that did nothing to hide his 
erection. 

Beauty took in his broad shoulders, flat stomach and the 
impressive tent in his shorts. She remembered his kisses 
and how he had felt in her arms and said, "What I want 
you to do...is to wait for me over there." She pointed to 
her oversized bed.

Beauty stood beside her bed and stripped off her bed 
robes. James took in every luscious curve of her body as 
he slowly stroked his cock. When Beauty joined him on the 
bed, James kissed her mouth. Their lips and tongues 
melted together. His hands seemed to be everywhere at 
once and then suddenly he had a finger in her pussy. He 
found a particularly sensitive spot and he lingered 
there, bringing her to orgasm. Then he kissed her neck 
and her breasts and trailed his lips across her stomach 
until his tongue touched her clit. 

Minutes later Beauty moaned, "Ohhh...do it again." She'd 
lost count of the number of times that her body had 
shaken with yet another orgasm. James seemed to know just 
when and where to touch her swollen pussy and clit to 
bring her off, but now she wanted more. "Fuck me," she 
demanded. "Do it now."

James manipulated her clit until she was at the brink of 
another cum and then he slid his cock into her aching 
pussy. It filled her perfectly, as she knew it would. 
James began to fuck her with slow steady strokes. Despite 
the fact the his cock had been swollen and stiff and 
drooling precum ever since he had entered her room, James 
was certainly in no hurry to cum.

"Harder, damn you," urged Beauty, but James held her on 
the edge with his slow strokes for what seemed like an 
eternity. When she finally came, Beauty passed out and 
then fell into an exhausted sleep. 

James dressed back into his uniform with jerky, wooden 
movements. Elise was having trouble controlling his tired 
limbs as she looked into Beauty's mind. Elise couldn't 
believe it, James was everything that Beauty could want 
in a lover. He was handsome, charming, caring and he'd 
just fucked her until she literally couldn't stand it 
anymore, but James wasn't the lover in her heart. It was 
some peasant whom she hadn't seen in months, someone who 
was too far away to figure into Elise's scandalous plans. 
She studied Beauty's sleeping form and decided on another 
tact. Elise summoned her magic. Very well, she thought, 
you'll sleep and sleep forever unless this true love of 
yours comes to rescue you. She spread a pall of gloom and 
malaise over the palace and then she enchanted the 
surrounding grounds and forests. Elise flew from James's 
body and her invisible spirit hovered over Beauty. You're 
in love with this peasant boy? We'll just see how much he 
wants you, she thought. 

**

Hal's horse picked its way through the main camp of Lord 
Vance's army. It had been two years since he had heard of 
the mysterious deaths of Beauty and her father, the King. 
Hal had had little time for mourning because war between 
the barons of the leaderless kingdom had broken out 
almost immediately. Lord Vance, the Baron of Gorgia, and 
his allies had fought to keep the kingdom together until 
a new king could be named. Under the pressure of war, 
Hal's military career with Lord Vance had advanced 
rapidly. He had become one of the baron's aides. 

Hal pulled up before a large tent in the center of the 
camp and dismounted. He turned his horse over to a 
soldier and entered the tent. Lord Vance and a number of 
his officers were standing around a table that held a map 
of the surrounding area. "Hal," called out Vance when he 
saw him. "What news do you have?"

The men in the tent grew silent as Hal approached the map 
table. He pointed to road on the map and said, "We 
engaged Lord Rupert's men here and fought a delaying 
action through Green Valley until we reached the river. 
It was a bloody two days, but when we reached the river 
your trap was sprung." Hal allowed himself a brief smile. 
"Your plan worked, Lord Vance. Rupert surrendered when he 
saw that his men would be crushed."

A cheer went up in the tent. Several of the men slapped 
Hal on the back and congratulated him. Hal appreciated 
the acclaim of his fellow officers, but to him the 
victory was just another battle in a long and bloody war. 
Vance roared over the clamor in the room, "You don't 
understand, Hal. It's all over. With Rupert out of the 
way, the rest is simply a mopping up. I'll be able to 
call an enclave of the barons before the summer is 
through. We should have a king before the first snows 
fall."

Hal was stunned. The battles and bad food and hardships 
of the field had seemed interminable. Lord Vance put his 
arm around Hal and said, "I'll want you at that enclave, 
but for now I want you to go home. You certainly deserve 
a rest." 

A few hours later Hal was headed out of the encampment on 
his way north. After days of travel he entered the 
village of Leedston. It was the last independent village 
that he would pass through before he reached the castle 
district. He decided to stop there for a meal and to wipe 
away the grime of the road. With any luck he would be 
seeing his parents the next day. 

Hal had reached the center of the village when he saw a 
group of small children being entertained by some sort of 
street showman. The children shrieked as a tiger leapt 
over their heads and burst into a shower of candy and 
small toys. Hal smiled; there was only one person who 
could do that trick. He waited until the show was over 
and approached the short, wild haired performer. 
"Clarence," he called out.

Clarence studied the young man before him. It took him a 
few seconds to realize that the young man with the thin, 
haggard face and tired smile was Hal. "My boy, I'd hoped 
that you would come through here one day."

The two men went to a nearby tavern and talked at length 
about the war. Hal told his story and ended with, "...and 
Lord Vance felt that he could convene an enclave of the 
barons before the end of summer."

Clarence suddenly looked shocked. "That means they would 
pick a new ruler," he said.

Hal shrugged. "Of course."

"But Beauty is still alive!"

Hal felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. He 
shook his head. "Clarence, Beauty's dead. Everyone knows 
that."

Clarence shook his head violently. "Yes, that's what 
everyone thinks and feels, but here's the truth. I was 
summoned to Beauty's rooms on the morning following a 
ball that celebrated her eighteenth birthday. No one 
could awaken her, and some of the servants were sure that 
she had died in her sleep. It was very difficult for me 
to detect her breathing and heartbeat, but I could tell 
that she was barely alive."

"Some sort of enchantment?" asked Hal.

The wizard nodded. "Yes, and a very powerful one at that. 
The King and I stayed by her side day and night. I tried 
everything I knew to bring her out of her state, but 
nothing worked. She still lies in her rooms at the 
castle. An incredible feeling of loss and hopelessness 
filled the castle and the surrounding forest. It was much 
more than the natural feeling of loss for a loved one. A 
number of people committed suicide and the rest fled in 
despair."

"My parents?" asked Hal.

"They were among the last to leave. When the King died, 
it broke their spirit. Your father saved as many of the 
royal horses as he could and fled. He breeds and cares 
for them at a farm not far from the castle."

"Thank goodness for that," said Hal. "And you say that 
the King is truly dead?"

Clarence nodded. "Yes, he stayed by Beauty as I tried to 
arouse her. Neither one of us rested for days; I had my 
magic to sustain me, but the King died - more of a broken 
heart than anything else I think."

Hal stared hard into Clarence's eyes. "We have to try to 
help Beauty, you know that don't you?"

"I've been preparing to do that for the last two years. I 
have several new spells that I can try on her, but the 
truth is that I'm an old man and I won't be able to fight 
the enchantments that surround the castle and the dragon 
at the same time."

"Dragon?" said Hal.

"Yes, a rather large one I'm afraid."

Hal shook his head. "Dragon's don't live this far north."

Clarence smiled thinly. "Perhaps he'll toddle on home if 
you point that out to him."

A few small dragons could be found in some of the wetter 
areas in the south of the kingdom, but the truly large 
beasts, the ones that gave the dragons their fierce 
reputations, lived in the swamps far beyond the southern 
border. One of Hal's soldiers had been a dragon hunter. 
The man could tell tale after tale of harrowing escapes 
from the beasts that could kill a man with claws, or 
teeth or fiery breath. He'd made it clear that it took a 
team of men working in concert to bring down a large 
dragon. 

Hal said, "I suppose I can get together some of the 
returning veterans to take on a dragon, especially if it 
means helping Beauty."

Clarence shook his head in disagreement. "You don't 
understand, anyone who nears the castle is filled with 
dread and foreboding. They become absolutely certain that 
there is neither anything nor anyone worth finding in the 
castle. And don't think that people just haven't tried. I 
watched as hundreds of adventures tried to reach the 
castle. The overgrown forest and their own fears repelled 
most long before they even came within view of the 
castle. A few strong willed individuals reached the 
walls, but the dragon either killed them or drove them 
away. You'll never get a group of men to the castle, much 
less have them work as a team once they get there."

Hal frowned in frustration. "How do we - or I - do it 
then?"

"I do have something up my sleeve," said Clarence as he 
actually reached into one of the voluminous sleeves of 
his robe and pulled out a small leather pouch. He opened 
the pouch and poured a red jewel as big as his thumb into 
Hal's hand.

"I got that from a wizard who was fleeing the war. He 
said that if you could get that into a dragon it would 
die almost instantly," continued Clarence. 

"Any chance he was lying?" said Hal as he looked askance 
at the small stone.

Clarence gave him wicked smile, "Wizards rarely lie to 
one another; the consequences are too severe."

Hal replaced the jewel in its pouch and put the pouch 
away in his jacket. "Alright then," said Hal. "I'll take 
care of the dragon and you revive Beauty."

Clarence nodded and looked out a nearby window. "I have 
to get going. I have to give at least one more 
performance this afternoon, or else the children will be 
in here after me."

"And I need to eat a meal," said Hal. He looked around 
for one of the serving wenches. "I haven't eaten since 
dawn."

**

Elise had been alerted to Hal's arrival in Leedston. Her 
thirst for revenge against the King had been quenched 
when he had died miserable and broken. But she had found 
the predicament in which she had placed Beauty most 
amusing. Now she was going to find out how faithful Hal 
could be to his quest. 

Elise flitted about the tavern, looking at the available 
women. It was in the upstairs quarters of the owner that 
she found her mark. There was the tavern owner's 
daughter. Elise entered her mind and body. The girls name 
was Rebecca. She was a pretty but headstrong and 
conceited girl. Her father was no doubt anxious to 
betroth her to the first eligible man who came along. 
Unfortunately, she looked nothing like Beauty, but Elise 
decided to use her to entice Hal anyway. Rebecca was 
short and bit plump with blonde hair. Elise used that 
extra weight to her advantage. She moved pounds of flesh 
from the girl's stomach and thighs to her breasts. Now 
the bosom of her dress was filled to near bursting. Next, 
Elise smoothed out her skin and made her butter-yellow 
hair fairly glow. 

**

Hal had finished his meal and he was contemplating what 
to do next when someone walked up to his table. He turned 
his head and looked up into an enormous pair of breasts. 
It took a moment before he realized that their owner was 
speaking. 

"Excuse me?" said Hal.

"I said, 'Did you enjoy your meal?'" came a high-pitched 
voice from above the breasts.

Hal dragged his eyes upward until he was looking into the 
face of a lovely young lady. "Oh, it was good...good, 
thank you...uh?" he prompted.

"My name's Rebecca," said the girl as she sat opposite 
Hal. "My father's the owner here."

"Oh really," said Hal, and a second later they were 
discussing the pros and cons of the life of a tavern 
owner's family. Hal couldn't get his fill of Rebecca's 
stunning figure and beautiful features. For the last two 
years about the only women he'd seen were camp followers 
of Lord Vance's army. The hard lifestyle they had to 
endure wasn't conducive to making a woman attractive. 

As they spoke, Hal felt a pressure against his boot. The 
pressure traveled up his leg until it was obvious that 
Rebecca was feeling him up with her bare foot. As she 
pressed her toes against his crotch, she said, "Is there 
anything else I can do for you?"

Hal could have sworn that he heard his cock moving in his 
pants as it became instantly stiff. For two years the 
thought of Beauty's death had driven away his sexual 
desire, but now with the idea that he might see her again 
and this exquisite pubescent female making a pass at him, 
he was suddenly aching with lust. He took a deep, calming 
breath and said, "I may spend the night; do you have any 
rooms available?"

Rebecca jumped up and grabbed Hal by the sleeve of his 
coat. "We have lots of nice rooms; let me show you," she 
said, as she dragged him up the stairs. She ushered Hal 
into a spacious room and locked the door behind them. Hal 
looked around room. He was almost certain that he was 
about to get lucky, but he wasn't sure what his next move 
should be. The matter was resolved when Rebecca sat on 
the edge of the bed and pulled the top of her dress off 
her shoulders and down to her waist, revealing her 
magnificent breasts. As she eyed Hal's tented pants, she 
said, "I bet you can't wait to fuck my titties."

Hal waited only the length of time it took him to cross 
the room, pull down his pants and gather up the plump 
fullness of Rebecca's breasts in his hands. He wrapped 
her tits around his throbbing cock and sighed. Her skin 
was like warm silk on the head of his dick. He thrust his 
hips a dozen times and then it felt as if something hot 
and almost solid was surging through the end of his cock. 
A half dozen full, scalding jets of cum followed the 
first one. 

Hal withdrew his cum-slick cock from between Rebecca's 
breasts. He felt embarrassed. "Well, that was a little 
quick," he mumbled.

"It sure was," giggled Rebecca, as she massaged his 
massive load of cum into her breasts. "But that's 
alright," she said, and promptly grabbed Hal's dripping 
cock and stuffed it into her mouth.

Hal grunted in surprise, but he quickly gave into the 
sensations that her tongue and lips were creating. In a 
couple of minutes he was as hard as ever. Rebecca 
released his cock and said innocently, "Do you want to 
fuck me now?"

"Oh baby," said Hal as he took his cock in hand to keep 
the feeling going. It took only seconds for Rebecca to 
drop her undergarments to the floor and gather her dress 
around her waist. Hal maneuvered himself between her legs 
and slid his cock into her pussy with surprising ease. 
He'd expected that the little lady's pussy would be 
really tight on his cock, but it wasn't. It was certainly 
hot and liquid but he wasn't getting all the friction 
that he wanted. 

Rebecca didn't seem to suffer from any lack of 
stimulation. She lifted her hips and knees until her legs 
slipped over Hal's shoulders. Her nails scratched at his 
arms as she chanted, "Come on Hal, fuck me faster - 
harder - fuck me, fuck me..."

Hal pounded straight down into Rebecca's relaxed pussy. 
He went harder and faster until the screwing couple were 
bouncing of the bed with each thrust. Sweat formed on his 
well-muscled torso and dripped onto Rebecca's pillow 
sized breasts. By the time Hal shot his second charge of 
cum she was enjoying continuous orgasms. Well spent, Hal 
fell on his side and promptly went to sleep.

Rebecca stood and arranged her clothing back into shape 
for public viewing as Elise left her body. Rebecca looked 
at herself in the room's mirror. It was as if she had 
been in a dream for the last couple of hours. Somehow, 
every wish she'd ever had about her body had come true. 
Her face and hair were flawless and her body would cause 
a man to start drooling at a hundred yards. She looked at 
Hal as he dozed on the bed. He was cute, and if he hung 
around, she might give him a tumble or two. But he was 
obviously not a rich man, just a soldier home from the 
war. She knew that her father was aching to marry her 
off, but she wasn't going to become involved with Hal 
just to spite her father. Rebecca arrogantly flipped her 
hair over her shoulders and strolled out of the room. It 
was time to tell her father that she wasn't about to 
settle for just anyone. 

Elise let the girl wander off. She was getting bored with 
her little game. If Hal awoke to go panting after the 
gorgeous Rebecca, then so be it. If he still wanted 
Beauty, then he was going to have to overcome Elise's 
spells and dragon to have her. Either way, the affairs of 
humans were beginning to pale. She disappeared from the 
tavern as quickly she had appeared.  

Hal slept through the evening and didn't arise until 
daylight the next morning. He ate breakfast in the 
tavern. Rebecca was there. She was flirting with a half-
dozen men on the other side of the room. She didn't seem 
inclined to seek him out, and that suited Hal. He paid 
his bill and left. 

He sought out Clarence and they made plans in the event 
that Hal was able to reach the castle and subdue the 
dragon. Then Hal went to the town's local fletcher. He 
had the man tip an arrow with the dragon-killing jewel 
that Clarence had given him. He also purchased a heavy 
long bow and a quiver of ordinary arrows. With that 
business out of the way, Hal was off. 

It was late that day that Hal arrived at his parent's 
home. They had a tearful reunion and Hal was relieved to 
see that they were doing well. They spent hours and hours 
discussing the events of the past two years, but when Hal 
told them about his discussion with Clarence they looked 
at him with a mixture of pity and indulgence. Hal's 
father said, "I'm afraid that Clarence went quite mad 
with grief when he failed to save the princess. He would 
go on and on about how she was under a spell. Of course 
everyone knew that she was dead."

"Did you go to her funeral?" asked Hal.

"Oh no," said his father. "We had to get away from the 
castle, everyone was leaving at that point."

"But why?" insisted Hal.

His father looked frustrated and confused, as if he was 
tired of answering the questions of an overly inquisitive 
child. "We just left, we had to take care of the horses 
didn't we?"

Hal dropped the subject. His father wouldn't have 
abandoned his place at the castle so quickly without some 
magical influence, so Hal kept his plans to go to the 
castle to himself. He spent his days honing his archery 
skills, claiming that he was planning a hunting trip. A 
week later he assembled his gear and headed out. 

Hal had to approach the castle on foot. The surrounding 
forest had become more like a jungle than woods with the 
widely spaced trees of his youth. A trip that would have 
been a pleasant morning's ride two years ago became a 
two-day ordeal. Hal had to hack his way through 
undergrowth that seemed determined to trip his feet and 
block his progress at every turn. More than once he 
almost gave up. His attempt seemed more worthless with 
each step. But then he would remember Beauty and his 
resolve would strengthen. 

Late on the second day Hal cut through an overhanging 
vine and the castle was suddenly there across an opening 
of trampled down vegetation. He sheathed his sword and 
took several steps toward the huge main entrance. He had 
completely forgotten about the dragon until he felt the 
ground shake. Then it trembled again and again in a 
plodding rhythm until the dragon made his appearance. It 
filled the main gate to the castle. It was higher at the 
shoulder than Hal was tall and it's head was at least 
twice that high above the ground. 

Hal had only a second to appreciate the dragon's size 
before he turned and ran for his life. He could hear and 
feel the dragon thudding after him. When Hal reached the 
screen of leaves and branches of the forest, he took a 
hard left turn and dove for the ground. There was a 
tremendous whoosh of flame from the dragon that crisped 
the vegetation immediately above and behind him. It would 
have burned him alive if he'd continued to flee in a 
straight line. As it was he could feel the heat singeing 
his unprotected skin. 

Hal crawled to a point in the jungle like vegetation 
where he could see the dragon without being seen. Twice 
more its neck arched back as it inhaled deeply. Then its 
head would jut forward as its tail arose and flame would 
shoot out of its mouth. It watched the forest intently 
for several minutes. At that point it seemed that the 
dragon was satisfied that Hal had fled for good or was a 
pile of charred flesh. It huffed mightily, smoke puffing 
from its nostrils, and made its way back into the castle 
courtyard.

Hal retreated into the woods to think things over. He'd 
hoped that Clarence had exaggerated the size of the 
dragon, but the wizard certainly hadn't. The scales of a 
dragon grew larger and tougher as it grew older, and the 
one guarding the castle was one well-aged, well-armored 
beast. The jewel tipped arrow that Hal carried would only 
bounce off its hide if he attacked it directly. He would 
have to use his backup plan. It wasn't nearly as simple 
as shooting the monster from a safe distance, but it was 
all he could come up with. 

Hal spent the night inaudibly moving about in the forest 
that abutted the clearing before the castle. He found a 
sapling in just the right position, and he trimmed it so 
that it would hold his jacket in place with its arms 
outstretched. Then he bent the sapling to the ground and 
tied it there with a rope that he had carried from home. 
He wrapped the rope around a couple of small bushes and 
then stretched it out along the forest floor to a point 
where he could watch the clearing. At that point Hal ate 
his dinner and fell into an exhausted sleep.

It was well past dawn when he awoke. He stretched and 
scratched and watered a nearby tree. After a meager 
breakfast, Hal decided that he'd better tackle the dragon 
before he gave it too much thought and lost his nerve. He 
made sure that his bow and arrow were ready and then took 
up the end of the rope. He took a deep breath and yelled, 
"Hey ugly, you awake in there?" Almost immediately he 
felt the ground vibrate to the dragon's steps. 

The dragon emerged from the main gate of the castle and 
covered half the distance across the clearing before it 
stopped and began to look for the source of the noise 
that had disturbed its day. Hal gave several light jerks 
on the rope and twenty yards away bushes rustled. The 
dragon moved closer, its head turning this way and that, 
looking for whatever was making that sound. 

Hal continued to tease the dragon and the beast moved a 
few steps to one side so as to peer into the forest at a 
different angle. When the dragon was facing away from 
Hal, he gave a good hard pull on the rope and the knot 
that was holding the sapling down came loose. Hal's 
jacket arose from the forest floor and waved its arms 
about in front of the dragon like someone who was bent on 
suicide. 

The dragon roared and then its head came back as it began 
to inhale. Hal took that as his cue and he broke cover; 
he ran to within twenty feet of the rear of the dragon. 
When the beast's tail arose and the dragon began to 
destroy Hal's jacket with gouts of flame, Hal set his 
feet and pulled back his bowstring. He tried not the 
think about the fact that he would have only one shot. 
When the arrow steadied on target, Hal's fingers released 
it. The arrow covered the distance to the dragon in less 
than a second and disappeared into the beast's asshole. 

The roar of flame from the dragon turned into a roar of 
pain. It spun on its hind legs much more quickly than Hal 
would have given it credit for and came face-to-face with 
its attacker. 

Hal realized that he'd made a fatal tactical error. He'd 
made his attack, but then he'd forgotten to retreat. He 
dropped his bow and sprinted for the woods as fast as his 
adrenaline-flooded muscles would take him. After the 
second step though, he knew it was useless. The dragon 
would have him squished flat, clawed into little chunks 
and nicely barbequed long before he could reach safety. 
Clarence had said that the jewel would work almost 
instantly. Of course one man's 'almost instantly' was 
another man's 'takes a while'. The distinction, Hal 
thought, was about to get him killed. Then something 
shoved him hard in the back and he went flying through 
the air. 

Hal tumbled through the weeds and when he stopped he 
desperately looked around for the dragon, but it wasn't 
there - at least not in one piece. Something red and 
bloody thudded on the ground next to him, and then the 
sky began to rain chunks of exploded dragon flesh. 

Hal shook his head in an effort to clear his thoughts. 
Whatever spells had been cast around the castle had 
certainly addled his brain; he'd almost gotten himself 
killed. He stood and gathered his few provisions. Now 
that I've slain the dragon, he thought, I might as well 
look around the castle. He entered the main gate and 
wandered into the great hall. He had known that the place 
would be deserted, but he hadn't been prepared for the 
emotional impact. For his entire life, this huge room had 
been full of energy and bustling with life, and now it 
was as quiet as a tomb. 

Hal strayed into what had been the living quarters of the 
castle's inhabitants. It hardly seemed worth the effort, 
but he took the time to wash away the grime of the last 
two days and to put on fresh clothing that someone had 
left behind. Then he resumed his tour of the castle. He 
walked about until he came to a flight of stairs that 
climbed into one of the castle towers. It seemed to him 
that there might be something up there of interest. But 
the stairs looked so steep, and he was leg-weary from his 
exertions. He very nearly turned away, but then he found 
himself trudging upwards in what he knew would be a 
useless quest. 

At the top of the stairs there was a suite of rooms. 
There were rooms filled with feminine furnishings and 
clothing. There were other rooms with enough books and 
charts and maps to stock a library. But there was nothing 
in the suite that he wanted. He was about to head back 
down the stairs and out of the tower, when he saw one 
last unopened door. Just to be thorough, he unlatched the 
heavy, ornate door and peered in. Across the room, in a 
wide bed, was a woman who appeared to be sleeping. 

Hal smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand so 
hard that the back of his head crashed into the 
doorframe. He cradled his head in pain as he stumbled 
into Beauty's bedroom. How could he have been so stupid? 
He'd completely forgotten the reason he was here, not to 
mention the woman who was his reason for life. 

Hal neared the bed and took Beauty's hand. It wasn't cold 
in death, but it certainly wasn't the warm hand that he'd 
held so many times. And it certainly wasn't the hand, hot 
with sexual fever, which had stroked his erection so many 
times. She's in a coma and she can still give me a hard-
on, thought Hal.

He stroked her hand as he said, "Don't worry, I won't 
forget you again. Now that the dragon's dead, Clarence 
will be able to come and remove the spell." He held her 
hand and studied her face for long minutes. She was even 
more beautiful than he remembered. 
Finally he murmured, "I'd better go. The sooner I leave, 
then the sooner I can get back."   

He carefully laid Beauty's hand back beneath her breasts 
and then he softly kissed her cool lips. Hal was about to 
pull away when he thought that he had felt Beauty's lips 
move against his. He kissed her harder and was amazed 
when he found that her lips were warm and moist and 
responding. He felt her arms move and then they were 
around his neck as she pulled his face fiercely to hers. 

After a long minute they broke their kiss and gazed into 
one another's eyes. "You know that I love you more than 
anything, don't you?" Beauty whispered. 

Hal nodded. 

"And you feel the same way about me?" she continued. 

Hal nodded again. 

"Then where the hell have you been?" she said as she gave 
him a healthy slap on the shoulder. 

"I...I..." began Hal, but then they both began to laugh 
and weep as they held each other tight.  

**

With Hal's kiss, Elise's spells were broken. The people 
of the kingdom wondered why they ever thought that Beauty 
had died and she was crowned Queen in short order. The 
castle staff, including Hal's parents and Clarence, 
returned to their former lives. Hal was made the captain 
of the Queen's personal guard. He was very diligent in 
his duties, especially at night when he made sure that he 
stayed very near the Queen. 

Beneath the sheets of Her Majesty's bed, Hal slid his leg 
between Beauty's. He wrapped his arms around her and 
pulled her close until her breasts were spread across his 
chest, and her face was next to his. As he spoke his lips 
brushed hers. "When are you going to marry me, and make 
an honest man of me?" 

"It has been arranged," said Beauty, "for me to marry 
Limner, the son of Lord Willowbrook."

"What?" cried Hal. "You can't be serious."

"Have you ever seen Limner," asked Beauty with a sly 
smile.

"Of course," said Hal. "He's a fop and a dandy, and he 
surrounds himself with young boys who look just like..." 
Hal stopped for a second and then said, "He doesn't like 
women, does he?"

"Not in the least," said Beauty. "He likes the hard work 
that comes with being a leader even less. I've arranged 
with Lord Willowbrook that one of our children - that you 
would be yours and mine - to be the next Lord 
Willowbrook. Our family will be even more powerful and 
the crown will be even more secure."

"You're certainly your father's daughter, aren't you?"

Beauty nodded. "It's what he would have wanted."

"Then I'll never get to be a king, or prince, or 
whatever?"

"You want to be a king?" asked Beauty.

"Yes, I think so," said Hal in mock seriousness.

"Get your own damn kingdom," said Beauty, then she 
squealed with laughter as Hal hugged her even harder." 
-END

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