A Noble Weapon

Posted on Wed May 7th, 2025 @ 6:28am by Caeda & Lord Khalon Price

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: The Palace
Timeline: Date 2372-02-13 at 1130
2578 words - 5.2 OF Standard Post Measure

The Presentation of the Ladies was fast approaching, a ceremonial ball which began in the Court Season held in the Spring. The time drew near, and everyone who was anyone at Court would be there, twirling under the watchful eye of the Empress. The fact that Her Majesty wasn't doing her job alone this year didn't surprise Khalon; the poor woman had basically been barely holding it together since the attack on Antonius life. The fact that she had asked Lady Amalie to assist her provided him some amusement.

He sat in his Rome apartment overlooking the city. It was stylish, beautiful, and full windows and striking colors, but none of that was a surprise. He wore cream pants and a blood red Henley. The woman across from him, bold and strong with a beautiful, dangerous face decorated like a painting with smooth, glowing ebony skin. Something about her was otherworldly, and her eyes communicated she knew it.

“Lady Thora Nielsen has arrived, my Lord.” Came the voice of an aide, stepping into the sitting room for just a moment.

“Good.” He said, his eyes moving to the door. “Show her in.”

Just a moment later, the beautiful Danish girl stepped into his office. It was immediately apparent that she was mildly stressed judging by the slightly strained smile and stiff curtsy she offered to Khalon. She wore a simple but stylish enough emerald green a-line dress that flattered her figure, and her dark hair was pulled back from her beautiful face.

“Hello, Lord Price.”

Khalon watched as Thora entered the room, his eyes following the shape of her body and the unique and beautiful face she possessed. He watched differently than he tended to watch others, calculating and evaluating where he normally only charmed. He stood and approached her, reaching out and taking her hand gently.

“Lady Thora. I’m pleased to see you’ve made it to Rome in such timely fashion.” he said, turning his gaze to the dark woman on another couch. “Allow me to introduce you to Ashiya Kimia.”

Thora’s eyes moved over to the exotic looking woman and she smiled briefly, offering a nod. “Hello, nice to meet you.”

She followed along with Khalon as he led her by the hand, liking the feeling of it but more intrigued by the other woman.

The woman on the other couch didn’t speak, only watched with even more calculation than he had. Her eyes were a stark contrast to her skin and, though she was very beautiful, they were vibrant and vacant. Kalon brought Thora over to the couch where he’d been sitting and gestured to it, sitting down with her, his hand still in hers.

“Sit with me.” he said, his voice low and warm. “Is this your first time in the Imperial Capital?”

“I was here once when I was very little for some party I don’t remember, but I haven’t been since.” Thora sat down next to Khalon, leaving room between their bodies but angling her knees toward his. “It’s… a lot.”

“The best always is.” Khalon said, chuckling in a way that indicated he understood what she meant. “I remember the first time I came to Court as a kid. Overwhelming opulence. Spending time around royals..it was almost too much. Did you meet anyone interesting yet?”

“No, not yet. It was mostly just random attendants helping the new courtiers find their rooms and getting settled in. It is all rather involved with the extra security I imagine has been put in place, or maybe it’s like that all the time? I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about it.” Thora gave a soft laugh though it was slightly nervous.

“The Imperial Guard takes their task very seriously.” He said, returning the smile as the moonlight streamed in through sheer white curtains. “I suppose you’d like to know why you’re here?”

“Yes, that would be nice.” She smiled, then glanced back over her shoulder at the woman still sitting silently. One manicured brow lifted just a bit, but then she slowly turned her attention back to Khalon politely and with expectant energy.

“You are going to learn all the skills of a Courtesan. And then you’re going to use them on someone very important.” He said, pointing to the other woman. “The art of seduction, the art of lovemaking; Ashiya will teach you.”

Thora blinked once, the smile still on her face, but she seemed more stunned than anything. “What?”

Khalon grinned, licking his lips amusedly.

“You heard me.” He said simply. “She's a master. It’s very important to me that you learn everything you can so that you can be successful. I hope that isn’t a problem?”

Thora moved then, her body shifting and her hands both moving into her lap. “Sorry, I just want to make sure I understand you correctly. You want me… to learn how to please a - well, I’m going to assume a man - and then… follow through with doing that to someone? Who?”

“You'll know who soon enough.” Khalon said, looking at Ashiya’s fascinated face. “If you end up passing her little tests and show you have the skill for this particular assignment.”

“Mm…” Thora made a slight face. “Is this person over three times my age?”

Khalon burst out in a controlled, genuine laugh. He understood her concern and had no problem showing her.

“No, not at all. And he’s kind, fit, and decently handsome.” He said, honest. “There’s nothing to worry about there.”

The young woman was obviously still skeptical, but she did seem to at least believe Khalon when he assured her that the man in question wasn’t extremely old in her eyes. She licked her lips and squeezed her hands together slightly. “And… you’ll be able to assure me of a decent match for a husband at some point even after I do this?”

“That won’t be hard at all.” He said with a nod. “After all, with your beauty and my clout, you could have just about any single man you want. Pick one, and I’ll make it happen.”

“And you would provide the other things we discussed when you visited my home?” She asked, being vague as she wasn’t sure how much the courtesan observing them was supposed to know of whatever this arrangement would be.

“If I said I would do it, I will.” He said, locking eyes with her, his expression smoldering and full of challenge.

“Girl, look at me.” the other woman said, her voice low and sweet like honey. She leaned forward, her large breasts straining the wrap dress she was wearing. “I want to see what kind of potential you have.”

Thora was about to say something else but stopped when Ashiya spoke to her. She blinked and turned to face the woman, looking into her eyes with her own curious, nervous gaze. “Okay…”

Ashiya stared at Thora for several silent seconds, her observant eyes flirting purposely from her eyes to her lips, her body to her hair.

“Why are you here, girl? And don’t bother telling me the answer Lord Khalon would give. The reason you came here, risking so much on a whispered promise.”

“Because I want to do something with my life.” Thora replied honestly. “My family is wealthy, but not that wealthy. If I want to do anything meaningful other than marry a rich lord, I am going to need resources to do so.”

“And you’re willing to do whatever it takes to get that?” She asked, leaning forward slightly. “Be honest. I only like sweet lies.”

“I’m not going to kill someone.” Thora stated bluntly. “But… anything else I can think of… yes.” She let out a breath, feeling the weight of what she had just committed to, but unsure of what it would mean for her in the end.

The woman smiled, her white teeth a perfect contrast to her skin.

“Have you ever been with a man, or have you gotten all your experience from boys thus far?” Ashiya asked, looking comfortable and curious.

Thora shifted, this time demurring slightly and brushing a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. “Ah… boys, I guess. One boy.”

“Good. One puppy is an experience where big dogs might be overkill.” She said, then looked to Khalon. “She's a bit shy, but I’ll fix that. She’ll be just fine. She might even end up being a better student than you were.”

“Um…” Thora blinked and looked at Khalon, the question plainly there, but she decided not to ask. She doubted he would answer her anyways. “I’m… glad.”

“You should be. Your life will never be the same once you see the world from my perspective.” Ashiya said, standing up, her body long and beautiful. “Lord Price, I will take my leave. Thora, I’ll be in touch with my schedule in hand.”

“We appreciate your services.” Khalon said, looking at the woman with a wink. As she left the room, he turned back to Thora. “Now I can tell you a hit more. The Crown Prince is becoming a man. There are many forces in this city, who mean to exploit that fact in order to control him, and, therefore, the future of the empire. Believe me when I tell you I'm not one of those people.”

He leaned forward, grabbing her hands again, his eyes fast on hers.

“I want the a Crown Prince so distracted he doesn’t have time for schemers.”

“You… you want me to sleep with the Crown Prince?” Thora asked, her face scrunching slightly again and her body becoming tense. “Isn’t… isn’t he engaged?”

“Whether you sleep or not is entirely up to you.” Khalon said with a smart raise of his eyebrow. “And yes, he’s engaged to a very good girl prepared for a very vanilla relationship, and I'm certain he’s perfectly happy with that. The problem is he’s never going to make it past the wolves with ambition and large breasts. That’s where you come in. You’re going to take hold of his dick like a rudder and steer him straight ahead.”

A thread of frustration crossed Thora’s face. “You know exactly what I meant when I said sleep with him. Is that what you want?”

“I want you to fuck his brains out and play with his hair.” He said with a nod. “You knew exactly what I meant as well. “Keep him happy, satisfied, and distracted, but don't catch feelings. This is patriotism and nothing more.”

“Why aren’t you just having his fiance do this?” Thora asked as she stood and began to pace a small area of the room. “And what about his family? What if they find out I’m doing this? What if my future Empress finds out?”

“Have you ever met Lady Amalie?” He asked, looking more amused than curious. “She’s got no venom at all. She won’t do anything to you, and with my support, she won’t be able to anyway.”

He squeezed her hand, a challenge in his expression.

“Don't tell me you’re afraid of a 15 year old China doll. And trust me, if she knew why you were doing this, she would thank you 1000 times.”

“Why would she thank me?” Thora stopped pacing and looked at Khalon with a confused and still frustrated expression. “I imagine she would prefer to do it herself.”

“Because she’s a virgin and an innocent who is being constantly watched by the keepers and ladies sent with her by her father. They couldn’t so much as walk in the gardens by themselves. Ironically, shes the only girl at Court he wouldn’t be able to fuck.”

The young woman just stared at him, her lips pursing and her brows raising. “Are you really going to sit there and tell me for all the strings you people in the palace can pull, that you really couldn’t figure out how to get those two alone and unattended?”

“Very smart people have been on this project, Thora. When one has been to court, one either learns to play these games or one goes nowhere.” he said, not really being interested in having an 18 year-old from some random city try to poke holes in his plan. “She might not even put out. You will.”

“Pretty sure if the future emperor tells the future empress to bend over, she’s supposed to do that or risk not being the empress anymore.” Thora pointed out, her voice still flat. She waved a hand then, “What do you get out of all this anyways?”

“You ask a lot of questions.” Khalon said, suppressing his annoyance at her implication that his plan was flawed. She really didn’t know anything about the situation. “The future Emperor won’t tell you to bend over. He’s a virgin and he thinks he’s happy to remain that way. I’m telling you to.”

“What if he actually is happy to remain that way and he won’t sleep with me. What then?” She wrapped her arms around her body, accentuating her own very impressive chest.

Khalon smiled; looking down at her figure.

“Not likely, my Lady.” He said , his voice smooth and warm. His presence was as intoxicating as ever, but it seemed to intensity in that moment. “If you know what you’re doing, he’ll go for you if he’ll go for anyone.”

Thora noted that wasn’t really an answer, but she could also tell Khalon wasn’t exactly in an answering mood. “What if his sister finds out?”

“Hopefully, you won’t be that sloppy.” Ive answered, but licked his full lips, calm. “But I have an excellent rapport with both the Orsini daughters. I’ll smooth things over.”

Her brows went up. Sisters? Royal ones at that? The man certainly liked to play with fire. Hopefully she didn’t get burned with him. “Alright.”

“You’ll have a week to learn under Ashiya before the Presentation of the Ladies. If I were you, I would make myself scarce at court. It will help you make a first impression at the right time.”

“I have no problems doing that.” Thora let out a breath and reached up to brush her hair back. “Is there… anything else?”

“Not quite yet.” He said, eying her. “For now, my car will take you back to the palace.”

“Um… okay.” Thora blinked and blushed slightly as he brushed her hair back from her face. “I think that’s all for now. If I have any questions or need to contact you, is that alright?”

“Of course. Just be careful. Subtly is our weapon just as much as anything else.” He answered, standing and kissing the back of her hand slowly. “Until next time.”

“Y-yes. Until next time.” Thora’s blush only deepened when he kissed the back of her hand. It was a gesture she was used to receiving, but there was something different about how this one was delivered that triggered interest and desire. She withdrew her hand a moment later and curtsied to him. “Lord Price.”

With that, she made a hasty retreat.

END