Message-ID: <24310asstr$959487008@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Original-Message-ID: <E12vp0N-0004Bv-00@ballistix.fcj.hvu.nl>
From: Remmelt de Haan <zarn@mud.nu>
Subject: {ASSM} Journey to Carlin (mf, fantasy, cons)
Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 00:10:08 -0400
Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail
Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org>
Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories
Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d
X-Archived-At: <URL:http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2000/24310>
X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation <story-ckought69@hotmail.com>
X-Story-Submission: <ckought69@hotmail.com>
X-Moderator-ID: gill-bates, apuleius
This story appeared in a shortened version in a.s.s.m. in 1997. I
hope this rewrite makes more sense now. I welcome feedback, criticism
etc. Drop me a line if you liked this.
All my stories can be found at
http://www.telebyte.nl/~zarn/fiction/
--Remmelt
Journey to Carlin
A light drizzle came from an overcast sky. The horses' hooves made soggy
noises in the muddy road that led through the tiny village. The two riders
looked at the motley collection of dilapedated houses. Only one was made of
stone, but weed grew from the cracks and seems.
"If this is Oak Grove, then what did they do with the oaks?" the first
one, a tall man, said quietly.
His companion, a woman with long black hair, silently pointed at a stack
timber lying between two houses. Two men stood chatting near the stub of a
tree; their axes standing upright. They lowered their voices when they noticed
the two riders.
The tall man nodded in greeting. It was not returned.
"Over there," the woman said.
"That house? Do you recognize it still?" he asked her. He reigned in
his horse as she dismounted.
"They put a new roof on it, but it's still the same."
She started to walk to the door and caught herself. Smiling nervously at
him, she added: "I guess Fedya wizened up and had someone do it for him.
He never could fix roofs, you know."
Her partner nodded encouragingly.
She slowly walked up to the door and knocked.
A moment later the door opened a few inches. There was no light inside,
and all she could see was an eye peering suspiciously at her and her
companion.
"What do _you_ want?"
"I am Abigail of Briar's Veil. I am looking for Fedya."
"He isn't here."
Managing a weak smile, she added: "I-I was hoping you could tell me where
he is. I'm an old friend and..."
The door was opened another two inches. The eye was accompanied by an
unshaven face and brown curly hair. The man sized her up and scowled.
"He doesn't live here anymore," he replied curtly. "He died last
year. He was sick for a long time."
The woman stared at him until the man added: "That's all I know."
His eyes darted from her to the tall man, who was leaning on his
saddle. It looked as if he was bored with the whole situation.
The curly man slammed the door shut.
"No, wait!" She knocked on the door again.
"I told you all I know!" the muffled reply came. "Leave!"
"Wait, I just want to know..."
The door burst open again. Curly stepped out, his hand on the knife
on his belt. Not taking his eyes of the tall man, he started: "Are you
hard of hearing? I told you to leave! We don't want your..."
The tall man leaned slightly forward.
Curly took a step back and paled.
"We don't want you here," he repeated lamely.
The woman turned and mounted.
"Let's go, Ukko," she said in a flat voice. She mounted her horse,
turned and left.
Ukko looked at the man a moment longer. He patted the longsword at his
side. Curly slowly moved his hand away from the knife. Ukko smiled thinly
and nodded. Then he turned and set after his companion.
He caught up with her outside the village.
"You ok?"
"Yeah," she replied grimly.
"Do you want to stay..."
Abigail spurred her horse into a gallop.
"Neither do I," he muttered, following suit.
At the edge of Keren's Forest they found a single stone wall, the
last remainder of a small chapel dedicated to Koriel, the Watcher.
"A good place to spend the night," Ukko decided.
They dismounted and unsaddled the horses. By unspoken agreement,
Abigail tended to the horses while Ukko started to gather dry wood for
a fire.
They ate the peppered meat rations and divived the five juicy pears
between them.
"I'm sorry about your friend, Ears," he said.
Abigail unrolled her blanket and sighed.
"So am I. But it happens sometimes. People get sick, and people die."
She took a big bite out of a pear. The juice ran down her chin and
neck and she hastily tried to catch it with her other hand. Something
rustled in the undergrowth. Their eyes met.
"Don't worry about it," she said softly.
Ukko nodded and poked in the fire with a big stick. With a swift move
he lobbed a burning branch into the bushes, which instantly caught fire.
At that moment two orcs, jumped out of the tree next to the wall and
started wailing a battle cry. Several orcs jumped from the bushes,
although screams indicated at least one must still be in there.
Ukko had jumped up and drawn his longsword before the branch had come
down. He dropped to one knee and brought his weapon up in a defending arc,
slicing up the arm of an orc.
Abigail was circling two orcs and planted a dagger in another.
"Stupid humans always go here!" one orc hissed at Ukko. "They think
the big god Koriel watches, so they are safe!"
He parried two of Ukko's blows and added: "Now Koriel watches the
stupid humans d-aaahhh!!"
The orc folded around Ukko's boot and slammed into the wall.
"Hold this," Ukko said to a wailing orc and thrust his sword cleanly
through its chest. He grabbed the orc he'd just kicked and threw him
into two others who were trying to get away with the saddle bags.
Abigail was momentarily startled by the appearance of a screaming orc
whose arm was on fire. Another orc dropped down from the tree and knocked
her short sword out of her hand with a spiked club. She pushed the
stinking creature against the tree and slid its throat with the dagger.
Dark drops of blood sprayed over her face.
The point of a dagger slid across the many metallic rivulets of the
armor on her back. She dropped down on the ground and picked up her sword.
Three orcs jumped on top her - one impaling himself on her dagger.
"Kill the stupid human!" one behind her cried. She managed to kill
another, but the third sat squarely one top of her and had its hands
around her neck. They wrestled and rolled over until she hit the wall.
Gasping for air Abigail felt the strength ebb from her arms. She
stared at the ugly creature with its sour breath and its stinking rags
for armor and focussed all her murderous rage. She grabbed the orc's
head and started to beat it against the wall. The orc let go of her neck
and died shortly after she continued to smash its head against the uneven
stone.
And then it was over.
Abigail steadied herself against the wall with one blood-soaked hand,
trying to catch her breath.
They stamped out burning bushes and dragged the dead bodies a ways
into the forest and covered the orcs in dirt, so that other creatures
would not be attracted by the smell of death. Only then they found time
to check eachother out.
"They cut you," Abigail remarked.
Ukko held out his arm as she took care of a cut that had started to
bleed.
"There's some ban..."
Ukko cut her short by giving her the bandages. He gritted his teeth
when she started to squeeze out the wound, and was glad she didn't see
it. He studied her face as she wrapped the bandages around his arm, her
lips pursed in concentration. Caked mud and blood freckles covered her
cheeks and nose and her hair was a mess. He wondered briefly if and how
he could put a smile back on that pretty face.
"Your face is a mess," he told her.
She nodded absent-mindedly.
"Tell me something new."
Ukko moved his arm about, waving an imaginary sword. He nodded to
himself.
"Come here," he said. He poured water from his waterskin over a
piece of cloth and started to clean her face. Abigail stood still,
almost stoicly, as he gently wiped the dirt off her face. Her warm breath
caressed his hand in little puffs, which was distracting.
Ukko didn't tell her to turn towards the campfire. He preferred
standing closer to her.
Her eyes never left his face.
"Thank you," she said softly.
Reluctantly, Ukko finished and withdrew.
"You're welcome. Anything else you want me to do?"
Abigail hesitated a moment and smiled.
"I'm fine."
Later, when Ukko had fallen asleep, Abigail sat at the fire, looking
at him. She wrapped her blanket around her and sighed.
The next night they camped at the edge of a lake not far from Oak
Grove. As usual, Abigail fed and took care of the horses and Ukko
prepared the evening meal.
He roasted the two rabbits they'd caught in their snares two days
ago and filled their waterskins with fresh water from the lake. Making
sure that their fire was not visible from across the lake he wondered
why his companion had been so lost in thoughts the past couple of days.
She was brooding over something. His gentle prodding questions hadn't
yielded any results yet. But at least her unwillingness to talk had
given him ample upportunity for deliberation.
After a somewhat rocky start they had warmed up to eachother.
Although he was the only one with who she could spar, Ukko believed she
would have chosen him as a sparring partner if she'd had the choice.
She never complained, to a fault. She preferred to solve the problem
at hand herself rather than ask somebody else in the group for help.
He admired the way she never laughed at other people's expense. She was
very refreshing after experiencing the ladies of the big city who
seemed so full of themselves and talked the entire evening and, if
they could, after that.
"So what's eating you, Ears?" Ukko said, trying to get a rise out
of her. Abigail turned in irritation.
"Will you stop calling me that?"
She led her mare down to the waterside where she could drink. Ukko
shook his head and dug out his salt pouch from the saddlebags.
"Dinner's ready," he announced after a while.
They ate for the most part in silence. Sitting opposite her and
having the advantage of added height Ukko watched Abigail eat. Her eyes
focussing on the task at hand she gently tore off small pieces of meat
with her mouth. From time to time she licked the dripping off her long,
slender fingers. There was an unstudied elegance about her eating, the
same unconscious grace applying to most other things she did.
"We should reach the Wren tomorrow. Do you want to cross it right
away or wait one day?" Ukko inquired. The fire's flames gave her face
and hands a fiery glow.
"Uhuh," she replied absent-mindedly, concentrating on the meat and
spitting a piece of bone into the fire.
"You want to wait?" he asked again.
She nodded.
"Well, we've still got two days before we are expected in Carlin," she
said. "We're not in a hurry, are we..."
Her voice faded and she followed a couple of sparks that had leapt
up from the fire. Her eyes caught his.
"Course not," he smiled. "We can take as long as you like."
After dinner Ukko carved a large splinter of wood out of a branch
and started picking his teeth with it, one of his favorite after-dinner
activities. Abigail took a dirty rag and started cleaning the mechanism
of her crossbow.
Ukko let out a modest burp.
An owl hooted nearby. A few crickets launched into a new recital. He
felt at peace, sitting here beside the fire and listening to the sounds
around them. The lake's surface was smooth, reflecting the lights of Oak
Grove at the farside.
Cloud and King stood next to the old willow near the water, nuzzling.
Two hills between them and the nearest path. At times like this, he mused,
the adventuring life wasn't so bad. Give or take a few orcs. His eyes
drifted back to Abigail and he smiled. She hooked her feet behind the
wood of the bow, took the bowstring in her hands. Ukko looked at the
play of her muscles of her arms as she started to draw the string back.
Only the pursing of her lips betrayed the effort.
She caught him staring and frowned.
"What?"
"You're so quiet," he said. "Ears," he added with a grin.
With great speed Abigail nocked an arrow, aimed the bow at him and
fired. The arrow hit something next to his shoulder. The warrior just
sat there, the blood drawn from his face and his mouth hanging open.
"Fine, I won't call you that again," he said in a hoarse voice.
Abigail lowered her bow and chuckled. Ukko glanced beside him to
see what she had hit. Next to his shoulder lay a snake, its head pierced
with an arrow. He released his breath in a long, slow sigh.
"Koriel guard me! I thought you were aiming for me!"
"There was no time to warn you," she apologized. "Are you alright?"
"I think so... Do you think it was poisonous?"
Abigail picked up the snake and examined its head and teeth.
"Don't know this one. But it was about to give you a lovebite. Would've
given a nasty wound in the neck from any kind of snake."
"Thanks, Abby."
She flashed a smile at him, more grateful that he had used her name than
anything else. After a short inspection of the sight she put the bow and
the cleaning rag away. She got up and walked down to the edge of the
water.
In the light of the rising Eyes of Koriel she unfastened the buckles
of her chainmail shirt.
Ukko couldn't help but stare.
She took the shirt off and put it on a large boulder near the water.
Her beltpouch and sheathed dagger were put on top of it. She managed to
take her boots off without unceremoniously limping around on one foot.
Then she slowly stripped her legs of the padded armor. She was now only
dressed in a long shirt that used to be white but which had now reverted
to a more neutral grey.
From not more than twenty feet away Ukko was mesmerized. From her long
legs, muscled yet graceful, and the curve of her hips to the swell of her
breasts and the outlines of her nipples, clearly visible through the shirt.
She was breathtaking. He could hardly believe this was the same person who
had drunk him under the table two weeks ago in Woolfson Bridge.
Abigail took off her jewelry, two rings and a necklace and dropped it
in one of her boots. She turned her back to him and slowly lifted her shirt.
For his mind's eye he envisioned them together, his hands at the small of
her back while he... Ukko blinked his eyes to get rid of that train of
thought. But he wondered why he'd never even considered trying to get her
into bed with him.
A small voice inside him answered, because friends are too valuable to
take advantage of. And you're not like Dlanor.
Abigail folded her shirt and bend down to put it on top of her armor,
giving him a broad view of her butt, hips and the treasure, that lay
between them.
If she were putting on a show for him, Ukko thought, it was definitely
working. He had a raging hardon which started to become painful.
She stepped into the water and slowly waded towards the deeper parts of
the lake, her hips and ass swaying. She looked over her shoulder.
"Come on in, the water's great!" she called.
Ukko raised his hand in response. He gathered some branches and threw
them on the fire. He unfastened his leather belt and thought about the
dangers they had faced together. The encounter with the Death Knight still
brought him shivers. For a while he was distracted by loosening the straps
of his jerkin and by the time he dropped his pants his erection had
withered enough for him not to embarrass himself in case he was imagining
things. The water was cold enough to be refreshing and still warm enough
for comfort.
"Did you never do this when you were younger?" Abigail asked, treading
water as he swam towards her.
"Nope."
"Come on, a farmboy like you? You never swam naked at night?"
"They worked me too hard," he admitted. "I was too tired to do anything
at night."
He found out he could just touch the stones on the bottom with his toes.
He found an elevated rock with a smooth surface and stood on it. They were
just grinning stupidly at eachother for a moment.
"You standing on a rock? Is there room for me?"
She nearly tripped on his toes, lost her balance and regained it when
he put his arms around her. Her arms slipped around his neck and her groin
slowly rubbed against his, leaving little doubt about what she wanted.
The warm, smooth skin of her back felt great under his wandering hands.
His member hardened again and nuzzled her left thigh.
There appeared something unsaid, still, so he stopped momentarily to
face her. He was surprised to see a tear running down her cheek.
She started to turn and let go of him, but he grabbed her wrists and
made her look up again.
"I don't want to sleep alone tonight," she said in a strangled voice.
"There is so much blood and death in my life. Every time I kill I feel I lose
something, but I don't know what..."
"There's a lot more than that, Abby. You know that."
"Why don't you... show me?"
She gulped and whispered: "No strings attached."
Ukko realized he could as easily fall in love with this woman as he
could slip off the rock they were standing on. He wasn't about to confuse
the issue by saying so. He knew he wanted to possess this sensual being,
to know what she would sound like in the heat of passion and to see the
movements of her slender form and sleek feminine muscles, striving towards
perfection in a rather different art than unarmed combat. He also didn't
want to think about the next morning.
"Don't you think I'm pretty?" she asked, mistaking his hesitation.
"Very much so," he said. He moved his face towards hers and licked
the underside of her nose. Abigail frowned.
"You very much think I'm not pretty?" she repeated mock-threateningly.
"You know what I meant!" he protested. He grabbed her buttocks, lifted
her out of the water and flipped her over backwards.
She surfaced gasping for air. In a low voice she growled: "Oh, now
I'm going to get you!"
"I'm soo scared!" Ukko cooed.
He started a quick crawl to get some distance between them. She
grabbed a foot and yanked him underwater. They both surfaced seconds
later, facing each other.
Abigail splashed water in his face and smiled. Ukko liked to see that
she enjoyed herself and was determined to keep her spirits up. She'd never
smiled much, at least not as much as he would like. He splashed back and
dove underwater. He encountered a smooth leg and pulled on it. They
wrestled and tried to push the other down. When they hit the bottom,
which was littered with pebbles, Abigail pulled him close. Ukko felt
her soft lips caress his, reminding him of their plans for the night.
It was some time before they got tired of chasing each other and got
out of the water.
They shared a blanket and lay down next to the fire to dry. When by
mutual consent the course of events for this night had been clearly
outlined, neither one of them was in a great hurry to consummate their
desire. They both wanted to draw out the experience. For a while they
were content to hold eachother and stare into the flames of the fire.
Abigail smiled at him. He smiled back. It was infectious and she
found she couldn't stop grinning. She stuck out her tongue at him and
shook her head, spraying his face with drops of water. Ukko tickled her
and she giggled. They kissed, softly. He stroked her face with surprising
tenderness, slowly licking her right ear.
"Ahh, praise Shilohin," Abigail moaned. Thankfully her ears had lost
none of their sensitivity. It was as if they were directly connected
to her nipples and what she liked to call her private garden. Suddenly
eager to be joined, she slipped her hand down and grasped his shaft,
now more rigid than ever. Ukko grunted in appreciation but continued
licking her, following her jawline and neck.
Slowly massaging his rod Abigail asked breathlessly: "Am I going
too fast for you?"
Ukko groaned: "Uhh... do as you... ahh... please. I'm yours..."
With satisfaction she noticed that his head was as slippery as she
was. Sitting up briefly she leaned back and slowly let his shaft enter
her garden, all the while watching his face.
They both sighed deeply as she slid down. After a few moments she
rested her buttocks against his hips, his penis firmly lodged inside her.
They slowly moved against against eachother, trying to find the rhythm.
Her hard nipples dragged across his, adding fuel to their passion.
Ukko admitted to himself that during sword practice he had wondered
how the young female, at the time performing a complicated figure, would
look and feel in this position.
Now he knew: it felt fantastic. Her warm wetness was a silk glove
around him; her softness and smooth curves were velvet under his roaming
hands. The smile on her face, the look in her eyes and the knowledge
that it was there because of him just made it so much better.
Abigail was making purring noises from the back of her throat. Her
hair, which gleamed in the moonlight, was still partially wet and
tousled. The rhythm followed the chant in her head: we're doing it,
we're doing it! Finally!!
Ukko marvelled at her small breasts, which hardly swayed despite the
long and deliberate thrusts of her hips. He wanted to know what the dark,
hardened nipples would taste like, but there was time enough; for the
time being he satisfied himself by pulling and twisting those two heated
points of pleasure.
Abigail felt as if she slipped into a hot bath. Heat flowed from
different parts of her body towards her loins, where it accumulated.
She looked down to where their bodies were joined, her matted hairs
mingling with his darker hair. Where his penis entered and filled her
private garden, which seemed to be burning with need. Soon she felt
the tying of a knot in her stomach, the familiar knot that kept
expanding. It was too fast, but she was unable to stop herself. Her
nipples were tingling in time with her heartbeat, which was going
faster and faster. He reached out and sharply pinched her right nipple.
That send her over the edge.
With a loud scream that silenced the cricket orchestra she exploded
into orgasm. She tried to keep up her movements while the hot waves
coursed through her frame. His hands supported her hips, helping her
along. She felt herself gripping him with great force, felt her heart
match that delicious pounding she felt throughout her loins.
Ukko tried to keep up the rhythm without giving in to the stars
himself. Trying to counter the feeling of her warm, wet sheath moving
around him and the sound of her continuous moaning in his ears, he
thought of goblin-babies and tax-collectors.
She helped by trying to dig her nails into his shoulders. Abigail
ground her pubic bone into his, drawing out her pleasure. The moment
passed and their movements slowed. When the last waves had passed she
opened her eyes again. She still felt the blood run through her nipples
and fingertips.
With a blush on her cheeks she sighed: "Oh, Shilohin! Wow..."
"You are so beautiful when you reach the stars," he told her.
Catching her breath she felt that he was still hard. Recalling an
intensive three-hour battle-practice she wondered how long their stamina
would last. Neither of them had broken a sweat yet.
It would be a lot of fun to find out, she thought and smiled wickedly.
"I am curious what you will look like," she replied. Eager to join
the stars again she started to move again. After she had had three more
orgasms they tried out other positions, the Autumn Crane, the Faceless
Unicorn. When they switched to Butterfly they were both panting from
exertion.
Ukko leaned on his arms and licked the sweat of her forehead. She
tasted salty.
"Can you give me one more?" she asked hopefully.
Shilohin, I'm getting greedy, she thought. I've joined the stars
eight times in one night and I want more!
Ukko chuckled.
"I'll try hon, but I'm almost ready to go. Can't you feel it?"
Embarrassed by her selfishness she nodded.
"I'll let you go. Don't worry about me."
She fondled his jewels and her hips started a gentle rhythm.
Ukko groaned. Whether he moved or not, his pleasure kept mounting.
It wouldn't be long before his companion, now writhing under and around
him, would send him on his journey.
"Are you..." he started to ask.
"Safe? Yes, I'm in the middle of my... unngh... safe period."
Abigail flung her arms around him and sped up her movements.
"You can leave inside of me... nnghh..."
Her private garden, which by now felt like a mountain river in spring,
had covered his rod with copious amounts of her juices. Soft liquid noises
joined the other sounds of their lovemaking.
"Ahh... actually I insist..." she panted. Putting her hands on his
hips she tried to coax him to greater speed. She felt his member expand
inside her and realized he was almost gone. To her excitement the warmth
inside her concentrated once again into a fiery ball which was growing
rapidly.
If they timed it right they might leave together! She pulled him close
and whispered: "Almost going, dear friend? So am I... If we're not careful
we might go together..."
Her sultry comments and her soft, sweaty body sliding beneath him
almost send him away. Ukko gritted his teeth and tried to slow down, but
Abigail would have none of it.
"Did you ever make a Lover's Journey with a friend?" she continued.
"I'll wager you didn't."
The words added fuel to the fire they both felt building inside them.
Amazingly, neither one of them had left yet. It was almost a contest of
strengths, the muscles in their arms and legs strained and their minds
set to launch the other into paradise.
"Ladies first," he groaned.
"No, go with me," she whispered. "Leave with me... please!!"
Ukko drove his member all the way inside her and let himself go.
Abigail gasped when she felt his hot streaks up inside her, releasing
in time with the tightening of her own inner muscles. Then the fireball
exploded in her and she was consumed by the flames.
Ukko growled as her release fuelled his. He gripped her shoulders and
thrust again, and again.
She retaliated by locking her ankles behind his back and drawing that
delicious member inside her burning garden, quenching and fueling her fire
at the same time. They looked at each other, smiling and panting, their
eyes trying to catch as much detail as possible.
Finally the sensations dulled and their movements slowed. By unspoken
agreement he stayed inside her. She traced the contours of his shoulder
blades, enjoying the closeness. Every small movement still caused some
muscles to contract, which in turn still caused warm, gentle waves for
both of them. Abigail tested all her muscles and found herself satisfied.
The bruises on her shoulders told her she truly had made him lose control.
She smiled quietly.
Not bad for a first time, she thought.
Ukko woke up at sunrise. A few muscles in his back protested as he
shifted, reminding him of the night before. He became aware of the warm
body next to him. He opened his eyes and saw Abigail resting on her side,
looking at him.
"Hi," she said.
"Hey you," he replied.
Ukko let his eyes wander over her smooth curves. The first sunrays
of the days caressed her thigh and shoulder, adding an angelic quality
to her beauty. If Shilohin would ever walk among mortal men, he thought,
this is what she would look like.
She stared back, as she had done for a while. She ached in places
long forgotten. But it felt good, a testament to their labors. She felt
better than she had for an unhealtily long period of time.
"You're brooding again," he remarked.
"I wondered what you were thinking," she smiled warmly. "If you
had..."
"...regrets? No, of course not."
That came out a bit too quickly, he realized, so he added: "No,
really, I don't. I feel fantastic."
Ukko felt guilty the moment he said it. It was as if he'd said: you
were a great lay, thank you. See you around.
The sex had been fantastic, for sure, but hadn't it been more than
that?
"How about you?"
"Well, it was alright," she conceded. She burst into giggles when Ukko
glared at her.
"We were good together," she said seriously.
"The night before last, when I asked you if there was anything else
you wanted, you smiled. Care to tell me what it was you thought about, or
is it what I think it was?"
Abigail actually blushed.
"Well, uh... we pretty much covered everything I wanted you to do,"
she admitted. "Too bad I practically had to throw myself at you, before
you noticed me."
"Hey, I noticed alright. I'm just a guy who needs a bit more
reassurance than Dlanor. I don't have all that much experience with
women. And they don't usually throw themselves at me, you know."
"Their loss," she quipped and gave him a quick peck. She got up and
took her grey shirt. Stretching her arms above her head she let the shirt
slide down over her shoulder and breasts. She donned her clothes and armor
in methodical, practiced movements, covering more and more parts of her
body.
This was, strangely enough, as exciting as her stripping, Ukko thought.
But he knew it was time to move on. Time to cut the strings connecting to
last night. He might wish it had been more than just sex, but it wasn't up
to him to decide that it had been.
After eating the last of the berries they gathered yesterday it was
time for training. Abigail had made a wreath of twigs and leaves and hung
it up on the old willow. They took turns in shooting arrows with Abigail's
crossbow. A few times she had to correct his stance.
Ukko was more than ever distracted by the feel of her hands on his
wrists and arms. He forcibly emptied his mind and tried to capture the
moment of release.
The arrow hit the target alright, but not anywhere near the middle.
If Abigail noticed, she didn't let on.
Then they duelled. First one sword against the other, then two each.
He with his two longswords and she with her longsword and her silver dagger.
Dancing around eachother, parry and strike, block and thrust. They worked
up a good sweat, but the nagging feeling Ukko had had for a while remained.
They took a refreshing swim afterwards, but neither one of them tried to
strike up a conversation.
They avoided looking at eachother.
As they got out of the water Ukko wanted to tell her how much he had
enjoyed the closeness between them. And how he would like it to continue.
He stared at her bare back while she stripped the water off her arms. But
he just couldn't find the right words.
They got dressed and packed their gear without a word spoken.
This is bloody ridiculous, he thought, as they mounted their horses
and rode off eastwards.
They crossed the Wren around noon, despite their earlier agreement
to wait a day. Ukko wanted to suggest they tried to catch some fish for
dinner, but remembered that Abigail hated eating fish. After staying at
the lake a bath was hardly necessary, so they only stopped long enough
to let their mounts drink.
At about four in the afternoon Abigail spotted a wild boar. She
managed to kill it with only two arrows and they decided to make camp
right there and then.
"Hey, there's a farm up ahead. I'll check the place out and see if I
can buy some bread, ok?" Ukko announced.
"Ask them if they got fruit!" she called as he rode off. She took the
harnas and saddle off her mare and started looking for the brush in the
saddlebags.
"Afternoon," Ukko greeted the elderly farmer who was sitting on a
wooden bench in front of his house. The farmer got up and raised gnarled
hand.
"Afternoon, stranger."
"My companion and I are a bit short on food and I wondered if I could
buy some bread. And some fruit if you have some," he explained.
"Maybe..." the farmer replied. He eyed the warrior suspiciously.
"Are you going to pay for it as well?"
Ukko grinned and shook his purse.
"My sovereigns are as good as the next man's, farmer."
"And your swords as sharp as the next man's," the old man added dryly.
"Let's see those shiny sovereigns, stranger."
Ukko dismounted and walked towards him, keeping his hands away from
his swords. The farmer relaxed somewhat and they bargained. A little
later Ukko rode off with fresh supplies.
He'd paid a bigger amount than was reasonable, but being a farmer's
son, he knew what nothing came easy for these people. Working from sunrise
to sunset just to keep the bread on the table.
The life I didn't want to lead, he admitted.
Adventurers on the other hand, like himself, could just try and
hijack another goblin patrol or smoke out an orc hole and earn some
quick sovereigns.
And is that it, the voice of his doubts asked him. Is there a future
in the quick and easy life?
Don't be ridiculous, he told himself.
I paid my dues. Besides, I have great friends, I can handle anyone
wielding a sword. And I got a wonderful woman.
You got a handful of nothing, the voice reminded him. She's a friend
who didn't want to sleep alone last night. She's not "your woman".
Ukko threw back his head and cried out in frustration. He was thinking
in circles again.
Riding back to where he'd left Abigail, he noticed a trail of broken
off twigs and flattened grass joining his old trail. He wasn't sure what
the signs told him; she had taken time to tell him about tracking and some
telltale signs and now he wished he'd paid more attention. Coming close
to where she'd shot the boar he heard voices. From right behind that group
of trees. He saw some faint movement and he recognized her voice - she
seemed agitated. Riding around the copse of trees Ukko saw four horses
tied to a couple of birches.
Abigail stood with her back to Cloud, the brush still in her hand.
Surrounding her were four young men. One of whom had grabbed hold of her
wrist and threatened her with a dagger. Abigail yelled something at him.
The men turned their heads and looked at him, distracted for a moment.
Ukko felt the blood rush to his head.
He drove right up to them and jumped from the saddle onto the smallest
guy, knocking him flat on the ground. He immediately went for the next
one, wringing his hands around the man's neck. He buried his thumbs into
the soft tissue of the throat until the eyes of his opponent were bulging.
The others hesitated for a moment. The one holding Abigail shouted
something and the fourth one, a big barrel-chested guy, stepped towards
him. Ukko let go of his victim, who sagged to the ground making gagging
noises.
His fist struck the man in the middle of his chest. The man hit him
back, but he shook it off, overwhelmed by rage, something which he was
unfamiliar with. He whacked the back of his fist over the man's mouth.
The big guy started to spit up blood and sagged through his knees.
Ukko made a run for the one holding Abigail. The man let go of her and
waved his dagger in front of him to ward him off. Ukko ignored the weapon
and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, driving him straight into the
nearest tree. He wrenched the dagger out of the man's hand and threw it
away.
Stepping back for a moment he drove his head into the man's stomach.
Ignoring the muffled screams he grabbed a handful of hair and slammed the
man's head against the bark. He brought his mouth to the man's ear and
whispered: "I hear testicles are in demand as magical components. Maybe
I should take yours as payment for what you wanted to do with my lady!"
The man looked up in utter terror. A trickle of blood ran from his
nose to his lip.
Ukko took another swing at his stomach. And another.
"Ukko, that's enough!" Abigail shouted.
He came to his senses and looked up. The other three men were limping
to their horses. Abigail stood next to him and covered his fist with her
hand.
"Let him go now," she spoke softly.
Ukko took a deep breath and let go of his opponent. The man madly
scrambled away from him and ran towards his horse.
"Farmhands I think. Thought they could have some fun with me."
"They surprised me," she added sheepishly.
"Are you... did they..." He cleared his throat. "...do anything?"
She smiled warmly. Her hand moved to his heaving chest, a feathery
light touch that send shivers through him.
"No, they didn't... I..."
He nodded, picked up the assailant's dagger and turned to examine it
in the sunlight. He was relieved she didn't berate him for that spectacle
he had just put on. He whistled for King and walked away from her, glad
to create some distance between them.
Abigail looked at the ground. The moment had passed. He hadn't even
given her a chance to find the words to thank him.
She resumed brushing Cloud with slow strokes, feeling disappointed
and relieved at the same time. Relieved that he hadn't pressed her why a
couple of farmhands had managed to catch her off-guard like that. And
disappointed that she had missed the chance to take him in her arms and
kiss him and... seduce him again, she confessed to herself.
Eesyan guide me, she thought. What am I doing? I need to control myself.
Look what one night of love has done to us.
No... no, she corrected herself. A night of sex. It had been sex. A
very relaxing and very much needed physical exercise.
And undoubtedly the most tender and passionate sex she had ever had.
Why don't you ask him nicely, she thought sarcastically. Hey Ukko,
come and service me again. He's a man. Men don't turn down a pair of
warm thighs.
She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.
This is getting me nowhere, she thought. I just have to act normal and
pick up our friendship, just like he does.
Cloud looked round why her mistress had stopped brushing. Abigail
smiled a wry smile and ran her hand over the mare's nose. Cloud winked
at her as if she understood.
After unsaddling his horse, Ukko started to skin the boar. He had
done skinning many times and knew how to get every ounce of meat out of
the animal and keep the skin intact at the same time. Relying on his
experience he tried to calm down the torrent of thought that still raged
inside him. After a while he discovered he'd ruined a perfectly good
boarskin.
The cooking went better. Slightly.
Abigail squatted beside him.
"Smells good!" she commented.
Ukko grumbled something and added a few herbs.
Half an hour later they ate pork stew. They talked about different
recipes for stew and shared a few jokes about some of Ukko's failed
culinary experiments.
Ukko was more at ease now and was no longer distracted by her long,
searching looks. They were two flexible, well-adjusted adults, comfortable
with themselves and around one another.
He pulled out his waterskin and offered it to her.
"Want some apple wine?"
Abigail's eyes lit up.
"You bought apple wine? What's the ocassion?!" she teased. She put
the waterskin to her mouth and took a swig. She felt the liquid warm her
chest as it went down. She took another swig and gave the waterskin back
to him. She stretched luxuriously and sighed in utter contentment.
Trying hard to ignore her pose, Ukko asked: "Are you trying to drink
me under the table again?"
Abigail folded her hands behind her head and stared off into the
distance.
"We ought to come back to that town someday," she said dreamily.
"I liked those people."
"Couldn't agree more."
Ukko sat back and took off his boots.
"I had a stupid thought this afternoon," he started. "I overpaid the
farmer for the food, because I knew how hard he has to work. And I thought
how I had left my dad's farm, for the 'quick-and-easy' life."
Abigail raised her eyebrows.
"Quick and easy?"
"That was the stupid thought. It is neither quick nor easy. You were
right, you know. The night before last, when I was fighting one of those
orcs, I... I felt like I was killing a child. It was disgusting."
Trying to get rid of the filthy taste in his mouth, Ukko took a swig
from the apple wine.
Abigail propped herself up on her elbows and nodded seriously.
"Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing it all for. Will we be doing this
ten years from now or is there a big plan for all of us?"
"Sure, just ask Revelc," she chuckled. "We'll be rich and famous."
"Oh I don't care for fame. And I am rich already. Got my good health,
got my friends... well, you know."
Ukko sipped his apple wine and studied the way her hair cascaded down
her shoulders and how her long, slender fingers fidgeted with her necklace.
"What about you?"
"You mean, do I want to be rich and famous?"
She wrapped her necklace around her index finger.
Ukko nodded and idly thought about how wonderful those fingers had
felt on him.
"I could own every house and patch of land in Briar's Veil," she said
quietly. "And it still wouldn't change how people thought about me."
There was only a hint of bitterness in her voice.
"Do you remember that time we stayed in Katar and one of the rooms
in the inn had been broken into?"
"The juggler."
"Yes. One of the guests said he'd seen him hanging around the rooms.
They searched him head to toe and they couldn't find anything. But that
didn't stop them from flailing him and driving him out of town. Do you
remember what they called him as they threw stones at him?"
Ukko remembered and was ashamed, even now.
Shouldn't we do something? he had asked Revelc. The mage had slowly
shaken his head. The crowd will turn against us or the militia will throw
us in jail, Revelc had answered. But isn't anyone going to help that poor
kid? he had protested. Revelc had gripped his wrist and told him: 'Attacking
people's beliefs is very dangerous. They cannot be changed with gold or
power. You can only pity how these simpletons think of people of mixed race.'
And so they had done nothing.
"They didn't even bother to ask him if it was true," she continued.
"Because he was halfelf. Elder-less. Substandard."
She sat up and sought his eyes. "Ukko, all the sovereigns in the
world don't mean a thing to me. I'd live as a beggar if it meant that
people would accept me as I am. Accept me as a... as a daughter of mixed
blood. I want to be proud of who I am, of what I am. I want those people
apologizing to that juggler. I want that man from Oak Grove to trust me
like he would any other woman. I want the father to tell his son that he
made a great match, not a great match for a halfelf. That is what I want."
Ukko looked at her. It was hardly a wish any mortal man, no matter
how powerful or wealthy, could fulfill. But she dared to dream. And he
loved her for it. He doubted that she ever would see it come true, but
if anyone could make a difference, it would be her. Life seemed to happen
around her.
"I know, kind of far-fetched," she said softly.
He sighed.
"Look, people are stubborn, Abby. And stupid. And most of them don't
like admitting they're wrong. Not to themselves and certainly not to others."
Looking into the flames, he added: "But if anyone can make them change
their mind, I think you can. You're one of the kindest persons I know and
anybody knowing you longer than a few moments will realize that and start
looking further than your ears."
For a while only the crackling of twigs in the fire could be heard.
Abigail smiled to herself. It was the first time she had ever mentioned
this dream to anyone and he hadn't dismissed it as idle fancy. And even
when he was serious, he managed to give her a compliment.
"Like you?" she said coyly.
Ukko thought back to the day Dlanor had introduced Abigail to the
group. He'd shaken her hand and had told her: "I'm Ukko. Nice ears."
"Are you going to remind me of that for the rest of my life?"
Abigail nodded brightly.
"The highlight of my day," she teased him.
In only two days they would arrive in Carlin, Ukko reflected. Just
two more days to decide if there was there was more between them than
just friends. If there was anything at all. If he wanted to tell her
how he felt, he had to tell her before they joined the others.
He knew himself. He didn't have the gall to breach the subject
with anyone else present, let alone the rest of the group. It was
ridiculous really, that he was afraid of being laughed at by the same
people who had saved his life and whose lives he had helped save. He
had laughed in the face of troll warriors, insulted a storm giant and
he just didn't have it in him to approach Abigail and tell her the
truth.
Maybe I can stretch it to three days, he thought.
"Can I have some more..."
Ukko was already offering the waterskin to her. Her soft hand lingered
on his as she accepted it.
"...apple wine. Thank you."
The inviting smile she gave him melted away any control he had built
up in the past hours.
She wouldn't mind that he stole one kiss, he reasoned. After all, what
would one kiss be after last night?
He grabbed her wrists and pushed her backwards, putting his weight on
his arms to force her onto her back. The waterskin fell to the ground, the
wine splattering over her leg. He kissed her forcefully.
"Ukko... what the... mmmhh... leggo! Wait... mmhh... stop it!!"
She struggled wildly to get her hands free, trying to get away, but he
held her down with considerable ease. When he relaxed his grip somewhat she
bit his nose. He screamed in pain and seemed to come to his senses.
He let go of her wrists and his face went ashen.
"Not so," Abigail said, panting. "Not this way." She sat up again
and rubbed her wrists.
Oh Gods, take me away, he thought. What have I done? How can I apologize
for this? I ruined it all.
"Please... forgive me," he started. He wouldn't lie to her. He would
just have to tell her. There was no other way now.
"I just had to... I wanted... I-I mean," he stammered. He took a deep
breath and told her: "I can't get you out of my mind, I keep thinking of
how it was last night and I... I never meant to take advantage of you and
I know you only want to be friends, but..."
Ukko shook his head in disbelief over what had come over him.
"But ever since last night, I hear your voice singing in my ear and
feel your hands on my face. Shilohin help me, Abby, but you drive me
crazy..."
He hung his head in shame.
Abigail was stunned. _She_ drove _him_ crazy? The blood rushed to her
face and she put her hands on the ground to stop them from trembling. She
whispered hoarsely: "Go on."
Ukko cleared his throat. Maybe there was a way out of this. Maybe
she would understand and, in time, be able to forgive him.
"I desire you, Abby. I want to be with you again. I want you so much
it hurts. I want to hear and feel you next to me and I want to make you
scream and... and..."
Abigail put her hand over his mouth and repeated softly: "No... go on."
His eyes widened when he realized what she meant. For a moment he sat
dumbfounded, unable to move. Then he took her hand and slowly licked her
palm.
Abigail swallowed visibly as he sucked her index finger in his mouth
and slowly circled it with his tongue. Her wildly beating heart sped up
her breathing. She felt herself growing warm and fuzzy. Without letting
go of her finger, Ukko reached for her and stroked her cheek. She closed
her eyes and tilted her head give him access to her neck.
Ukko felt incredibly alive. He had taken the only chance there was
and told her the whole truth. And she had accepted it. Accepted him. The
woman he knew so well as friend and comrade in arms was here with him,
for him, warm and pliable, smelling of blossoms in the spring. He shifted
weight to give his erection more room. She excited him to no end and
judging from her face and heavy breathing, the feeling was mutual.
He gently bit her earlobe and kissed a trail down to her throat.
Abigail shivered under his touch. They stood up and kissed again,
hungrily, almost devouring each other. His tongue came out to lick her
lips and she tried to suck it in. Her hands were frantically untying the
straps of his jerkin and loosening the shirt underneath. He ripped her
shoulder piece off and bit her gently in the nape of her shoulder.
Impatiently, Abigail drew her dagger, cut the unyielding straps in a
swift move and yanked the jerkin off his shoulders. She pulled up his
shirt and licked his chest, inhaling his masculine scent. Ukko slid a
hand inside her linen shirt and cupped a breast, twisting and pulling
her stiff nipple. A gasp escaped from her lips. One of her hands slipped
inside his pants and started stroking his rigid member. He moved his
hands down her back, down to her buttocks and in between. Her knees
buckled as she felt him at her wetness, rubbing her pleasure bead. Her
world shrank to that spot between her legs. If he would just come inside
her, she wanted him so badly...
With his pants at the ankles Ukko suddenly turned her around and
lifted her shirt.
A wave of excitement coursed through her. Mare and Stallion!
Oh, Shilohin, don't let me fall down, she prayed.
Then all coherent thought left her as felt his head against her
entrance and his warm hands on her hips pulling her back to him, onto
him. She felt him sliding deep in her garden and sighed. They fit so
well and it was so fine.
Ukko felt her warm wetness caress him, the clenching of her inner
muscles and her warm ass on his hips and feared he might go without
her. He started a rhythm of short, hard thrusts.
Abigail sighed in relief as she felt her pleasure mounting towards
the stars. Shifting her feet for better balance she started to buck
her hips back at him, each move producing more fiery jolts inside her,
stretching her as if she were a bow string and he was so hard inside her
and speeding up with every move and stroking her legs, now trembling with
the effort to remain standing and the heat grew bigger and threatened to
swallow her and then fireworks started to go off inside her head.
Ukko felt her muscles contract around him and could no longer contain
himself.
"Abby..." he groaned as he ejected in her tightening sheath.
Abigail moaned blissfully and kept moving against his hardness,
not feeling anything except the wonderful pounding in her loins and
the incredible heat where her body joined his. She was floating among
the stars. As the pleasure faded they realized how closely they were
pressed together. She leaning her back against his chest and stomach,
loins and legs almost one and her hands over his. His ragged breathing
and hers. The soft liquid sounds of their joining.
"Abby... let's sit down," he whispered.
"Great idea."
She sat in his lap and looked up at him. For a while they just stared
at each other, holding and caressing eachother, enjoying the closeness.
Thank you for her, Shilohin, Ukko thought. He felt awkward addressing
the Lady of Love who had never before smiled upon him.
"Why didn't you say anything?" she said softly.
"I thought you wanted to be friends. No strings?"
"I was a fool," she smiled. "Last night was fantastic - not because I
needed it, but because it happened with you. And I wasted an entire day
thinking what to say to you and how to say it."
Ukko ran his finger over her upper arm and shoulder.
"When you got out of the water this morning... I tried. But I just
didn't know how to tell you," he said.
"Tell me what, exactly?" she challenged him.
Ukko looked at her and wondered if she felt as vulnerable as he did.
Just tell her, he thought. Just say it.
"That I'm in love with you," he said. "Madly."
She hugged him fiercely, burying her head in his shoulder, mumbling:
"Yes, Zhaly'en. So am I."
Ukko recognized the Elvish word for 'soulmate' and knew he had vastly
underestimated her feelings for him.
In only two nights they would arrive in Carlin. Not a lot of time to
be alone, Abigail thought.
Maybe I can stretch it to three days.
copyright Remmelt de Haan 1997-2000
--
"Real life is full of idiots, and tons of ads. I don't see how IRC is
any different, other than a lot more people want to have sex with you."
--m3000
--
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| alt.sex.stories.moderated ----- send stories to: <ckought69@hotmail.com> |
| FAQ: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/faq.html> Moderator: <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Archive: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org> Hosted by Alt.Sex.Stories Text Repository |
|<http://www.asstr-mirror.org>, an entity supported entirely by donations. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+