Oh, the prince was a good kisser. Practiced. Serafina had wondered, but she needn’t have doubted. His tongue traced hers, their warm breaths intermixing, her hands gripping tighter in his fur—

The madame loudly cleared her throat, and Orfeo dejectedly broke the kiss. The room was clear of the other auditioners, but the guardsmen were watching with interest. Serafina didn’t mind. Knowing others saw gave her a little extra thrill.

“We need to get Mistress Serafina set up in the seraglio,” the older kobold said.

“Oh, right.” Orfeo said. “Well, we can take my carriage. Collect her things,” he said, nodding at Serafina’s leathers, and a guard raced for them. “Do you have anything else we need to pick up? Family to say goodbye to? I can make some side trips.”

“My mother died when I was very young,” she said. “I never knew my father. And those clothes are all I have in the entire world.”

If he was perturbed by his new mistress’s lack of worldly treasures, Orfeo didn’t show it. “Well, you’ll have tons of stuff in the palace,” he said confidently. “And gee… if we do what we’re supposed to…” His hand rested on her stomach. “It won’t be too long till you have some family too.”

She almost gaped, he was so blatant, so open—but then she just laughed. It was somehow endearing, rather than oafish. “I can’t wait,” she said.

---

The seraglio: the wing of the palace set aside for women of the royal harems. The king’s had been disbanded some time ago, so it was solely the demesne of the prince and his consorts—an interlocking web of spacious chambers set off from the rest of the palace. On arriving at the palace, Orfeo had been summoned by his father, and he’d apologetically told the madame—“Rosa,” he said her name was—to have Baucis show Serafina around.

Baucis turned out to be the sole other member of Orfeo’s harem, a stately foxfolk woman slightly more mature than Serafina herself with keen eyes and a confident demeanor. Serafina had vaguely entertained ideas of backstabbing and politicking between various harem members but, as with the virgin question, it seemed that penny-novels on the topic were more fiction than fact.

“Welcome!” Baucis said, sweeping Serafina into a warm embrace. Foxfolk were already tall, and Baucis was taller even than most men Serafina had seen; she stood nearly twice Serafina’s own height. “I’m so, so glad that Orfy finally got a second concubine!” Her eyes glinted playfully. “It’s been a bit samey around here.” She cast an appraising glance at Serafina’s leathers. “Those are nice, but we’ll have to get you some appropriate clothes.” She rolled her shoulders for emphasis, showing off her own outfit.

Serafina had to admit, Baucis’s own loveliness was only enhanced by it. She wore a gauzy purple top, so thin and see-through that it left nothing to the imagination, the pale pink of her nipples visible through the sheen; her breasts were as exquisite as they were huge. They looked soft and maternal and inviting. Her dark red hair was piled in an appealing nest atop her head. She wore a worked metal skirt-like bottom of the sort Serafina had sometimes seen on adventurers and female fighters; but unlike theirs, this was clearly designed more for form than function. The giltwork appeared to be genuine gold, crafted in geometric designs, and the plates were dyed a plum color in counterpoint to the purple gauze. Her paws were tightly bandaged, her nails trim and sheening, and bits of jade were worked into her expertly-brushed tail. She smelled faintly of perfume.

But what was most obvious of all was the circle of worked aluminum about her neck, shining and spotless. A collar.

“—rafina? Hello?”

Serafina blinked, blushing, as she realized that she’d zoned out taking in Baucis’s beauty. The foxfolk was grinning at her, clearly knowing what was up.

“I’m not averse to a little girl-time if you’re interested,” Baucis said, leaning over, her muzzle dangerously close to Serafina’s snout. “I think it’s an expected perk of the position… but,” she said, “maybe we should wait until after Orfy impregnates you, just to be sure.”

Serafina shook her head, only with great difficulty managing to banish a mental image of Baucis peeling off that gauzy top. “To be sure of what?”

“Tell you later,” Baucis said. “For now, let’s get you settled. Almost all the rooms along the outer wall of the seraglio are open, so pick one! Only ones off-limits are the big one in the center—that’s Orfy’s—and… ah, I’ll show you mine.” Grabbing Serafina by her hand, Baucis led her a few rooms into the seraglio. When she stepped in, Serafina gaped. The chamber had to be the size of a small house, with a luxurious four-poster bed draped with heavy velvet; worked into the cloth was the same sort of geometric designs that aligned Baucis’s metal skirt. One wall of the chamber was nothing but floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that were positively bursting with scrolls, parchment, and books both old and new. An expensive oaken desk sat in the corner near a window with a heavy drape over it. Atop the desk was a burner filling the room with a sweet-smelling incense, alongside several flasks.

“My humble abode,” Baucis said. “When not entertaining His Highness, I spend most of my time studying magic.” She knuckled her chin thoughtfully. “I’ll tell you the full story another time, but the short version is I was the prodigal child of a noble house who got kicked out for reasons, so I turned to the world’s oldest profession to get by as I applied for the sorcerous universities. Turns out they don’t appreciate ‘loose women’ at such institutions, so despite acing every exam, I was denied… Thankfully, Orfy was a patron of the establishment I worked and quickly came to be my number-one client. When I mentioned my struggles…” Baucis spread her hands. “He arranged for this. I get to have sex with my favorite client nonstop and we have access to the palace archives and lots else besides.” She smiled brightly. “I’m achieving my dreams, and it’s all thanks to Orfy! Ah, but listen to me babble on. Sorry… it’s just so nice to have another girl here. Come on, let’s get you set up. Mine and Orfy’s rooms are already taken, but the rest are yours to choose from!”

Baucis led Serafina on a grand tour of the women’s chambers, the kobold fighting to keep her eyes from looking like dinnerplates. Each chamber was at least as spacious as Baucis’s, each had an incredible view of the city—and there were other goodies besides. One chamber had an elegant mirror in place of a ceiling, another had a raised dais for performances. But the moment she stepped into the corner room, Serafina knew it would be hers. The far wall was dominated by an expansive window showing off a vast view of the city and the lands beyond. Nearby, a lush bed big enough for a jotun was laid out perfectly. A small fountain burbled in the corner, crystal-clear water spilling out of the stonework to pool in a basin before draining out. A smattering of cultivated plants clung tightly around it, and magic crystals set in the walls filled the chamber with a soft, sunny glow.

The room was otherwise mostly bare; all of them save Orfeo’s and Baucis’s had been. Serafina didn’t care. “This,” she said, clutching her hands to her chest. “Here.”

Smiling, Baucis leaned over and gave her a peck on the neck. “Good choice,” she said. “The madame has your measurements and they’ll be making your outfits now, but in the meantime… why don’t you get settled in? I think you’re going to like it here.”

Nodding, Serafina didn’t even turn to watch her go as she shut the chamber door. Soon she was alone. This space… this beautiful, noble space… was all hers.

It was a single room, almost empty, that was bigger and more exquisite than anything she had ever known. She was set for life.

Stripping out of her leathers, Serafina threw herself face-first on the bed, awash with happiness, and the lush comforting mattress lulled her to sleep within minutes.

She woke to a gentle touch on her shoulder. She mumbled, blinking as a watery shape coalesced into Baucis.

“Hope you don’t mind me coming in,” Baucis said. “Orfy’s here and he wants to see how you’re holding up.”

Instantly alert, Serafina leapt off the mattress. With Baucis at her heels, she wound her way to the prince’s chamber, the fox unapologetically ogling her nudeness.

Orfeo was reclining on a lush bed that seemed made for entertaining five or even six people at once. Also within the chambers were a bookcase (which looked thoroughly unused) and a lovingly cultivated series of flowers in misaligned pots. The prince was clad in a far more casual outfit than he had been that morning. Instead of his embroidered outfit, he simply wore a loose shirt of pale grey, the hem knotted in the back. This pulled the front of it up enough to show off his stomach, the small dimple of his bellybutton visible amidst his healthy tawny fur. It was apparent that he had some muscle underneath his fat, probably from an active life of riding horseback or fencing. The prince’s hair, darker than his body-fur, was tied back in a small tail. On his fingers he wore simple rings of gold and silver, and the outfit was completed with a flowing pair of silken trousers through which his bulge was very visible. His tail swished behind him and he beamed at seeing her.

“There you are! Our new addition!” He hopped off the bed. “How d’you like it? I know the room is empty now, but say the word and I’ll give you anything to fill it!” He reached out and grabbed her hands. This close, she could smell him; unlike Baucis, he didn’t bother with perfume or other scents. There was a faint-yet-sharp musk, ineluctably masculine, that made Serafina’s heart spike. “Um, also,” he said bashfully, “they’re still working on your clothes, but they have this…” Picking up a small box, he opened it—and Serafina’s breath caught.

There, worked into a shining ring, was a collar of her own; spotless aluminum, a perfect echo of Baucis’s. She picked it up.

“Dad told me to collar you right away,” Orfeo said, “but I figure that if you need time…”

Time? If she needed time? Well, no one could have blamed her. After all, this collar represented a new chapter in her life. There was no keyhole or undoing latch on it. Once it was on, it was on. Slavery might have been gone (or banished to the shadows, at least; dark whispers amidst Braston’s criminals suggested Tereus didn’t really care so long as it wasn’t practiced openly) but to put this on and join Orfeo’s harem would permanently mark her as his. She would be property in all but name. Expected to open her legs at his whims, bear him heirs, and live her life circling him like a junebug chasing after starlight. The palace would be her world. She would leave at Orfeo’s whim or not at all.

She glanced up and found him smiling patiently at her. As if reading her mind, he volunteered: “the rules say that you have to do what I say, but…” He reached out to clasp her hands. “I won’t do anything with you unless you want it. I promise, Serafina.”

And looking into his eyes, she believed him.

In one smooth motion, she snapped the collar shut around her neck, committing to this new life.

“I want it now,” she breathed, and lunged at him.

Orfeo fell back with a gasp of delight as she pawed at him, pulling off his loose shirt to reveal his chest, muscles subtle yet still noticeable under fur. One hand traced down to grab at his bulge, and he groaned.

“I d-don’t mind,” he panted, “but what about…” His eyes drifted sideways to Baucis, standing at the edge of the chamber, watching with undisguised interest. Her hand was drifting dangerously low.

“Let her watch,” Serafina purred, the thought of having a spectator stoking her inner fire even more. The collar was surprisingly light about her neck, all things considered, and smoothly comfortable. “I don’t mind if people watch.”

It turned out that she should have been more careful with those words.

Just as Orfeo began tugging his trousers down, heavy clomping steps rang down the hall—and then, with a jerking, almost contemptuous motion, the door to the prince’s chambers was flung open.

Glowering on the other side was the king himself. Tereus the Tyrant.

Orfeo sat up in fast attention, politely yet firmly shoving Serafina off of him. She allowed herself to be moved only reluctantly. At the edge of the room Baucis had dropped to one knee, her fist against the floor, and a soft clearing of the throat encouraged Serafina to mimic her position.

Tereus surveyed the three of them silently for almost a full half-minute before he snorted. “And you picked yourself a fucking iguana. Why am I not surprised?”

The unanticipated word nibbled at Serafina, and she raised her head in anger despite herself. She had never seen the king before, not even from a distance; up close, however, it was impossible not to see the resemblance to his son. Tereus looked like an older Orfeo, gone to seed: older, and crueler. Something about the way his upper lip seemed just ready to burst into a sneer, the dark pinpricks of his pupils sweeping contemptuously over all he saw, and the lazy, unimpressed swish of his tail behind him all spoke that this was a man with venom far outstripping that of the giggling nobles Serafina had shown up a few days prior. His tawny fur was tinged with silver on the sides of his face and at the tip of his tail, and Serafina noted with a shiver that parts of the fur near his hands appeared to be stained an almost oily black in random tendrils. There were rumors about that in the capital; the official story was that they were simple birthmarks, but everyone knew that regular use of dark magic corrupted the user.

Serafina could believe it.

“Opening the borders to those freaks was my grandfather’s worst mistake,” the king said, more to himself.

“Father,” Orfeo said in a voice of pleading, but the king continued unbidden.

“Still, they lay clutches—good for maximizing chances of the right heir.” A few swift strides and suddenly the king was standing next to her. A hand clutched, vise-like, under her chin, and Serafina’s heart almost stopped at the touch of that oily fur. It stoked shivers down her scales, and not the good kind. “Do you think you can give us a male tanuki in your first clutch, iguana?”

Serafina swallowed and forced herself to stay under control. “That’s not really up to me, Your Majesty,” she said. He snorted and let her go and she immediately sunk back to her kneeling position, trying not to shake.

“Well, you’d better,” he said. “I spent a pretty dime on that bitch over there,” he said, nodding at Baucis, “only for the blasted whore to not once find herself with child.” He strolled over to Baucis with an affected lackadaisical pace; when he was on her, he gripped her ear. Baucis winced and yelped as he yanked her into an awkward half-standing position.

“Tell the truth,” Tereus said. “You’re infertile because you opened for any man who threw coin at you, aren’t you, whore?”

“I—I ap-pologize for my failure, sire,” Baucis said, her voice taut with scarcely-concealed pain. “If I c-could give your son heirs, I would do so gladly.”

“Father,” Orfeo said, “you’re hurting her. Please let her go.”

“Please, father,” the king mocked in a sniveling voice, though he let Baucis drop. “By the ancestors. Your first choice can’t even do the one thing women are good for, and the second is a…” he waved dismissively at Serafina, not even bothering to finish. “Well, if this one’s fertile, we can tolerate it. Ancestors know that the one thing these kobolds are good at is cranking out kids. Only a matter of time before we get a male tanuki for me to raise properly.”

“For you to raise?” Serafina gasped out, momentarily forgetting who she was speaking to. Orfeo looked surprised and Baucis aghast, but the king, thankfully, only seemed amused at her outburst.

“Well yes,” he said. “Who did you think would raise the future heir? This imbecile?” He gestured at Orfeo before his eyes widened with mockery. “Or did you actually think we’d let one of you soil the heir by raising him?” The sound that slithered out of his mouth might have been intended as a laugh. “No, any male tanuki you produce will be raised by me, and any female married off as is proper. Given how fertile your kind is, we should get plenty.” His gaze appraised her, and—and was it just her, or was there a hungry tilt to his eyes, an unspoken appetite? She tried desperately not to notice how the king’s own bulge was growing ever-so-slightly more prominent. Though Serafina was something of an exhibitionist—she had no trouble with the guards or the madame or even the other auditioners seeing her—she found herself hating that she was naked before the king, wishing she had her leathers to hide her womanhood under.

After gazing at her for a few moments, Tereus’s pleased face twisted into an ugly frown. “Though I suppose there’s a fifty-fifty chance of you giving us children with scales instead of fur… well, just give us a tanuki heir, and we’ll arrange a nice quiet life for them, too. It’ll be much better than your kind could ever hope for, provided we all agree never to mention their paternity.” Turning to leave, Tereus shook his head. “If it ever got out that the royal line produced a kobold… Come, son.”

Orfeo started. “But—but father, I—”

“Come.” It was not a request.

Swallowing and with an apologetic glance at the women, Orfeo filed out of the chamber, leaving the two concubines alone in the seraglio.

As soon as the tanuki were gone, Serafina’s hand drifted up to the collar around her neck with an air approaching regret.

Baucis hurried over to her. “His Majesty the king rarely—I mean, this is very unusual—typically, he is occupied by affairs of state—”

“I’m going to my chambers,” Serafina said, and she turned away. As she left, Baucis’s voice followed her, apologetic: “It’s not usually like this. I’m sorry.”

Serafina spent the night alone, wondering—wondering. Orfeo didn’t return.

He came back the next morning, all smiles and goofy charm, not a word about yesterday, and presented her with her harem outfit. It was a gauzy thing in persimmon red, the clingy top covering the spot where her breasts would be if she were mammalian; the bottom was a flowing skirt of the same material, all of it embroidered with leaves and flowers. It was long on one side, nearly reaching to her ankle, but angled up to the point where her other leg was left more or less completely bare. A tiny golden circlet rested on her head, and a small bangle studded with turquoise fit perfectly around her tail. She felt… beautiful in it. Sexy.

Orfeo led her on a tour of the palace, informing her that barring certain obvious exceptions—the throne room, the treasury, the garrison—she had the run of the palace, but that either he or his secretary Rosa—the kobold madame—had to accompany her if she wanted to return to Braston proper.

The gardens looked temptingly beautiful, a place in which to sun her scales… but then she imagined turning down a path and seeing Tereus there, that same hungry smile on his mouth. She shuddered.

“Orfeo,” she said during a moment they had alone, “we need to talk about yesterday.”

He rubbed the back of his head. “Ah, that. Yeah, my father… I know what people say about him, but he’s a good man, really!”

Serafina was shocked into silence, and he pressed on.

“He’s just so overworked—running the nation, plus having to put up with an absolute failure of an heir.” He said it so casually, without a hint of self-pity or compliment-fishing, the way he might say that the sky was blue. He genuinely, truly believed it.

That bastard has been working on his son for a long, long time, Serafina thought.

“But he does have the kingdom’s best interests at heart, really!” the prince continued. “But I spoke to him last night and he said he’ll stay out of the seraglio.”

Well, that was a relief. “…all right,” Serafina told him. “I suppose I couldn’t understand royal stress.” A simple lie to make Orfeo smile and nod. Truth was, she hated Tereus more than ever now.

That night, she fulfilled her role as concubine for the first time. It had been in her chamber, not his. With the lights of the city burning bright in their window, candle-points of red and orange and yellow against the dark blue sky, Serafina had teasingly wrangled Orfeo onto his back, prying him out of his clothes.

Oh, his manhood was formidable. Big and proud, long and girthy, with a set of matching balls. His hands on her hips, she’d let him guide her down onto it, her voice coasting as she was penetrated by royal cock. This was far from her first cock (and truth be told, not even her biggest, though it certainly came close) but there was something intangibly different about this time, the way that his presence in her made her quake and thunder with delight. Yesterday morning, she’d been a street rat sharing a communal boardinghouse and considered that a step of luxury. Today, she was making love to the prince of the realm in a chamber most merchants would envy.

She hammered up and down on his rod, her words arching in praise, Orfeo glancing up at her with a guileless smile, blushing with happiness. His touch was both firm and gentle; there was no doubt in Serafina’s mind that whatever she wanted, he would give it to her and be happy doing so. If Orfeo minded her lack of the usual mammalian accoutrements, he didn’t show it, reaching up to stroke her smooth, scaly underbelly and tracing one fur-lined digit along the curve of her shiny new collar.

“Truth be told, the moment you walked in, I knew it had to be you,” Orfeo said. “The performance you put on just sealed the deal. You were… were…” he frowned, looking for the right word.

Serafina slammed down, keening from the blissful sensation, and clenching satisfyingly around him. She grabbed his hand and pulled it over to her clit, where he dutifully and expertly began playing with it.

Oh, he was lovely.

“C-Captivating?” she suggested, voice heady with want and need.

He beamed. “That’s a good word for it. Yeah, you were captivating. I felt that way when I saw Baucis for the first time, too. Like… it didn’t matter that I was royalty. I was hers. And yours.” He reached up to her collar again. “I wouldn’t mind getting one of my own, but Dad would kill me…”

“Let’s not—hnnnnnn—talk about y-your father…” Serafina said, eyes fluttering. She could feel her orgasm coming in every scale; she thrashed her tail about the bed, heedless of the mess it would make. The servant who’d been assigned to her room, a short and dutiful goblin, would take care of it.

Strange how quickly she’d adjusted to having servants. She’d never have to clean after herself again. She supposed that was the perk of being a royal broodmare.

“Breed me,” she whispered, and Orfeo’s blush deepened. He bucked into her, his thick tanuki cock squeezing itself against her and stretching her deliciously far, and she whined out her nose as the orgasm fluttered even closer. “F-fill me,” she panted. “And I’ll g-give you a clutch…”

“Fuck,” Orfeo grunted, and bucked into her again. “You’re so—so—”

“H-haaaaaahn?” she replied in query, barely coherent.

“Captivating,” he said, and then he slammed in, grunting, and came.

The feeling of his hot seed flooding her was far too much, and before long, Serafina was cumming too, panting needfully as she slumped forward, sloppily making out with the prince. Afterwards, the two of them cuddled, and the prince slowly drifted asleep, his arm draped happily over her shoulder.

“Meant what I said yesterday,” he mumbled. “‘Bout giving you a family. Don’t want you t’be alone. Meantime, I can be your family… me and Baucis…”

Serafina rolled over to look at him. She barely remembered much about her mother. She’d had friends, but they’d come and gone, fickle like the streets they shared. For her whole life, she’d effectively been alone. And now here was this gentle, wonderful, idiot man who randomly said the sweetest things to her. And he meant it. She could just feel it when he spoke.

“That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” Serafina whispered to him.

Orfeo didn’t respond; he was splayed out, snoring away. She didn’t mind. She was used to falling asleep with noise.

Serafina stroked her tummy idly. She wondered how long it would be before the prince’s seed took and he fulfilled his promise and she hers. And then she would round with a clutch and have his babies…

Babies that the king will steal from you.

The thought came to her unbidden, and she scowled. From Baucis and the servants, she had heard that Tereus had focused his early reign on statecraft, leaving the raising of his children—Orfeo and the prince’s sister, Alcyone—to their mother. Only after she passed did he realize that she’d failed to instill in them his brand of ruthless pragmatism.

Alcyone had been married off, but Tereus had tried to mold Orfeo into his vision of an acceptable heir—only to be disappointed. And so now, here was Serafina; here to give him a second chance.

Her blood chilled at the thought. If Tereus really did mean to replace Orfeo with her son, what did that mean for the prince? And for the prince’s harem? She had been promised a life of luxury and indulgence and she thought Orfeo meant to live up to it, but she didn’t doubt that Tereus would betray his son’s word in a second. She and Baucis and even Orfeo himself might very well be cast aside—or ‘disappeared,’ as Braston’s underbelly said the king had done to political rivals—once he was certain he had his desired heir.

To say nothing of the thought of that creature getting his paws on her offspring.

Rolling onto her side, Serafina’s mind raced with possibilities. And perhaps it was the late hour lending her imagination a daredevil quality, but she kept coming back to one solution:

She had to arrange for Orfeo to take the throne, and fast.