NTR Quest 36 - Academy - Keep Rivalry

While using the Serane with the lens setup to spy, you would see most of your former group fawning over Jace wherever they went. Merit and Jeane under each arm, his hand so obviously on their asses squeezing wherever they went without any care for who saw. They lost all shame. Esther trailed behind catering to his every request like an obedient little secretary. You trained her to be happy to be stepped on, essentially, so she was pleased by the thankless job of using her intellect to serve him, rather than you. He was the better bully after all. It was simple and objective.
“Damn...” They had not entered the secret room, though you knew that they likely had the capability to. It was possible that they knew the defenses would be particularly harsh and risky for them to navigate without control over the Serane's.

“I'm glad you didn't agree to join him.” Came the quiet, feminine voice of Aiden behind you.

“I'm surprised you haven't left me yet, too... What's stopping you?” You grumbled over your shoulder at him.

“You're bad. Yeah. But you also gave me some important lessons about being a leader that I sorely needed.” She sidled up beside you and curled her arm under yours affectionately.
“I'm not stupid so I know what you're doing to me on the side.” She claimed, looking up into your eyes with her deep emerald pupils.
“At the same time... I don't mind that stuff too much. What's important is, you and your abrasiveness and forwardness taught me that I should stand up for what I think is right. I should try to take what is mine, my way, if it will lead to a better outcome.”

“What now?” You questioned.

Aiden stared curiously at the lens, observing the sight of the entirety of your old group with Jace. “I think... As painful as it is to admit, it was mostly your fault that this happened. I think you probably pushed Merit and you weakened Esther to the exact type of thing she fell to. That poor teacher... She was fine until you decided she should be some evil witch or something.”

You grimaced. “You just here to taunt me?”

“No. I'm hoping to help you, honestly. Like you helped me.”

“You could help me by using your powers to manipulate them back under my control.”

Aiden furrowed his brow deeply. “But...”

“But what? It would solve EVERYTHING!” You shouted abrasively.

“Would it?”

“Yes.” You breathed. She slid in front of you and stood up on her toes to kiss you. You returned the kiss and wrapped your arms around her back. She stared up into your eyes once the kiss was broken, her lips parting slightly before she spoke.

“But Hero. If I were the type of person to manipulate others so easily, why would I not just manipulate you to be exactly who I need you to be?”You blinked, released her and took steps back. Her dainty frame seemed more intimidating by the second as she followed you step by step with a dull, neutral, wide-eyed expression. You looked off to the side.
“Do you think that all of the good things are easy? It would have been easy to surrender to Jace. It would have been easy to let my Brother rule. An ability that can fool others into agreements they may or may not want. What a convenient and easy thing, too.” As your back hit the great machine at the center of the room Aiden surprised you by taking your hand in both of hers. She stared at you beggingly.
“Please make a change for the better.”

“Who or what is it you want me to be?” When you guessed that she was not a real threat you took her off her feet and placed her on her back beneath you. Her legs lifted with her calves hooking behind your hips. You slid her skirt up around her waist and ignored everything except her soft, tight hole. She did not seem disagreeable as you leaned over her and pushed your hips forward to enter her. She gasped and tensed, saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth. As she was fucked her cheeks flushed and she briefly draped her thin forearm over her eye as she let out small, mouse-like pleasured noises. One of your hands braced next to her head while the other laced into her smooth blonde hair.

While panting she answered as best she could. The girl also uncovered her eyes and let her arms fall back  to either side of her head limply.  “A Hero? Someone that stands for something good. Not conquest and ambition.”

You gritted your teeth, going balls deep into her rear fast enough to illicit a short yelp from her as your cock pushed against her g-spot before bouncing up, deeper. You moved your hand down from her hair to her chest where her chest had gained two soft, small additions with puffy nipples.
“Ambition... Is what I gave you.” You argued.

“That's not ambition or desire. It's duty.” She offered breathlessly.

“Duty is what you call it.”

“No.” She whined, her eyes rolling back as you slowly dragged your member back to the tip before thrusting all the way in once more.
“Duty is what it is called when you are required to act. When to do anything else would be called fleeing. Your ambition...” She moaned.
“Your ambition is doing something no one ever asked you to do, for something you were never meant to have.”

“I get it. You never wanted to rule or fight.” You relented, performing a series of short, fast thrusts inside once you began to feel you were close.
“But it is what you're supposed to do...”

“Yes... Yes... Yes!” Aiden let out a series of short gasps during the thrusts right before she came. Her body relaxed as you released inside of her, filling her up completely.
“I can't change what I am supposed to do. I can only run from it or accept it as my duty. It was optimistic to think that I could run and everything would be peaceful. I thought the kingdom would benefit from there not being a fight for succession. I was convinced and gaslit by those in my family and other advising them and me. But now I know that it is not the case.”

“You know?” You slid off of her.

“Since I still have my faculties I still have some connections outside. It seems like there are incursions on the norther border, across the sea. I believe my brother is smart and will do what will benefit the kingdom, but I do not believe he will do what is best for the people.”

“What's the difference?” You were confused by the odd distinction, considering how you had behaved so far.

“A kingdom can thrive. But it can do so on the back of suffering quite easily. So is a successful kingdom actually successful if it is rich, but all those live poorly within it's borders?”

You chose not to answer that question, as it might have upset him. Instead you changed the subject back to what you wanted. You focused in on a key detail.
“If you were the type of person to manipulate others you would manipulate me?” You asked and Aiden nodded quickly.
“But you WOULD manipulate the others, as well? You would USE your powers?” You asked desperately. A sly smirk crossed your lips.
“Do it. I don't think that you would change me to be something that I would care to be or not to be. I would be fine and I would have revenge on those others that challenged me.”

Aiden averted his gaze sadly. “You don't know that the person I am, who would make those decisions, is the same person who will be making demands of you and others. You just don't. What you want is for me to change, so how can you think to predict how this will go for you so easily? Are you sure?”

You panned your gaze over to the lens and saw the looks on the faces of each of your former party members. It was not that their fate was even particularly bad. They were happy. Content. Except in the case of Jeane, as far as you knew, they were not even thralls and they were pleased to be serving Jace, the Alpha Bully, as Esther called him so appropriately before she too fell. Your blood boiled with shame and resignation.