The Emery Chronicles: The Red King's Romance (THIRD BOOK)

Chapter 1

Chapter One- The Red King

Roux, King of Aspentia, the Red Autumn realms of Emery, wiped the sticky paint from his brow and sighed in exasperation. He sat with paint and easel in his gardens, facing the sunset and trying to capture the moment all the leaves shined and the world seemed to glow red. His gardens being right behind his castle, he had tried this painting many a times before, for years in fact. But he could never quite capture the glow. He sat back and looked at the painting before him, a red mess compared to the beauty he tried so desperately to contain on his canvas. He set his brush aside and took deep breaths, calming his annoyance. Painting was the hobby he had taken up when he was just a young boy to relax him, but nowadays even painting was an added stress to his day.

"Roux!" An enthusiastic, manly voice called his name. The Red King turned to see his royal advisor, Edom, striding towards him. Edom was a handsome lad with dark black hair that had red streaks in it that could only be seen in the light and eyes that were a light golden-green. He was the same age as the king, and had grown up with him as his only friend sometimes.

Back when they were younger, Roux had been the smallest of all the cousins, even Liadan, and they had not let him forget it. When he had felt their teasing was too much, he would seek out a friend in his page's son and they practically grew up as brothers. When Roux's father had died in the Great War, Roux had instructed his old advisor to train Edom so that he could take his place one day, as he was the only person Roux really trusted. And it was done, as now Edom had been the royal advisor for about seventeen years. Even today, Roux's cousins teased him, though he was no longer a short and bony child, but a gracefully tall man with lean muscles and a body women fawned over. And even today, Edom was Roux's most trusted confidante.

"Yes, Edom?" Roux asked, wiping the paint off his hands with a rag.

"News," was all Edom said, shaking his head.

"More bad, I'm assuming." Roux also shook his head, and sighed again. It would definitely take more than painting to set the world right again.

"Yes. But I've brought some company for supper to cheer you up," Edom smiled mischievously at his king. Roux already knew what his advisor was talking about; if painting was Roux's favorite pastime, whoring was Edom's. The man loved a good roll in the bed with a woman; it was his weakness.

"I'll be in for supper in a moment," Roux chuckled. Edom thumped his back spiritedly and hurried back into the castle. Roux wiped the remaining paint off his face, squinting his warm, yellow eyes as the sun set and the light glowed around him. The autumn leaves burned as red as his own hair that Roux kept grown up to his shoulders and tied in a ponytail at the base of his neck. He sighed one last time at the beautiful view and finally packed up his materials and headed inside.

***

After washing, Roux went into the dining chambers where he found Edom lounging on a chaise and eating grapes off a golden plate as three women danced seductively before him. When the king entered, all of them turned to look at him and the three women continued their slow, enticing body rolls and hip gyrations.

Roux went to another chaise next to Edom's and lay back, grabbing a pear off of the same platter Edom ate off of and bit into it. Edom kept his eyes trained on the dancers, who were wearing long, beaded skirts and short blouses that showed off their curvy midriffs. The women spread out across the room and continued moving to a seductive melody two men were playing on their lute and drums in one corner of the room.

"The news?" Roux asked between bites of pear. He reached out and grabbed a chunk of cheese, biting into that as well and preparing himself.

"You know your White cousin has already had his son," Edom responded, still intensely watching the women.

"Yes. Jarek," Roux remarked, naming his nephew. "But this is old news."

"Yes, but the new news is that your White cousin isn't the only one with an heir now."

Roux sat forward, trying not to choke on his food. "You mean my Black cousin's dragon wife gave birth?" Roux had obviously known Daegan and his Dragon Riding wife Kieran had been expecting, but the news of expecting a child had taken so long, everyone assumed Daegan had picked a bad egg and she would miscarry. "Is it a son?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Edom finally looked at Roux, sipping his wine resignedly. "A healthy little boy they are calling Xandor."

Roux sat back in his chaise, closing his eyes and trying to breathe deeply. Now two of his cousins had a male heir, and his Spring cousin Gavin even had two female heirs. Their kingdoms were becoming stronger every time they drained themselves between their wive's legs, and what was Roux doing? Painting and draining in whores?

"It's my turn, isn't it?" Roux stated more than asked, still laying back. "To wed, to have a male heir. I need to strengthen Aspentia the same way they're strengthening their kingdoms."

"You are smart, my king." Edom responded a bit distractedly as one of the whores approached him and began dancing right in front of him, her pulsing hips mere inches away from his face. Edom caressed the soft skin of her hips as he continued, "I've an idea for the future Red Queen."

"And that is?"

"Nymphs," Edom simply remarked, watching as the whore turned around and began rolling her arse teasingly in front of his face. Edom teased back, giving her a little slap on her round backside as she danced.

"What do you mean by that?" Roux tried to get all the information out before he completely lost his friend to the women.

"Your cousins didn't just marry women that could give them heirs. They married strong allies that could help them in battle. Our Autumn kingdom is known for having the most amount of nymphs in all the kingdoms, nymphs that can control weather and can speak to nature," Edom said softly as the whore invited one of the others over and they began rolling against each other.

"And that's a good match for me?"

"If anything, it'll be a lot of people on our side. Gods know, the nymphs are an overpopulated bunch." Edom licked his lips as one of the whores bent backwards until she touched the ground. The other one grabbed her friend's legs and lifted them up, placing one on either side of her as the two began simulating intercourse while one of them still stood on her hands.

"Have you picked one out?" Roux asked loudly, knowing he had already lost his friend to the frenzy.

"Yes, a large nymph family has invited us to live with them for a month so you could get to know their eldest daughter."

"And we leave when?"

"Tomorrow?" Edom suggested, sitting up straight as the two women thrusted against each other. "Oh, gods, what a show! Could you please forget all this business for one night? I've paid good money for these women, one for you and two for me." Edom quipped before his attention was completely lost.

"What does m'lord wish me to do," the third whore sauntered up to Roux. "And I'll do it."

"I think my friend can have all three of you tonight," he told her as she got into her knees in front of him. "I've lost all my appetite tonight. I believe I'll head to bed alone."

"But how sad," the whore exclaimed, gently sliding her hands up his thighs. "M'lord seems so tense. I could at least give him a massage, to help him sleep better?"

"No, no, I know where all your massages lead," Roux quipped as he removed her hands from attempting to unlace his trousers.

"If you don't want a massage, I must say I've never tasted a king before." The whore licked her lips and glanced at Roux's crotch.

"Not tonight, dear." Roux stood and made his way out the door. "But you can do your money's worth on my friend. Even two whores aren't enough for him nowadays, I'm sure he'd love a massage from you."

Before Roux had even left the room, the two whores that had distracted Edom from the beginning were already undressing him as the third whore made her way over to begin work at his groin. Roux shut the door behind him and went to bed alone, needing to sleep everything off. Perhaps sleep would not disappoint him in relaxing him as painting had.