A Dream Born From Desire

TITLE: A Dream Born From Desire
AUTHOR: WotanAnubis
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Embric of Wulhammer's Castle or any characters from it. No profit is being made.
RATING: NC-17
PAIRING: Duchess/Carmina
NOTE: I'll take inspiration for fanfic wherever I can find it. Even in RPGMaker games.

For those interested, you can find Embric of Wulfhammer's Castle at www.Wulfhammer.org


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The Duchess of Elstwhere awoke into a nightmare. She found herself in a bedroom that was little more than a few square feet of stone floor surrounded by an endless, shimmering void. The bizarre surroundings had frightened her, at first, but by now had become almost mundane. She slipped out of her bed, easily ignoring the baleful stare from the pile of bones in the corner and walking past the bags of... medication... with barely a shudder. She confidently stepped out onto the narrow walkway crossing the vast nothingness underneath, certain that if she were to fall off somehow she'd simply wake up again back in her room at the castle.

Well... almost certain, anyway.

The Duchess soon reached the end of the walkway and looked across the empty abyss to Carmina. The dark elf sat in shadows, barely illuminated by the magic circle that imprisoned her even in dreams, surrounded by the skeletons of her lost army.

"You return," the dark elf said, her smile both genuine and sinister.

"I've been thinking about you lately," the Duchess Elstwhere replied.

"And I you," Carmina whispered, her voice a warm purr filled with forbidden promise.

The Duchess swallowed. "Yes, well, I've been wondering how I could help you."

"Free me," Carmina said hungrily. "Free me so that I may forever be at your side."

The Duchess breathed in deeply, trying to steady her nerves. It would've been easier if the dark elf had simply been trying to manipulate her. Instead, she could feel Carmina's sincerity. The dark elf truly did want to be with her, which rather complicated things.

"I'm... unwilling to go that far," the Duchess replied, trying to ignore the regret in her heart.

"I understand," Carmina said calmly. "Then please, grant me the pleasure of your company."

"Of course," said the Duchess and stepped off the walkway and onto the void.

As part of the nobility, the Duchess of Elstwhere naturally didn't know any kind of magic. However, since that whole business with the hidden shrine of Huraine and accidentally becoming the Anointed One of the Goddess of Love, Lush Scenery, Chocolate and Strawberries, she'd developed a few supernatural talents. Of course, these talents were strictly Divine Gifts of Huraine and not magic at all, but they were still... supernatural. Unfortunately, most of those gifts involved not being particularly embarrassed when she found herself without a dress yet again, though perhaps a lifetime of experience and practise had helped in this.

Point was, she'd begun wondering if perhaps she could use her status as Anointed One to help Carmina, or least ease her suffering. These dreams she shared with the dark elf weren't exactly dreams, after all. They were the manifestation of their desire for one another. Surely here, at least, Huraine would be able to influence things. If Carmina was sincere enough to win the Goddess of Love's sympathy.

The Duchess of Elstwhere stepped into the magic circle and knelt, smiling, in front of Carmina.

"How...?" the dark elf asked.

"I suppose I have friends in high places."

"Remind me to thank them, then," said Carmina.

The Duchess smiled, wondering how a dark elf of all sentient beings would worship someone like Huraine. She didn't wonder long, since Carmina soon reached out to her and hesitantly caressed one of her arms. Only now, feeling the dark elf's touch, did the Duchess realise that her arms were bare. As was the rest of her. Somehow she'd managed to lose her dress when she'd crossed the void between the walkway and the magic circle. And this time her undergarments had somehow managed to go with it. Still, she didn't feel particularly surprised or bothered by her nudity, partly because Huraine did rather approve of streaking, but mostly because Carmina's touch wouldn't've felt as nice if there had been fabric to get in the way.

"I note you're being particularly careful right now," the Duchess said teasingly when Carmina's slowly moving fingertips finally reached her shoulder.

"I... would rather... not lose my restraint again," the dark elf replied with obvious difficulty. "Not more than you are comfortable with, at any rate."

"How considerate of you," the Duchess said. She reached out to carress the dark elf's cheek, her pale hand forming an interesting contrast with a skin the colour of midnight. "Perhaps you would allow me to set the pace, then?"

Carmina blinked, confusion evident on her face. The Duchess wasn't certain why she looked so startled, but she could guess. Dark elves probably weren't used to their partners politely asking to take control of the situation.

"I suppose I would not object to that," Carmina said at last. "For now."

The Duchess leaned in and kissed the dark elf, her Anointed lips inevitably tasting of chocolate. She hadn't really known what to expect from kissing a dark elf, only that this wasn't it. Their kiss was gentle and tender, Carmina's lips soft and inviting. The Duchess had half expected that even kissing was just another struggle for dominance amongst the dark elves, or possibly an expression of power over a humbled, passive slave. But Carmina was neither trying to dominate her nor totally passive. It was quite surprising. And enjoyable. More enjoyable, in fact, as their kiss endured.

Eventually, their lips parted, the Duchess feeling flushed, Carmina smiling.

"I wonder," the dark elf whispered, "will this memory torture me tomorrow or warm me?"

"I don't believe I've quite finished," the Duchess said. "So I suggest you suspend your judgement for now."

"Happily," Carmina replied.

Duchess Elstwhere looked around at the skeletons of the lost army surrounding them. As far as scenery went, it wasn't a very lush one. Perhaps... if she concentrated...

Something green appeared in the shimmering void between the white bones. Small, at first, but spreading - growing - rapidly. The green shoots filled the emptiness, crowded across the skeletons and matured, sprouting strawberries. Within moments the two women were surrounded by red and green, a living Spring replacing a dead Winter.

"Strawberry?" the Duchess asked innocently.

A dark hand grabbed the Duchess' blonde hair and forcibly turned her to face Carmina. The dark elf was panting, her golden eyes burning with barely-restrained lust.

"There is no word powerful enough to express my desire for you," Carmina growled.

"Another time, then," the Duchess said, carefully removing Carmina's hand from her hair.

The Duchess kissed Carmina again. The dark elf was gentle, but there was an obvious hunger behind her lips. The Duchess responded by deepening their kiss, feeding Carmina's passion as well as her own. And yet for all the growing desire the Duchess felt in Carmina, for all the violent emotion no doubt tearing through her body, the dark elf somehow managed to not throw her down and ravish her naked body. Perhaps Carmina feared a repeat of that first dream, perhaps it was something else, but whatever it was, it allowed the Duchess to slowly push the dark elf down onto a floor that wasn't exactly there.

Once she was on top Carmina, the Duchess finally broke their kiss, only to kiss the dark elf again on her cheek, then her jaw, her neck, then paused...

"Tell me when I go too far," she said.

"There is nothing you could wish to do that I will not enjoy," Carmina replied.

For the moment the Duchess felt the urge to ask Carmina if she really trusted her that much. She quickly repressed that urge, however. Now really wasn't the time to talk about trust with a dark elf. Especially not since she had her bare body to explore.

The Duchess continued her journey downwards, her lips trailing kisses along the way. She heard Carmina gasp when she reached the dark elf's breasts. The Duchess smiled, then her tongue across Carmina's soft curves. The dark elf gasped again, nearly moaned, and the Duchess could feel her body squirm ever so slightly. She idly wondered if Carmina reacted so well because her breasts were especially sensitive or because of her long imprisonment. Either way, it would probably be rude to simply move on quickly.

The Duchess kissed her way across Carmina's breasts, occassionaly flicking her dark skin with her tongue and earning another half gasp half moan every time. Before long the dark elf was writhing with arousal, yet somehow still managing to restrain herself from forcing the Duchess to do what she truly wanted. As though to reward her commendable control, the Duchess let the tip of her tongue circle around one of the dark elf's nipples, before taking it into her mouth. Carmina moaned, her back briefly arching, when the Duchess sucked on her ever so softly, her tongue darting across the sensitive flesh.

By the time the Duchess released Carmina's nipple from her mouth, the dark elf was panting, her hands clawing at the nothing where the floor sometimes almost was. Deciding that now, perhaps, was the time to move on, the Duchess left a trail of kisses down Carmina's breasts and stomach. Apparently divining the Duchess' obvious intent, the dark elf became still, her breath quiet and shallow, her body quivering lightly with anticipation. The Duchess kissed Carmina hips, then let her tongue draw a line on her right upper leg before kissing her firm skin again. Her lips travelled to the dark elf's inner thigh, then up her leg again.

Carmina moaned loudly when the Duchess' trail of kisses reached the sensitive wetness between her legs. The beautiful noise filled the Duchess' ears and she felt a happy shiver run down her spine. Emboldened by the dark elf's reaction, the Duchess eagerly let her lips roam across Carmina's folds, kissing every inch of her sensitive flesh. It seemed to the Duchess that every tenderly placed kiss drew another moan from the dark elf's lips until the writhing body was so filled with pleasure that she barely reacted to any single thing the Duchess did to her and moaned continuously, wordlessly filling the void with nearly forgotten joy and a plea for true liberation.

Duchess Elstwhere did her best to ignore the pleasured moans from her partner or the way her dark body seemed to dance on her lips. Part of her was worried that if she paid too much attention to the sight and sound of Carmina she would become so lost in her beauty she'd forget to please her. Of course, that did not mean she blocked her out completely, but just enough to stay completely focused on her duty. Her lips parted and her tongue slipped out and lapped at Carmina's slit. The dark elf's deep, heartfelt groan nearly broke the Duchess's concentration, but she persevered, happily kissing and licking the dark elf's pussy without missing a beat.

Eventually, the Duchess' playfully wandering tongue made its way up to Carmina's clit. The dark elf let out a shriek that would have pierced the heavens if this place had had a heaven the moment the tip of the Duchess' tongue brushed lightly against the sensitive nub. The Duchess began circling Carmina's clit with her tongue, almost but not quite brushing directly against it again. She didn't think the dark elf could take such direct stimulation any more. Carmina's body was shaking with barely controlled pleasure and her breath had deteriorated into thick panting and pitiful whining.

With the weak sound of a disappointed gasp in her ears, the Duchess abandoned the dark elf's clit and licked her way down her pussy again, once more lapping at her wet slit. She paused for a moment, then kissed Carmina's pussy deeply. The dark elf came the moment the Duchess pushed her tongue into her, screaming, her midnight body shaking violently. The Duchess drank as much as she could from Carmina, her juices filling her mouth and dribbling down her chin, all in an effort to prolong the dark elf's orgasm.

Only when Carmina calmed, her pleasure presumably spent, did the Duchess pull back from the dark elf's pussy and swallowed her fluids. They tasted of strawberries.

The Duchess moved on top of Carmina's naked body and came face to face with her. The dark elf ran a slow hand through her blonde hair, smiled, and kissed her.

"I wonder," Carmina whispered when their lips parted again. "Will this memory torment me tomorrow or finally grant me your warmth even when you are gone?"

The Duchess smiled. "I don't know," she said. "Why don't you give me the answer tomorrow evening?"

"Nothing would delight me more, my Catherine," said Carmina.

"And now we wake."