A/N: and so it begins� the very reason I came up with this alternate universe. I had decided to bring in this idea into an rp with my friend Amanda and fleshed it out on the go. As I did so, I wanted to see how it would come about if I actually wrote it all down, because the sheer amount of history involved makes me scream �I WANT TO SEE IT!�

I�m really into Fable now and spent all of today just trying to figure out a way to get Thunder�s helmet as a trophy and get rid of Lady Grey, who�s a bitch and a half. Oh oh oh and you don�t even get the satisfaction of punching her on the nose to get her to behave once you wed the bitch. Oh no, you have to pay something to the point of 500g just to get the guards off your back and she goes right back to being �You�re not worthy of me at all.� Whatever, bitch. Don�t be talkin� smack like that to yo� husband unless you can back yo�sef up!

achem

And now for your regularly scheduled chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Weeks went by and there was no sign of Cuchulainn. Emer began to fear the worst when she received a message from one of the villagers that they thought they might have seen him coming home. Her patience with her wayward husband always did give her a good ending to her days when it came to his constantly disappearing. Hopefully, the villager had seen aright and not just mistaken a common man for her dear husband.

She had already sent out as many of her soldiers as she could to find her husband, but in the end, they had all failed. She inquired as to the guests at the party and they told her none of them were amiss. She remembered Arturia and recalled the horrible chill she received from her when she had come near and thought maybe the woman had taken her husband for herself. Then, she remembered that her husband was Ireland�s Child of Light. He himself had claimed that when Sgatha had tried to drug him to stay asleep while she fought her sister Aife that he had only slept for an hour for his will was far too strong for normal potions.

With that, Emer could only hope that Cuchulainn would find his way home and thwart whatever it was that was holding him from her side. She knew he was afraid of being king, but also knew he was willing to take the job to help his people. If anything, it gave him an edge against the one woman he hated more than anything, Maeve of Connacht.

�Emiya was bringing back someone I wished to interrogate,� she said as she pulled off her gloves. Agravaine held a strange expression, as though he expected her to say something else. �Were you expecting me to say something, Sir Agravaine?�

He coughed and looked away. �No, apologies, my queen.�

Arturia walked past him to the kitchen and ordered a meal for herself and Emiya and the usual fare for her �guest�. She went to the stair well and ran right into Merlin�s chest. For a man who looked to be about forty or fifty, he certainly was hard enough that it somewhat hurt to run into him. He also didn�t look very pleased to see her.

�I heard from some people coming through that the lord Cuchulainn has disappeared while you were staying in Ireland. Also, that your �pet� came back with a present,� he said.

Arturia simply gazed up at her teacher with her usual doll like mask. �And? Emiya did as he was told, to bring me the one I wished to interrogate, but the two have no correlation with one another.�

Merlin frowned and nodded, walking past her. �What was his offense?�

�No offense. He is being kept well fed and warm, but shackled nearby so I won�t lose him so readily. He has information I wish to know. If he doesn�t, I will release him and given him food and drink and a horse to ride home with as well as a guard to make sure he makes it home.� Arturia looked back at Merlin and glared defiantly at him. �I am not as cruel as some would have me sound to be, Merlin.� Then, she walked up the stairs.

Merlin frowned as he watched her go and felt uneasy. Something in his bones told him she was not telling the truth, at least not all of it. She was good at that, he recalled. He remembered that she could tell a half lie and make it sound like the whole thing was the truth, however, she hardly ever needed to do it, for she always felt dirty for lying. Telling the truth was far easier for her and she really didn�t care who the truth hurt so long as it was told. Tact was also something he had trouble teaching her.

Emiya looked up when his mistress walked in. He stood and bowed to her before walking over to her and taking her cloak and gloves. �My queen, you had a safe journey without me?�

�Yes, I did, Emiya. Thank you for your concern. Gawain and Bedivere are good knights and have always taken good care of me when you could not.�

Emiya watched his queen as she walked toward her bedchamber. She was right; he did trust Bedivere and Gawain to care for his queen more than he did even himself. She opened the door and peered in slowly. �He has been well cared for, I trust? The maidservants have not been allowed to come in here to make things tidy, correct?�

�Yes, my queen. However, you will need to talk to Merlin about his supply of sleeping potion. I�m afraid I had trouble keeping him asleep while on the journey and had to resort to some herbal remedies that I remembered from his teachings. He was sick for a short period of time there, but I think I managed to flush the drugs from his body well enough. I could only keep him asleep for an hour at a time, I�m afraid,� said Emiya softly.

Arturia looked to Emiya and nodded. �Thank you, Emiya. You did more than you had to and I am grateful for it.�

Emiya smiled faintly toward her and watched her disappear into the bedchamber. When she closed the door, he silently threw a pillow at the wall in anger. He truly despised the man she chose for herself and now she was forcing him to take care of him while she was coming home. He could only hope that she would arrive soon and now she was here. Now, she could deal with the man herself and he would be alone without her requesting his services while she had this new toy to play with.

Emiya calmed himself after a moment and sat down on his pallet, looking at the wound that he had to sew up himself from his victim stabbing him with a knife when the man had woken up the first time and tried to get away. Emiya had had a great deal of trouble with the man since he took him and had an even worse time trying to transport him from the green, warm, lands of Ireland to the colder climates of Briton. The chill seemed to wake him up faster than the warmer weather and Emiya had to sacrifice his blanket to keep the bastard warm while they rode so he wouldn�t wake up so quickly.

With that, Emiya resigned himself to simply lying back on his pallet and getting some well deserved rest, though it could hardly be called rest when he tended to sleep very lightly.

She heard her captive king groan and move his head from one shoulder to the other and yawn. She kneeled down in front of him and gazed at the perfection that was his face. His face was ageless, eternally youthful. His nose was straight and his cheeks and jaw were fine. His eyes were fringed with dark blue lashes that fluttered against his pale cheeks as he slowly woke up.

When his eyes did open, he gazed up at her blearily. She watched as he tried to lean up to look at her closer and then leaned back with a scowl on his face as he recognized her. �You. I should have known you were the sole hand in this,� said Cuchulainn with a growl.

�My servant does what I ask and only what I ask of him,� said Arturia softly as she gazed at him. She reached up and touched his face gently, checking him for any damage. He would not be the sort to take being manhandled lightly from a man. Arturia could smell the old blood on Emiya�s discarded bandages. He had not had the best time dealing with her captive. She would have to treat him to something extra special for his services later.

Cuchulainn attempted to jerk his face away from Arturia�s hand as she stroked his skin. Something about the way she handled him made his body heat. The feeling of her soft, small hands stroking his skin made him think thoughts he was best to leave behind while he was still her prisoner. He was certain Emer was in a real tizzy right then wondering where he had gone off to.

Arturia finally pulled her hands from Cuchulainn�s face and walked over to her bed. �It seems Emiya has taken special care of you, as I requested. Would you like something to eat?�

Cuchulainn glared at her angrily and jerked at the chains. �You can�t keep me held down forever, woman. Your chains aren�t strong enough to hold the likes o� me.�

Arturia watched him for a moment. �You forget, Cuchulainn� you are in Camelot now. I have a wizard I keep on hand and another in the form of my servant Emiya. He has already requested special chains for my room should I have to hold someone who was a master at escaping. Merlin had special chains forged for me and placed spells on them to keep my prisoners and captives captive until I released them. I have not put them into use until now, however, but it seems they have held you well enough already.�

Cuchulainn continued to glower at Arturia, though he started to sweat slightly. She had plotted his kidnapping out this far. She had covered every possibility of escape or every possible need he might have. She did it in advance and carried it out with aplomb. He would also have to plot his own escape in advance to make himself be able to get out of her clutches and get back home.

�Why have you taken me as your prisoner?� he asked.

�You are my captive, not my prisoner. You have done no wrong toward me or Camelot, therefore you are simply being held here without your permission,� she said. He would have laughed at the way she could be so matter of fact about things like this and still keep a straight face.

�All right then, why am I your captive?�

Arturia tapped her lip for a moment, thinking about her answer carefully. Even in the short term, she thought out what she was going to do or say! �Because I wish to keep you,� she said.

Cuchulainn gazed at Arturia through his lashes, eyeing her suspiciously. �You wish to keep me here for yourself?�

Arturia watched him for a moment and stood. �I will get you your dinner.�

�Probably tastes like shit, given the hospitality,� said Cuchulainn as he pulled himself up more against the wall he was forced to stay chained to.

Arturia stopped, but did not look at him. �I will make certain you are well fed and kept warm. You are my captive and I do not wish to have you very uncomfortable.� Then, she walked out swiftly.

Cuchulainn frowned. If she did not want to have him solely for herself as a captive sex slave, what was it she wanted from him? He closed his eyes and remembered the contours of her body. It was a small body, a young woman�s body, but not an adult body. Even with that body, she was still very pretty and he could imagine a man like Emiya servicing her sexual needs when she needed them. She probably wanted a change of pace from Emiya or whoever she did that with while she looked for a man to be her husband. He certainly couldn�t imagine any other reason to have kidnapped him unless it was to secretly sample the pleasures of bedding the famous Hound of Ulster.

Arturia came back a little while later with two trays of food. Apparently, the cook had thought she had wanted usual prisoner fare for her captive, so one tray was filled only with basic foods like a bowl of stew, though good, very plain, some greens and bread and finally a cup of water. The other tray had fine lamb and greens and bread, dessert and a mug of hot, spiced wine to warm her up. She sighed as she gazed at it. Emiya had similar fare to that of Arturia, so he was eating well on his pallet, still keeping watched in the sitting room.

Cuchulainn shifted when he smelled food and looked up at Arturia as she walked in. He saw the two trays and raised an eyebrow. �You have not eaten yet?�

�No, I have not. We have been riding hard from Ireland and I have not been able to eat much while we have been moving so fast,� she said. She kneeled down and placed the tray with the spiced wine and lamb in front of him and set the simpler one down so she could lean over him and lengthened the chains so he might be able to eat. He smelled her perfume as she leaned close to him and felt the warmth of her pale skin. If he was to be used as her sex slave, he wouldn�t mind it so much, but dearly wished she simply asked him to come with her instead of kidnapping him.

He gazed at her through his lashes, her face still close to his and eyed her for a moment. �If you wanted me for your own pleasure, you could have asked, little queen. I know you must need secrecy for this desire of yours.�

Arturia looked genuinely confused as she looked at him and moved away. He blinked in surprise and frowned faintly. Had he been wrong? If he was wrong, then, why was she keeping him chained up?

She picked up the simpler tray and took it with her to her desk where she sat. Cuchulainn looked at the tray in front of him, smelled the lamb and looked to her back. She had taken the simple fare to the fancy, so that he would have a decent meal rather than a prisoner�s fare. She had taken the simple fare for herself so he could be comfortable.

�If we are going to eat in this room together, I would prefer you eat in front of me so I might share of your meal and you of mine,� he said, eyeing Arturia�s back for a moment. �Come here so we can eat together, little queen.�

Arturia looked over her shoulder at Cuchulainn, her cheeks flushed. She stood with her tray and walked over after a moment of coaxing from his end and sat down on the floor in front of him. �That stew looked nice, is there enough for both of us to eat?�

�Why? It is simple stew, nothing special,� she said.

Cuchulainn grunted and leaned his head back against the wall behind him. �I�m a soldier first and foremost, queen of Briton. I�m used to pretty terrible food for dinner.� She didn�t even crack a smile, she simply nodded and placed her tray next to his and ate from both. He wondered what it took to make that mask of hers crack for a moment more before deciding food was more important to consider.

They ate in silence. Cuchulainn was silent to watch Arturia as Arturia simply ate as she normally would eat. Cuchulainn found the little queen odd, but enjoyable, as he normally would be talking avidly or listening to people talk avidly around him. She ate very primly and sat very stiffly on the floor, not that he could blame her. The carpet underneath them was hardly any cushion despite the nice design on it.

When they were done, Arturia picked up the trays and walked out. Cuchulainn sat back and looked around, taking in his surroundings. The room was fairly large with nice wall hangings and modest decoration. The rug was foreign and soft with a pleasant design on it. The bed was large with black sheets and black blankets and sheer black curtains. What was it about black that this woman loved so much? It was all she wore and all she seemed to love in her room!

After a while, he fell asleep, for once comfortable, though unable to move from his chains. He pulled the blanket he had on him and the furs closer to him before he let himself fall asleep once more.

Her moves were very bold and decisive. She left little doubt in his mind what she wanted from him. Was she shy enough that she simply didn�t want to admit that she wanted him as her sex partner until she got the urge out of her system? It wasn�t as though he had done any better.

�Little queen,� he muttered, his breath hot against her face. He felt her hesitate slightly, a move he was not accustomed to seeing come from her. �Little queen?�

He opened his eyes slowly and gazed at her through his lashes. She was still stroking him very slowly, causing shivers to run through his body. He leaned forward to catch her mouth and she moved back, shoving him back. He blinked in confusion at her. �What?�

He finally got a good look at her now. She was completely naked, her little body pale in the firelight. Her nipples stood on end from the chill and her cheeks were flushed faintly. And for once, since the night she had come to heal him, her hair was down around her shoulders, free of the usual bun and braid she put it in. He frowned more when he didn�t know why she was being so coy with him. It was quite obvious what she was wanting from him, so why did she not let him loose so he could pleasure her?

She looked down at his manhood and continued stroking it as though she were fascinated. Surely she had seen and touched one before now! �Little queen, if you keep that up, you�ll torment me,� he said through his gritted teeth. He leaned his head back and groaned loudly when she gripped his cock and gave it a few good pumps. �Damn it, Arturia, what are you playing at?!� he snapped.

She looked to him and then to his hips and looked to his face again. She looked very uncertain. He didn�t know what was wrong with her, she clearly wanted to have sex, so why was she tormenting him so and hesitating?

He realized soon that she was close enough to him to kiss. He shot forward suddenly and caught her mouth forcefully, prying it open with a growl as he shoved his tongue into her hot mouth. She whimpered into his mouth like a woman, groaning when he delved further and nipped at her lower lip when he pulled away slowly. �Let my hands free,� he murmured against her lips, his heart pounding hard in his chest. �Let my hands free, little queen. I want to pleasure you the way you want.�

She shoved him back against the wall again, making him his hit head on the rock. He grunted and looked at her as she crawled onto his lap and straddled it slowly. His manhood was stiff by now and ready, the head prodding her as she maneuvered herself on his lap. He attempted to lean forward again, but she shoved him back. He growled and watched her as she shifted slowly on him and took his cock in her hand.

She was wet and hot for how cold it was in the room. Had she prepared herself before hand or had he this affect on her? He watched her carefully, waiting to see what she did, for she was doing many things that confused him greatly. She carefully pushed her him into her body, but stopped as though she were in some sort of discomfort. Her wince was slight, but very noticeable and he felt a barrier that was partially broken as she prodded herself with his penis.

The woman was a virgin still! She expected to try to do this herself with no help from him?! Clearly this woman needed guidance, but he wasn�t certain he wanted to give it. She was being very adamant about keeping him at a distance and it confused him greatly. Why did she not at least slacken the chains, or indeed, take off the chains, so he might better touch her?

All her fidgeting was making him very frustrated. She was tight around the head of his cock and he wanted more feeling, but she just kept moving herself on him as though that was as far as he could go inside her. He finally snarled in his frustration and wiggled his hips in an attempt to find a decent angle. She stopped and stared at him, gold eyes wide in surprise. When he found the angle he wanted, he thrust his hips up in the strongest move he could make and felt the barrier break and felt the rest of her envelope him.

Her eyes widened and she trembled terribly from the pain he had caused her. She did not cry or make any noise. She simply panted heavily and gripped his shirt with quivering hands. He felt her breasts brush against him and bucked his hips to get her attention, his back arching to feel her body press against his. She finally let out a yelp and leaned on him fully, panting.

He cooed softly into her ear, nipping the lobe as well as he could before darting his tongue out and running it over her ear. He felt her relax slowly, whimpering as she ran her hands over his chest. He thrust up into her slowly, feeling her rock against him timidly as he got her attention.

His breath came out in loud grunts as he watched her eyes slide closed and moan low from her throat. She was enjoying herself now, that much could be seen. He leaned forward and ran his tongue over her throat before she shoved him back once more and thrust herself on him in hard, quick, moves that caused him to cry out loudly.

His heart pounded hard in his chest, his body going on instinct and drive alone. He watched her grit her teeth and felt the bite of her nails in his chest as she braced herself on him and continued to drive them both upward. The rapid pulse of her around his cock, the heat and the wetness slicking him down, it was all maddening!

She leaned forward against him again and he thrust himself up into her with fast movements, feeling her clench him tightly. She was close, so very close. If only his hands could be free so he could touch her, but the damned chains were ever present and not slack at all! Why would she deliberately do this to him and her both when it was clear to anyone that it simply made things far too difficult?!

Her cry of pleasure resounded through the room, her body jerking slightly against him as he continued to thrust into her. She continued to gasp and claw at him until he let out a mighty yell and exploded inside her. He trembled for a few moments afterward before leaning over her and kissing her gently over her face. �Arturia,� he murmured softly.

Arturia continued to hold onto him before she slid him out of her and stood up on shaking legs and walked over to her bed and lay down. She wasn�t even going to wash between her legs? He looked down and saw the evidence of her virginity, the blood dark in the half light. He groaned and leaned his head back against the wall behind him before using his feet to pull the blanket back over his body and sleeping. Before he fell asleep, he wondered what Emer might be doing then, wondered if she was taking being queen well.