Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 20:41:45 -0800 (PST) From: Amanda Subject: The Champion and the Princess. (Probably Adult/Child) This story contains descriptions of adult child sexual relations. If that offends you or if it is illegal where you are, you should stop reading here. This story has a plot. The Champion and the Princess (The Coming of the Wyrm) Drexa walked slowly along the path, acutely aware of every shadow, of every movement around her. She could here the survivors whispering in the darkness. Was she the cause of this tragedy? Was she here to finish off what the Wyrm had not? The remains of the village were not unlike dozens of others she had seen. A few leagues of farms, and peasants surrounding a castle filled with servants and soldiers all there to serve a man that called himself king. Here in the wilds such a place passed for a kingdom, but it did not impress her. She had seen real kingdoms. Massive walled cities around majestic palaces. Real kings, men born to their station and not simply warlords who had grown too old to continue fighting. Drexa was here on the same errand that had drawn her from the civilized world five years earlier. How she had survived was a tale that even seemed outlandish to her. In the early days of her life the woman had lived with hair cut short, in trousers, passed off as a boy. Her father would have had no other heir and did not want his mediocre fortune to fall prey to the arrogant son of one duke or another. Drexa had been trained. To fight, taught to read, to write. She had been taught politics, diplomacy and all the theory of war. It had made her strong but in time it became obvious that she was no boy and she was forced back home to live a proper lady's life. Such a life was not at all what the woman wanted and she fled the civilized land of Keris Toran for the wilds where she became known as Gaustess Bernim, the Witch Warrior. Not because she knew the secrets of any dark practice but simply because she was a skilled warrior, and a woman. The crumbling castle of this land's king loomed before her. Men scrambled around her rushing to reach the fortress and help with the efforts to douse it's flames. The flames the Wyrm had ignited with the setting of the sun. All of the village, the farms, the surrounding lands were in flames. One may believe that these people had angered the beast to bring his wrath but this was not true. This Wyrm, like any other, acted for it's own reasons which were all too often a mystery to any one but it. Drexa stopped at the gates of the palace. The entire building was in ruin. Whispers and gasps in the darkness told her what she already knew. The king was dead, his queen with him. They were not who the Witch Warrior had come for. Drexa knew of this king, of this land and of the beast that had laid it low. She had seen the signs that this meager kingdom would be destroyed. She had not come to avenge it, nor claim it's throne. She had come because, as she had long suspected, there might have been truth to her unfortunate name. Ever since her early childhood she had known things, seen signs, things that only she seemed to be able to see. She was here because she had to know if what she had seen was true. A sobbing in the distance caught her ear. The woman stepped on to the castle proper and strode in to the courtyard. The sobbing of a child drew her. Felise. King Orick Rex's daughter and only child. The family was known in thi part of the wilds and the warrior had heard of them many times. Drexa knelt before the child and looked in to her eyes. The girl was smudged with soot but otherwise appeared unhurt. The woman examined her more closely. She was in her night dress, her hair tied up in a ribbon. In her hand a doll hung, smudged but like the girl, no worse for wear. "I want my daddy." She said between sobs. Drexa shook her head slowly, sadness in her eyes. "Poor child." She said, in her smoky voice. "I fear your father is no more, and your mother..." She stroked the girl's cheek, smearing the soot with her tears. "Young princess, this place is no more." The little girl burst in to fresh tears and collapsed to the ground. "I am Drexa." She said, introducing herself to the girl. Felise stopped crying immediately and looked up at her. "Witch Warrior! You brought the Wyrm!" "Shhh. Hold your tongue child." She scolded. "I did no such thing. No one controls the Wyrm, such magic as that would take does not exist in this world." "You struck a bargain with him!" "With what pray? What riches do I have that could possibly temp a dragon? They care nothing for wealth or power. Only the gods may know what things motivate the beasts." Drexa smiled. "You know my name child, surely you must know all the rumor that follows me. I am no warlord, I do not crave wealth or power." "What do you crave?" The girl whispered. "Not even I can answer that." She laughed. There was great truth in that. She had wandered the wilds for five years with no idea what she was looking for, or where she wanted to go. The child looked long at the woman. Her armor seemed to glow in the firelight. Her dark black hair hung in two long braids tied with sinew. On her left hip her heavy broadsword. A blade she had earned in her youth. A fine armament with a jeweled hilt. On her back a shield made of steel and wood. Finally on her right hip a knife. Her chest piece covered her from just below her throat to her waist in a single plate. The sleeves reached to her forearm in heavy chain mail. She was a barbarian, wearing only a loin cloth to cover herself from the waist down. She wore heavy fur boots that reached to her knee, more for riding than for protection in combat. Drexa was every inch the warrior, crowned with a fur and steel helm. On either side of the head piece a horn protruded. Behind her, hanging from the belt that held her loin cloth in place the tail of a fox hung decorating her like a savage. Even in the wilds she was a fierce looking woman. "What will become of us now?" The girl asked. "That is not something for you to concern yourself with. Soon this place will be violent and savage. Winter approaches and your crops are lost. Those who stay will soon kill one another for a loaf of bread." She stood and tried to lead the girl back the way she had come but the child resisted. "I am Queen now, am I not?" She asked. "Queen? Aye. Lady of an ashen kingdom. What have you now to rule?" "The people will need a leader." "And you think a girl of nine years able to lead them?" "I have ten years now." The girl snapped. "There is nothing to lead, this land is lost. If you wish to survive this, then you will come with me." Drexa pulled the girl forward. "Where will you go?" "Away from here, that is all the matters." Above them in the darkness Drexa heard a sound like heavy leather swung through the wind. It was the flapping of the beasts wings. It might be simply surveying the flames or it could be looking for more meat. Either way dragons did not often like to leave survivors and the warrior knew the time had come to go. She led the girl down the road she had approached the castle from. They were only a short distance from the castle when the barbarian woman stopped and looked down at her little companion, realizing the girl was in her night clothes. Behind her the castle burned. Even if the child's quarters there was not lost to the flames, they were unreachable. Most concerning for Drexa were the child's small bare feet. She would freeze in the wilds soon enough if she was not properly clothed. "Where is the market?" She asked hoping they might find something of use left behind from the day's trading. The little girl pointed ahead. "It burned first." Drexa had been a child of privilege in her homeland and had never been taught to sew or to cook or any other practical thing. Here in the distant west though she had learned. Still even knowing these basic skills did her no good, she had nothing from which to make the child anything to wear. A week's ride South of the kingdom she now stood in there was a forest people. They were friends of sorts. Peaceful though they were they were very afraid of outsiders and Drexa wondered if they would be willing to help the girl. They were her best chance of keeping the girl alive. Why it seemed so important that this girl live she was not sure, but with her visions of the kingdom burning were those of the child. Somewhere, to someone she was important, and the warrior understood that it was her duty to protect the girl. The shouts of men fighting the flames, the wailing of women having lost their families and homes grew distant as they hurried away from the village. Drexa's stead was tethered to a tree in at the edge of a forrest bordering the doomed land. When they reached the horse she lifted the girl on to the saddle then mounted and tapped her heels against the beast's sides. Dawn would come soon and she had not slept. Behind her in the saddle the child gripped her tightly but had long fallen asleep. Drexa fought her own exhaust, wanting to put as much distance between herself and the kingdom as possible in case the Wyrm decided to hunt for survivors. They rode on. The child awakening from time to time only to prefer sleep to the featureless lands they rode through. Minutes poured in to hours and they continued on until at last the sun set and the warrior stopped to make camp. Drexa helped the girl down from the saddle. She pulled a heavy fur, rolled around blankets from the saddle and laid it out on the ground. She then set about gathering wood and preparing a fire. There was smoked meat in her saddle bags and biscuits, this served as dinner for them. "Where are we going?" The child asked. "Loridia." "Is it far?" "Another six days or so. Not terribly far as the wilds go." "You are from the East?" "Many years ago I was." She smiled at the girl. "How did you know?" "Only easterners call this the wilds." "You've met an easterner before?" "Once. My father told me they all call this part of the world the wilds because it's untamed." "Aye, indeed." Drexa pushed at the fire with a stick. "How did you come to be here?" "I was an heiress once." She said with a faint smile. Her eyes diverted from the flames to the child. "I had every connivence one could hope for. My father owned a vast parcel of land and we lived in a beautiful house. But that wasn't enough for me." "Did you have a husband?" "No. I was promised to one man." Her eyes seemed distant. She had fled her home when her father announced that she would be married to the young man. It had been bad enough that she had been torn from her classes, from her education. But to be married, to have to bear the children of some man was far more than she could stand. In the darkness of a midsummer night Drexa had packed what she thought she would need and stole a stead from her father's stable. She ran away in to the night and never looked back. "Why would you leave such luxury for..." The girl looked around her. "For this?" "There, I was dead." She tossed the stick she had been poking at the fire with in to the pit and brushed her hands together. "Here I am alive." She began preparing the bed and when she was done she laid down, holding up the blankets to offer the child room to lay down. When Felise joined her she pulled the blankets close around them both and closed her eyes. Feeling the girl's warmth next to caused her to smile and she enjoyed the scent of the child's perfumes as she drifted to sleep. When they awoke they began what would become an uneventful three days of riding. It was on the forth that for the first time in months, Drexa encountered another traveler in the wilds. The warrioress was gathering berries to eat with their dried meat and biscuits. She had been a good distance away from camp for nearly an hour when a loud shrill scream broke the peace of the forrest they were camped in. Drexa immediately spun on her heels facing back the way she had come. The scream was that of a child and she knew it meant that Felise was in trouble. The warrior dashed off toward camp, arriving only to find fresh tracks on the forrest floor and to hear a struggle some distance off. She ran in the direction of the sound and soon came upon two men, one carrying little Felise over his shoulder. "Drop her." Drexa demanded. The man turned to face her. He looked her up and down slowly, as did his companion. He smiled revealing his small brown teeth and dropped the child to the ground. Felise scrambled to her feet and ran, clinging to Drexa as soon as she reached her. "You're no noble woman." The man snorted. "How is it you come to be in the company of a child of breeding?" He took a step closer and Drexa let her hand fall to the hilt of her blade. Seeing this the man raised up a cross bow and leveled it at her chest. "Have you ransomed her?" "She's my charge, now go and I won't take your heads." Drexa could clearly see that the bolt in the crossbow was little more than a sharpened stick. Though deadly to the average traveler, it posed no threat aimed at the heavy plate on her chest. The smaller of the two men eyed her suspiciously before his expression changed from one of bemusement to fear. "Gaustess Bernim" he whined. "Silence." The other man snapped. He moved his finger to the trigger of the crossbow. Drexa watched as the smaller man ran off in to the woods. He suspected what the other did not believe. She was the Witch Warrior of legend. She pulled her blade from it's sheath in a flash of steel. The man pulled the trigger sending the bolt to shatter against her chest plate. The woman lunged forward and swung the blade, bringing it to rest on his shoulder, against his neck. The man was unarmed, even though until the moment he felt the sting of Drexa's blade he had been trying to reload the crossbow. "Drop it." She hissed. The man did as he was told. "Gaustess Bernim." He said in awe. He had never believed in such a person until that moment. "Leave us!" She ordered. Drexa sheathed her blade and the man stood silently for a moment before she jumped at him, causing him to run off in to the forrest. "Why didn't you kill him?" Felise asked. "In cold blood? His weapon was used, he could not have defended himself." "He was a ruffian, a villain." The girl sobbed. The fear and stress of her experience finally catching up to her. "And he tried to kill you." "Indeed." Drexa took her hand and they walked back to camp. "It would have been dishonorable to kill him that way. Besides girl, you were safe what more should I have cared about?" "How can we sleep tonight knowing he's out there?" The girl sounded desperate and she made a valid point. Drexa had not considered that until now. It did not matter. She slept light, he would not reach them without alerting her. The berries were lost, scattered on the ground where Drexa had been standing when she heard the girl scream. Now they were most likely scavenged by birds or forrest animals. They had the cold dried meat and biscuits though, it would have to be enough. Tomorrow she would hunt. A hare or squirrel would make a much more fitting meal for them. Something hot in their bellies to get them through the night. Drexa sat watching the fire as she considered what she would hunt the following night when she became aware of foot falls in the forrest just outside their camp. At first she thought it could be a deer but the thought that the men might have returned caused her to tense. She pulled herself up to her feet and drew her sword. "Who goes there?" She called out. She was answered only by the rustling of leaves. She was about to call out again when the ruffian stepped in to the ring of light cast by their fire. "You spared me." He said. "I am indebted to you." Drexa answered only by tightening her grip on the hilt of her blade. The man held up his hands in front of himself and shook his head. "No, I mean you no harm." He begged. "I speak only the truth, you spared me when a lesser man might not." Drexa sheathed her blade cautiously. She was not entirely sure she wanted to trust this man but she could clearly see that he was unarmed. "Why have you come here?" "I am indebted and I always pay my debts. Come with me, I have a warm bed and meat fresh from the fire that you can eat right off the bone. I will feed you and mend anything that needs it." He looked down at the fur and blankets that made up the bed she would share with Felise. "Please, surely it will be more comfortable than sleeping on the hard ground." He said. Drexa looked down at the girl who glared at the man. "What were you going to do with her if you'd gotten away?" She snapped. She did not trust the man with her little charge. Had it been only her then she might have followed him just to see what he had planned but with the child there she could not take such flagrant risks. "Nothing untoward I assure you m'lady. A simple ransom nothing more." He shrugged his shoulders. "I am a thief but I am not a monster I assure you." "And if I come with you? How am I to know your friend is not out there waiting to ambush us?" "I know you've no reason to trust me m'lady, but I come to you honestly. Besides what would I hope to accomplish doing battle with a slayer such as yourself?" He gestured toward the stead and their camp. "You have nothing of value m'lady. I would wager I posses more wealth than you." It was entirely possible that the ruffian meant what he said. Drexa was even ready to take the chance but the child's safety made her hesitate still. She looked down at the girl and shrugged. "Doesn't a hot meal and a clean bed sound appealing?" "I spit on his warm bed." She snapped. She was still furious with her treatment by the man and rightly so. "Even now a lamb roasts on a spit and you are free to share in it with us." he offered. "Lamb?" The girl asked absently. "Aye and wine, fine wine indeed." "The finest a poor travelers money can buy I imagine." Drexa scoffed. "Indeed lady. But no less fine for it." Drexa stood quietly for a moment before she nodded her head absently and reached for the child's hand. They were lead on an hour long trek deep in to the forrest before music and firelight began to make it's way through the trees. Soon it was clear that they had come upon a small village set in the woods. Perhaps it was once little more than a criminal outpost, a den of thieves but it had grown up over time. At long last they came to a clearing in the center of which burned a cooking fire, slowly roasting the lamb they had been promised. "This is home." The man offered. Both Drexa and her little charge stared in wide wonder at everything around them. It seemed a festival was in full swing. There was music rising from all sides and every home had candles in the windows. "My companion will fetch your mount." He said, satisfied with the expression on their faces. "Come, I've promised you a bed." He led them back in to the trees a short distance where they came upon a large two story building from which rose many voices and the smell of ale. He opened the door allowing Drexa to pass him first then the girl. They stood inside surveying the inn and it was indeed a proper inn. At the bar across the room a man stood pouring ale in to a tall wooden mug. He looked up toward the door and smiled at the warrior woman, holding up the mug to offer it. She raised her hand to refuse. "Ah, you are the one Michah has told us would be here." A large round woman said, stepping in to Drexa's line of sight. "I'm Leah." She looked the warrior up and down and her forehead wrinkled. "You are HER aren't you?" She asked. Drexa was used to some level of celebrity as she traveled. However she had never been so far west and was surprise that her legend could have traveled so far ahead of her. "Aye." She finally answered. "How exciting indeed, the Witch Warrior here in our very own village." She took Dextra's arm and led her toward the stairs. They went up on too the second floor where the woman presented her with a room. "I did not know there was going to be two or I would have prepared another room." She said, sounding a bit embarrassed. "This is fine." Se offered. The woman gestured toward the far corner of the room where a tub sat. "I'll prepare a bath for you and your charge." She turned to leave. "And not to worry love, we'll bring your meal to you here. Unless you'd rather..." "No here is fine m'lady." Drexa answered. The woman bowed quickly as she left them to begin preparing the bath. It took nearly an hour but soon enough there was a tub filled with steaming hot water and bubbles. It was no mere bath, they had been offered soaps and perfumes. Such luxury they would not have expected in such a remote place. Drexa stripped off her armor. She was about to pull off the long shirt that protected her from chaffing when she noticed Felise's eyes locked on her. She stared down at the girl as she untied her shirt and slipped it off. "You too will grow like this some day." She offered. Felise looked up at her and blushed, realizing she had been staring. "How old were you?" She asked. "When your breast began to cleave?" "Fourteen summers." She went to the tub and sat down in the hot water, closing her eyes and relaxing. "Come girl, before the water cools." She ordered. The child looked around shyly. There was no where for her to hide while she took off her dress. "I can't." She whispered. "Nonsense. It's just me here. Strip off that filthy thing and get in to the water." Not knowing what else to do the child complied with the order. She was soon in the water, sliding down so that the bubbles hid her young form. Drexa washed herself slowly. She was enjoying the bath. A luxury she had taken for granted once upon a time but now one she lavished in. When she had finished she took the soap and began cleaning the little girl with it. They were happily splashing and washing when Leah stepped in to the room and smiled. "I saw the girl has no shoes and no proper traveling clothes." She said. "No she does not." The warrior turned her attention to the woman. "But this village seems well stocked, would I be able..." "Michah has said that you are to be given anything you need. I will have proper clothes for her by morning. Until then I have a gown for her to sleep in." The woman took the girl's night dress and left. She returned moments later with a nightgown and a pair of slippers. She could see that they were enjoying the bath and happily left them there to finish. "Drexa?" Felise's voice broke the quiet of the room. The warrior was laying back in the tub with her eyes closed. She opened her eyes and looked down at the little girl. "Is everything they say about you true?" She asked. "It depends, what is it they say about me?" "Are you a witch?" Drexa smiled and closed her eyes. She leaned her head against the edge of the tub and sighed contentedly. "No. Of course not." "They say you fled your homeland because you didn't want to be married." "Indeed." She answered. "They say it's because you were raised to be a boy and you only love women." Felise's tone was almost accusatory. Drexa opened her eyes and looked down at the girl again. "I was raised to both fight and to speak the language of diplomacy. My father thought that he would loose his legacy if it were known that I was a girl. But the time came when that could no longer be hidden. He had then hoped to hide me away from the world and bequeath his fortune to me before any one knew the difference. A foolish plan at best. But my father was never known for his wisdom." "So you ran away?" "Aye." She closed her eyes again. Felise sat quietly hoping that she would answer the question she had been asked, but Drexa said nothing else. The child eventually grew impatient and slapped the warrior's leg. She opened her eyes again and looked down to see the girl's expectant gaze. "Aye. Women." She finally said. Felise's eyes grew wide. Until she had first heard of Drexa such a thing had never occurred to as possible. Even after she had heard the tales of a woman warrior that fled her home because she could not marry a woman she had not believed it. Now though she sat in a bathtub with the woman who had confirmed the rumors. Eventually the water began to cool and Drexa got out of the tub. Both she and Felise had been brought gowns to sleep in. The warrior held up hers and looked at it for a moment. In time she slipped it on and slid her armor under the bed. The people were more than accommodating here but she had not forgotten what had lead to their original meeting. The hour was late when the inn keeper's wife came back to the room holding a tray piled high with food. "Thank you m'lady." Drexa said as the Leah placed the tray on the table. "Was no trouble ma'am. You've good reason to be cautious I suppose but here your a bit of a heroine." She said, noticing that Drexa's armor seemed hidden away. "How do you mean?" "A rebel, not bowing to the powers that be ma'am? Like us, free to follow your own star. And a noble woman no less. You left a life of privilege to do as you pleased. It's like a fairy tale m'lady." She smiled and pulled a chair out for little Felise. "If you need anything in the night just ring your bell." She gestured toward a table next to the bed. Upon it sat a small bell that hardly seemed it could produce a sound that might wake some one. They ate quietly. Both simply wanted to enjoy a hot meat and bread. It seemed that the inn had spared no expense in catering to them. There was butter and jam for the bread. Potatoes, greens and fruit. Everything they could hope for was provided. "Do you feel safe here?" Felise asked. "No, but I have not lived five years in the depths of the wilds by feeling safe anywhere. When the meal was finished Drexa got up and went to the fireplace against the far wall of the room. She stoked the flame and crossed the room to the bed. It was late and she wanted to leave the village as soon as the sun rose. She laid down and rolled over to find Felise still sitting at the table. "Aren't you coming to bed?" The girl looked shyly at Drexa. She pushed her chair out and walked slowly across the room. She stood at the edge of the bed for several moments before climbing in and sliding close to the warrior. Drexa laid her arm over the girl and buried her nose in the child's perfumed hair. She smelled like fresh flowers. She began slowly stroking the girl's belly and Felise snuggled in closer. There was something about this girl and she still did not know what it was. She had seen her in visions, and now she had her and had seen nothing more. She wondered what it was about the child. It could be months maybe even years before she knew why she had seen the girl. It did not matter. Drexa had already become attached to the child. She was a princess there was no doubt and had all of the attitudes of one born to privilege but there was something endearing about her. The warrior inhaled the girl's perfumes and caught the child's scent beneath it. She sighed to herself and smiled. Felise rolled over in her arms and looked up at her in the firelight. "Are we still going to the forrest people?" "Aye." "Will you leave me there?" She asked. "No." The answer was simple. She would not leave the girl until she knew why she had been drawn to her. She stroked the girl's back, pulling her close. She slid her hand down the girl's spine and pulled at her night gown. When at last she had it pulled up she reached beneath it and began to caress the child's bare flesh. She felt warm and soft. Drexa had never felt anything quite like it. Felise drew a deep breath and buried her head against the warrior's chest. The woman trembled slightly when her hand reached the child's rump and wrapped it around her soft behind. Drexa could never have imagined anything in the world feeling so perfect as that girl in her arms. Her mouth was dry and she could feel the fire in her loins. Drexa startled slightly when the girl reached out and placed her hand on her side. Felise moved her hand along the curve of her protectors waist slowly. She was trembling in the warrior's arms. The woman wondered if it was fear or excitement or something else she could not imagine. When their lips touched it almost startled Drexa as much as it did Felise. She had hardly expected herself to kiss the girl but she had. It was that which snapped her out of the trance the child's flesh seemed to have her in. "It's late." She managed with a trembling voice and dry throat. "You want to sleep?" The girl asked sounding partially relieved and partially disappointed. "Aye." She kissed the child again, this time far less deeply and rolled her back over, pulling her close. As she tried to sleep Drexa scolded herself. In all of her life she had never done such a thing and now, to have done it with a child, and a princess no less, she was ashamed. Her father would have been disappointed in her for taking advantage of the young girl. Even out in the wilds station meant something and Felise was above Drexa's station. It mattered little at all that they were both female, such a thing paled when compared to the taboo of the warrior being involved with some one so much above her. "Little Princess." She whispered and kissed the girl's head. The gesture was lost as Felise was already asleep. As the first light of morning made it's way through the trees in to the inn Drexa sat up in bed to find everything as she had left it. The remnants of the night's meal still sat on the table and when she checked, her armor was safely beneath the bed. She got up, careful not to wake the child, and began dressing. The warrior woman went to the door and cracked it open, listening for any signs of life below. She heard nothing but could smell the scent of baking bread clearly. Leah must have been preparing breakfast. "Felise." She whispered, gently nudging the girl. The child rolled over and opened her eyes. As soon as the morning fog cleared in her head she smiled up at Drexa. "It's time to go child." She whispered. "So soon?" Felise sat up and look down at her nightgown. "I can't travel like this." "If Leah has kept her word you won't have too." Drexa lead the girl down to the first floor where they found a table set for breakfast. Leah appeared almost as soon as they entered the room and smiled. "She has clothes waiting for her. I will take them to your room while you eat." She gestured to the table and they sat down. "No need to wait, go right ahead ladies." She said. They did as they were told and lavished in the breakfast. This was a chance to eat well before returning to the openness of the wilds and little more food than dried meats and stale biscuits. When they had finished Felise went back up to their room and found a pair of riding pants and a heavy shirt waiting for her. On the floor in front of the bed a pair of heavy fur lined riding boots gave the promise of comfort in the cold of winter. Once she was dressed she came back down to find Drexa sipping from a mug and talking to Michah. The girl approached the man, still only having forgiven him as much as was required to enjoy the hospitality. "A bed, Two meals, cloths, and your packs are refreshed. I pray my life is worth more than that, but it is all I have to offer. I bid you farewell and only uneventful travels." He said as the girl arrived at the table. "Am I really so known?" Drexa asked. "Aye." He answered flatly. He looked at the girl for a moment then back at the warrior. "There is much legend about you." "The truth is rarely as romantic as the legend." She offered. "Aye. But it has still been an honor for us to host you." Michah stood and offered his hand. Drexa stood as well, taking it in her own and shaking it like a man. "I'll take you to your stead and then to the edge of our forrest." "I thank you." Michah kept his word and by noon they had come to the far edge of the forrest. He promised them it was nearly a full day's ride closer to their destination of Loridia since they would not have to ride around the breadth of the forrest. Drexa slid from the saddle and lead the horse, leaving her little charge mounted. The cold of late fall caused the woman to go to the saddlebags. She had a cloak there which she pulled over her shoulders. She was about to return to her place when she noticed that the bag was not emptied. She reached in and found another, smaller cloak which she offered up to the child. Indeed their packs had been refreshed. They walked on until late afternoon when Drexa decided to take a break. She sat down on the ground and wrapped her cloak tightly around herself while Felise remained in the saddle. "Drexa?" The girl had pulled the hood of her cloak low over her face. "Aye child?" "Do you wish to take me as your wife?" She asked, her mind on the night before, on the kiss they had shared. "Is that what you hope from me?" Drexa looked up at her with an amused smile. The girl shrugged, a gesture nearly lost under the cloak. "You have known me now four days girl. How could you wish to spend a lifetime with me? Especially out here in the wilds? I am a nomad, girl, I could never provide a princess with a proper home." "What if I don't care about a proper home?" "You are princess. Someday a kingdom will await you. Does that mean nothing to you?" "My kingdom burned. My family burned." She pushed the hood off of her head and turned to look down at the warrior. "And then there was you." She whispered. "My champion. You came to rescue me from the darkness and ash." "And now that you are saved you can grow up to find your rightful throne. Perhaps some day you can return to your homeland and rebuild it." "Will you come with me?" She asked. "As what? A lady in waiting? A guard?" She laughed. Felise looked hurt. "Do you care nothing for me?" She slid from the saddle and approached the woman. "You kissed me like my father kissed my mother. He loved her I know it." "Indeed." She said quietly. "A kiss." She whispered to herself. "If I cared nothing for you would I have promised to see you to safety?" The girl thought about this for several moments. It was not nearly enough for her but she was not at all sure what to say next. In time Drexa lifted the girl back in to the saddle and mounted in front of her. She pushed the stead on, keeping him at a slow trot as long as she dared. On and on they rode for another two days before at long last coming to the edge of the forrest of Loridia. She had never been here before but she had encountered these people in her travels. Those she knew were kind and she hoped that they were all so. She had been told of these lands. She knew as she entered the forrest that above her, somewhere in the trees waited two well camouflaged centuries. She scanned the branches, not sure if anything she was seeing could be a guard. As they proceeded she kept her eyes on the trees above her until at last she was sure she saw something move. They had been following a path of sorts for only a few moments and now there was rustling in the branches above. After a moment a man, wearing dark green with branches and leaves tied to his clothes dropped to the ground in front of her. Drexa jumped and stumbled back slightly. She reached for her sword but the man raised a spear and a moment later a second man dropped from above. "Why have you come to Loridia?" The second man asked. "I beg quarter, for myself and for my charge." She said gesturing to the girl. He looked up at Felise, and seeing that she posed no threat he turned his attention back on Drexa. She wore the garb of a warrior, she was armed and it intrigued the men. "I am Drexa and my charge there is Felise." "Drexa?" The first man repeated. He turned his attention to his companion. They exchanged a glance and he returned his cold stare to her. "Your name is known to us." He informed her. "You are Drexa, of the east lands?" "Aye." "It is said you are an honorable warrior. What brings you here?" He asked. "Because I have known your people. I know you are weary of outsiders but those that I have traveled with came to call me friend, and I them." "Aye? We shall see who calls you friend." He reached out toward her. It was a friendly enough gesture and Drexa shook his hand. She followed the men deep in to the forrest. As they went they passed occasional homes. From within men and women and even children stepped out to see the visitors. Outsiders were rare and though approached with much caution they were also a point of much interest for any one that saw them. They arrived at a clearing and the man who had taken her hand called up to a century in the trees. "Coming up!" Soon a rope ladder fell before them and the man waited for Drexa to help Felisa to begin the climb before he followed them both up. "The Chieftain will want to know you are here." The other man said once they had all reached the top. They stood on a wooden walkway that spanned the distance between two huge oak trees. In to the tops of each tree a large building had been constructed. While most of the village and construction in Loridia was on the forrest floor the Chieftain's home or palace, or what ever he might have called it, was built in the safety of the canopy. The two men led them in to the largest of the two buildings. There they stood a moment while their eyes adjusted to the torchlight. The first of the men reached out toward Drexa. "Your blade m'lady." He requested. She stood for a long moment holding the hilt of her sword. She knew it was not an improper request, but all the same she was somewhat afraid to give up her only weapon. Finally she drew the sword and offered the man the hilt. He took it and she was led in to the main room of the building. Sitting on a large wooden throne was a heavy man dressed in rather plain clothes. A simple shirt and trousers. He wore heavy riding boots but seemed to large to ride a stead. They were well kept clothes but not at all what a king or even a chieftain would normally be expected to wear. The man's attention went to their escorts. They spoke in their native tongue for a moment, much too low to be heard. The centuries left them there. Drexa bowed when the Chieftain's eyes fell upon her. Felise quickly did the same. "Drexa." He finally said. "Your name is known." He told her. "You are the Witch Warrior. Why have you come to my home?" "I beg quarter highness." She said as she stood straight again. Felise followed her lead. The woman stepped forward and as she did the guards in the room all reacted. "This girl's home has been destroyed by the Wyrm. She is my charge now and we need a place to call home." "And you believe my lands to be this place?" "I have ridden with your people highness, I call them friends." "Indeed." He opened his mouth to speak again when the centuries returned, this time with two men Drexa knew, in tow. It was Braius and his brother, Mayak. Drexa smiled at the men, glad to see them in good health. She opened her mouth to speak but Braius shook his head quickly, silencing her. "This is the woman you traveled with a season ago?" The Chieftain asked. "Aye." They answered in unison. "She claims you as friends, is this true?" "Aye." Again came the answer. The Chieftain nodded his head for a moment before gesturing their dismissal. "They are trusted scouts of mine." He said, returning his steely gaze to Drexa. A long moment passed before at last he smiled. "I am Lord Drayus. Chieftain of the Loridian people." He stood and approached the woman. "They say you are a witch, what magics do you command?" "It is not true highness." She responded. "I command no magic. I am but a simple traveler." "A simple traveler?" He laughed. "A simple traveler does not have so much legend preceeding her where ever she goes." He examined her barbarian armor closely, so closely that Drexa became uncomfortable. "You ARE an easterner indeed." He said eyeing her helm closely. Drexa nodded her head quickly. "Who is this then?" He asked, not expecting an answer, as he looked down at little Felise. He examined the child for a moment then returned his attention to the woman. "You shall have quarter." He said at last before returning to his throne. "The brothers call you friend, they are wealthy men and have room to take you in." The two men that had escorted them to the village left and returned a moment later with the brothers. "You have a room in your home?" Lord Drayus asked." "Aye." Brauis answered. He glanced at Drexa and smiled, knowing what would come next. "You shall take this simple traveler in since you call her friend." He announced. The brothers bowed low and the Chieftain dismissed all of them Outside of the building Drexa was given back her blade. She sheathed it, relieved to feel it at her side again. She placed her hand on Felise's shoulder, and smiled down at the child. "You are fortunate Drexa, we rarely give quarter to strangers." Mayak said. The warrior nodded her head, knowing how lucky she was. "We live just there." Braius said pointing to the second building built in to the top of the far tree. He lead them across the wooden bridge between the buildings and in to his home. Inside the house Drexa and Felise were shown to a small room, having only a bed and fireplace. Drexa smiled to herself. Wealth in the wilds was a relative term. "I trust you can share this with your charge?" Mayak asked. She nodded her head quickly and he smiled. "We eat at sunset. Rest here until then." The warrior was exhausted from the stress of this meeting. She had come to Loridia not knowing if they would meet with hostility. Slowly she stripped off her chest plate leaving only her shirt on and laid down on the soft bed. Felise joined her almost immediately, wrapping her arms around Drexa. The warrior laid stroking the child's back and humming a song she had heard when she was young. The girl still smelled of the perfumes they had enjoyed in the thieve's village however her own scent rose up to Drexa as well. Felise's breathing was becoming slow and steady. She was falling asleep. The warrior hoped to do the same soon. "My champion." The girl whispered as she moved closer and buried her head against Drexa's side. For a month Drexa and her little charge enjoyed the hospitality of the Loridians. Winter had arrived and much of their days were spent in the warmth of the brother's home. They lived well and at times Drexa felt she had returned to her noble life in the east. They ate hearty meats and drank fine wine. She enjoyed baths with her little princess regularly and they had nothing to concern themselves with but finding new and entertaining ways to pass the hours. The warrior exercised her education daily in the brother's library. She read true tales and fiction. Stories about the world, about the gods and about Loridia itself. Often the child would sit with her and she would read aloud. Felise could play the harp and in the brother's library there happened to be just such and instrument. She would play songs Drexa had never heard but enjoyed all the same. The brothers too enjoyed the child's talent for the harp. It seemed that some of the songs were known through the region as either Braius or Mayak would sing the words while Felise played. In all it was a fine life they were living but the warrior knew that it would not last. She could only wonder how long they could tarry here before something, some sign, some vision, drew her away. She also wondered if when that time came she should leave the girl with these people where she knew the child would be safe. The thought of leaving the girl troubled her deeply, but no more so than the idea of taking the child in to the dangers of the world. "Will we stay here forever?" Felise asked after a particularly pleasant night in the library with the brothers and several of their close friends. "Is that what you'd like?" "It's nice here. Almost as fine as my father's home." "You aren't a princess here." Drexa reminded. "Aye but I'm happy." The girl climbed on to the bed and pulled the covers around herself. Drexa soon followed. When she was comfortable she pulled the girl close and kissed her head. Felise smelled of flowers and vanilla. Perfumes the brothers asked put in to the bath water prepared for them. Drexa sighed softly, enjoying the warmth of the little girl against her. They were both dressed in long warm night gowns. The warrior had tied their hair up with ribbons. Her armor had sat in the wardrobe against the wall since shortly after they had come here. She had worn dresses of fine linen and wool as had the girl. The warrior's hand as it so often did strayed to the child's belly where she rubbed the girl gently. Felise eventually turned over to face her and looked up at her. "You'll always be my champion." She said. Drexa smiled down at her. "Aye." She agreed. "I love you Drexa." She whispered. "And I you princess." Drexa pulled the girl close and stroked her back. As she lay there she soon found herself defying tradition again as she pulled the girl's gown up and rubbed her bare back. Felise sighed and laid her head against the woman's chest. Here her lower station did not seem to matter. After so long with the girl she had come to love her dearly. The warrior let her hand stray to the girl's bare behind and she squeezed gently. Drexa hardly realized she was doing it until she pressed her lips on to the girl's. She parted her lips and pushed her tongue in to the princess' mouth. Felise moaned around the kiss and tried to pull closer to her. The warrior caressed the girl more feverishly. She began tugging at Felise's gown and eventually pulled it off of the girl. Much to Drexa's surprise the girl pushed herself on top and pressed her lips against the warrior's once more. The child broke the kiss and sat back, straddling her. "I love you Drexa." She whispered. "Does this make me your wife?" She tugged at Drexa's gown playfully. "I'm a princess, and my father is dead, if you marry me it makes you a queen." A broad smile lit the girl's face at the thought. Drexa smiled at the girl and stroked her cheek with the backs of her finger's. The child's eyes closed and she leaned in to the warrior's touch. She wished such a thing was possible. Even after such a short time she had come to love the girl. There was even truth to what the child had said. She was a queen by right of succession. If they married Drexa herself could have no other title. "Little princess." She whispered. Drexa pulled the girl to her chest and held her for several moments before the child pushed herself back to a sitting position. "You're my champion." She said, drawing her hands down the woman's chest. "My hero." The little princess bent down and kissed Drexa's lips quickly. "I must only give myself to the one I marry." She insisted. The child laid down on Drexa's chest. She listen to the woman's heart beat, waiting for some assurance that they would always be together. "Princess... I love you with all of my heart but what you ask, it isn't possible." She lifted the girl up. "I could never love again like I love you. But child... Not even in the wilds is such a thing permitted. " "Then swear to me Drexa, swear we will rule a land where it IS permitted. Swear that you will be my queen and I yours." The child meant what she said. She folded her arms across her chest and waited for Drexa to make the promise. The warrior sat up and took the girl''s hands in her own. She kissed them and nuzzled them against her cheeks. Tears slipped from her eyes and she nodded her head, looking deep in to the girl's eyes. Drexa placed her hand over her heart, "I swear it. You shall be my queen and I yours. We will rule a land where such a thing is permitted." Whether the girl fully understood the seriousness of the promise or not Drexa could not be sure. The warrior had sworn it though. It was an oath that she had to honor. Holding the girl so close to her she could not imagine how she would keep the promise but she would give her life to place the girl on a throne if it came to that. Drexa laid the girl on the bed and began kissing her again. She ran her hands along the child's body as they kissed and little Felise wrapped her arms around her champion's neck. "I'm yours." She whispered. "I pledge it before the gods that I am only for you." "Before the gods my princess." Drexa agreed. "I too shall be only for you." Had they been man and woman that oath alone was all that would be needed for them to be married. No ceremony no festival. Simply an oath before the gods. "My hero..." Felise whispered as Drexa began kissing down her chest to her tiny breasts. The warrior sucked the girl's nipples. Her breasts were little more than fleshy spots on her chest with slightly puffy nipples. Drexa cupped one side as she kissed the other. eventually she traded and suckled the second nipple until at last it stood erect. Drexa sat back and began running her hands up and down the girl's chest, to her belly. She fingered the girl's belly button causing her to giggle and writhe. Seeing it brought a smile to the warrior's face. In all of her life Drexa had never known any one as she would soon know the child. She had never wanted too but here in the firelight cast by the hearth it was all she could imagine. Felise's eyes closed and she shuddered when Drexa's hands moved to her thighs. She raised up her legs and half opened her eyes, the fire light reflecting in them the girl nodded her head. "Aye my champion." Drexa felt unsure of exactly what to do. She had seen beasts mate but could not image how she and the child might come together. At long last she ran her hands up to the girl's sex and pushed a thumb against her opening. Felise wet her lips and pushed her head back, waiting for Drexa to continue. Not knowing what else to do the warrior slipped between the child's legs and pulled herself up until she caught the scent of the girl. She smelled sweet and inviting. The child's natural odor was far more inviting than the perfumes they bathed with. Drexa leaned in and reached out with her tongue. She had heard of such a kiss exchanged between savages and could imagine no other way to couple with the child. She lapped along the girl's lips until she came to the child's clit. When her tongue touched it Felise drew a deep breath and the muscles in her legs tightened. Drexa lapped at the child's clit eliciting moans and writhing from the girl. She cradled the girl's buttocks in her hands and found herself intrigued and even a little amused at how the girl reacted to each touch of her tongue. Eventually the warrior covered the girl's clit with her mouth and pressed her tongue on it hard. The little princess tightened her legs around her champion's head and she pushed her sex toward her, silently begging for more. Felise rocked her hips in time with Drexa's tongue. She moaned and sighed. She was awash in pleasure and could imagine nothing more wonderful than having her hero this way. It was not until the climax began to build within her that she fully understood why such a thing was even done. As she built toward orgasm she suddenly felt herself drawn to bring it nearer. Her movements became more regular and between her legs Drexa worked to stay in time with her. The child's breath came short and she felt sweat on her brow and chest. Drexa lapped at the girl's honey and it excited her. She felt a fire she had never known in her loins. It was all as new to her as she imagined it was to the little princess she now made love too. Felise groaned loudly and pushed her sex hard toward the warrior. Her hips rocked slow and hard as she pushed against the woman's tongue. She gasp in relief and surprise having never thought such a thing as what she felt now possible. When at last it subsided she collapsed in to the bed and closed her eyes. Drexa sat back and looked down at her little princess. "What was it?" She asked, not knowing what had come over the girl. "You do not know?" Felise asked, a little groggy from the experience. "You're so worldly." "Not in this way." She admitted. "I do not know either." She said with a smile. The girl sat up and kissed Drexa tasting her own honey on the woman's lips and tongue. "I want to show you." She tried to coax Drexa to the bed and with some hesitation the woman submitted. The girl tugged at Drexa's nightgown until at last the woman gave in and helped to pull it off. Felise did not only love her champion, she was fascinated by the woman's trim and well formed body. The little girl ran her fingers along Drexa's curves, examining them closely. She turned her attention to the warrior's bosom. The woman's breasts were not large but fit her frame well. The little girl squeezed them and pushed at her nipples with a smile. The little princess bent down and kissed Drexa's breasts, tonguing her nipples just as the warrior had done to her. She wanted the warrior to know everything she had known. She teased Drexa's nipples with her tongue before pushing herself back up and kissing her lips. "I love you my champion." She whispered. Felise slid back between the woman's legs and ran her hands down her body. She pushed her fingers through the patch of hair between the warrior's legs and looked curiously at it for some time. "It's so soft." She said, commenting on Drexa's hair. The woman smiled and pushed herself up on her elbows. Drexa closed her eyes and her head fell back when she felt little Felise's fingers run over her clit. She could feel her dampness and the burning desire for more touch. The child looked down at the woman's sex studying it in the fire light. She had never seen herself and was fascinated by the scene. At long last the child slipped down on too her belly and pulled herself close to Drexa's sex. She carefully reached out with her tongue and slid it up and down the woman's sex causing her to shiver and sigh. Finally the girl settled on the warrior's clit and she began lapping at it. Drexa could no longer hold herself up. She fell back against the bed and reached down between her legs to caress the girl's head. She ran her fingers through her little princess' hair as the child returned the savage kiss. Felise realized that Drexa had a similar yet different flavor as that she had tasted in the warrior's kiss. The realization brought questions and intrigue but for the moment the little girl focused on what she was doing. Drexa's legs raised up as she felt a climax building within her for the first time. She rocked her hips and reminded herself to be careful not to push too hard on the girl. She found herself instinctively rocking her hips. She clutched at the bed covers, breathing heavily as she did. When at last Drexa found herself awash in ecstasy she drew deep breaths and released them quickly, pushing her self hard toward the girl, moaning with each wave of pleasure. "It's as if the gods have touched you." Felise said as she pulled herself up to lay next to her champion. "Aye." Drexa turned on her side and looked in to the child's eyes. She stroked the girl's cheek and smiled at her. Though everything she had experienced was new and unknown to her, the warrior had a much clearer understanding of what they had done than the girl did. She knew that they had mated and that this was the first time for them both. That the first time meant something and as she lay there she realized how glad she was that it had been with the princess. It was not long before sleep took them both and they lay holding one another in the firelight. It was the wee hours of the morning, a time when only bats and owls were about. The fire had burned low and the room was cast in darkness. Drexa sat up with a start in a cold sweat. It had happened again, another vision. Slowly the images began to fall in to place and Drexa could start to understand what she had seen. There had been a kingdom. At first she would have thought it in the east but it was not. It stood against the western sea and reached far inland to a jagged mountain range. The palace rose from the beach in all it's splendor. Built of white stone it stood five stories above the surrounding city. There in the magnificent palace she saw a lone queen, widowed by misfortune ten years before. The kingdom was fair and peaceful. It's people were prosperous and happy. It seemed a land of fairy tale and in an instant the smiling faces of the people gave way to the terrifying grin of skulls piled in ash. The palace's white walls scorched and its queen dead. All of the surrounding lands were burned or burning and above it all flew the Wyrm. The kingdom became surrounded in death and destruction and some how Drexa knew she had to be there, she had to be there with her little princess, that somehow they could stop it.