The Crown's Entrapment

In the privacy of their own room, Freya and Jayra were talking amongst themselves about the ongoing developments in their lives. Of course, that included the latter’s fairly recent mate bonding with Bartos, as well as all the juicy details regarding what came after such an intimate event.

“And that’s how it all happened,” Jayra smirked, leaving nothing to the imagination after having just regaled her friend about her escapade as a recently bonded woman. “I’m pretty sure you’ll do fine if you ever needed to do the thing. You werewolves should be considered cheaters with how much stamina you guys have.”

“I… Thank you for the… very detailed recounting about your experiences,” Freya stuttered, her blush practically taking over her face as she muttered in contemplation. “Truly, I’ve been corrupted by those books of yours.”

“You chose to read them in the first place,” Jayra quickly pointed out with a teasing smile. “I simply supplied you with the means.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re not any less responsible,” Freya whined with a pout, her cheeks still red as her mind kept on replaying her friend’s words. “I can’t get these images out of my head now.”

“Hey, if it’s any consolation, they’re pretty useful in real life,” the mage sagely hummed, much to her friend’s chagrin. “I for one really appreciated that I was able to-“

“Alright alright! Enough already!”

At poor Freya’s request, Jarya simply chuckled as she let her friend compose herself. It wasn’t her fault that she left nothing to the imagination. Her friend did want to leave no detail unsaid, and she didn’t even embellish the truth with any of her other wider fantasies. Her time with her beloved has been nothing but blissful, and she was only too happy to share her new discoveries, both physically and emotionally, with her friend.

Well, maybe she overdid it a bit on the physical aspect, but she was pretty sure that it was to be expected of her anyways. She was sure Princess Xenia would appreciate some of the tricks she picked up in pleasing her man, and maybe the princess herself might give her a few tricks of her own. Namely, how to last longer than an hour or two against a ravenous lover.

“Hey, I was just heeding your request for details,” Jayra pointed out with a teasing smile. “I also recall this one thing I did with him where I-“

“I said enough, Lady Jayra,” Freya weakly pleaded, her hands covering her blushing face. “As a friend, I’m asking you to stop. Please.”

“If you insist,” Jayra shrugged with a smile.

It was just too much fun recounting her experiences, Jayra found. Seriously, Bartos was unrelenting, and even her vaunted sex drive had some trouble keeping up with him whenever he was in the mood.

“Anyway, I’m sure my recent love life isn’t the only reason you wanted to meet tonight,” Jayra steered the conversation, helping Freya compose herself. “I’m assuming you want some advice?”

“…Yes,” Freya admitted with a sigh. “I’m sure you’ve already heard, right? About myself and Gideon?”

“I’ve heard some details,” Jayra nodded.

“Well, I’m kind of conflicted about what to feel about him,” Freya confessed with a sigh. “Like, I know he’s my mate, but I still don’t want to simply succumb to instincts and give myself away without even trying to understand my own feelings.”

“I want it to be real, you know?” the princess continued, Jayra keeping silent as she listened. “If we’re ever going to be a couple, I want to be borne not out of some baser instinct like lust or the Mate Bond influencing our decisions. I want there to be genuine love between us.”

Jayra sagely nodded as she listened to her friend’s spiel. She could understand where Freya was coming from, and she already had a few thoughts on how to address her fears.

“That’s understandable, Lady Freya,” Jayra reassured with a smile. “Even I wanted my relationship with Bartos to be one born of love and not out of some preconceived notion of lust.”

Freya hummed in deep thought. “How does it feel like then? Love, I mean?”

Jayra blinked at the question she was given. Crossing her arms, the mage found herself thinking long and hard before she finally responded.

“I guess love feels a bit like lust, but it’s something that’s more than just that,” Jayra answered with a hum of thought. “It’s more… how should I say this… deeper… It has more volume… Like there’s a burning yearning in your heart and soul that you want to be with him.”

“That… sounds like the Mate Pull?” Freya frowned.

“I don’t know what that feels like, but I do know that love means wanting to be with someone even if they get scarred for life or be permanently disabled,” Jayra quickly defended. “I mean, I know that sounds extreme, but that’s what love can do to a person. I know I’d be with Bartos still even if he suddenly woke up missing an arm or a leg. I care for him deeply, more so than one would for friends or family.”

“I see…” Freya trailed off. “All I heard is that love is a very deep and complicated feeling. One that words cannot properly explain, it seems.”

“That’s just how it is, I guess,” Jayra shrugged. “Still, that’s how I would explain it. Surely, other people would have their own explanations, but they’ll all have the same core feelings in it; ones that are of deep caring and longing.”

Freya nodded at her friend’s explanation. “Thank you for humoring my question, Lady Jayra.”

“It’s the least I can do for your hospitality,” Jayra warmly smiled. “Besides, we’re friends, and friends help each other out.”

“Even on their respective woes and problems regarding love?”

“Especially regarding love,” Jayra smirked. “If Princess Xenia was here, I’m sure she’ll have more to offer.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Freya chuckled.

With that, the two shared a few more laughs, some at their respective other’s expense as they enjoyed their time with one another. The only person left was Princess Xenia herself, who surely had a few more words and stories for them to share with. And speaking of…

“When is Princess Xenia returning anyway?” Jayra asked since she hadn’t received any confirmed details about their return yet.

“She’ll be here with Brother soon enough,” Freya vaguely answered. “Why? Is there something you have to do before then?”

“I just recalled that I still have something to do for her for the upcoming trials and all of that,” Jayra sighed. “I’ve been putting it off because, well, I was enjoying myself too much with being Bonded with my beloved.”

“I can see that,” Freya scoffed. “Your highly detailed tales are more than proof of that.”

“And like I said, you asked for me to not spare any details,” Jayra pointed out with a smirk. “It’s not my fault he was very skilled with how he-“

“Stop!” Freya quickly yelped, her blush returning to full force as she covered her face. “I get it! I don’t want to hear more of it!”

“Just saying,” Jayra shrugged. “Besides, you have to be able to take more than you can dish out. That’s how you can justify being able to tease people.”

Being born a commoner was also a big reason why she was able to take more than she could give out. It was only through her hardships that Jayra was able to amass thick enough of a skin to be able to go toe to toe with her favorite friends-slash-teasing targets.

“Isn’t that kind of mean?” Freya asked.

“It’s only mean if you don’t respect each other’s boundaries,” Jayra sagely explained. “As you’ve noticed, I always stopped whenever you told me to.”

“That didn’t stop you from trying to open it up again,” Freya pouted.

“But I stopped immediately after you told me to, right?” Jayra smirked. “There’s an ebb and flow to these kinds of things.”

The princess sighed. “Of course, you’d know all about that.”

“It’s part of my duties,” Jayra shrugged. “Being able to hold a conversation is one of the best skills one could ever have.”

“I can see that,” Freya sighed. “I guess I’ll need some more practice on that whenever I get flustered.”

“Having trouble talking?” Jayra quickly asked. “I find that hard to believe.”

“It’s not my strongest suit,” the princess admitted. “Still, I at least know enough that I know that there’s more that I have to improve upon.”

“And that’s the first step to getting better at it,” Jayra reassuringly smiled. “If you want, I can give you a few pointers. Being a socialite is important in court as well as in romance, you know.”

“I would appreciate that,” Freya beamed.

The night went on, the two exchanging information as if they would never meet again in the morrow. Still, it was an enjoyable experience, and there was more to be had by the time they were done.

“It’s getting late,” Freya pointed out. “We should get going.”

“Agreed,” Jayra nodded. “I know Bartos might already be looking for me.”

With a smile on their faces, the two parted ways. Both of them left with more than when they first met for the day, and they were sure that their subsequent meetings would be the same.