Title: The Queen and the Soldier
Author: Sairalinde
Type: RPH/RPS
Pairing: Liv/Sean B. and Viggo/Orli
Rating: Explicit Sex
Warning: A.U. fairytale type thing.
Beta: Glorfindel
Website: www.lordsofgondor.com
Live Journal: www.livejournal.com/users/sairalinde
Disclaimer: This never happened...if it did well let's just say I'd be really surprised! Basically this story is based on the song The Queen and the Soldier by Kate Rusby and Kathryn Roberts. The story is original and I look at A.U. like I was writing a movie and if I was going to use the cast from the LOTR what parts I would have them play. I am only using names and physical descriptions of real people, but don't know them blah, blah, blah. This was written in fun that's all.
Feedback: Yes, please send to Sairalinde @ hornofgondor.com
Archiving: Anywhere you want it just let me know.
Notes: Set in a somewhat mixed Colonial/Medieval era. The Queen is 18 and the Prince is 19. Sean is 30 and Viggo 32, just so you can understand the references to age that are made in the story. I know it's not accurate it's A.U. remember? ;-)
Summary: War has raged between the Northern and Southern nations for the past 25 years. The young Queen Olivia of the North and the young Prince Orlando of the South want peace, but there are some who don't want peace. Viggo, Sean, Orlando, Miranda, and Liv have to work together to bring peace and overcome Liv's controlling Uncle Hugo. (Apologies ahead of time to Hugo and Karl fans.)
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Lyrics that inspired the story as performed by Kate Rusby and Kathryn Roberts can be found here: http://www.livejournal.com/users/sairalinde/13067.html

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[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6]

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Chapter 2

Lord Mortensen was no traitor to his queen or his country but he was in love with the Crown Price of the South, their sworn enemy. It was his job as a spy to learn of the Prince and even become close to him, but what had been an assignment had turned to much more. The Prince was fourteen years his junior, closer to the age of his own Queen but the heart doesn't always make wise choices.

Prince Orlando Bloom was his lover, and Lord Viggo Mortensen was one of the most influential of the Queen's advisors and one of her best spies. Their secret lovers trysts had been going on for months, and both men wished for peace so they could be with one another without hiding.

Viggo had shared the knowledge that Queen Olivia wished for peace, and Prince Orlando immediately had requests to meet drawn up. They were never answered.

That night after leaving the Queen's palace in the north Viggo made his way to meet his lover. The Prince and Viggo met at an Inn on the borders of the Western nation.

"Why if she wants peace won't she answer my requests?" Orlando asked angrily crossing the room in nothing but a thin blue silk robe. The firelight gilding his olive skin.

"After speaking with her tonight, I do not believe that the queen is receiving the requests. I think her Uncle is intercepting them. He is an evil man, and I do not yet have proof but I believe he is responsible for my King's death and that he is profiting from the war." Viggo explained calmly.

"Can anyone be that evil?" Orlando asked settling back into his lovers embrace on the large bed.

"I am afraid so, love. I have no proof, however and my word will not be enough to hang him." Viggo answered sadly.

Orlando turned to look at him, his big brown eyes sad. He knew how close Viggo was to the late King.

"Surely he wouldn't kill his own family?" Orlando asked unable to believe anyone could be that cold.

"I wouldn't put anything past him, besides the King was his brother-in-law not his family, not blood. Although I doubt that would matter, he mistreats his own wife and Olivia he treats her abominably. She hasn't told me it all, but I heard rumors before the servants were sent away. This is why I visit her so frequently because Hugo seems to leave her alone when I am around. He wishes for me to marry her." Viggo explained holding tighter to his lover.

"Marry her?" Orlando asked worriedly.

"Not that I am going to…all I feel for her is brotherly love. I have known her since she was a child. I do love her but not in the same way I love you." He explained.

"So she is all alone in that big palace?" Orlando asked wondering how anyone could live in such a place all alone.

Under normal circumstances Viggo would not answer that sort of question, particularly from the enemy but Orlando meant nothing by it. He knew that his lover had no true quarrel with the Queen and wanted more than anything to end the war between their two nations.

"Yes, all but one servant girl lives there with her now and very few guards a bit long in the tooth to be any real protection I fear. I visit as often as I can, but our queen is very lonely, and so lost. It breaks my heart." Viggo admitted.

"Her being alone with only a lone servant, that is so sad. She is beautiful is she not?" Orlando asked curiously.

"Yes, very. As I said before I've known her since she was a child so it's hard for me to see her as a woman now, but yes she is beautiful. Like you, love." Viggo teased kissing the side of Orlando's face.

"I feel for her. I don't want to fight your country anymore. There must be something…can you deliver a message to her for me?" Orlando asked.

"Not in writing, it would be too risky. Hugo would think I had switched sides, he already suspects me I think. And in some respects I suppose he would be right. I will talk to her, but the problem is not the queen it's Hugo. He has intercepted all of your previous messages. I think perhaps that someone close to you is informing Hugo of your messages, love." Viggo explained. "I don't think they even make it beyond your gates."

"I have suspected the same, do not worry. I will deal with them." Orlando answered. "Do talk to the queen…see if you can come up with a way to overthrow him? I will offer you whatever help I can from my side. Call back soldiers if needed, give you whatever you need. Whatever it takes for peace…whatever it takes so we can be together." Orlando answered.

"We only have a few hours, love. Are we going to talk about the war all evening?" Viggo asked shifting behind his lover and pressing his erection against his back to let him know how much he wanted him.

Orlando laughed and turned in his arms to kiss the man he loved, the man was a spy and this could all be lies, but Orlando believed him. With all his heart he loved this man and believed what he said was true. He shared too much information that Orlando knew to be true from his own spies. Viggo was certainly not using him.

Orlando decided to keep sending dispatches to the Queen, the paper might be wasted but at least it was an attempt. If the dispatches did one day make it to the queen perhaps they could by pass Hugo altogether? If they came to Viggo's hands through the Queen then Viggo could not be accused of being a traitor, but then all of the Prince's thoughts fled when Viggo laid siege to his mouth with teeth and tongue. Then he felt Viggo's hips thrust forward to grind his naked arousal against his own. Orlando moaned then suddenly he slid down and began lavishing kisses down Viggo's chest then stomach until he reached his destination.

He smiled up at Viggo who was watching from under lowered eye lashes. Orlando licked his cock and it was Viggo's turn to moan.

"Don't tease." He whispered and the young Prince wrapped his mouth around the rigid shaft sucking and licking with such abandon that Viggo nearly lost all coherent thought.

"Orli…" He whispered in warning.

The Prince rose up and smiled then rolled over. "Show me how much you love me." Orlando whispered with a grin.

Viggo pulled his thin robe the rest of the way off and then settled between his lover's legs reaching for the oil.

He kissed Orlando tenderly as one slick finger slowly slid inside tight heat. Orlando gasped into the kiss. Viggo went slowly pressing inside the hot tight passage until the young Price was writhing under him, begging with his body for more.
Orlando cried out into Viggo's mouth as he felt a second finger penetrate him. Viggo continued to move inside him with slow deliberate strokes causing the younger man to buck under him.
"Viggo!" He cried out finally breaking away from the long drugging kiss.
Viggo withdrew his fingers eliciting a slow whimper from his lover that made him grin. He applied more oil to himself and then began the slow slide into heaven. As the head slowly entered the man under him Viggo watched Orlando's face for any sign of pain to warn him to stop. His lover could be impatient at times, but Viggo was always patient, he never wanted to hurt Orlando. Ever.
It took a great deal of self control on Viggo's part to go slowly, when his natural instinct was to just begin pounding into the hot flesh gripping him tightly.
Orlando wrapped his legs around Viggo's hips and coaxed him to move faster. Viggo began to rock into his lover. Slowly at first and then he adjusted the angle slightly and Orlando's legs tightened around him pulling him deeper.
He continued to thrust slowly until Orlando said, "Viggo please..."
At that whispered plea he could no longer hold back and began thrusting inside the beautiful young man faster and faster until he felt his balls slapping against his lover's arse.
"So...good...Viggo." Orlando panted then moaned loudly and thrust his head back into the pillows when Viggo began hitting his pleasure zone with every thrust.
"You are so beautiful." Viggo murmured as he watched his lover. His lips were parted and his head was thrown back in abandon. The brown curls shining in the firelight in beautiful contrast against the white linen. Just watching Orlando's pleasure was nearly enough to bring him to the edge. Orlando began to reach down to stroke himself but Viggo shifted and took the ridged shaft in his own hand and began pumping him in rhythm with his own thrusts. Orlando's short nails were digging into Viggo's arms but he didn't feel the pain.
After a few more deep thrusts Viggo could feel Orlando's muscles tightening even more around him and knew he wasn't going to last much longer. Viggo could hear the blood roaring in his ears as he came just seconds after his lover. Both men howling each other's names.
"I love you." Viggo whispered several minutes later after catching his breath.
"Mmm, I love you, too." Orlando whispered back kissing him on the forehead. They slept for a short while tangled in one another's arms. What Viggo wouldn't give to be able to spend an entire night with his lover and wake up with him in the morning. If only they could have peace between their nations.

Colonel Sean Bean had always been a good soldier, believing in his country, and his queen. Until today.

They had captured a messenger and his papers revealed things that Sean found upsetting. They had been asking for peace talks and the queen would not grant an audience. The dying boy told him that his people wanted peace, that it wasn't just the Prince.

Sean too wanted peace. He had grown weary of battle, and wanted to settle down into a life of peace. A life away from blood, and sweat, and the constant fear of death at the end of a sword or musket or cannon ball.

He sat with the young dispatch rider and held his hand until he succumbed to his wounds. Sean continued to sit next to the dead boy, not even old enough to shave. He thought about the beautiful young Queen he had met several weeks ago.

How could one so beautiful be so cruel? How could she not want peace? He had fallen in love with the queen from a distance. After the brief meeting with her weeks ago he couldn't get her raven locks and sapphire eyes out of his mind. He would see her in his dreams at night, and was haunted by her. He'd never felt such attraction before, but now he was conflicted.

How could she live with herself? She was so young…how could she harbor such hatred? Then again the war had been going on since before she was born. She has no memory of peace. Sean barely had a memory of it himself since he was only five when the war started. The Queen was up in that big black castle on the hill and probably didn't care what happened on the battle field as long as her army triumphed. Many of his troops were just boys, barely able to shave just like this dead boy beside him, and she sent more of them to their deaths daily.

The more he thought about it the angrier he became. He gathered up the dispatches and made his way for the black castle on the hill. He did not know if the queen would see him, but he must at least try.

Sean no longer believed in fighting a war against a people who wanted peace. She had to see this…had to see reason. If not, he knew he would not be returning from the palace. He knew the stories of soldiers who had gone there never to return. He had been among the ranks once when they had been summoned to execute a "deserter" but Sean now wondered if that was the truth of it.

So he went to the palace with dispatches in hand, expecting a servant to answer the door but instead the queen did.

"My lady?" Sean asked shocked.

"Colonel?" She answered equally as shocked. Not him, please not him. She screamed inwardly.

"My lady, I must speak to you. I have questions, I have brought dispatches from a messenger of the Southern nations. A mere boy really, who died from wounds I inflicted on him. I am not fighting for you any more until my questions are answered, my lady." He stated.

Liv closed her eyes and sighed. "Very well. Come in." She said opening the door slowly to allow him passage. Like so many times before with so many other soldiers she led him to her chamber. She asked the blonde soldier to sit down.

"My lady I have watched your palace up here on the hill, and I've wondered who's the woman for whom we all kill. I am asking you why? Why do we continue to battle with an enemy who no longer wishes to fight us?" Sean asked softly as he sat at the small table. "I know you are young and may not understand but I have seen many battles lost and many battles won. I had never questioned this until today. Until today, when I read these." He said offering the dispatches.

The queen took them but set them on the table and sighed.

"Will you not read them, my lady?" He asked trying not to let his anger run away with his common sense.

"No, for I already know what they say." She answered.

"Then I've got this intuition, says it's all for your fun. Now will you tell me why? Why do we fight? What difference does it make?" He asked unbelieving that this beautiful creature could be so cold.

The Queen looked at him sadly. How could he believe it was all for my enjoyment?

So the Queen much like she always had with all soldiers who asked that question fixed him with an arrogant eye and said, "You won't understand, and you may as well not try." But this time she was not able to keep up the false bravado of the past. Not with this man, not with what she now knew, not with what Viggo had told her.

Instead she added, "It is as if I've swallowed a secret burning thread and it cuts me inside, and often I've bled, just as your men do, Colonel."

He stood and walked toward her. She looked so much like a child about to burst into tears that his heart ached for her.

"I may understand more than you give me credit for, my lady." Sean stated as he stopped in front of the beautiful Queen.

"Colonel…I…it is not easy as you know to send men to their deaths for little more than knowing it must be done. I have no choice, as you do not. You are a soldier and you follow orders." She stated.

Sean looked at her for a moment as if she were fragile as glass as if searching for something in her eyes. Then he grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her to the window to see the battle there.

"Look at this my Queen. How hungry are you? Tell me how weak you must feel living here all alone, separate from it all. You never really see the men you send to their deaths do you? You never see their widows cry and their children feel the cold squeeze of death upon their hearts so young. Are you so cold, so unfeeling? I won't march again on your battlefield until I know the reason why."

The sun, it was golden, though the sky, it was gray with smoke from the cannons and muskets. She wanted more than she ever could say, to explain to this man why. The battle as it raged in the distance frightened her, and she turned away. She could not look at his face again until he tipped her face up to his. The green eyes soft not menacing, he did not wish to harm her…he merely wanted to know why his men fought and died.

He said, "I want to live as an honest man, to get all I deserve and to give all I can. Your highness, your ways are very strange to me. You are beautiful and look oh so kind, though you send men off to their deaths, yet you cannot tell me why?"

Liv stood there thinking she might break, ashamed at the way she had behaved. Ashamed of the fear of her Uncle. Her heart ached when the soldier spoke of her beauty. She had never had a stranger tell her that. When she looked deep into his green eyes she knew she could trust this man, just as she trusted Viggo.

Instead of leading him to the doorstep and asking him to wait as she did with all others who came to her asking these questions she cried. Tears of guilt, of heart ache, and of helplessness. He held her in his strong arms as she cried.

"You wish for peace too don't you?" He asked quietly as her tears streamed down her pretty face.

"Yes." She answered in a choked voice.

"Then why do you turn away the offers of peace from our enemies?" He asked again referring to the dispatches.

"I don't." She answered. "My Uncle does."

"Your Uncle?" Sean asked shocked.

"Yes. He controls me, controls the war, and profits from it, Colonel. The reason I am in the palace alone is because I cannot trust him not to have spies amongst my servants. If I make even the simplest mistake he beats me, so rather than endure that I gave up my servants, and my friends. I keep only one servant inside the palace walls. She is the only one I can trust. You see, Colonel, I am little more than a figure head. I am weak, and cannot fight him. Even with the dispatches what can I do against him?" Liv stated wiping tears from her eyes.

"This servant Miranda is not the only one you can trust." He answered.

"What do you mean?" She asked in a trembling voice.

"You can trust me, my queen." Sean answered reaching out and softly wiping away a tear with his thumb. Even at her admission of not being in control she was still his Queen, his rightful ruler, not her Uncle.

She smiled. "You, Sir, are no servant."

"Oh, but I am! A soldier is but a servant to his queen." He answered returning the smile.

The Queen seemed to regain her composure for a moment and turned away from him. She strode to the table where the dispatches sat. Then she turned back to him. Sean was right, she could trust him. She could trust Miranda, and she could trust Viggo.

"Colonel, go back to your regiment. I know who I can give these dispatches to. He will be here tomorrow night for dinner. I would like you to come as well. The two of you may want to discuss these dispatches along with a number of other things. My Uncle is away for a few days." She answered. It was now or never. Viggo had said something would happen soon. He was right.

Sean nodded. She handed the papers back to him. "Please take these with you and keep them safe. They will not be safe here." She explained.

"Very well, my lady." He answered tucking the papers inside his jacket.

"Stay safe, Colonel." She said softly and he could see the truthfulness in her blue eyes.

Liv had not expected what happened next but within a moment she was wrapped in the handsome soldier's arms. He kissed her deeply and with such passion she thought her knees had turned to water. When he pulled back to draw in a breath he gazed into her eyes and brushed his fingers through her long smooth hair.

"Forgive me." He said softly realizing that what he had done was at the least a court martial offense.

"Forgiven." She whispered softly tracing her fingers along his jaw. Abruptly he pulled away and headed for the door.

"Until tomorrow, my lady." He said softly then passed through the door.

Liv wasn't sure how long she stood there with her fingers touching her lips before she smiled and whispered to the shut door. "Until tomorrow, my beautiful soldier."

The queen finally managed to get her thoughts back and composed a letter to Lord Mortensen. She wrote it in a code that he and she had established as a game when she was a child, and she summoned Miranda.

"Do not give this to anyone except Lord Mortensen himself, no aides, no secretaries, only him. Do you understand?" Liv asked ardently.

"Yes, my lady." Miranda answered tucking the letter into the folds of her dress. Something was about to happen, the soldier who had come here had left and returned to his men. Miranda wanted to hug the queen for finally having the courage to stand up to her Uncle for that is the only thing it could mean.

Continue to chapter 3