Vayal Academy

Mae, Nym, and I are enjoying an eleven delicacy well-suited to the occasion — roast deer braised in shadowcat ink — in the common room when Alyx returns, tie askew, stockings bunched, blouse stained. Her arresting eyes are as wild as ever, but now she’s nervous prey instead of collected predator. “Oooough,” she groans.

“Alyx!” I feel monstrously bad for Nym at the waver in her voice, the way she springs up just a little too fast, rushing over. She’s not exactly a saint herself, but I’d still like to help her somehow. (But how?) “Are you alright?”

Alyx hooks an arm around Nym’s shoulder and, even bearing her slumping weight, the elf beams and blushes. “Isn’t she the best friend a girl could ask for?” Alyx says, her voice strained and croaky.

“Must’ve been some party,” Mae says, sipping wine stolen from Alyx’s room (Wineskin just let her right in). “Hattie thinks you didn’t get her.”

“Not yet. Need you to-” she slumps to her knees before Mae, resting her head on her thighs, “fix me up.”

“Hmmm, now, would that be fair?” No! Please, let me have this — it’s bad enough you’re letting her lie on you like that. “I haven’t used any of my magic on Hattie.”

Alyx clasps her hands together like a sinner praying for penance. “Mae; I beg you.”

“Come on,” Nym says, “friends help each other out.”

“Listen to Nym,” pleads Alyx.

“What do you think, Hattie?” The last time Mae’s perfect eyes were on me like that, she was taunting Indel.

Despite it all, Alyx is still a friend, and she’s only got an hour left — if she couldn’t pull it through by now, she’s not going to. “Mercy.”

“You’re lucky Hattie’s so kind.” The yellow light flows into Alyx, who springs to her feet with a laugh.

“Bless you both!”

“Tell me more about the party,” Mae says, but Alyx is already halfway out the door.

“No time; gotta fuck a Princess.”

“What! No fair!” Nym shouts, hurrying after her.

“Well, you have to admire her persistence. Hey — where’s Nym?”

Sometimes I forget I’m the only one to see through her invisibility.

I bed down around midnight — the Gauntlet starts tomorrow, and while I’m not in any of the day’s events, it’s better to be refreshed. I want to spectate as much as I can, figure out some strategies.

But my sleep is interrupted in the early hours by persistent knocking that sets Oracle to growling. I soothe her with a quick pat and answer; it’s no surprise to see Alyx there, leaning on the doorway with a smile plastered across her face.

“Hullllo, Hattie.” She taps me on the nose and giggles. “Well. Go on. Verify.”

“Sign ups are closed; you didn’t make it in time.”

“Uh uh uh. That’s an assumption. Take a look! I got it done… I hadta party after. Horsies. Lesss go horsies!”

“Can’t we do this tomorrow?” My entire body is heavy with sleep.

“Come onnnnnn. You’re not curious?”

Unfortunately I am. A little bit. And my visions run fast — it’ll only take a few minutes. “Fine.”

“You’re not gonna make me wait out here?”

I let her in and she collapses against the closest wall, head lolling. “Crazy night, huh, Nym?” A moment later: “Woah. Where’s Nym? Back at horse party?”

I roll my eyes, focus on her face, on the past, let everything detach and float back a few hours.

My ghostly perceptions linger behind Alyx and Nym on a petal chariot, Alyx fresh-faced from Mae’s Restoration magic. “Awh,” Alyx says, looking around. “Nym didn’t come?”

The elf drops her invisibility with a blush. “Nym!” Alyx shouts, throwing her arms around her. “Still crushing on Princess Indel?”

“Uhm,” Nym stammers, and Alyx laughs.

“Take that as a yes. You wouldn’t happen to know where her room is, would you?”

There’s no way! Indel’s so in love with me that she shrugs off Syrene’s illusions — and Syrene’s actually good with Nym’s magic. (Gods, she’s so in love with me… Maybe there’s something to the Kothelli way of doing things. Multiple partners seems so outlandish to me, but the thought of never kissing Indel again?)

“Uhm.”

“Nym, Nym, relax. We’re gonna make you so happy tonight. I’m gonna make you so happy — just breathe, and answer me.” She puts two steadying hands on Nym’s shoulders.

“I- uhm, haha, I guess I can show you.”

And she leads the way to Indel’s apartments, but stops short of the door. “We shouldn’t. The Princess- she’s busy, probably, and we’re just-”

“Just two women here to make her night. Don’t worry about it.” Rap-rap-rap.

The door swings open and Indel frowns. “Yes?”

“Me and my friend here,” Alyx turns to gesture to Nym, who’s gone invisible. “Huh. Guess she got cold feet. Okay, just me. I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Speak quickly.” She’s in a gorgeous, figure hugging robe that makes me wish she didn’t kick me and Mae out so quick. “I have much to do.”

“Well, basically, there’s this competition going on between me and Hattie, and-”

“I am well aware.”

“Oh, brilliant.”

“Just hours ago I helped my beloved Hattie advance her position over you.”

What’s going to happen here? Indel’s so resolved… It’s impossible to imagine her helping Alyx.

“Wanna help me even that score?” Indel slams the door, only to find a hoof blocking it. Alyx shoulders in, the invisible Nym close behind.

“Really, peasant, what are you hoping to achieve here? You think I would betray Hattie for you?”

“Literally wouldn’t dream of it, Princess. I want you to help Hattie.”

“I already have. Leave.”

“It’s just, you know, that girl doesn’t know what’s good for her. Right? She’s got this gorgeous Princess fawning over her,” Indel slaps Alyx’s hands away when she tries to grab her waist, “and she’s so caught up on Mae. On this competition.”

“My beloved will realise her error in time.”

“Might be, might be. It’s just, the way I see it, if she wins… Well, she’s gonna spend all her time with Mae, right?”

“She already does.” A jolt of dread shoots through me at the bitterness creeping into her voice. “I am willing to wait.”

“And if she never comes?”

“I-”

She steamrolls her. Alyx puts her hands back on Indel’s waist, and this time when the Princess tries to force her off she only digs her fingers in tighter, pushing Indel against the wall. “Whereas you don’t give a fuck about me; if I win, and Mae’s all mine, Hattie won’t have anywhere else to turn.”

“My beloved would not want-”

“You’re a Princess — why’s it matter what she wants?”

Indel sneers. “Very well. I don’t want-” Her words turn to a gasp when Alyx bites her neck. Furred fingers knead her feathered waist.

“She doesn’t appreciate you. You’re regal and royal and hot as fuck. Why can’t she see you’re perfect for her?”

“I- well, yes, but-”

“I know you’re perfect for her. I wouldn’t dream of coming between you two. I want to help you, Indel.”

“You will address me-”

“Princess.” She slips a hand under Indel’s gown and gropes her breast, and, Godsdamn it, Indel moans. “If I win, I won’t let her go near Mae. You’ll have her all to yourself. Fuck me once and you can fuck Hattie as much as you want.”

“Enough-”

“I know I’m not your usual type. I’m not even a peasant — I’m worse. I’m some deer who wandered out of the woods. Elegant woman like you wouldn’t want to dirty yourself with me-” Has she been talking with Mae? It’s like she knows exactly what Indel wants to hear, “but it’s just the once.”

“My beloved-”

“You want some wine? Some vodka? Genna? I know I’m asking a big favour — I’ll give you whatever you need to get through it.”

Nym watches this entire thing with her hand under her skirt, on the same chair Mae used.

The flustered Indel doesn’t even try to stop Alyx slipping the robe off, exposing her red and gold lingerie. She stammers some protests, but otherwise remains frozen. “Gods, makes you wonder why Hattie’s wasting her time with the contest; if I had a body like this waiting for me,” she shoves Indel onto the bed, “I’d be with you every second.”

I expect that might make Nym do something, but all that happens is her fingers circle faster. Alyx climbs onto Indel, looming over her like a wolf guarding its kill. My mind winces when the next words out of the Princess’s mouth aren’t anything to do with me — no, instead she says: “You don’t deserve me, forest-mongrel.”

Alyx leans down so her lips hover just before Indel’s beak. “Think that’s gonna stop me?” The Princess doesn’t fight back against the kiss. When Alyx whispers “get those fucking panties off so I can fuck your royal hole,” Indel does it automatically, like there’s no other choice.

A mote of orange light fizzles against Alyx’s fur and she laughs. “Don’t worry, Princess — mine’s organic.”

“I- I should seek my beloved’s permission.”

“Oh, Princess,” Alyx hikes her skirt, “we’re well past that.”

Okay. I’ve seen enough. Time to get back to me. Just need to focus.

But it’s hard, now, with Alyx inside Indel — those moans break my concentration whenever I get close to escape.

“We- we shouldn’t,” Indel says, though her arms are around Alyx and she gasps just as loudly as she does for me.

What do you even care? You chose Mae over her.

Still…

“You’re right. We shouldn’t. How’d Queen Raeala feel if she knew some backwoods hick deer fucked her perfect daughter?”

Indel’s moan rattles around my ears just as I’ve almost extricated myself from this vision I’m well done with.

“You- you- you are beneath me.”

“I’m on top of you, Princess.” Alyx plucks a wineskin from thin air and pops the cork, pouring it down her greedy throat. Then, she pushes it to Indel’s beak. She shakes her head, but Alyx pours anyway — red wine splatters the bed and Indel’s feathers both. More, more, more; pour, pour, pour. The Princess coughs and sputters. A pressurised mist of red wine shoots from her beak and covers Alyx’s face. “You got me dirty, Princess,” she says, licking her lips clean. I wonder how much wine is in that fucking skin as she pours it on Indel’s chest, rivulets of wine running down her hydrophobic feathers. Alyx laughs, drinks from a shallow puddle settled between her tits.

I need to go to Tailina and get help controlling this Seer shit. Fuck this. I don’t want to fucking be here anymore. I want to be in my room, trying to forget I saw this.

Trying to forget how fucking hot it’s making you, you mean.

I try ignore my unhelpful mind, but the only other thing to focus on is Alyx, hand on Indel’s head, forcing it up to her face. “Clean up,” she says, pressing her beak to her spattered cheek.

“What? No, are you-”

Alyx squeezes Indel’s throat and she licks dutifully.

Get me OUT!

I snap forward. Before I can return to my own body, I see Alyx stepping out of Indel’s rooms, drunk on victory. Nym appears, red-faced and panting. “Nym!” Alyx shouts. “Where’d you go? I wanted to get you with her.”

“Um, I, uhm; Syrene wanted me.”

“Ah, well, if your obligations are all done for the night… let me take you to this horse party. You’d love it.”

They stagger down to the Honey Suites, and Coruscanter’s party. They enter, Alyx’s arm around Nym’s waist, but the deer’s distracted by a horde of chattering horses almost immediately, letting Syrene swoop in and wrench Nym away, fury burning across her face.

I wake up on my bed in only my nightgown, Alyx hovering above me with crazy eyes and a huge grin. “Pretty cool, right?”

Where’s Oracle? She shouldn’t be letting anyone so close to me while I’m unconscious.

In the corner, the traitor gnaws an enormous conjured bone.

“Alyx, what are you-”

“Shh, shhh, shhhhhhHattie, listen, Hattie, did you like it?”

“No!”

She tilts her head, eyes screwed up, ears perked. “What? I’m tryna help you.”

“Help me? How does that help me?”

“Isn’t she like all, possess-, possesshive? Give her something new t’... y’know? Off your back.”

Oh. I guess she really has been talking to Mae… I wish I could say I hate Indel’s attentions — if I weren’t so head over heels for Mae, I’d probably be with her, even if she expects me to be a Queen. But then, what right do I have to be mad if she fucks someone else when I want Mae so bad?

“You been thinkin’ for a while, H-h-Hattie.”

“I- look, I just- I don’t-”

“Hattie, I just want,” her entire body shifts down. Her cock brushes against my thigh and I blush. “I just want to help you. Cos I like you so bad, obviously. Only a lil less than I like Mae. Y-ya can’t blame me. Girl’s like some kinda god.”

“Alyx-”

“Hattie.”

“I-”

“I want you.” She kisses me, hot alcohol breath rolling over my face. The unbelievable heat of her makes my eyes close reflexively, makes my body relax into the kiss. I only get my awareness again when I realise she’s lined up with my entrance. “Jus’ say the word. We can team up. Get Mae t’gether. Come onnnnnn.”

It’s not like it’s not tempting. Here, when there’s no distance between us and quiet darkness outside, like we’re the only people left in the world, it’s really tempting. “I already chose, Alyx.”

“Oh, an’ who locked you in? Gods? You swear an oath?”

“I want to win.”

“Pffff. Okay. But when you hear her screaming my name, remember. You had a choice.”