Summary: This is set in a bygone era known as Vaguely Feudal Times in a far, faraway place called Period Costume Land. Just so you know how historically accurate it is! Droit du Seigneur is an urban (or, probably more accurately, not-so-urban) legend that feudal lords had the right to have sex with their vassals' new brides on their wedding nights. Happily for medieval women, this does not actually appear to have been the case. This is dedicated to Nerodi, in honor of her birthday.

Warnings: Rated NC-17. m/f, mm.

The church was hung with garlands of flowers. Father Anselm looked down on them from the pulpit with a beneficence he rarely displayed during his Sunday sermons. Behind him, Clark could feel the beaming pride of his parents and Lana's family, the genial throngs of friends and neighbors who'd come to witness their nuptials. Beside him, Lana smiled, her face glowing with expectation. Father Anselm laid his stole over their joined hands, and it was done, the final step to adulthood. He and Lana were man and wife.

It was the moment Clark had been waiting for all his life. He and Lana had grown up in the same village, known each other since they were born. There had been an understanding between their families since-- well, forever. They had always been intended for one another, the son of the most prosperous farmer and the daughter of the wealthiest shopkeeper.

There should have been nothing Clark didn't know about Lana. And yet, as he bent to kiss her, to seal their marriage, he looked deeply into her eyes and had no idea what was behind them. A lifetime of picnics and walking her to church and Sunday dinners at her parents' house, and yet, he didn't know her thoughts. He had no idea of the secrets she kept locked in her heart.

She was his wife. And yet she was an utter mystery.

They kissed, and a cheer went up from the wedding guests. He and Lana marched back down the aisle, and everyone streamed out after them, forming a procession, heading to the home of Lana's parents for the wedding feast, where they made merry well into the night.

Finally, Clark's friend Pete clambered up onto the table and held up his tankard of ale, "I offer one last toast to the happy couple. Let us drink their health and send them on their way. Paradise awaits our good friend Clark, and surely we should not keep him from delving in to that promised land any longer."

The revelers laughed with bawdy good humor. Lana blushed, and Clark cast an exasperated look in Pete's direction. Pete only smiled and took a deep draught of his ale.

Clark led Lana to the door. She looked a little nervous, and he gave her a reassuring smile. The wedding goers crowded around them and paraded along, accompanying them back to the house Clark and his father had built for them to live in.

"Take one last look, my friends," someone called out. "We won't see them again for a good three days at least." Everyone laughed.

Clark held up his hand. "I want to thank you all for coming. It would not have been a true celebration if any one of you had not been able to join us. But now, if you'll excuse me, I do have more important matters to attend to."

There were whistles and catcalls and a great deal of laughter as Clark ushered Lana inside. They stood together in the kitchen of their new home, and Clark kissed her softly on the lips. "At last, we're alone."

"Mmm." She smiled, kissing him back. "Alone with my husband."

He smiled in return. "My wife." He reached for her hand. "Shall we?" He glanced toward the bedroom.

"Yes."

He squeezed her hand and led her inside. Lana glanced at him shyly and then lay down on the bed. Clark was just about to join her when there was a knock at the door. He sighed. No doubt it was Pete or some of his other friends come to make one last raunchy joke. "I'm sorry," he told Lana. "I'll be right back."

He hurried to the door and threw it open. "Very funny--"

It was, however, Lord Lex standing on the threshold, the young squire on whose land they all lived and to whom they owed allegiance. Clark had met him only once, the fateful day when Lord Lex's horse had gotten spooked on the old bridge and sent him plunging into the river. But he felt the same frisson of awareness. The lord's gray eyes, sharp with intelligence, his sleek, bare pate, pale skin, the graceful way he carried himself, the lithe strength of his body beneath his elegant clothes…it sent an unseemly charge through Clark, just as it had that day years ago when he'd saved the squire's life.

"My Lord," Clark said, rather flustered as he knelt. "I wasn't expecting--"

Lord Lex waved his hand, giving him permission to rise. "Of course, you weren't. May I come in?"

Clark hastily backed out of the way to let him pass. "You are most welcome, my lord. We are honored to have such a noble guest in our humble abode."

Lord Lex arched an eyebrow. "That's not the typical reception I get in your little hamlet, but then, I rather doubt there's anything typical about you, Clark." The glint in his eye gave Clark a strange fluttering in his stomach. "Now as to the purpose of my visit, I've come to offer my congratulations to the happy couple." He dropped a bag of coins on the table. "And to deliver a wedding present."

"My lord! You are too generous. I don't know how to--"

"There's no need to thank me, Clark. Quite to the contrary, my aim is to thank you. Do you think I've forgotten who saved me from nearly drowning?"

Clark dropped his eyes, humbly. "It is my honor to render your lordship any service I can. No thanks are necessary."

"I'd say risking your life, jumping into a raging river to pull me out, is above and beyond the call of duty. You're a very brave young man."

Lord Lex's praise brought a blush to his cheeks. "It was nothing."

The squire's lips quirked with amusement. "Nothing to save the life of your lord and master?"

"No! I didn't mean--" His body thrummed with embarrassment. He had no practice conversing with the gentry and clearly wasn't very good at it. "I only did what was owed to someone in your station, my lord."

"Indeed. That is something I wanted to discuss with you." He smiled, showing sharp, white teeth. "What's owed to me now that you're wed."

Clark frowned. "My lord?"

"You've heard the phrase droit du seigneur?"

"I know what it means," he said, angrily. "I also know that no decent, god-fearing nobleman would choose to exercise it."

"Ah, but Clark, have you ever heard me described as either decent or god-fearing?"

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, desperately.

Lord Lex moved closer, their shoulders touching, just for a moment. "Because I can." He took a step back and turned toward the inner room, the bedroom where Lana waited. "Now where is that lovely bride of yours?"

Clark fell to his knees and clutched at his master's cloak. "Please, I beg you, my lord. Don't do this."

Lord Lex stroked Clark's cheek. "It's sweet to hear you beg. Soon, I hope you'll do it for an entirely different reason. But for now, I'll content myself with sampling your lady's pleasures."

"Clark?" Lana appeared in the doorway, her expression startled. "Is something wrong?"

"Not at all, my dear," Lord Lex assured her. "In fact, this should prove quite a memorable day for you."

Clark rose to his feet. His mouth was dry, and his throat ached, making it difficult to speak. "Lord Lex has come to claim his right of droit du seigneur. I'm sorry. There's nothing I can--" He had not been Lana's husband a full day yet, and already he'd failed her.

"I don't understand." Lana's innocence cut him, making his guilt that much greater.

"Shall I explain or would you prefer to?" Lord Lex asked.

Clark swallowed hard. "Lana, it's an old custom, one that's rarely practiced anymore." He glared at the squire. "But it is still the law and-- Lord Lex has the right to demand the first night with any bride on his demesne."

At first, she didn't understand, but then her eyes went wide and she gasped. "No!" She pressed herself to Clark's side, clutching his arm. "Don't let him. Please!"

Clark hugged her tightly, kissed the top of her head. "I have no choice. I'm so sorry."

Lord Lex reached for her hand, pulled her away from Clark. "Come now. Time to do your duty. I promise you won't be hurt."

She cast a backward glance at Clark as Lord Lex dragged her to the bedroom, her eyes filled with tears and betrayal.

"I'm sorry," Clark whispered feebly.

Lord Lex pushed Lana into the room and paused in the doorway. "You could always watch, you know."

"Does it make you feel important to be able to abuse your power over an innocent girl?"

Lord Lex tilted his head, as if considering. "Perhaps not. But it does make me feel rather lucky." He winked. "If you change your mind, you're still welcome to join us."

His lordship closed the door behind him, and Clark stumbled over to a chair and sank onto it. His head was spinning, and he felt as if he might throw up, even though he was never sick.

Lord Lex's father, Lord Lionel, had been much despised by the villagers. In his untrammeled greed, he'd squeezed his tenants for every last penny, leaving them with never enough for themselves, starving and cold through the long winters. When Lord Lex had succeeded as squire, all the villager's longstanding hostility and resentment had been transferred on to him, prejudice against the nobility too deeply ingrained to give him a fair chance.

Clark, though, had noticed the difference. Lord Lex had immediately repealed all the old draconian taxes. He seemed to feel the responsibility of his position in a way his father never had, improving roads, opening a school for the village children, among other contributions to the community. The squire was magistrate of his demesne, and in Lord Lionel's day, justice was sold to the highest bidder. Lord Lex, on the other hand, exercised great fairness in settling disputes among the villagers. Clark had actually-- admired him.

It seemed he'd rather painfully misjudged his lordship's character.

Time seemed to stretch out into an eternity as he sat waiting. The small house rang with silence as he strained to make out any sound coming from the bedroom. The moans, when he did finally detect them, were faint at first, so soft he might have mistaken them for the wind blowing outside. But they grew steadily louder until Lana was practically wailing, each cry such a shock to Clark it felt like a physical blow.

He knew the things they whispered about the young lord, rumors of excess and unspeakable depravity. He'd never believed any of it, but now-- The squire could be doing anything to Lana, hurting her or… Lord Lex had taken two wives already, Lady Helen and Lady Desiree, and no one really knew what had happened to either of them. Official word from the castle was that they had died in childbirth, but speculation among the townspeople was far darker.

Clark could not just sit by and do nothing to defend his wife. He rushed to the bedroom, threw open the door, charged inside.

And promptly froze in his tracks.

Lana lay on the bed, head thrown back, eyes closed, cheeks flushed, her long dark hair fanned out on the pillow. She was crying out desperately, but it was neither from fear nor pain. Father Anselm had counseled Clark before the wedding on the proper way to have relations with one's wife, quickly, discreetly, a necessary evil in order to have children, not something to be done to indulge his own lust. Lord Lex had a different idea about it altogether. He'd stripped Lana bare and laid her out on the bed like a voluptuous banquet, her legs wide flung, nipples dark and stiff. Lord Lex himself was naked to the waist. He knelt between Lana's thighs, his head bent and bobbing, making little humming noises of appreciation.

A wave of heat hit Clark, scalding his cheeks, settling low in his belly, as he realized what Lord Lex was doing. It was his first glimmer of understanding that things between men and women were not exactly as Father Anselm wanted him to believe.

Lord Lex pulled back from his work, making Lana whimper, and smiled at Clark. "I'm glad you decided to join us."

Clark felt the blood rush to his face again, only in shame this time, not arousal.

"Did you know about this?' Lord Lex asked in his silky, tempting voice, caressing the inside of Lana's thigh. "That men do this for their wives?"

Clark couldn't answer. He could only stare, hypnotized by the movement of Lord Lex's hand, the play of muscles beneath his creamy smooth skin.

Lord Lex smiled softly with satisfaction. "That's what I thought. But don't worry, Clark. I'll teach you everything." His voice dropped, husky and commanding. "Watch."

He gently spread the swollen lips of Lana's sex and sunk two fingers inside her.

"Ohhhh!" she cried out, spreading her legs even wider.

The lord smiled, well pleased. "Your fingers can give as much pleasure as your cock," he instructed Clark. "This little button?" He skimmed his thumb in circles over Lana's delicate flesh, making her sob with pleasure. "Pay special to attention to that."

Lana's eyes beseeched Clark to forgive her, even as she rocked her hips forward, trying to take Lord Lex's fingers deeper inside her, as if she just couldn't stop herself.

Clark, much to his shame, could not keep his body from responding either, the familiar, aching heaviness between his legs as his cock started to lift and fill.

Lord Lex slid off the bed. Lana let out a cry of disappointment, and he dropped a kiss to the dark patch of her womanly hair. "Don't worry. I'm not finished with you yet." He took her hand and guided it between her legs. "You remember how I touched you?" She nodded, looking almost afraid. "Good. Now pleasure yourself while I talk with your husband."

"But it's not proper, my lord," she said, breathlessly.

Lord Lex smiled and moved her hand in sensual circles, making her moan out loud. "But it feels so good, doesn't it?"

He removed his hand, and Lana whimpered. But she didn't stop touching herself.

"Good girl." Lord Lex turned to Clark. "Are you watching? Do you see what your wife likes? How she'll want you to touch her when you lie together?"

Clark's mouth fell open. It had been drummed into his head since he was a small boy, that this was wrong, filthy. But Lana's bright eyes, her soft sighs, and Clark's heart pounded with excitement, his cock hard and throbbing.

"She is beautiful, isn't she?" Lord Lex watched him closely. "Can you feel the heat coming off her skin? Does it make you ache to be touched? I know it does me." He stripped away the rest of his clothing, standing nude before Clark, his bearing straight and proud, cock flushed and curving toward his belly, his skin smooth and flawless.

It was unseemly to stare. Lord Lex was his better in society, and a man was never supposed to lust for another man, under any circumstances. But he'd felt something that day at the river, a chord of connection as he'd breathed life back into his master's body. It resonated through him now, sparking along his nerves, vibrating over his skin, making him shake.

Lord Lex did not miss his interest. "Take off your clothes."

Clark stared, and his hands curled into fists. It was one thing to feel, to want, to imagine. It was quite another to defy a lifetime of training, all the moral beliefs carefully inculcated in him.

"I'm your master, and I could command you. But I want you to do this because you desire it, not because you have to." He caressed Clark's chest through the rough fabric of his shirt, staring as if he could see beneath his clothes, his eyes like hot agates. "Show me. Please."

Lord Lex's voice was low and throaty, his unexpected "please" impossible to resist. Clark's hands moved to his belt, shaking as he undid it. Need clenched the back of his throat. He pulled his tunic over his head and let it drop. The sound of fabric hitting the floor rang in his ears as if it were the loudest noise.

"Yes," Lord Lex said, sweet and coaxing. "So beautiful."

Clark was naked and standing close enough to feel his master's warm, bare skin singing to him, making him desperate to touch. He knew Father Anselm would call such a longing a mortal sin. But Clark felt an odd rightness in it. He was dark and broad and roughly haired all over, and Lord Lex was so pale and smooth and finely made, as if they were the perfect complement to one another. As if they belonged together.

Lord Lex's eyes simmered. "Now you're starting to understand." He thrust a hand into Clark's hair, pressed his lips to the base of his neck. Clark's heart beat against his chest as if it wanted to escape. "Still, I did make a promise to your lovely bride." He strung kisses along Clark's jaw. "And I pride myself on keeping my promises." He whispered against Clark's ear, "Watch and learn. After I've left, it will be your turn."

Lord Lex glided back to the bed. Lana gasped as he moved between her legs and replaced her hand with his own. "Good girl. You're nice and wet." He kissed her belly, and a visible tremor ran through her. "It excites you, doesn't it? Knowing that two men want you, that we're both going to have you." Lana's cheeks burned, and her eyes darted guiltily over to Clark. "Oh, don't worry, my dear. Your husband wants you to enjoy it. Don't you, Clark?"

Clark couldn't find his voice and didn't answer, but his fingers tingled, the urge to touch himself almost overpowering. They were the two most beautiful people he'd ever known, each of them belonging to him in their own way, his wife and his master. And he wanted so much.

Lord Lex smiled, knowingly. "In fact, I'd say he's going to enjoy this almost as much as you do." He leaned forward and kissed Lana, long and lingeringly. "Are you ready to lose your maidenhood, my dear?" She whimpered, and he stroked her breast. "Good." He looked to Clark. "Are you ready?"

Clark nodded, aching all over. Whether it was right or not, he needed this.

"Touch yourself," Lord Lex urged him softly. "Like it's me touching you."

There was no resisting that, and Clark took his cock in his hand, groaning out load.

"Clark!" Lana gasped, her eyes wide with surprise, bright with desire.

"He is beautiful, isn't he?" Lord Lex whispered in her ear. "And now it's your turn for pleasure." He surged into her, and she screamed.

"Lana!" Clark cried out.

"It only hurts for a moment. And then there's nothing but pleasure," Lord Lex crooned to her, as he thrust gently, moving his hand between their bodies, stroking her.

"Oh, God!" Her mouth was a perfect "o" of surprise. "It feels good. So good."

Clark moaned and stroked his cock more eagerly.

Lord Lex smiled at him, his eyes a dark smolder. He licked at Lana's nipple, making her squeal with delight. "Watch your husband," he murmured to her. "See what you do to him? How hard you make him. How much he likes looking at you."

"Yes," Lana said, her voice strained as Lord Lex started to ride her harder.

"Do you like looking at him?"

"Oh, God. Yes!"

"Do you want to see him come? Do you want me to make you come?"

"Please!" Lana begged.

"Yes!" Clark joined in the plea.

Lord Lex held his gaze, connection hot and sizzling surging through the air between them, the same spark Clark had felt that day at the river. "Come for me," Lord Lex commanded with quiet authority. "Come now!"

Clark's back went stiff, his vision shimmering, dimming, his breath stopping altogether, as his cock spurted in his hand. Lana stared at him, her eyes huge and shining. She bit her lip, but could not help crying out, her body bucking up, arms and legs thrashing as she came.

"Fuck!" Lord Lex's expression grew stark, and he thrust wildly, before going perfectly still, a look almost like pain crossing his features as he, too, climaxed.

Long moments passed, and none of them moved. Clark slumped against the wall, weak-kneed. Lana lay panting, her arm bent over her eyes. At last, Lord Lex stirred, getting up from the bed, slipping back into his clothes. This roused Clark to action. He pulled his tunic on, went to Lana, covered her with the quilt and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

"I just need to see his lordship out," he told her.

She nodded, cupped his cheek and kissed his lips sweetly. "Hurry back to me."

Her eyes were filled with fire, and it was as if he were seeing her, really seeing her, for the first time. That ethereal, blushing maiden he'd always put on a pedestal, he realized, had only ever been a dream. Lana was a woman, earthy and real, with needs all her own. Maybe this was always the way it was between a man and his wife. He only truly discovered her in the marriage bed.

Clark kissed her again and then turned to Lord Lex, who had finished dressing. The squire headed for the door, and Clark followed him out. In the kitchen, they stopped, and Clark felt awkward, no idea what to say.

Lord Lex surprised him by reaching for him, pulling him close, searing him with a kiss, tongue pushing inside his mouth, teasing and exploring. Clark trembled and clutched at him, kissing back eagerly, if not expertly. Lord Lex's body was strong and angular and hard-muscled against his, nothing like Lana's sweet curves, but just as arousing.

Lord Lex finally pulled away, breathing hard. "I don't want you to think this is over." His hand curled around Clark's neck, fingers twining in the hair at the nape of his neck. "It will never be over between us."

Clark stared, not comprehending.

"Did you really think this was about your bride?" Lord Lex's eyes glowed with passion. "That was just a-- demonstration, let's call it."

Clark blinked, as understanding filtered in. The heat rekindled in his belly, desire burning through him all over again.

Lord Lex's gaze was intense, mesmerizing. If the house had fallen down around them, Clark still would not have been able to look away. "You do know that men can lie together, don't you? I can give you everything I gave your bride, Clark. My hands and my mouth and my--"

Clark trembled at the idea of Lord Lex possessing him, and it was not from fear or disgust.

"I'll teach you everything about pleasure. And you can pass the lessons on to your wife. It will be to everyone's advantage, don't you think?"

"I-- I don't know." His need for his beautiful master dizzied him. But there was so much separating them: wealth and rank, the strict beliefs Clark had been raised with, the terrible consequences if anyone ever found out.

"I am your lord, and I could compel you. But I want--"

"I do desire it."

Lord Lex kissed him fiercely. "Come to me tomorrow in the afternoon. I'll be waiting for you." He ran his hand down the front of Clark's tunic, coming to rest over his erection, stroking him through the fabric.

"God!" Clark moaned.

Lord Lex smiled. "Go." He nodded toward the bedroom. "Satisfy yourself with your bride." He leaned in, licked Clark's neck, making him shake. He whispered in his ear, "Tomorrow, I'll be the one who satisfies you."

He swept out of the house with a flourish of his fur-lined robe. Clark watched for a moment, as the squire mounted his horse and rode away. Then he made himself shut the door, turn back to the bedroom, to his wife who was waiting for him. He moved deliberately, giving himself a little more time to think. He took Lord Lex at his word. Truly, he believed his master would not force him to do this. The decision would be all his own. He could choose not to go to the manor tomorrow, refuse the assignation. He could avoid the squire and wait for him to lose interest, pretend none of this ever happened.

He could. But he knew he wouldn't. Knew it even as he went into the bedroom and lay down next to his wife. Even as he kissed and stroked and entered her for the first time. Even as he cried out her name in genuine pleasure.

He would go to the manor tomorrow. He would lie with Lord Lex and give him anything and everything he wanted and cry out his name when he came. Because, somehow, he knew, it was only in his master's bed that he would fully discover himself.