The King of Ten Joys
A wandering alchemist returns home to face the truth.
The King of Ten Joys
By Danath
Cai and Rory are © their players and used with permission
Commissioned by Skeleton Jelly
* * *
During the Plaguetime in the Kingdom of Ten Joys, the rich and powerful neighboring fiefdoms sent wheat, but little else in aid. The disease touched every corner of the small, proud nation. When the Empire of the Knell decided the time was ripe, their wheat carts contained additional cargo: soldiers.
The conquest was easy and mostly bloodless. The Kingdom of Ten Joys, famed for its architecture and rich beyond its size thanks to a thriving trade in alchemy and other magic, soon became another province of Knell, and within a few years, its new capital. The child-king of Ten Joys, having occupied the throne for only a few weeks after his parents succumbed to the plage, found himself in exile.
And that's where I come in. Things have cooled off in Ten Joys over the past ten years since the war, such as it was. The other countries grumbled a bit that they weren't the ones who ended up with the rich little kingdom, but the Empire of the Knell kept trade flowing with only minor hiccups (and a few major taxes). Plus, the extra income made their legendary military all the more fearsome. The roads in Ten Joys are the safest on the continent, and I should know - I've been on most of them while passing through over the years. I decided after so long away it was time to return to my home country and see whether there were any opportunities to make a bit of coin.
And, I won't lie, the prospect of an audience with the supposedly power-mad Emperor couldn't be a better opportunity. Of all the tyrants, despots, and wannabe gang leaders I've entertained with my alchemy over the years, the power-mad fell under my charms the easiest. I can create all sorts of illusions with my potions and trinkets. I can also create far more real consequences with my mixtures - healing, hurting, or simple amusement. One particularly cruel bandit lord and his vicious gang known for their sneak attacks on travelers found themselves giving up the trade after I slipped a bit of something I like to call the Juice of Eternal Farting into their meal one night. Anyone who couldn't see them coming would hear or, more often, smell them first. Another time, I managed to help a couple find true love despite their differences - namely, he was a twenty-foot-tall giant bull recently released from a bond of eternal servitude (the goddess he was pledged to defend got a jealous new boyfriend). Fortunately, the only thing better than one twenty-foot-tall bull is two twenty-foot-bulls, right?
And besides that, I've had this strange feeling that it was time to come home. I've been wandering for a long time, learning all about other lands, other customs, and other magic. My alchemy is good now. Maybe not as good as the old masters, but I've managed to use a few new tricks and techniques I've picked up along the way to enhance my brews. And if I ever want to retire, I'll need money. Mad, rich, powerful people have money and they like to pay for highly-skilled alchemists. Emperor Roricus, King of the Knells and Ten Joys, is quite possibly the maddest, richest, and most powerful of them all - so where better to start?
I made it to the gates of the city of Lonely Jest before a single person spoke to me. The first person to do so was a guard stationed in a small stone hut built into the outer wall next to the large iron gates and sally port. The wall, ancient and imbued with protective magic, stretched in a massive irregular circle around the city, crossing the river that ran through the center twice. Eight major entrances ringed the city, and I was entering from the north, which was the least-traveled as well as the closest to the palace itself, which I could see the top spires of just over the twenty-foot wall.
The guard peered at me. He was a horse, a brown and tan male with a blonde mane. His nostrils widened as he sniffed and snorted at me, peering towards my face in the shadow of the large cape and cloak I wore. I kept still beneath, arms withdrawn under the thick black fabric. It was specially woven of dragonsilk, tough as armor, and still flexible. Best paycheck I ever got, and it could hold loads of stuff in the many pockets on the inside.
"Name?" the horse grunted.
I extended my black-socked arm smoothly from under my cape. The horse had a good eye for details and noticed the swirly patterns of black mixing into the orange fur just below my elbows, where I'd taken a few liberties with the color using a technique I'd picked up from an otter I met in the frozen north. Not sure what country that was, or if it was a country, but he claimed to be a king, and who am I to argue? In exchange for giving him endowments worthy of a king, I got cool flames in my fur. Fair trade.
Anyways, the stallion took the small, yellowed piece of thick parchment I handed him and scanned it, taking his time to read the admittedly far-too-fancy handwriting, but first impressions matter, I always say.
"The Alchemist?" the horse asked, peering beneath my hood again. He could probably tell that I was a fox, thanks to the glimpses of red fur around my eyes and my long, pointed muzzle. "That's it?"
I shrugged and flicked my ears, causing the flexible cloth ears sewn into my hood to move as well. I didn't know my name, to be honest. Never have. Not that it really bothered me. I have dim memories of growing up in Ten Joys, of learning alchemy and magic at a school of some sort, but it's a hazy mess after that. I don't know where I learned alchemical magic, but I'm good at it and it's kept me alive the last ten years. My first really clear memory is of the gates of the city of Kounsel, in the Kingdom of the Iron Justice on the other side of the continent, maybe a journey of at least a year by foot, less by river and sea. I remember standing outside, facing away from the city, towards the long road that would lead me back to Ten Joy after many detours both planned and unplanned.
As I stared up at the solid and imposing walls of Lonely Jest, I was hit with a weird feeling of familiarity. Considering I couldn't remember a thing about the place, the intensity caused my mind to race for what it was that triggered such a strong feeling, and came up empty.
I turned my hooded face towards the guard and smiled.
"That's it, Johnny."
The horse took a step back, armor clanking around his sides and legs, and one of his hands went to his sword at his side. My note hung in the air for a moment before I snapped out my paw and whisked it inside my cloak before the stallion could react.
"How d'you know my name?" he asked, tightening his grip on the hilt of his weapon.
I lifted my head slightly so he saw my sharp white teeth outlined against my black lips and the white fur around my muzzle. Like I said, first impressions. Though to be honest, I have no idea how I knew his name. It just came to me in the moment. I wasn't sure if it was just a lucky guess or something else, but I knew how to follow a hunch.
"I'm the Alchemist," I said, lowering my voice to a near purr.
He didn't know how to respond to that, fortunately, and disappeared into the stone hut after telling me to stay put.
The horse was gone only a minute before returning with a senior guard, a broad-shouldered badger with a Knell military badge on his arm.
"I'm Captain Gerald. Who're you?" the badger grunted, leveling a fat black-furred finger towards me.
I smiled again beneath my hood and produced my calligraphic calling card from under my cloak. He took it, snorted as he read it, and handed it back to me.
"Why're you here?"
So he was a no-nonsense type. I could work with that.
I pulled my arm back under my cloak, pocketing my card, before using the same arm to pull the hood of my cloak away from my face, revealing my vulpine features entirely. I'd heard stories about Ten Joys, of course, so I knew my appearance wouldn't be entirely shocking, but I was a little disappointed the badger didn't react more. The brown and tan stallion, at least, stared at me closely with a puzzled look on his face.
My pointed ears are black on the outside, white on the inside, and disappear at their bases into my bright pink hair. Though I could change the color at any time, I like the pink, and I grow it long so it falls around my face. I've got the usual white fur around my muzzle and it goes down my neck and chest, all way to my upper thighs. I've got black fur on my legs and arms with the swirly-dirly patterns where it meets the orange, plus a large black stripe going down the top of my fluffy orange tail. The black stripe expands outwards in additional swirly shapes and crescents where it meets the white tip.
What can I say? Being an alchemist has perks, like making sure my hips and butt are just right and that my tail is about the best tail could ever want. It's a great tail. At the moment, the cape hides it, as well as the rest of my body, but I think the stallion got a peek at some white chest fuzz when I extended my black-furred paw once more, this time holding a steaming cup of black coffee from Elkland, a kingdom to the west, and a known favorite beverage of Knell soldiers.
The badger sniffed the air and stared at my offering suspiciously, but I kept smiling and nodded at him.
"Don't mean to cause any trouble, sir," I said, as the badger took the small glass cup by the handle. "Sometimes I forget when it's appropriate to mystify the audience."
"Oh, a performer." He said the word as though he were talking about thieves and murderers. Some people just don't appreciate art. The badger sniffed the cup again. The corners of his lips turned up when he recognized the scent.
"All right. Register him and let him in," the badger said, turning away. "Thanks for the coffee."
"You're welcome!" I said, and the moment the bull disappeared into the hut I slipped past the brown and tan stallion, drawing my hood back around my face as I did.
"Hey! Wait, I need your name! Your real name!" he called.
I paused and, turning my head to the side so he could see, lifted my calling card to my muzzle and breathed a few words. The paper glowed and twisted, folding up on itself into the shape of a bird, then zoomed past my shoulder, weaving around in mid-air until it bounced against the steel plate of the horse's cuirass. It bumped against him several times until he plucked it out of the air with two fingers, holding it as though he thought it would burn him.
I watched out of the corner of my eye as the paper unfolded in his palm and he read the message.
"Wait, why should I have some coffee before the captain drinks it all?" he asked, but I didn't need to answer as the badger stumbled from the stone hut, grasping at his bulging crotch, a look of sheer bliss on his face as a river of white seed soaked it's way into his fur down his legs.
I giggled under my hood. The badger would be fine in a few minutes. I knew from past experience he'd be both too embarrassed and too happy for another sip of that still-warm cup of coffee to come after me anytime soon, and I had to admit the thought of watching the handsome stallion guard take a sip put a little flutter in my stomach.
But I had other plans ready to bring to a climax, so to speak.
After the short stroll through the dark sally port, I found myself in the bright, sundrenched main road of Ten Joys. The broad avenue ran straight towards the center of the kingdom, where it joined up with seven equally impressive roads coming from the other gates. At the center of it all: the palace, next to the large, spring-fed (and some say magical) Lake Bliss. I wandered down the busy street hidden under my hood, watching the people around me with a growing sense of discomfort. I thought I recognized a few faces here and there, even, as though I'd once passed by them before, like the ink-stamp merchant at the corner of a large open square or the flask-maker next door to a sweet-shop. Even the hustle and bustle of the city felt familiar and different all at once as carts and people appeared and disappeared from the side streets feeding the massive central avenue. I suffered the unpleasant feeling of knowing and not knowing all at once.
I decided to take a break before a headache came on. I was probably just feeling the effects of the long journey here. As uneventful as the past week had been, I still felt tired after so long on the road. Spotting an inn and tavern close to the main road, now looming tall and imposing over the smaller buildings around it, I ducked inside and approached the bartender, a young black feline with a patch of white around his left eye. He used a bar rag to wipe off the counter in front of me as I sat down.
"Welcome to the Toasted Apple, I'm Benjamin. What can I get you?" he asked, regarding my hooded countenance with interest.
"Spiced cider, an apple, a room, and a bath, in that order," I said, drawing back my hood.
His eyes flicked across my pink hair and vulpine face before he nodded. "Room's ten a night, includes a meal and a bath. No smoking and we're open late so there'll be some noise this evening." He turned his head to the side. "Hey, Albert! Take our guest to his room!"
Another feline emerged from the back room and wiped his cider-stained paws on his black pants. Whereas Benjamin was small and wiry, Albert was tall and muscular. He had gray fur from head to toe and a permanently disgruntled expression on his face. His whiskers twitched as he regarded me from a foot higher up in the air.
"This way," he said, swishing his narrow gray tail as he led me through the tables in the tavern towards the stairs in the back. The rooms, four in total, lined up two on a side down a short hallway. I accepted the key from Albert and went inside, checked out the simple bed and cabinet, and went back downstairs after locking the door behind me. I usually kept my cloak with me and had no other luggage.
I took a seat at a table and after a few minutes Benjamin approached with a plate of food and a toasted apple, covered in a fine crust of cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices. I savored the taste as I watched the two felines from under my hood. While the black-furred cat ran the front of the house, serving drinks and food, the larger one operated as the cook and muscle. And judging from the way their tails seemed to always find themselves intertwined whenever they were close enough, more than just business partners.
I'd just taken the last bite of the apple and pushed the empty plate towards the center of the table when the doors opened. The flash of fear on Benjamin's face was not hard to spot. The atmosphere of the tavern changed immediately as the few other people inside halted their conversations and snuck furtive, sidelong glances towards the doorway.
A pair of bulky wolves stood on either side of an equally muscular and mean-looking fox.
"Rent's due," the fox said, striding towards the bar.
Albert appeared from the kitchen and stood in front of Benjamin as the muscular fox leaned over the bar, smirking at them.
"Rates have risen this month. You owe me 300."
Indignation overwhelmed the black cat's fear and he popped out from behind Albert.
"That's ridiculous! We can't pay 300!"
The fox shrugged. "Well," he said, glancing around at the wood walls with interest, "it sure will be a shame if something happened to this place. It's really charming, building with wood. Much harder to charm against fire. Without our protection, just think what might happen."
I'd heard enough and swept myself out of my seat. The two wolves each took a step back as I glided towards them, passing between them on my way towards the fox. Neither could stop a claw on each paw - my pinkies - from pricking their sides ever so gently.
The fox tried to push himself away from the counter, but the expression on his face changed as I took the seat next to him and slipped him the claw.
"I'll take that bath now," I said, as the large fox toppled off the stool. "I'd suggest calling a guard for these three, one you trust - the truth serum only lasts a few hours."
The felines stared at me, eyes wide, shocked expressions, then at the poleaxed fox and canines, all three of whom babbled about how much gold they'd extorted from the merchants in the area.
"Who... who are you?"
A calling card with my fancy scrawl slid noiselessly across the countertop. As they looked down at it, I hopped off the stool and headed upstairs without a word.
Being mysterious is fun.
I'd just finished my bath when there came a pounding on the door to my room. Still damp, I left my cloak on the bed and moved to the door wearing only a brief pair of black silk undergarments and a half-open poet's shirt, ruffled puffy sleeves and all. I used my claws to brush my long hair around the side of my neck before reaching for the handle.
"Johnny!" I exclaimed, smiling at the surprised stallion on the other side of the door.
The horse's eyes went wide. "Wait, you're the reason the Branch gang is in jail?"
I took a bow, letting the poet shirt fall open further, exposing even more of my slim chest and narrow belly. The stallion did his best not to stare, but I caught a glance and grinned.
"The Alchemist, at your service," I said. "Though I usually don't work for free."
The stallion stared at me. "I'm supposed to question you."
I swished my tail around to my front and held it in my arms against my stomach.
"Ask away!" I proclaimed. "For you, dear Johnny, I am an open book."
"What did you do to the Branch gang?"
"I slipped them a truth serum. And some other stuff to keep them happy while spilling their guts."
"How?"
I took a step closer to the stallion, who didn't flinch - gotta respect that - as I lifted my index finger closer to his long muzzle, showing off the fitted claw-tip and tiny reservoir of fluid beneath the nail, held in place with a tack of adhesive and removable with the right solvent.
"Right... and why did you do it?"
"Those ruffians," I said, unnecessarily dramatically, "delayed my bath time."
Johnny grinned wide at that, showing off his large teeth.
"I'm not sure how to report that to my officer," he said, shaking his head.
"Tell him that after a chance meeting with a pair of fine guards at the north gate earlier today, their example of bravery and chivalrousness inspired my small deed of good-will to such a lovely and accommodating city," I said, putting on even more ridiculous airs. For a final flourish, I produced a leather coin purse about the size of a grapefruit from midair just in front of his nose and bounced it in my palm. "And also, tell them how much I'm looking forward to spending a lot of coin."
The stallion shook his head. "You've been in this sort of situation before?" he asked, leaning against the door frame.
I flicked my claw against his cuirass, making a pinging sound before I turned away, sweeping my tail up to tease his flaring nostrils with the tip - and show off my butt in my short black silk underpants.
"I know that the local constabulary tends to regard well-heeled travelers more kindly than not," I said, reaching for my cloak. When I was bored on the long lonely nights between destinations I tinkered with myself, and found I liked big and plump, with just the right amount of squeeze. A dozen or so experimental potions netted me the results I wanted, and, judging from the stallion's expression and bulge, the results he wanted too. I whirled it around and let it settle on my shoulders, hiding my ample rump from view, much to his disappointment.
"Well, you aren't wrong," he said finally, eyes darting back up to my face, though I made sure to smirk so he knew I saw the glance. His cheeks turned red and I worried I'd push it too far.
"And you? You're not just a gate-guard, but an investigatory criminal-catcher?"
"I'm the junior and do as I'm told."
"A junior! Such a strong and obviously capable guard should be much more than a junior, surely?" I said, sweeping back across the room towards where he stood in the doorway, until my chest pressed up against his breastplate, though I couldn't feel the coolness of the steel through my cape.
His awkward grin returned as I leaned into him further, but his stance was mountainous and didn't yield. He was fun, for sure.
"Former castle guards of the Ten Joys Kingdom aren't allowed to progress in the ranks," the stallion muttered. "Not even trainees."
I relented my teasing for a moment and nodded solemnly. "You were in training during the conquest?"
He snorted. "Conquest... more like a stroll on the riverbank. We didn't even attempt a fight, there were so few of us left. The last thing the king told us before exile was to live in peace and not throw our lives away."
The stallion kicked at the floor and looked down at his hooves. I pressed my palm flat against the larger male's chest plate and smiled as he lifted his gaze.
"I'm sure the king had his reasons, and besides, if you'd tried to fight, we might not have met, and that would be a shame."
I grinned and walked past the horse, brushing his muzzle with my tail again as I headed for the stairs. He waited a moment, a dumb smile revealing his flat teeth again, before he shook his head and trotted after me.
"Hey, wait!"
I found an open table near the fireplace on the wall opposite the bar and settled in. The stallion joined me and I signalled Benjamin for two ciders.
Several hours and several more ciders later, I found myself leaning into Johnny's chestplate in front of the fireplace, legs spread across the bench. We were the only two in the closed tavern, besides Benjamin and Albert, who'd retired upstairs earlier.
"You know," Johnny said, nostrils flaring above my head, "you remind me of someone I used to know."
"Friend?" I murmured, shifting my shoulders to lay across his lap, so I could turn my head towards him.
"The prince," he said, peering at me in the firelight. "I mean, the king. I was at his coronation, even if he only held it for a few weeks."
His muzzle lowered and I felt the heat of his breath on my lips. I slipped a paw up the side of his broad neck and closed my eyes as he moved closer.
"Where's he at now?" I murmured, lips an inch from his.
"Nobody knows. He disappeared in Kounsel years ago."
"Funny, that's the first thing I can remember," I said.
He pulled his head back and leaned in closer, but the romantic vibe was gone, unfortunately. He peered at me again as I rolled my eyes.
"No, I'm not some long-lost prodigal prince," I said, tapping the stallion's chestplate with my claw. "I'm only a humble entertainer."
Johnny shook his head and snorted, flaring his nostrils, before standing up.
"I suppose... sorry, it's just... I have to be on duty tomorrow and-"
I held up a paw to stop him and stood.
"I understand," I said. "I have a feeling we'll meet again soon anyways. Now go on and make that report already."
I made sure to brush my tail beneath his nose again as I walked past to the stairs. Imagine him thinking I was royalty. Ha!
* * *
The next day, after large breakfast prepared by Albert (on the house, though I tried to pay), I went to the palace to see about putting on a display for the emperor. I patiently waited through a chain of Knell flunkies and soldiers, confounding each with a stoic refusal to answer any questions beyond my intent to offer my services to the emperor.
It wasn't until I reached an officer that I broke character. Producing a cup of coffee earned me a visit to the palace's resident alchemist, who quickly shooed the Knell soldiers away after I was brought in and removed my hood.
"Sit, sit down!" he said, bent over almost in half from age. He was a feline, a leopard of some type, but his fur was an even shade of light gray from ears to tail. "Now, it's good of you to have put on a disguise before you came to see me. The Alchemist. What a good idea! Ha ha!"
The old cat gasped for breath as he plopped himself down into a wooden chair with cloth wrappings across from mine.
"And those!" he gasped again, pointing at my midsection. "Those hips! Hee! Wonderful disguise. The little details, like I taught you."
The old magician occupied an entire spire of the castle and we were sat in the largest room, a sitting room of sorts, with a fireplace and work tables and stacks of books on shelves all around the circular stone walls. I wasn't sure at all what he was talking about, but I didn't stop him. Sometimes it was better to let people spill than correct them and lose out on valuable information. He clearly thought I was someone else.
"Now, though, you must tell me what you plan is to depose that lazy fraud occupying your throne!" he said, lips stretching into a hopeful grin. "Anything I can do to help, you can count on me, Your Majesty!"
King? Just like Johnny. What, do all foxes look alike?
I shook my head. "Sorry, but you've got me confused," I said. "I'm not a prince. Or king? I guess he was both? But I wasn't and I'm not."
The leopard winked. I think he winked. The left side of his wizened muzzle twitched, at least.
"Oh, come, King Cai... there are no Knell ears listening to us here, not with my wards and protections," he said.
"No, really," I said. "I'm not him. I just want to put on a show for the Emperor, earn some money, and retire somewhere nice. I heard the beaches in southern Knell are great."
The leopard paused and squinted at me, leaning forward in his seat to do so, then leaned back and harrumphed into his paw.
"You honestly believe that, hmm?" he said to himself. "Well, well... maybe a potion that... with three parts... and with the right mixture..."
He leapt from his seat and dashed - or at least briskly hobbled - towards the back wall.
"Don't just sit there, come help me!" he called over his shoulder.
I wasn't sure what he was going on about, but indulging him cost me nothing but time, and plus, this feline had been around the block a few times. People didn't get setups like this in a palace like this in a country as rich as this without earning it. And to be truthful, I did have the feeling I knew him from somewhere... kind of like when I first saw Johnny and could remember his...
"Archibald?"
The leopard hopped around in a circle and threw his arms up. "See! I am right!"
"How did I know your name?" I asked, as a wave of the same unpleasant knowing-yet-not-knowing feeling came over me, the same as when I'd been outside the palace yesterday.
"Because you are him! And you don't remember. But I will fix that," he said, hopping back around to pull various beakers and bottles together on the workbench.
Watching him work took my uneasy mind off wondering how I knew his name to wondering how I'd never heard of him before. He was wonderful. His fingers flew across the ingredients, pinching and dropping and shaking and mixing in perfect, measured, absolute amounts. The precision, the control... the old leopard gave an incredible performance.
The only problem was I had no idea what he was making. A glowing blue liquid bubbled away in a thin vial, no more than an inch or so across and about as long as my paw. He held it in a pair of tongs that he extended towards me.
"Drink! Drink and remember!"
I hesitated. "It's just that I saw you put three different kinds of nightshade in there, and I don't know if-"
"I am old and tired of waiting for you to show up, so drink!" he said, raising his voice and prodding the vial towards me with the tongs. "Hurry up, stupid king!"
"Fine!" I said, laying my ears flat back. I grabbed the vial in my paw and lifted it to my lips. Just before I drank, I turned my head towards the leopard, who was nearly dancing in place with anticipation. "You know, if I really am the king, I probably won't like being called stupid."
The liquid taste of sour fruit and salt, an unpleasant combination, but only lasted for two swallows. I'd had worse.
Like the time when I dosed Johnny with an aphrodisiac and had to convince him to take the gross antidote by drinking it myself too. We were up all night.
Wait, what?
My eyes crossed and I slumped against the workbench, knees dropping out from under me as memories returned, one after another: studying with Archibald as a child, meeting Johnny when I commanded my own military detail after turning 16, growing up in the palace... everything. Losing my parents. Losing my throne. Losing my country.
"Archibald," I gasped, "What was that?"
"You had a memory block! I removed it, so now please get on with telling me your brilliant plan to retake your throne!"
I stumbled back across the room and slumped into a chair, holding onto the backside as I tried to process all the things I could now recall so vividly. Like how I created the potion to clear my memory so that I could travel undetected. If I didn't recognize me, why would anyone else? Plus, I'd altered my appearance enough that only those closest to me could see who I really was.
The old leopard returned and handed me a cup of something hot. I sipped at the tea and felt my heartbeat return to something approaching normal as the crush of memories subsided a little.
"I suppose that was a shock," he said. "But come now, I'm sure you want to move quickly. What is your plan, Cai?"
"Plan?" I gasped, trying not to heave. "I just found out I'm not who I thought I was."
"Don't tell me you never suspected. That block was old, maybe ten years," Archibald said.
Now I remembered how good he really was. My old master. The lessons, the long hours, the practice, and the... uh... experimentation with Johnny.
"Ah, see, you knew, but you tricked yourself into not worrying about it."
I didn't know what he meant at first, but then his gaze dropped to my ample rump and slender belly. Oh. Right. How I distracted myself when I wondered about it over the years by tooling around with my own figure. A very good trick.
I self-consciously wrapped my tail around my knees and leaned forward into the broad, bushy warmth.
"Well, now that I'm here, I suppose I better come up with something good," I said. My head wasn't hurting so much anymore as the memories kept coming back, though some were weaker than others. I wondered if there was anything I'd forgotten for good. Better to focus on the present and worry about that later. "What can you tell me about Emperor Roricus?"
The old leopard's lower lip trembled.
"Pffah! That pompous bastard thinks he knows all, see all," the cat said, stamping a foot for emphasis. "Prances around in the buff, has his way with whichever soldiers catch his fancy. Sure, it's a palace tradition, but he has no taste or shame! Right on the throne!"
I nodded. I'd never taken advantage, being too young. Well, except with Johnny, but we were both young back then. The rumors about my father were legendary and reached even my mostly-innocent ears. But it was a known secret, a privilege, not something to be abused.
"I'll never be able to defeat the Knell armies, Archibald," I said. "Even if every remaining member of Ten Joys' military took up arms, we'd lose in days, if not hours."
Archibald tried to protest but I kept going.
"Ten Joys is dead," I said. He sat back, eyes wide.
"But... it can't be, now that you've returned!" he sputtered.
I grinned and leaned forward, drawing my cloak around my body.
"There is no crown left for me to return to," I said, but the smile on my face gave away my true intention.
Archibald leaned back and smirked. "You were always very quick on your feet. So, what is your idea now, huh?"
I shrugged. "If there's no crown, then I need to aim higher. Perhaps Emperor." I paused a moment, savoring the title before continuing. "Emperor of both Ten Joys and Knell."
Archibald's smirk grew. "Tell me what you need, Your Majesty."
* * *
Emperor Roricus sat on the throne, lounging against the gold-plated backside's velvet curtains. His bare rump spread across the broad cushion made of the same royal purple material. The emperor's belly filled out a bit over the past several years, though most of the weight went to his hips and backside. He was smooth and soft, and was vain enough to take long baths every day using expensive imported soaps and fur softeners. While holding audience in the throne room, he prefered to show off all that hard work, according to Archibald, hence the nudity and proud display of admittedly large sheath and testicles.
He was attractive, there was no doubt. A cute face surrounded by a luxurious ruff stretching all the way around his shoulders and neck, running down to a point between his smooth, shorter-furred pecs. A crown perched on his head, half-cocked, draped over one of his brown, flopped-over ears. A band of creamy white fur ran from his muzzle down his neck, including the mane-like ruff, and spread across his chest and belly, coating the insides of his thighs down to his ankles. Otherwise his coat was a medium brown with darkened spots of a deeper shade. His rump and the underside of his tail, currently draped over one arm of the throne, were white, while the top of the broad, fluffy appendage was brown to black near the center.
The throne room was much like I remembered it, though some redecorating occurred in the meantime. A massive Knell flag draped across nearly the entirety of the back wall, reflecting some of its bright red colors back onto the heavy, flat slabs of marble flooring. High windows let in the bright noontime sunlight from above, though oil lamps burned bright to fully illuminate every corner. They were built into six huge marble columns that stretched high overhead to the vaulted ceiling. A royal guard wore palace armor which was also very similar to the old Ten Joys style, though the streaks of turquoise were replaced with the Knell red across the brim of the short caps and belts. Each guard wore matching black dress pants with polished boots and a short leather jacket over which a flexible, form-fitting chainmail hung.
As was tradition, the two guards nearest the door carried poleaxes, the guards in the middle held crossbows, and the two nearest the Emperor himself had swords. They stood at attention as Archibald appeared in the doorway, marching past them towards Roricus.
"Emperor!" he called out, brushing a paw against one of the swordsmen - a striking black stallion - who offered him an arm. "I have good news!"
Roricus yawned and sat up slightly, stretching out his arms and legs. The canine swept a paw across his shaggy brown hair, moving it out of his eyes for a moment before it fell back into place.
"What is it, Archibald?" he asked. "I'm in the mood for something far younger than you right now."
The black stallion guard's left eye twitched just the slightest at that, something I didn't miss. Interesting.
As Archibald introduced me to the Emperor, Johnny approached in his simple armor, flanked by a pair of palace guards.
"You!" he hissed, glaring at me.
I smirked, but kept my hood draped over my face. Since the last time Johnny saw me, I'd changed my appearance to more closely resemble my original self. A slightly longer muzzle, narrower cheeks, a tinge redder fur. Though I'd kept my slender figure and even packed a few extra pounds on downstairs.
"Sorry, Johnny, but we needed you immediately for a very important experiment," I said, keeping my voice low. I'd recognized several of the palace guards on my way in, but the ones that worried me were the majority I didn't know at all.
The brown and tan horse narrowed his eyes and flicked his ears forward.
"What did you say?" he asked.
I could feel his fingers reaching out for me and shifted to the side, out of reach. He was interrupted by a bellowed announcement from the rightmost of the poleaxe-bearing guards at the first set of columns.
"His Emperor, Lord of Knell and Ten Joys, Roricus of the Eighty-Nine, welcomes to his court The Alchemist!"
I moved forward right away. Never did to keep royalty waiting. The palace guards behind Johnny pushed his shoulders to propel him forward after me.
As I walked forward, I tried to keep my blood from boiling at the sight of the power-mad dolt occupying my family's rightful throne. He looked so smug and confident, but I had to keep my cool for now.
"Your Royal Majesty, I am humbled and honored by your decision to see me," I said, sweeping my arm and cape out to the side obsequiously as I bowed low. "I have traveled far and wide to find a wise ruler such as you to whom I could pledge my services."
"Archibald here says you're pretty good," Roricus said, eyes darting up and down as I flashed a glimpse of my slim figure beneath the cloak. "I believe it is disrespectful to hide one's face, however. Remove your hood, Alchemist."
I stood up fully, but kept my head bowed as I pulled my hood back, revealing the top of my head and all my long, shockingly pink hair.
"Apologies, Your Majesty, you are of course correct," I said, glancing up. "I simply forgot as I was awed by your presence."
He smirked and leaned back in the throne, wiggling his hips to put his junk in a more comfortable position between his pudgy thighs. I had to admit he looked good. This was going to be fun.
"That's better," he said. "Now, I don't much like foxes, but Archibald's convinced me you're to be trusted."
I nodded solemnly. "Perhaps Your Highness requires a demonstration of my abilities," I said.
The whole time I bantered with Roricus, Johnny's face stared at me wide-eyed. Hopefully he wouldn't give me away just yet.
"Fine, a demonstration," Roricus said, grinning. "Archibald didn't mention this."
The old leopard glanced at me quizzically, but I shooed him to the side and strode into the center of the round dais at floor level, several feet below the elevated throne.
"As Your Highness is no doubt aware, Ten Joys is home to many wise and powerful alchemists," I said. "I have spent my life traveling, learning everything there is to know about the magical arts."
I spoke with a theatrical flourish and sidestepped with my cape flowing behind me, walking around to look at the Emperor from behind Johnny's broad shoulders.
"I have learned how to induce certain desired reactions," I said, pricking the stallion's side with a claw. "As an example..."
Johnny's nostrils flared as what was surely to him a familiar sensation swept through his veins. I saw his fingers clutch into his palms before the front of his leather pants swelled outwards with the lewd outline of a growing stalk. The same general principle as the coffee I'd given Johnny and the officer at the gate, but much more potent, with an extra bonus included.
That extra bonus stretched further down the leg of Johnny's pants as his eyes widened. A moment before the pleasure-bomb struck the stallion, I saw his lips start to form a word.
"Ca-- mmmmmmmffff!"
"See here, Your Highness," I said, moving around behind the heaving male. I spread my arms around Johnny's muscular torso, leaning my chest into his backside. I could feel the racing of his heart as I wrapped both arms around his midsection, fingers spreading around the bulge, before squeezing and compressing, pushing it into my palms. Johnny huffed and moaned, hips twitching as he leaned back into me and simultaneously pushed his hips out. A wide, growing wet spot down near Johnny's shin signalled the arrival of his soon-to-be copious pre.
Though I hadn't slipped Emperor Roricus a potion - yet - my demonstration had the desired effect. Roricus was rock hard. Though I loathed him, I had to admit he was a beautiful specimen: a nice and fat maleness, plump testicles, a smooth and shiny pelt, and a little on the thick side all around, so there was plenty to hang onto. Though I doubted the Emperor was ever on the bottom during his encounters with the palace guards, judging from the way he licked his lips and stared at Johnny.
Well, we'd soon fix that.
Johnny let out another moan and dropped to his knees, pulling away from my hands. The hunched-over stallion worked his fingers worked into the string holding up his pants, undoing it to allow his meaty shaft to spill out. The Emperor's eyes lit up as he watched the stallion's titanic stalk bend outwards before straightening and lurching upwards, flexing and hardening until the huge shaft twitched and throbbed from the base between his strong legs to just under his chin. With a set of swollen testicles to match, of course. It was a wonder all of that horse meat fit into his pants at all.
"As Your Highness most assuredly knows," I said, leaning over Johnny's trembling shoulders, "lust is a powerful emotion."
The stallion's tip trembled as a steady trickle of pre-cum oozed from the tip and slid down the bulging, veiny length. Johnny's eyes stared at his enlarged maleness as his hands grasped the base. He was too thick to get his fingers to meet.
"I have other abilities as well - I can cause grief and joy and rage and all other emotions imaginable," I continued, slipping around Johnny, partly blocking the view of his massive erection from the Emperor. "I can entertain as easily as I can craft potions to serve Your Highness in any capacity required."
Roricus leaned back in the throne and slipped a paw around his own erection, slowly teasing himself as his eyes drifted back to the shuddering, moaning stallion kneeling on the floor.
"And why should I need another alchemist?" he grumbled. "I've already got Archibald."
"I'm not proposing to merely be your personal magician," I said, stepping to the right side of the dais and turning back towards Johnny and the six guards. Archibald continued to stare at me from the left side. "I would be very interested in serving Your Majesty in ways Archibald might not."
I bowed again and stretched my arm towards the six palace guards. On cue, each of the six suddenly broke into moans of pleasure, exaggerated and amplified by the sudden shock of the potions I'd nicked them with on my way in. The same as Johnny's, only time-delayed.
Roricus's eyes almost came out of his head as he watched his palace guards drop to the floor one by one, weapons clattering onto the marble. A steward closed the door to the hall as their incredible moans echoed past the columns.
The black stallion reacted particularly well to the serum, I noted, and Roricus was almost out of his seat as the big male's meaty black erection surged out and up, fattening all the while, until it sank down into a pair of testicles bigger than the Emperor's head.
"Very interesting," Roricus murmured, though I knew I had him - erections don't like, and the Emperor's cock was hard as could be. I added "Change the throne coverings" to my list of things to do later on, once this fat-bottomed ruler was fully under my control.
"I'm sure Your Highness has many weighty, powerful problems to handle all at once," I said, rising from my low bow. "I'll leave you to consider my proposal."
Archibald followed me out as I paused only to snap my fingers in front of Johnny's face, rousing him out of his pleasurable stupor long enough to get him to follow me out the side corridor.
Once we were back in Archibald's spire, the old alchemist turned on me.
"What was that?" he growled, finger stabbing against my chest. "You told me you didn't like how he used the palace guards!"
"Don't worry, I'm sure they're enjoying themselves," I said, sliding my paw down Johnny's chest as I spoke. "Isn't that right, Johnny?"
"Nnnnnhhhggggg!"
Johnny's eyes closed as I stroked my fingers up his erection to the very tip.
"Pah!" Archibald said, throwing his hands up in the air. "Just like your father! Make eyes at the boys, too busy to run the country!"
I smirked and leaned back against Johnny, teasing him with my overly bushy tail. I slide a palm up his large cheek as his hips bumped forward, grinding his massive pole into my backside against the cloak.
"Oh, come on, Archie," I said. "This has got to impress you at least a little, huh? And you know my father ruled well."
The leopard waved both paws at me. "Pfeh. Fine. Do as you like, Cai. But don't forget your true goal here, yes?"
I nodded and felt my face tighten up as I thought about what Roricus did to my family.
"Oh, there's no forgetting why I'm here, Archie," I said, before loosening up again and smiling. "Of course, there's nothing wrong with having a little fun along the way. Ten years of traveling has given me perspective, if nothing else."
The old leopard's eyes dropped to my hips, which slowly gyrated against the stallion behind me, massaging his over-sensitive maleness to the point he could barely gasp for breath every few seconds. Archi's cracked lips spread in a wide smile and he shook his head.
"Just like your father," he repeated. "It's good to have you back. Now take him somewhere I don't have to listen."
I grinned and led the aroused stallion up the stairs of the spire to the very top floor, where a small spare room contained a bed and wooden crates of empty bottles and vials.
Johnny didn't resist as I helped him undress fully before ditching my cloak and undergarments myself. I ran my hands across his chest and belly, grinning as his thickness bobbed between my arms, before pressing against him, rippling my smooth chest and stomach along his flexing length. The stallion's fingers clutched my shoulders and held me tight as I grinned up at him.
"Just like old times, eh, Johnny?" I asked, reaching up to stroke his cheeks with my claws. "Sorry about the deception, but if it makes you feel any better, it took a nearly poisonous Archibald potion to restore my memory last night, so I didn't really know it was you earlier."
Johnny's eyes widened as I pulled his muzzle closer. The heat of his flaring maleness between us drove me wild as my own erection, big but not enormous like the stallion's, pressed against his. His lips pressed into my, big and warm, enveloping part of my face as he moved me backwards to the bed, pushing me into it, holding me down, kissing me with his long muzzle all the while.
There was no hesitation as I spread my legs, tail curling back, exposing my plump and firm rump. His lips crushed mine as he knelt between my legs, both hands reaching down to handle his massive length, guiding it against my tail hole as I stretched my legs athletically to the sides.
And then he was in. I wasn't insane - I'd created potions to handle this sort of beastly shaft long ago. But I was still tight and warm and hot and he was still huge, and as Johnny drove deep I wrapped both legs around his hips and squeezed, pulling him harder into me. My claws slid down his backside, though I'd furtively ditched my claw-tip injector back in the throne room so there was no chance of a double dose, as much fun as that might have been.
Johnny's nostrils flared as he broke the kiss finally and reared back. His large hands reached for my midsection, wrapping both thumbs around my belly and eight fingers around my lower back. My hips were almost a foot off the mattress as I splayed my paws flat against his muscular chest, groping at his warm pecs.
He hauled me down, humping forward at the same time, gripping my slim belly nice and tight. I could feel his magnificently large stalk slam into my body, stretching deep, filling me up and bulging out my stomach. And he kept going, deeper and harder, forcing me to take each and every inch of his pent-up lust.
I craved all of it. It wasn't as though I'd missed any opportunity for a bit of hanky-panky while traveling these past ten years, but on my back with Johnny mounting me felt good in a whole new way. I clutched my paws around his arms, pulling him down, hugging him to me until his broad tongue forced its way into my muzzle.
The whole bed rocked and creaked across the stone floor, shifting and scraping every time his hips slammed down, sending ripples of energy through my plump rump. I clenched my whole body as his stalk stretched me good and groaned as he groaned, exchanging the breath of each other as we pressed together even more tightly.
His erection erupted inside me and I came as well as his staff throbbed so hot and warm and so deep inside. Johnny's fingers grabbed at me, my shoulders and hips, the back of my neck, stomach, sides... he wanted all of me and I indulged, eagerly pumping my body back onto his monstrous maleness until he was crying out again, gasping for breath as he came a second time, and then a third and fourth in rapid succession, giving me the cutest and jiggliest pot-belly I'd ever had.
I lay back, eyes half-closed as he pounded away on me, sometimes flipping me over, sometimes lifting me into the air. It was wonderful, and there were still a good four, five hours to go...
As Johnny's eyes peered down at me, I wondered how Emperor Roricus was doing at the moment, considering the special side effects the six palace guards got that Johnny didn't - effects that would transfer quickly to the Emperor. I couldn't help the smile that stretched along my muzzle as the stallion's hot breath steamed up my white chest fur.
I'd check on him soon... once Johnny and I were finished.
Six hours later...
Johnny collapsed beside me, dragging his spent stalk from between my tight rump cheeks as he hit the ruined, soaked mattress beneath us. I moaned as I felt the flared tip pop free and shivered as my own erection squeezed into my full belly.
The stallion's eyes closed as he reached out, draping fingers half over my side.
"You're... really Cai?" he asked, nearly slurring his words from tiredness.
I smiled and leaned over, resting my side on his chest, and kissed him on the nose.
"I am."
"And you're gonna be in charge now?" he asked, voice fading with drowsiness.
My grin widened.
"I am."
"And can we do this again when I... wake.. snnzzzzz..."
I giggled and kissed his nose again before lifting myself heavily off the bed. I was a mess. Sticky paws, cum-soaked fur, and I was still draining down there.
Fortunately, I'd come prepared. A small vial in my cloak provided me exactly what I needed. After drinking it, I could feel a wave of energetic warmth ripple through my body. I began to pant as my internal temperature rapidly rose. The thick goo in my belly churned and gurgled as my body turned it into food, desperate for anything to fuel the sudden increase caused by the potion.
As my belly shrank, my cock thickened. I couldn't help myself, not with what I was planning on doing next. I also made sure to plump up my balls, just to ensure they'd properly put the Emperor in his place. Namely, on his hands and knees underneath me.
I lifted my head and arms, spinning in place as steam rose from my fur, fluffing it out and causing flakes of dried seed to fall away.
Within minutes, I looked as good as new. I slipped on my cloak, naked beneath, and headed downstairs. Archibald was waiting in a chair by the fireplace, holding a potion in his paw.
"That's the one I asked you to make?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yes, but I don't understand the yew root. Won't that..."
I grinned. "Oh, it will."
He shook his head. "Your father would be amused."
My tail swished beneath my cloak as I trotted over and plucked the vial from his paws. I leaned down, wrapping my bare arms around the leopard before pressing my forehead to his momentarily.
"Thank you, Archie," I said. "This would have been much more difficult if it weren't for you."
The leopard grumped and pushed me away, but I could tell he was touched.
"This was your plan," he said. "You used foreign ingredients and techniques in your alchemy. Not my teachings, but for this purpose... effective. Besides, soon you'll teach me all you picked up over the past ten years."
I grinned and headed for the door, tucking the vial into one of my cloak's inside pockets. The glass felt warm against my paw.
* * *
Considering it took me six hours to satisfy one stallion dosed up with a weaker version of my potion, I wasn't too surprised to find Emperor Roricus still engaged in various lewd acts, though he'd moved the party to his private chambers at some point. Well, I say "his" private chambers, but they used to be mine, occupying the top floor above the throne room. The walls were boarded over and painted, but the dimensions were still the same, as was the massive four-poster bed dominating the center. Candles lit the walls and floors, revealing streaks of dried and not-so-dried spooge on the paint.
I could see a few of the guards lying about the room in various states of unconsciousness - a wolf here, a hare there - sprawled across large rugs or blankets. Twin fireplaces on either side of the room kept the large chamber heated. Where I used to have shelves and countertops to work on my alchemy projects, Roricus redecorated with gaudy displays of gold statuary and rare gems. The bookshelves and counters were gone, replaced with a large bath, much larger than the original bath in the room off the corner of the bedchamber.
I might keep that.
My ears pricked forward as I listened for noises coming from the bed. Covers rustled as at least two figures tangled together. The noises were faint and I smiled. The mind willing, the flesh weak. Or, in the soon-to-be-former Emperor's case, both.
I dragged the covers away from the mattress. As I studied the results of my plan so far, my tail swished behind me and I licked my lips. Emperor Roricus was on his belly, legs spread, gasping and groaning into a pillow as the muscular black stallion mounted him with as much vigor as could be expected after six hours.
Roricus's body changed over the course of the day - a warm-up for things to come. The canine's hips were wide and his plump, round bottom squeezed nicely against the stallion's muscular thighs. His eyes were glazed, unfocused, and streaks of cum drizzled throughout the fur on his face. His belly was rounder, fuller, no doubt stuffed with many loads, and his thin chest covered in a wild ruff of oh-so-plush fur, what wasn't matted and dried in cum.
He'd been well-used. Good. The palace guards primed him with their copious deposits, so the only thing left to do was give him the final catalyst.
"Alchemist?" Roricus gasped, turning his head slightly. He smiled, tongue dropping over his plumped-up lips. "I'd like to hire you full-time after all. Such lovely entertainment... mmmmffff..."
The stallion's thighs tensed, pumping hard and holding deep. I could see the bulge in the canine's belly and shivered as my erection returned in full force beneath my cloak. A satisfying white explosion dumped one last load into Roricus's belly and I fancied I could almost see his thighs stretch as he hefted his rump back into the black stallion's hands.
Stamina, they name is... well, whatever that horse is called. The big male's grip slacked as he toppled to the side, sprawling across half the bed, dragging his well-used member from the Emperor's stretched rump with a slurp. He was snoring before his head hit the blanket. Roricus groaned as he stretched forward, feeling his belly with his paws and licking his lips for the taste of any more male essence.
"Unfortunately, my terms have changed," I said, leaning down. My eyes drifted to the canine's sloppy rump and I felt my cock jerk in my pants. Just a few minutes more... "Please drink this, Your Majesty. To help you recover from your exertions."
Roricus took the vial I produced from beneath my cloak and drank it without a question. Sometimes things worked out easy.
I pulled on the cord attached to the wall near the bed and a few moments later a parade of servants trotted in. Their eyes darted around the room as I stepped forward, barking commands.
"Clean this place up! Get them out of here! Draw a bath! Remove those statues!"
The servants, none of whom I recognized - probably Knellian - went to work with speed, though it took three or four each to drag the slumbering guards. I made sure to give them extra instructions - plenty of food and water as soon as they awoke - and before long had the Emperor doused in the hot bath. The heat was essential to activating the potion currently churning its way through his cum-filled guts, and as he leaned back in the heat of the huge bath, I could see the glassy-eyed smile return in full force.
In less than 20 minutes the room was empty save for me and Roricus. I threw off my cloak and stood in the center of the room, in front of my huge bed, just looking around and enjoying the view. It had been too long since I'd last relaxed in my bedchambers.
The Emperor glugged and burbled in the bath, groaning as his belly shrank some. The canine's body consumed the seed deposited by his guards, turning the raw male essence into plump hips, fat thighs, and a chubby tummy. It was the same potion I'd used on myself, only modified. Heavily. His fur grew longer in the water and his lips grew larger and thicker, like a court maiden. I smiled as I watched, my erection still throbbing. And his hips kept going, fat and wide, though still plush and firm, with not an ounce of sag. Perfect. He was tall, so he could handle the extra girth and still look good.
I pulled Roricus from the tub after another few minutes, making sure the potion had done its work. He didn't resist as I fed him the quick-dry potion and shoved him towards the bed, where he landed with a soft moan on the freshly-changed covers.
"Do you remember me?" I asked, crawling onto the bed on top of him, pinning him down beneath me. He only moaned in response and shivered, hips arcing up to meet mine, his chubby arousal already leaking into his freshly cleaned fur. "You invaded my country. You stole my land. You took everything I had and then exiled me."
For a moment, there was a faint glimmer of recognition in Roricus's eyes. His lips parted and he trembled as he stared up at me, the mist in his pupils receding for a moment.
"Cai?" he asked, shuddering as a never-ending tremor of pleasure squeezed down his spine and through his hips.
"That's right, Roricus. I'm back," I said, dragging his wrists up above his head. I nestled my knees between his, spreading his legs with mine, and leaned down, grinding my large arousal against his smaller piece. I wanted to make sure he felt me, after all, as I reclaimed my throne.
"What... what's happening... to me... feels so good!"
"I didn't know what I was studying for the last ten years as I wandered, homeless, stateless, with only my wits to keep me company," I said, my voice a near purr as I lowered my muzzle to hover over his. I could feel his fluffy neck fur beneath my chest. "But I found every secret, every trick, to control the minds of the power-mad. I've toppled several tyrants just to practice."
"Toppled..."
His voice was a gasp as I held his arms above his head with my wrist and used my free paw to tweak his puffy nipples. His hips ground upwards into my belly needfully and his ears flicked back and forth as conflicting emotions pulled at him, though lust clearly was winning the war.
"That's right, Roricus. Your reign is over."
"Over..."
"But don't worry... I'm not going to exile you," I said, baring my teeth as he moaned, his cock twitching, a dumb smile spreading over his muzzle as the worries about his kingdom faded. "I'm going to keep you right here, where I know you can't cause any trouble. But you don't want to cause any trouble, do you?"
"Nooo... unnnnhhhh..."
His raw moans were music to my ears as I pulled on his nipple again. He looked so delicious in his current state. No longer the preening, domineering king, but a mewling pup eager - almost desperate - to please with his warm, wet muzzle and his taut, fat rump, complete with a nice soft tail to pull. Perfect.
"That's right you don't. And you don't want to be Emperor anymore, do you?"
"No... nooooo," he groaned, as his cock fired a shot of pre-cum into his long, plush belly fur. "Please..."
I hiked up his hips and nestled my fat shaft beneath his tail, teasing him until he was shuddering and shivering, practically begging me, his worst enemy, to take him.
"Then, my tasty little canine, it's time for your abdication!"
I was not gentle. His backside arched as I stuffed myself deep, grinding hard into his surprisingly tight rump. I hadn't expected the tight warmth after being pounded for so many hours by so many well-hung guards, but then, the potions I gave him were of serious strength. I slapped my hips forward, smacking my thighs into his plump ass, sending waves jiggling through his lower body before I tugged myself out a moment later, only to slam back in again and again and again.
He cried out and closed his eyes, tipping his head back as I shifted both of my paws to his plump tits, groping and squeezing at his soft chest, tugging and pinching at his nipples until his cock fired off into his belly. My hips slammed down, each hard thrust feeling better than the next. He was so warm and tight and wet... I had to grit my teeth to stifle the moan as all my fingers dug into his chest, making the former Emperor arch his back again. His plump dick shot another load as I buried myself deep, holding myself there.
"That's it, Rory," I said, dropping my voice as he squirmed beneath me, both of his paws outstretched, grasping at the blankets. "Give in to me..."
His trembling cock erupted a third time a few moments later when I dragged my claws down his pear-shaped belly, dragging through his pale pelt until I could wrap my paws around his hips. I bounced him on my shaft, hard and fast, harder and faster, until his moans were interrupted by the force of the pounding I delivered, shaking his body like a ragdoll from head to toe. Even his ears flopped around as I hooked his legs over my shoulders for better leverage.
His plump rear end squished under my fingers beautifully, so that as I pulled my hips back, I could grind both warm, wet cheeks all along my length. He was so thick down there my paws sank in up to my wrists, and when I pumped to the hilt, his broad rear would jiggle and bounce as mine slapped forward. His cream-colored bottom was so pliable and warm and taut all at the same time, and the ungodly moans of desire echoing from the sheets down below only excited me further.
"Who is your Emperor now, Rory?" I asked, after grinding my shaft in to the hilt once more.
"You! You are!" he gasped. His voice was higher now as his hips continued to expand. His belly remained the same, making his rump almost awkwardly large for his figure.
I gotta admit, I love the extra padding, though I hope I didn't overdo it.
I twisted his legs to the side, rolling him onto his belly while keeping my cock nice and deep inside him. He cried out as I leaned over, straddling his wide rump, and slammed in and out, several times a second, bouncing off his plush, padded rump. It was so easy to fuck him like this - his body just took all the abuse and begged for more. His plush ass offered the right amount of bounciness to really get into it, and my paws once more sunk in, clutching and squeezing those fantastic spheres. Soon, though, I leaned over and grabbed his shoulders, hauling them up so his backside curled, and then slid an arm around his throat, not to choke him, but to make sure he could hear me as I pressed my muzzle under one of his ears.
"This is your life now, Rory," I said, accentuating each word with a deep, languorous thrust of hips into his arched body, belly sticking out as I flattened his absurd rump again. "You're going to be my court jester, a toy for anyone to use as they please. I'm sure the visiting dignitaries from Kounsel would love to have their way with you. You'd like that, wouldn't you, Rory?"
The former emperor's high-pitched gasps and moans were music to my ears as I bounced my hips off his oversized hips again and again. Releasing his neck, I shoved him down into the covers.
I came a few times before pulling out. The potion was working just as I'd hoped, as Rory was putting up no fight at all. A puddle of cum seeped into the blankets beneath him as his coin purse kept up a steady stream of orgasms, each sending a blinding shock of pleasure to his system that would eventually eat away at his remaining memories and thoughts, until he could remember nothing but his service to me, his Emperor. From one of the most powerful and rich tyrants in the world to a simpering, sex-addled, brainless toy.
Whoever claimed there was no justice in the world hadn't met me.
I took my time with Rory, carefully and thoroughly using and abusing his hips and muzzle, painting my loads across his plump lips and glazed eyes, occasionally allowing him the honor of lapping up my seed from my throbbing maleness. Eventually, however, I'd need to announce to the rest of the Ten Joys that I had returned, so after several hours, I reluctantly pulled myself free of the sloppy canine, leaving him in a puddle of seed, tangled in the bedspreads.
I rang the bell again to summon the servants.
"Take him to the west tower," I said. "Clean him up, and when I summon him, bring him to the throne room."
I used a few potions from my cloak in the tub and soaked for a half hour before drying myself off, then dressed and made my way down. Archibald was waiting, as was Johnny. New guards were standing at attention as I strode up the center of the columns and plopped myself down into the throne.
"Bring him in," I said, motioning to a porter waiting near the throne. "And bring in the generals and prime minister as well."
I won't bore you with the details of what happened next. Needless to say, a coup was not expected and the generals and diplomats were understandably upset. Nothing I couldn't handle - after all, as the Last King of Ten Joys, my claim to the throne was unimpeachable, and Rory was too busy the past ten years playing with himself to sire an heir, a mistake I'd take measures to avoid.
Once convinced little would change - at first - in regards to their incomes or status, nobody really cared that I'd taken over from the despotic Roricus. In fact, many people found their lots suddenly improved. I made the roads in both Ten Joys and Knell the safest they'd ever been, toured my new country from east to west and north to south, and showed off what a simpering, cock-addled beast the former Emperor was at every stop along the way, often leaving the fat-bottomed canine in the tender care of the local mayor or sheriff (along with a few alchemical compositions to make sure they could last through the night with the former King).
Archibald saw the necessity, though he wasn't too approving of my methods. He did approve of all the new techniques I showed him, which he duly passed along to the rest of the magicians and alchemists of the guilds of Ten Joys. Before long, my kingdom was richer and more powerful than ever before. Though some in Knell grumbled about revolting to reclaim their independence, I bore them no ill will and did what I could to increase regional autonomy. I had no use for Knell, really - it was a fine enough country with a powerful military, but with Ten Joys' increased power, even their military couldn't stand a chance against my magic. And they knew it, too.
Within a year, things settled down back to normal. Talk of revolution faded in Knell. Running an empire is surprisingly easy when you just let people do their jobs and have zero tolerance for corruption. A few public punishments (I always knew the Juice of Eternal Farting would come in handy again) put a stop to any malfeasance, and after that, the bureaucracy already in place kept on rolling.
As for the deposed emperor, I left him in the company of the palace guards most nights. He was sort of the mascot of the dormitories, which housed the permanent garrison, and meant he was quite busy in the evenings after shift change. It was where he seemed happiest, though I occasionally brought him to my chambers to remind him of who he now served. Rory was also a fantastic way to put visiting diplomats in a good mood, as many had suffered through his humiliating behaviors in the past and were more than pleased to report back to their rulers the former Emperor was no longer a threat - and that Rory had the most spectacular, mind-blowingly fuckable ass anyone could ever believe. The diplomatic corps sometimes had to fend off requests for meetings with the foreign delegations as the word spread. Rory, the fat-bottomed slut, couldn't have been happier. When he wasn't on his backside getting railed by diplomats or the guards, he primped and preened over his hair and fur, spending hours perfuming and perfecting his appearance. He was, somehow, even more vain than before, and would proudly declare his intention to be the most sought-after lay on the entire continent. With the way his massive booty swayed and bounced as he trotted around the castle, there was no doubt in anyone's minds he was well on his way to achieving that goal.
I still order toasted apples from Benjamin and Albert on the regular. My interest in their food made them quite popular indeed - I heard they're opening shops up all the way to the east side of Knell soon. I believe there's also an invitation to their upcoming nuptials on my desk. What can I say? It's good to be the Emperor.
I promoted Johnny, of course, to the Captain of the King's Guard. While not investigating threats to the peace of the kingdom, the strapping and handsome equine spends his time with me. Usually on top of me, holding me tight, squeezing all of his strong arms and powerful belly against my back as his oversized stalk just... nnnf. Well, you get the idea. We're doing just fine. You should see him when he gets his hands on Rory. Johnny also helps me test out new and unusual potions, like the one that made him grow almost as big... well, those are stories for another time.