Story update
Oct. 24th, 2005 02:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ailsa_chanThanks to everyone who has commented, much appricated.
Here is part 5. WARNING. Not worksafe if you know someone is likely to be reading what you read. No pictures though. (Sorry Marcus).
Also I need an icon.
He looked up at her now, comparing the woman before him with the girl he grew up with. Her hair was even longer now, but she wore tied back in a tight braid. Gone were the embroidered skirts and blouses too; now she wore tight leather trousers and a thick shirt, covered by a jerkin of rabbit skin. She put down her bow, and walked towards the bed.
“I never stopped thinking about you, never stopped wondering where you were,” she admitted. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him passionately.
“What was that for?” he asked, breathlessly, when she released her grip.
“For coming back to me,” she said sweetly. He smiled back, feeling slightly more relaxed, until her fist hit his jaw. He cried out, tasting blood.
“And that was for leaving in the first place!”
He winced. “I don't think I deserved that. I didn't want to run away, I just panicked when I found your grandmother. She was a lovely woman, I hope you caught the bastard who did that to her.”
Amari sighed and sat down on the end of the bed. “I'm sorry. Seeing you again woke up a lot of feelings I thought I'd buried.” She handed him a clean cloth to wipe the blood from his mouth. “And I know exactly who killed my grandmother. It was me.”
“You? But why? You always seemed so close to her.”
“I was. I loved her. She was mother to me. And that’s why I did it: because she asked me to do it and I loved her too much to say no. She was a very old woman, Zephyr, very old and very tired. She had lost most of her hearing, she was losing her sight. All the things she enjoyed doing, she could no longer do. The only thing she had left was sitting and talking with people and soon that would be beyond her too. Her body hurt all the time and she didn’t she’d make it though the winter anyway. But she didn’t want to die a lingering painful death from illness; she wanted to go cleanly. After all she had done for me, who was I to deny her that?
“I stayed with her until she was asleep and then I pushed the knife in. Then I walked away and went to bed. It was only then that I realised I could have smothered her with a pillow. It would have been more respectful. When father found her body, he came and woke me, told me what you’d done. I told him he was wrong, that I was then one who had killed her. But he told me I didn’t have to cover for you.” Amari’s voice was trembling. “So I had to leave. There were enough people in the clan who understood when I explained to stop them sending out a search for you, but it was too late for me. When my horse came walking back out of the snow, I packed a few things and left. I haven’t seen them since.”
“You left? Because your father thought I did it?”
“No! Because he didn’t believe me! Don’t you see, Zephyr? He called me a lier.”
So? He almost said, but stopped himself. It had been too long since he had lived among the Folk. Folk did not lie, so by brushing aside his daughter’s confession, Rouche had effectively cast her out. He knew Rouche would not have done it deliberately, but he knew Amari would not be convinced otherwise.
“I’m sorry.” He did not know what else to say.
“Its okay. Its all history now. I… I’m glad I found you again. I looked for you, but I always seemed to be one step behind.”
He found her hand and squeezed it gently. “I missed you too, Songbird.”
She curled up on the bed next to him; her head on his chest and was shortly asleep. He wondered how long he had been unconscious and how long she had sat there singing. People who did not understand magic assumed you could keep it up indefinitely, but the power had to come from somewhere. You put your strength and energy into the spell and it left you feeling drained and tired. He wrapped his arm round her slender waist and fell into a deep contented sleep.
He woke as the church bells were chiming third quarter. Unlike the Folk, the people of the Free Kingdoms had constructed an artificial system of dividing up the passage of time. A day was a fixed period, and each day was divided into four quarters. Most people started their day at the first quarter and went to bed sometime between the third and the fourth. Time was generally marked by a water clock kept in the local church.
Amari was already up and dressed. She was sat nearby breaking her fast on stew and a thick slab of bread. She looked up as he stretched.
“About time. I was going to eat your share if you didn't wake up soon.” She pointed to a similar meal on the table beside the bed. “How's your shoulder?”
He moved his arm experimentally and winced. “Sore,” he admitted.
She put down her meal and walked over, probing the muscles around the injury with her long fingers.
“I don't think there's any permanent damage. It will probably be stiff for a couple of days.” She looked down at him. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”
“How much have you heard about me? About what I've been doing recently?”
“I've heard roumers, about a bandit and outlaw named Zephyr Stormchaser. I guessed it was you: there can't be many people with that name in the Free Kingdoms.”
He nodded. “I'm a wanted man in all three kingdoms, and I've pissed off the paladins especially. Normally they're not a problem to shake off, but the last one was clever. He'd hired a Folk to track and kill me. It was your uncle.” He picked up the stew, waiting for her to reply. When she did not, he carried on, “I need to leave. There are some friends I'm supposed to be meeting in Riverra. They'll be worried about me. Want to come with me?”
She nodded. “Yes.” There was no doubt or hesitation. “Are you sure you're up to travelling?”
“I'll be fine. And the paladins will be thinking I'm dead, which should make life easier for a bit.”
“You were lucky they didn't hire my father. He would have stood over you and watched until you died.”
He shuddered. “He never did like me. Wonder what I did wrong.”
She laughed. “You don't know? You seduced his only daughter. He could handle most of my bad habits, but falling for a pale boy? He could never forgive either of us for that.”
While he ate, she busied herself around the room, tying up her long hair and packing up her possessions. After a while she stopped.
“Zephyr?”
“Hm?”
“Are you staring at my butt?”
“Yep. Leathers were a good idea. Much better than linen skirts.”
“I wear them because they're comfortable and practical. Not because they show off my figure.”
He gave her a dismissive wave. “You know you're flattered.”
She sighed. But she knew he was telling the truth. Any other man she had caught staring at her would have earned a swift kick to the groin. This time however, instead of feeling angry, she felt pleased and there was a nervous fluttering in her stomach. Amari was not someone who scared easily. She had the pride of her race and the skills to back up that pride. But this man could make her quiver by simply looking at her.
She sighed again and pushed her feelings down inside herself. She would deal with them later. When she had packed, she let him dress and then bound his arm in a sling. They left the little room and walked out of the inn though the bar, which was already busy. Outside, Amari left him alone while she fetched her horse.
He watched her walk, imagining every sleek tanned muscle beneath her clothes. Riding was going to be hard, he though, and not just because he was one handed. She returned shortly, leading a tall bay mare.
“You should ride her,”Amari suggested. “You're probably not up to a long walk.”
He shook his head. “I've got my own.”
She shrugged and pulled herself into the saddle. She was a proper little walking armoury, he noted. There was a longbow and quiver at her back; the crossbow was attached, in easy reach, to the saddle packs and there were a pair of long daggers at her waist. They walked to the edge of town, where Zephyr put his fingers in his mouth and whistled.
Amari looked the black horse up and down as Allegro trotted up.
“He looks like my Kaze,” she said. “I still can't believe you stole my horse, Zephyr!”
“If I'd I known you were going to punch me for it later, I would have taken a different one,”he admitted, rubbing his jaw. “Anyway, it wasn't stealing, just borrowing. I sent her back.” He mounted and they set off down the road at a brisk walk.
“You still ride bareback,” she murmured.
“I never learned any other way. Besides, saddles chafe!” He gave her a warm, open grin and she felt her grip on her feelings slip a little bit more. “What happened to her, anyway?”
“I had to sell her to get enough money to cover equipment and living costs,” Amari explained. “I was a Folk girl out on my own with no reputation. No one was going to do me any favours. There weren't a lot of job opportunities for someone like me either. I started out a guide for the Forest Kingdom, and got lucky when I was taking a group of Startin nobles on a hunting trip. We were followed by bandits who thought they could pick us off once we got into the cover of the forest. Fortunately they weren't as stealthy as they thought they were. I was able to see them coming and take out three from range.” She patted the bow. “I had to take out the other other two almost by myself. Bloody lard-arsed lords couldn't kill a fly. Anyway, they were very grateful to get away with their soft skins in one piece and gave me a letter of recommendation, telling of my prowess as a bandit killer. I've been working largely as a bodyguard ever since.”
“And doing well at it?”
“It's not really a career with a lot of opportunities for those who fail,” she pointed out.
The day was fine and clear, a chilly breeze playing with any loose hair or clothing it could find. It was a day that promised an imminent spring, and she felt as if she could feel the dormant life of the world begin to stir from its long sleep. It made her feel hungry too. Not for food, but for something that had been missing from her life for too long.
There was a river a couple of miles down the road and she suggested they stop there and eat lunch.
“Is that a good horse?” Zephyr enquired suddenly.
“Best I could afford,” she replied.
“Good, because I wouldn't want it to be an unfair race.”
“Race? What race?”
But he had already put his heels to his horse's flank and Allegro was growing further away with every moment. The wind brought a snatch of his easy laughter to her ears. She grinned and kicked her horse into a canter, then a full gallop. The landscape blurred past her, but her eyes were only on the black horse ahead of her. Her mare was taller that Allegro, longer legged, and they were closing the distance. Not enough though, she realised as she saw the bridge ahead.
He was already dismounted, waiting for her with a grin as she reined her horse to a halt.
“I would have won if you didn't cheat!” she told him indignantly.
“Not much of an incentive to play fair, then.” He caught her as she dismounted, and pulled her close. She struggled and turned round in his arms, but he kissed her before she could say anything.
“You can't just do that to me!” she protested as he broke off the embrace.
“So stop me. You weren't exactly resisting there.”
“But still...” she looked uncomfortable.
“Look. I want you, Songbird. I think you want me too. If I'm wrong, then tell me and I'll stop right now. But I don't think I am wrong, am I?”
She shook her head, unable to speak.
“Good.” He spread his cloak on the ground, and pulled her down on top of him. With his good hand he began to undo the buttons on her shirt.
“Here?” she asked nervously.
“Why not? There's no one on the roads at the moment and besides, what difference does it make? I'm not ashamed of you Songbird. Are you ashamed of me?”
She shook her head. Undressing was an awkward and clumsy affair. Zephyr found his injured arm stiff and painful and Amari, to her shame, found her hands trembling. But eventually they were both naked, pressed close together against the cold. He rolled her onto her back and she spread her legs, almost ready to explode with anticipation.
She had not expected it to hurt so much when he penetrated her. She cried out, muscles tensing in response. He held her, whispering apologies, then soft words of comfort and encouragement. Slowly she relaxed and began to move against him. The feeling of imminent explosion began to build again as they moved together. She clung to him, digging her nails into his flesh, tighter and tighter until the world exploded between her thighs.
They lay together, naked and panting, until Amari felt recovered enough. Then they did it again; but this time she made him catch her first.
Here is part 5. WARNING. Not worksafe if you know someone is likely to be reading what you read. No pictures though. (Sorry Marcus).
Also I need an icon.
He looked up at her now, comparing the woman before him with the girl he grew up with. Her hair was even longer now, but she wore tied back in a tight braid. Gone were the embroidered skirts and blouses too; now she wore tight leather trousers and a thick shirt, covered by a jerkin of rabbit skin. She put down her bow, and walked towards the bed.
“I never stopped thinking about you, never stopped wondering where you were,” she admitted. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him passionately.
“What was that for?” he asked, breathlessly, when she released her grip.
“For coming back to me,” she said sweetly. He smiled back, feeling slightly more relaxed, until her fist hit his jaw. He cried out, tasting blood.
“And that was for leaving in the first place!”
He winced. “I don't think I deserved that. I didn't want to run away, I just panicked when I found your grandmother. She was a lovely woman, I hope you caught the bastard who did that to her.”
Amari sighed and sat down on the end of the bed. “I'm sorry. Seeing you again woke up a lot of feelings I thought I'd buried.” She handed him a clean cloth to wipe the blood from his mouth. “And I know exactly who killed my grandmother. It was me.”
“You? But why? You always seemed so close to her.”
“I was. I loved her. She was mother to me. And that’s why I did it: because she asked me to do it and I loved her too much to say no. She was a very old woman, Zephyr, very old and very tired. She had lost most of her hearing, she was losing her sight. All the things she enjoyed doing, she could no longer do. The only thing she had left was sitting and talking with people and soon that would be beyond her too. Her body hurt all the time and she didn’t she’d make it though the winter anyway. But she didn’t want to die a lingering painful death from illness; she wanted to go cleanly. After all she had done for me, who was I to deny her that?
“I stayed with her until she was asleep and then I pushed the knife in. Then I walked away and went to bed. It was only then that I realised I could have smothered her with a pillow. It would have been more respectful. When father found her body, he came and woke me, told me what you’d done. I told him he was wrong, that I was then one who had killed her. But he told me I didn’t have to cover for you.” Amari’s voice was trembling. “So I had to leave. There were enough people in the clan who understood when I explained to stop them sending out a search for you, but it was too late for me. When my horse came walking back out of the snow, I packed a few things and left. I haven’t seen them since.”
“You left? Because your father thought I did it?”
“No! Because he didn’t believe me! Don’t you see, Zephyr? He called me a lier.”
So? He almost said, but stopped himself. It had been too long since he had lived among the Folk. Folk did not lie, so by brushing aside his daughter’s confession, Rouche had effectively cast her out. He knew Rouche would not have done it deliberately, but he knew Amari would not be convinced otherwise.
“I’m sorry.” He did not know what else to say.
“Its okay. Its all history now. I… I’m glad I found you again. I looked for you, but I always seemed to be one step behind.”
He found her hand and squeezed it gently. “I missed you too, Songbird.”
She curled up on the bed next to him; her head on his chest and was shortly asleep. He wondered how long he had been unconscious and how long she had sat there singing. People who did not understand magic assumed you could keep it up indefinitely, but the power had to come from somewhere. You put your strength and energy into the spell and it left you feeling drained and tired. He wrapped his arm round her slender waist and fell into a deep contented sleep.
He woke as the church bells were chiming third quarter. Unlike the Folk, the people of the Free Kingdoms had constructed an artificial system of dividing up the passage of time. A day was a fixed period, and each day was divided into four quarters. Most people started their day at the first quarter and went to bed sometime between the third and the fourth. Time was generally marked by a water clock kept in the local church.
Amari was already up and dressed. She was sat nearby breaking her fast on stew and a thick slab of bread. She looked up as he stretched.
“About time. I was going to eat your share if you didn't wake up soon.” She pointed to a similar meal on the table beside the bed. “How's your shoulder?”
He moved his arm experimentally and winced. “Sore,” he admitted.
She put down her meal and walked over, probing the muscles around the injury with her long fingers.
“I don't think there's any permanent damage. It will probably be stiff for a couple of days.” She looked down at him. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”
“How much have you heard about me? About what I've been doing recently?”
“I've heard roumers, about a bandit and outlaw named Zephyr Stormchaser. I guessed it was you: there can't be many people with that name in the Free Kingdoms.”
He nodded. “I'm a wanted man in all three kingdoms, and I've pissed off the paladins especially. Normally they're not a problem to shake off, but the last one was clever. He'd hired a Folk to track and kill me. It was your uncle.” He picked up the stew, waiting for her to reply. When she did not, he carried on, “I need to leave. There are some friends I'm supposed to be meeting in Riverra. They'll be worried about me. Want to come with me?”
She nodded. “Yes.” There was no doubt or hesitation. “Are you sure you're up to travelling?”
“I'll be fine. And the paladins will be thinking I'm dead, which should make life easier for a bit.”
“You were lucky they didn't hire my father. He would have stood over you and watched until you died.”
He shuddered. “He never did like me. Wonder what I did wrong.”
She laughed. “You don't know? You seduced his only daughter. He could handle most of my bad habits, but falling for a pale boy? He could never forgive either of us for that.”
While he ate, she busied herself around the room, tying up her long hair and packing up her possessions. After a while she stopped.
“Zephyr?”
“Hm?”
“Are you staring at my butt?”
“Yep. Leathers were a good idea. Much better than linen skirts.”
“I wear them because they're comfortable and practical. Not because they show off my figure.”
He gave her a dismissive wave. “You know you're flattered.”
She sighed. But she knew he was telling the truth. Any other man she had caught staring at her would have earned a swift kick to the groin. This time however, instead of feeling angry, she felt pleased and there was a nervous fluttering in her stomach. Amari was not someone who scared easily. She had the pride of her race and the skills to back up that pride. But this man could make her quiver by simply looking at her.
She sighed again and pushed her feelings down inside herself. She would deal with them later. When she had packed, she let him dress and then bound his arm in a sling. They left the little room and walked out of the inn though the bar, which was already busy. Outside, Amari left him alone while she fetched her horse.
He watched her walk, imagining every sleek tanned muscle beneath her clothes. Riding was going to be hard, he though, and not just because he was one handed. She returned shortly, leading a tall bay mare.
“You should ride her,”Amari suggested. “You're probably not up to a long walk.”
He shook his head. “I've got my own.”
She shrugged and pulled herself into the saddle. She was a proper little walking armoury, he noted. There was a longbow and quiver at her back; the crossbow was attached, in easy reach, to the saddle packs and there were a pair of long daggers at her waist. They walked to the edge of town, where Zephyr put his fingers in his mouth and whistled.
Amari looked the black horse up and down as Allegro trotted up.
“He looks like my Kaze,” she said. “I still can't believe you stole my horse, Zephyr!”
“If I'd I known you were going to punch me for it later, I would have taken a different one,”he admitted, rubbing his jaw. “Anyway, it wasn't stealing, just borrowing. I sent her back.” He mounted and they set off down the road at a brisk walk.
“You still ride bareback,” she murmured.
“I never learned any other way. Besides, saddles chafe!” He gave her a warm, open grin and she felt her grip on her feelings slip a little bit more. “What happened to her, anyway?”
“I had to sell her to get enough money to cover equipment and living costs,” Amari explained. “I was a Folk girl out on my own with no reputation. No one was going to do me any favours. There weren't a lot of job opportunities for someone like me either. I started out a guide for the Forest Kingdom, and got lucky when I was taking a group of Startin nobles on a hunting trip. We were followed by bandits who thought they could pick us off once we got into the cover of the forest. Fortunately they weren't as stealthy as they thought they were. I was able to see them coming and take out three from range.” She patted the bow. “I had to take out the other other two almost by myself. Bloody lard-arsed lords couldn't kill a fly. Anyway, they were very grateful to get away with their soft skins in one piece and gave me a letter of recommendation, telling of my prowess as a bandit killer. I've been working largely as a bodyguard ever since.”
“And doing well at it?”
“It's not really a career with a lot of opportunities for those who fail,” she pointed out.
The day was fine and clear, a chilly breeze playing with any loose hair or clothing it could find. It was a day that promised an imminent spring, and she felt as if she could feel the dormant life of the world begin to stir from its long sleep. It made her feel hungry too. Not for food, but for something that had been missing from her life for too long.
There was a river a couple of miles down the road and she suggested they stop there and eat lunch.
“Is that a good horse?” Zephyr enquired suddenly.
“Best I could afford,” she replied.
“Good, because I wouldn't want it to be an unfair race.”
“Race? What race?”
But he had already put his heels to his horse's flank and Allegro was growing further away with every moment. The wind brought a snatch of his easy laughter to her ears. She grinned and kicked her horse into a canter, then a full gallop. The landscape blurred past her, but her eyes were only on the black horse ahead of her. Her mare was taller that Allegro, longer legged, and they were closing the distance. Not enough though, she realised as she saw the bridge ahead.
He was already dismounted, waiting for her with a grin as she reined her horse to a halt.
“I would have won if you didn't cheat!” she told him indignantly.
“Not much of an incentive to play fair, then.” He caught her as she dismounted, and pulled her close. She struggled and turned round in his arms, but he kissed her before she could say anything.
“You can't just do that to me!” she protested as he broke off the embrace.
“So stop me. You weren't exactly resisting there.”
“But still...” she looked uncomfortable.
“Look. I want you, Songbird. I think you want me too. If I'm wrong, then tell me and I'll stop right now. But I don't think I am wrong, am I?”
She shook her head, unable to speak.
“Good.” He spread his cloak on the ground, and pulled her down on top of him. With his good hand he began to undo the buttons on her shirt.
“Here?” she asked nervously.
“Why not? There's no one on the roads at the moment and besides, what difference does it make? I'm not ashamed of you Songbird. Are you ashamed of me?”
She shook her head. Undressing was an awkward and clumsy affair. Zephyr found his injured arm stiff and painful and Amari, to her shame, found her hands trembling. But eventually they were both naked, pressed close together against the cold. He rolled her onto her back and she spread her legs, almost ready to explode with anticipation.
She had not expected it to hurt so much when he penetrated her. She cried out, muscles tensing in response. He held her, whispering apologies, then soft words of comfort and encouragement. Slowly she relaxed and began to move against him. The feeling of imminent explosion began to build again as they moved together. She clung to him, digging her nails into his flesh, tighter and tighter until the world exploded between her thighs.
They lay together, naked and panting, until Amari felt recovered enough. Then they did it again; but this time she made him catch her first.
