"Heritage"

[summergal21]

Cara blushed when William complimented her and her mother's cooking. She was worried if her family's cooking would be good enough for a nobleman such as William and was happy to hear that his tongue did not find their cooking distasteful.

"My family is truly happy to be employed here and I trust you that they along as I will be properly compensated. On behalf of my family, we are truly thankful." Cara said with an enthusiastic smile.

She nodded her head as William ordered her to go back to the Great Hall. She would have liked for her brother to stay with her at least for her first night at the Keep. But the last thing she wanted William or his men to think of her was as a child, incapable of taking care of herself.

Cara didn’t think too much of it when William smiled softly at her and said.
“I’m glad you are here, Cara. I hope you feel the same.”
She assumed he only meant to compliment her and thank her for uprooting her whole life along with her family members to work for him. What other intention could he have for a peasant girl that could only give him, her loyalty?

Taking the tray back downstairs to the kitchen, she informed her brother and mother about the incoming rain and they quickly tended to the tasks they were working on so they could leave the Keep at once.

When Cara’s mother left the Keep she gave Cara a long and tender embrace. She knew the fate of her daughter, she wish she could change it but they were only dealt the cards of peasants. Her mother never had the chance of meeting the Viscount of Wildwood since her arrival at the Keep but that was that. Cara’s mother could only just hope that Lord William would be gentle when he parted her daughter’s thighs. Her mother wondered if Cara had any idea if her virtue was what William was after, but it seemed unfitting to even mention it. It seemed as though all men were after a women’s virtue.

Cara found one of William’s knights, who she overhead was going to the village to make one last pickup for the night for materials for the Keep, and made a request as insisted by William.
When Cara first went to the market to shop for her cell she felt she could ignore the necessity of a bedding. But as night loomed and with the final words she had just heard from William about him “not having her uncomfortable” she didn’t feel too selfish to ask for bedding and a blanket for her bed.

The Knight nodded his head and even gave a little smirk as he knew that Cara’s bed would not just be occupied by Cara but by William and later in time hopefully by himself and by the other Knights as well. The Knight made a mental note to get comfortable bedding for Cara as there was good chance he might one day find himself laying on the same exact bed, making love to the fair lady in front of him.

Once the cleanup from dinner was done Cara went to find William to see if he needed anything from her. He shook his head and dismissed her to her cell. She then waited patiently for one of WIlliam's Knights to return from the village with her bedding and was pleasantly surprised when he returned with a rather expensive looking bedding. The Knight had purchased her a mattress, a blanket and a what seemed to be the fur of a bear.

Cara was overjoyed with this new addition to her cell and cozied her cell with a fire at her fireplace. She tried to think of her life 24 hours ago and realized how much had changed. 24 hours ago, she wouldn’t have expected her to be the house servant of a lord noble. 24 hours ago, she would have never expected a lord noble to compliment her as the most beautiful in the village. 24 hours ago she would have never expected herself to be in the same room as a naked nobleman, ever in her life.

 

[BigBubblehead]

A handful of hours after sundown, the storm had reached its fiercest. The winds whipped throughout the roofless fourth level of the Keep, distributing its cold, early Spring precipitation upon every surface.

William had tried to ignore it initially, but when the hail began pelting him, he knew he had to make a change. He'd moved from the Master's quarters to the Lady's quarters, which had been somewhat more protected, only to find that a screech owl wasn't too happy with its new room mate.

Eventually he had to surrender to Mother Nature. Despite a rain resistant covering made of a large fur treated with a wood pitch of unknown origin, William's bedroll was sopping wet. He descended to the Great Hall level where his Black Knights were asleep by a roaring fire, a peasant boy tasked with tending to it curled up at the feet of the three snoring men.

Three... not four? William wondered. As was their nature, one Knight was always on guard duty, even here in their new home. There should have been four men here asleep he initially thought, until he realized that one of the missing men was Rodrick. William smiled, knowing that his friend would be warm in the arms of his newfound peasant friend ... or possibly a new newfound peasant friend. So long as Rodrick had coin and position, he would never suffer a cold night in Wildwood.

Which, of course, made William glance toward the opening to Cara's cell. One of the men had been generous enough to hook his own rain protector over the opening, giving the girl at least a bit of privacy until a door could be built to seal the open portal. He couldn't know how comfortable the redhead was: the first and only time he'd entered her new home away from home it had been a sad affair. He hoped that she'd at least found bedding.

Then, he realized he had no reason to wonder. He looked about the men and found them seemingly warm, dry, and content. William wouldn't find that comfort out here, with no bedding of which to speak. It wouldn't, of course, be his first uncomfortable night: he was a Warrior, of course, so the hardship of the battle field was a close friend.

But William wasn't on the battle field anymore, and he wasn't just some servant soldier on the field, enduring the hardships brought upon him by Command. He was Command, and Cara was his servant.

He turned and marched toward her cell, beginning to strip off the wet outer garments, already intent upon his goal. When he reached the drape, he pulled it aside to peek in upon her for a moment. She was sound asleep, it seemed, resting upon a comfortable appearing bed for which any peasant in town would have killed. A rush of warm air struck William's face, and looking to his left he found the hot coals of a flameless but still warm fire.

He took one step inside, and -- because of the cell's small size -- was already nearly standing over the sleeping woman. William simply stood there for a long moment, contemplating his next move. He wanted Cara: he knew that, and -- he thought -- she knew that, too. But, could he just take her like this, their first night together, without his specifically explaining to her that she would, in fact, be serving him in his -- or in this case her -- bed.

Maybe a compromise was in order...

He stripped off his wet trousers, leaving him in only his thigh length undershirt and cotton shorts. He stoked the fire, causing a flame to jump to life. He placed two more small logs upon it, then moved to Cara's bed. He hesitated one more time, then lifted the coverings and began sliding in beside her.

She awoke as he pressed up behind her warm, soft backside, and as he saw her eyes widen, William slid one arm under her neck to press that hand over her mouth while the other arm went over her body to contain her upper limbs and hold her close to him.

"Sh-h-h-h-h..." he whispered into her ear as she responded to the violation of her privacy. He continued to clasp her tightly as he said, "I am only here to stay warm. I am not going to harm you."

By harm you William meant, of course, violate her very being ... take from Cara her virtue ... ruin her for this marriage of which she'd spoken so intently of earlier in the day.

"Let me sleep here," he continue, pressing up tightly to the back of her body with his front, controlling her with his overwhelming strength. "I just need warmth."

 

[summergal21]

Cara felt her body froze when she felt William’s body next to her. At first she had no idea who the intruder was, she feared for the worst and assumed that her life was over.

But when she heard William’s voice and his words,

“I am only here to stay warm. I am not going to harm you.”

A sigh of relief left Cara’s lips. She was surprised that the Viscount of Wildwood was in her bed, was in the bed of his house servant. She never expected him to find refuge in a servant’s bed, but then she didn’t know the real reason why she was chosen as the house servant for the Keep. She recalled that the roof of the Master’s Quarters had not yet been fixed and even though she was safe from the storm, she was aware of the fury that Mother Nature had placed on their little village.

If this was any of the Knights she would have most certainly screamed, although she was unsure if any of the other Knights would have done anything to help her. She most certainly knew that making any noise regarding Lord William in her bed would be of no use since all the men in the Keep took orders from William.

She breathed heavily, she quickly noticed that he was barely dressed and a gentle whimper left her lips. Which she hoped he didn’t hear. She herself was in her own nightgown, a simple cotton dress which at the current moment was doing nothing for her breasts as her nipples stood erect, as if they were about to pierce through the fabric as his cold body was pressed up against her warm and soft body.

Cara closed her eyes, she tried to soothe herself, as he told her,

“Let me sleep here, I just need warmth.”

He had told her that he was not going to harm her and earlier in the day he respected her choice in not looking at him when he was nude. She was a man to be trusted, or so she wanted to believe in or more so, she needed to believe in.

“As you say m’lord.” Cara said gently.

 

[BigBubblehead]

William had expected Cara to scream when he slowly lifted his hand from her mouth, not that it would do her any good -- just as she, too, was thinking. It was a relief when she spoke her acceptance, not just because it meant she wouldn't fight but because -- he hoped -- it meant that when he decided to take her, that too might come without a fight.

For now, William simply wanted to feel Cara's young, warm body against his. His left arm remained under her neck, supporting it, but his hand moved away from her mouth and -- after adjusting her new pillow under his own neck -- slowly dropped to rest on the bedding. His right arm, which had been clasping her arms to her body, preventing her from fighting, slipped under her own arm to pull her back into him.

Casually, not trying to appear lecherous, William slid that hand up her belly until his fingers just barely touched the lower roundness of her left breast. He rested his hand there unthreatening -- for now.

Down at his waist, however, William's actions -- while intended to simply share their body warmth by getting them close -- had to feel questionable to Cara: his cock was fully hardened and, with only their respective sleeping garments between them, it was pressing firmly into the crevice of her buttocks...

...and it felt ... so ... nice.

 

[summergal21]

As William took his hand off of Cara's mouth and allowed her control of her arms again she realized the overpowering control William had had on her slender body. Despite his strong hold on her, to make sure that she wouldn't be able to fight him, once she knew it was William and he muttered the words, "I am not going to harm you,” she was at ease. She had no desire to fight him, which was why she didn't resist his hold and why she didn’t, till now realize the strong hold he had on her.

The only thing that was uncomfortable was his hand on her mouth and now that it was gone, a loud sigh left her lips, which she quickly apologized for. The sigh wasn’t intended to show annoyance, it was more for a sigh of relief.

She had only slept in the same bed as her siblings and she had never expected herself to sleep in the same bed as a man that was other than her husband. Sharing a bed with the Viscount of Wildwood never crossed her mind.

As her arms and hands were returned to her, she let them rest in front of her body. She found it odd that one of William’s hand had found itself right above her belly. She wasn’t sure of it, but she felt a presence nearby her left breast. She didn’t think too much of it as something even more peculiar had bothered Cara.

Something hard was pressing against her buttocks.
Something that was not earlier in her bed.
Something she was sure that not belonged in her bed.

So as she furrowed her brow, she took her free hand and reached behind her blindly.

“Lord William, I think you dropped your dagger…or…something…” She said with a sleepily and unsurely voice trying to pinpoint what hard object could be pressed against her soft body.

 

[BigBubblehead]

“Lord William, I think you dropped your dagger…or…something…”

William's lips spread in a knowing smirk, just as Cara's hand pressed against his erection. A gentleman would have pulled his hips back and either explained or hoped an explanation wasn't necessary. At this moment, however, there wasn't a gentlemanly bone in William's body, particularly near his groin.

Instead, he pressed his groin forward, causing his cock to press against Cara's open palm. As he slipped his right hand slowly upwards -- now gently though conspicuously cupping the girl's left breast -- he whispered, "Or something."

 

[summergal21]

The naive, sleepy Cara had no idea that her hand had just touched William's hard cock.

She was confused, unsure of what her hand had just touched, she quickly wrapped her fingers around it and grabbed onto it, thinking she could just pick it up, her hand grasping it tightly.

"Lord William, what is it? Its..." She said, trying hard to pull on it, trying to get it out of her bed, but the motion was useless.

"Please, m'lord its disrupting my sleep..." Cara added, hoping that William would be a bit more helpful.

She was so curious and caught up with the matter at hand that she had not realized that William's hand was cupping her left breast. Her left nipple was well aware as it stood erect, waiting for the touch of William's finger to tease it.

 

[BigBubblehead]

William was shocked: he was certain Cara knew precisely what she was gripping, which was totally out of character for her, at least for the innocent, pure girl he rightfully thought she was. He began to wonder if maybe her innocent act from earlier in the day was just that, an act.

In response to her grasping his shaft, he shifted his hips again, causing his cock -- wrapped only in the thin fabric of his waist shirt, to slip up into, then down a bit out of her grasp. He groaned softly, thinking she would understand that she was pleasuring him -- that she was [/I]knowingly[/I] pleasuring him.

At the same time, his right hand groped her breast more firmly and his left arm slipped from under her neck until his hand was under her face. He turned her head more toward him, rose to his elbow, and pressed his mouth firmly to hers...

 

[summergal21]

Cara froze when she heard the animalistic, passionate groan leave William's lips. Despite her decision to practice abstinence till marriage she knew exactly what that sound was, exactly what it meant and she didn't want to hear it at all.

She finally figured out what her hand was holding on to.

It wasn’t a dagger.

It was William’s erect…manhood…

Any other girl in the village of Wildwood would have been aroused, possibly even proud, to hear the groan of the Viscount, but Cara was shocked, not just shocked but disgusted. She had promised all her life to keep her virtue for her future husband. If she had to choose opening her thighs for Lord William or taking her own life, she was determined to take the first. She refused to become a play thing for the Viscount.

At the moment she hated herself for being so naive in thinking William was only in her bed to stay warm. He was a nobleman, he had resources, he wouldn’t be in a house servant’s bed just for the reason of wanting to be warm.

Yet, she still felt betrayed, he had told her that he wasn’t going to harm her and she had told him earlier in the day that she was keeping her virtue for her husband. Despite commanding her to see his naked body, when she declined, he accepted her response. She believed William to be an honest, noble man…but as she had just learned with his hand on her left breast and his mouth on hers he was not the man Cara thought he was…

Cara quickly rejected William’s kiss and pushed his mouth away from hers.

“No, no, no.” Cara said quickly, her lips still moist from William’s embrace. Her eyes wide open, all sleepiness from her body gone as she breathed heavily knowing very well that her hope of staying virtuous for her husband was now just a hopeless dream...

 

[BigBubblehead]

“No, no, no.” Cara said quickly...

William shifted his lips to the girl's neck as she pulled her face away from him. Cara may have been saying no, no, no for her own sake -- for her own purity and honor-- but William knew that for his own lust and needs, it was too late and fucking the young peasant woman, here and now, was a yes, yes, yes.

He was laying on his side with Cara midway between spooning him and -- after he'd begun turning her to him -- on her back facing him. He lifted his upper knee, brought it over her own, and pressed it down between her own knees, trying to make his way between her thighs.

"Yes, Cara," William said between wet kisses at her neck as the hand groping her left breast reached up under her gown to her face to turn her to face him. He returned his mouth to hers and between forced kisses said, "This ... is why ... you are here, Cara ... to serve me ... to help your ... family ... To help them ... thrive..."

 

[summergal21]

Cara panicked. She knew that if she didn’t act fast, if she didn’t do something drastic, that she would become Lord William’s conquest. He would take the one thing that she valued more than her life itself.

“No, I would rather have you take my life instead. Kill me.” Cara said forcefully as she continued to reject the kisses from William. Disgusted, frightened and ever so determined to leave this situation

Cara took her right hand and forcefully slapped William right across the face. She knew the action of rejecting William’s advancements would equate to trouble, but her slapping William would for sure lead to dire consequences.

But as she said earlier, she would rather die than give her virtue to William…

 

[BigBubblehead]

William's first reaction to the slap -- an act of force in the warrior's mind -- was to get angry. He grasped Cara's wrist, controlling her -- but when he saw her reaction to the pain, he quickly loosened his grip, and then a moment later released her entirely.

He had allowed his lust and his place above her -- his presumed place above her -- to get the best of him. Although he wanted her, this wasn't how he wanted her. Reluctant maybe; without consent, no.

Without hesitation, he tossed the bedding back and rose, turning to face the cloth door as he contemplated the moment. How had things gone so wrong so quickly? Even more so, how could he fix it so that he could slide back into Cara's bed ... slide between her thighs ... slide into her?

There was no way. That was obvious. He either forced her or waited -- possibly forever, now that he'd likely ruined any chance to ruin her. William realized that his heart was pounding, but he couldn't be sure whether it was because of the lust, the slap, or the realization that Cara would not be his lover tonight, tomorrow ... maybe forever.

He turned his head only -- he was still hard and showing down below -- and studied her for a moment. Then, leaving his clothes on the ground and exiting in no more than his undershirt, he said with great humility, "Forgive me, m'lady."



Dawn broke less than an hour later, but that hour had seemed like an eternity to William. The other Knights on the Great Hall level had either slept through the incident between him and Cara or had been wise enough to pretend they had. He returned to the quarters that would one day be his, found a dry coat, and ascended to the crenellations to look out upon his world and figure this out.

William wasn't the type to force a woman. How had he not seen that he was pushing himself on that sweet, innocent, naïve peasant girl? Had his lust for the beautiful redhead been so overpowering?

At some point while the eastern sky reddened, a weary but content-looking Rodrick ascended to the roof, handed William a hot mug of broth, stood with him for several minutes, then descended again having never spoken a word. Rodrick had seen William in moments like this, and he knew it was best just to leave him to his thoughts. Of course, most of those moments had been just before a brutal battle, not after he'd been denied a woman's pleasures, but the expression was still the same.



Downstairs, the satiated Black Knight located Cara, already up and about for her first full day of work as the Keep's servant. He wasn't known as a match maker, but something in him told him that William and Cara needed to talk about the events of the dark. Rodrick didn't know exactly what had happened between the two: he was only working off the whispers the other Knights and the Wood Boy had shared with him before they all rose to begin their own days work.

"Please take some breakfast up to Lord William, Cara," he said, giving her a polite bow-nod. "He likes root tea, if there is some on."

(OOC: I made some assumptions, like that she didn't flee or didn't follow him. If I am wrong, just indicate a "time out" in this post and I will return to edit. )

 

[summergal21]

When Cara felt William's hands on her wrist, she thought her life would be over. Even with all her strength, she knew she was no match for a man, and especially for a warrior like William. She wasn't sure what stopped William from enacting his full force on her and rob her of her virtue but she was thankful. Gracious but even more surprised that William left her cell with an apology...




Cara laid in her bed after William left. She saw his clothes still on the floor. She knew she would have to return them with discretion. She knew her cell offered little privacy from William's men and she was worried that they has heard the commotion between William and Cara. And if they did, would they say anything to her? Would they hurt her? Would they enact revenge on her for as she didn't please their leader? She wasn't sure.

What she did know was her intention to leave the Keep by the end of the day. She was sure William despised her and she now knew his true motivation in hiring her...it wasn't her relation to Turell, no he was after her womanly body and she had no intention of giving it to him.



Even if today was the first full day and the last day Cara was to work at the Keep she was determined to make the best of it. When she heard the birds chirping letting her know that dawn has come, Cara rose from her bed and started her morning duties. When she heard Rodrick speaking to her she panicked. She knew she had to speak to William and tell him about her intended departure as well as return to him, his clothes, but he was the last person she wanted to speak to. She was sure she would rather speak to Turell instead of William.

Cara took a bowl of the stew her mother had made with the doe meat, and the root vegetables along with a cup of root tea as advised by Rodrick. She felt her own lips salivate as she placed the stew in a bowl, she would have ate herself as well but she was sure her stomach would not welcome it.

She made sure her fiery red hair was pulled back in a braid, her green dress, properly placed on her body, covering her womanly bosom and most of her legs. Cara then carefully made her way up William. She at first made sure her footsteps were quiet as she didn't want to disturb the Viscount but as she got closer to the Master's quarters she made sure her feet were heavy, making sure William knew of her, or at least someone's arrival.

"Lord William, I have brought you your breakfast..." She was also carrying the clothes that he left in her cell under her left armpits. She made sure her voice was loud enough for him to hear, she tried to sound strong but she was sure it didn't carry it's usual weight.

 

[BigBubblehead]

Footsteps on the steps drew William from his day dreaming of a great County, and he expected it to be Rodrick again, or possibly one of the servants other than Cara with some breakfast or news.

"Lord William...

He spun quickly to find the beautiful redhead ascending the final steps, and his heart leaped in his chest. He felt his skin flood with goose flesh, and he knew it was because he was still horribly embarrassed and ashamed of what he'd nearly done to the girl.

"...I have brought you your breakfast..."

He remained still and quiet until Cara had approached to as near to him as she desired, then nodded politely and said, "Please ... on the crenellation. Thank you ... Cara."

He watched her intently as she rested the platter on the stone slab, then took the rolled up clothing offered to him as well. He stared at the bundle for a moment, his skin crawling yet again.

William peeked up at the servant and knew there was something on her mind. He assumed it was what had happened in her bed, as he had no idea that she was considering leaving his home. Servants didn't get to choose whether they worked for their noble lord or not, but Cara may not have understood that because for more than half of her life, there hadn't been a noble man living in the nearly destroyed keep.

"I wish to apologize for my actions last evening, m'lady," he said, looking directly to her, pausing, then continuing, "And I wish to assure you that so long as you are in this house ... no such similar harm shall ever befall you ... from myself ... from my men ... from anyone ... under penalty of death."

He gave her another more significant bow of his head, then waited for her response...

 

[summergal21]

Cara didn't expect the man that everyone believed, other than Turell, as the Viscount of Wildwood to apologize for his actions last evening. Despite Cara's rejection of William's sexual physical advancements last night she knew that as a peasant and him a noble, it was her unwritten duty to please him, to follow his commands even if she did not want to. She was the one that needed to apologize. She was the one at fault, or so society's rule book would see it. She was sure that any other girl would have opened their thighs for the Viscount with great pleasure and their family would be proud that their daughter did her duty to serve their nobleman.

For a moment Cara thought what the present moment would be like if she didn't resist William's advancements last night, if she allowed him to open her thighs and take her virtue...

She would still be a peasant, that would only change if she married into nobility but that was a far fetched dream.

She would still continue her duty as the house servant at the Keep.
Her mind couldn't understand why he would have wanted to bed her, other than satisfy his primal need...but maybe that was all that he needed...but why her? Why Cara? What was so special about her that he needed to be inside of her? Especially after she had told him that she was keeping her virtue for her husband. She was curious and she intended to find out before she left the Keep.

"Thank you Lord William for your apology. You are quite the honorable man." Cara spoke bluntly, she was sure this was one of the last few times she would speak with him, she wanted everything out in the open.

"I was naive to think that you wouldn't want a woman's company in bed...I'm sorry that I wasn't able to give it you and even more sorry that I..." Cara stopped at her words as she looked down at her right hand, the hand that she used William to slap with, late last night. "That I attacked you..." She thought he deserved that slapped and she knew if she had not slapped him that her virtue would have been ruined, yet she still apologized.

"And that is why..." Cara said as she looked up in William's eyes, making sure her dark eyes met his eyes. "I'll be leaving the Keep today. I'm sure they're many girls in the village who would be more than happy to please you in that way...you know in that way that you..." Cara was flustered as she unsure of how to explain it to William.

"Girls who would be happy to have you in their bed and.." She was hoping by now William was understanding what she was insinuating. "So, I'll leave." Cara told William. Her voice was strong, letting him know that this was a decision she had not made lightly.

"Also m'lord, since I am leaving today..." Cara was sure that William didn't want anything with the woman who had rejected his advancements and slapped him "Why would you have thought that I would..." Cara furrowed her eyebrows for a second as she rethought how to phrase her question.

"You said you wouldn't harm me when you came into my cell...and I had told you earlier that I was saving my virtue...I had no problem having you just sleep in my bed...but...I..." As she kept stringing words together she realized how meaningless her question would be. Even if he replied, she was starting to question how truthfully he would reply or if he would just something along the line of, "Well I'm a noble I do as I please."

Cara sighed heavily, being the Village Elder's bastard was difficult enough of a life, and now she would be known as the girl that left the Keep after one day of employment. She knew the village would be in gossip but she thought she had no choice. Clearly William wanted a house servant that took care of both the Keep's needs as well as his personal private needs.

And Cara was unwilling to do one of them...

 

[BigBubblehead]

"I misread the situation, Cara," William answered as she was searching for her next words. It was a weak answer -- an incomplete and inexcusable answer -- and he knew he owed her more. Or did he? She was thinking the same thing he was: he was a Noble, she was a Peasant, he could have her if he wanted. But, it went farther than that. William did, indeed, have a strong lust for the beautiful redhead, but ... even after just a day, just a few hours, just a few glances, William had known that he'd wanted more than just a nights fuck from the woman. "I do mean it when I say that I am sorry ... that I regret my actions."

He took a step toward her, then hesitated, then approached her more slowly as he talked. "Cara ... m'lady ... I am but a man ... with the urges of a man. You are a beautiful girl. Any man who ever lays eyes upon you will want to lay with you in bed. You have a ... a magnetism, that will draw men to you regardless of their status or yours ... peasant or noble ... even wed or not. You must understand that, yes?"

William had assumed from the moment that he'd laid eyes upon Cara yesterday morn in the wheat that she'd spent every day since she first began growing curves fending off the likes of him. Until she'd said plainly to him that she was saving herself for marriage, he'd even considered that possibility that some man -- or men -- had already beaten him to Cara.

He waited for her to react to what he meant as a compliment, then continued with a firm yet still somehow polite tone, "I do not want you to leave the Keep. In fact ... I forbid it. You will remain at your station, as will your mother and ... brother, was it...?"

"As I have said," he continued, his slow walk toward her now putting him almost within arms reach of Cara, "as long as you are a servant of this house ... a member of this house ... no harm shall come to you, and that includes any attempts by any man ... including myself ... to bed you without your consent."

He stopped just short of her, raised his hand, then hesitated to ensure that she realized that the movement was of no threat to her, then touched a finger to her chin and lifted her eyes to look directly into his. He smiled, a knowing smile that was nearly on the verge of being a sly smirk but not quite.

"However," he continued, "I wish you to understand that I will continue to want you in my bed. I will make no attempts to force you there. You will be given anything and everything you need to perform your duties, and you and your family will be taken well care of. And one day ... if you so choose to come to my bed ... I will ensure that that decision is one you will never regret."

 

[BigBubblehead]

Evening

It had been a productive day, so much so that William had begun to think he was back in the midst of the King's War. During those days of conflict, it had always amazed him how much work could be accomplished in so little time by so many men when it was their very lives that were at stake.

Since yesterday morning when the Black Knights had arrived, Turrell had recruited more than two thirds of the Village's adult population into performing tasks directly or indirectly related to renovating the Keep and making it more comfortable for the Knights and their new Lord.

A table for the Great Hall had been built that would seat twelve, and chairs were being constructed, repaired, or borrowed from about the Village; the kitchen had been furnished with all of the pots, pans, and utensils needed by Cara's mother; a trio of men who'd left with one of the Black Knights midday the day before had already returned from the nearest town -- 12 miles to the south -- with three mules laden with bedding, clothing, and cooking utensils and ingredients not available in the Village of Wildwood; and repairs on the Keep were well underway, with a temporary roof over a portion of the Master's Quarters at least offering William the ability to enjoy a dry if not warm nights sleep.

William spent the majority of the day supervising, strolling about and making suggestions or giving direction. He even put his own energy into the works occasionally, knowing that this was after all going to be his home. And while he tried to keep his mind on the work at hand, he couldn't help but be distracted each time he caught sight of the beautiful redhead going about her own duties.

When night fall finally arrived, William ensured that a coin or two went to each of the hard workers before dismissing them for the day. Turrell supervised the paying of the peasants, as he had been closer to the labor than William had been, and after the last of the peasants departed, the Village Elder was invited to remain for dinner.

The first real dinner to be held in the Keep went well. Cara, her mother, and her brother -- along with another pair of women from the village -- served the entire complement of Black Knights, as well as the eight young peasant girls and women who had been picked out by their new Lords to be dinner guests ... and, later, possibly more.

William noticed the glances that were traded between Turrell and Cara but didn't ask about them. He assumed that the Village Elder was wondering about whether the beautiful redhead had served her Lord well in bed the night before or whether or not a different waif would need to be chosen for the task.

When dinner ended and the Knights went off in their own directions -- to their own beds, to their guests beds, to the little Tavern in the village -- William called Turrell to the roof to quiz him about the Village and land beyond the Keep, as well as of the most immediate needs each had.

"Tell me more about Cara," William suddenly said, right in the middle of the Elder's musings about the dike system that used to bring water into the moat. When Turrell's face went white, William asked, "Tell me about her family ... about her father."

Turrell stared for a moment, confused and conflicted. He had assumed that by now William would know that he himself was Cara's father, but apparently that wasn't true; and now that he knew that, he wasn't sure whether it was either his place to inform William of such or whether it was in the best interest of either himself of Cara to do so.

He couldn't know whether or not William had parted his daughter's thighs yet, but he knew that it was only a matter of time. What was he to tell William right now about Cara's father? If he admitted to the paternal connection, did that favor the pair of them or not?

Before he could open his mouth, William was asking more questions, though, and these went straight to the heart of his estranged daughters future.

"Does Cara have marital prospects in the Village? Is she spoken for?" When Turrell didn't answer immediately, he asked, "Has her father arranged a husband for her yet?"

Turrell wanted to badly to ask Why, m'lord? The questions he was hearing come from William's mouth were more along the lines of what he'd expect to hear from a man wishing Cara's hand, not simply her service. Knowing that William wasn't a true noble complicated the issue even more. Nobles were expected to marry within Nobility, not the Peasantry, but William wasn't a noble. Could he seriously be thinking about taking Cara as a wife, not a consort?

"I hesitate to speak for issues in which I am not a part, m'lord," Turrell finally answered, "but, from what I know, Cara is not spoken for. Her father has not arranged a marriage for her. I ... I believe that in Cara's case..."

When Turrell didn't finish his statement, William pressed, "Yes...? What about Cara's case?"

"I believe that Cara's future will likely be decided by Cara herself, m'lord," Turrell explained. "Not by her father. Cara, as you may or may not already know, is a strong willed young woman, and when it comes time for her to be wed--"

Turrell almost added or to be bed but caught himself. Even though there were a number of young, unmarried women in the village very familiar with the pleasures of the flesh, it wasn't Turrell's place to speak of such things. The poor did what they needed to survive.

He finished, "When that time comes ... I believe Cara will make her own decision."

Turrell knew that Cara and her family -- including Turrell himself -- would benefit if she ever decided to spend her nights in William's bed. But the woman had made it clear that he wasn't part of her life, so he was going to stay out of what happened -- or didn't happen -- between the peasant girl and her new Lord.

William considered the man's words for a long, quiet moment, then dismissed him for the night. But before Turrell could reach the stairs, he commanded, "Please send Cara to my quarters with a mug of hot grog."

"Of course, m'lord," Turrell said, bowing and departing to find Cara.

 

[summergal21]

Cara didn't expect Lord William in wanting her to stay at the Keep. She assumed that her rejecting his sexual advancements would be qualifications for her termination of employment at the Keep, there had to be some kind of consequence of rejecting his advancements or at least for slapping the Viscount of Wildwood.

So when William forbade her to leave the Keep, she was surprised. Both pleasantly and curiously. She knew the pay of the job at the Keep was the best in the Village and perhaps any nearby towns as well. She was certainly not going to leave a well paying job, especially if her employer didn’t want her to leave.

But she was surprised that he wanted her to stay. There were handful of other young women like her in the village, but unlike her they would certainly open their legs for the Viscount of Wildwood or for any man in that matter.

Didn’t William know that he could have any other girl in the village?

Then why did he insist on keeping her at the Keep?

Or maybe he already had requested a girl to be brought to him from the Village for the sole task of keeping his bed warm. William was a handsome, well-fit man who understandingly would want to enjoy the touch, the pleasures, the flesh of the opposite sex. Cara had made it clear that she would not be accompanying him in bed.

She truly wouldn’t have minded having him in bed, just to sleep, for the sake of heat, to keep his body warm. But for anything more, unless they were wedded, she would deny him or any man in that matter. Even if he was a nobility.

She felt a mix of intrigue and annoyance when William told her,

“I wish you to understand that I will continue to want you in my bed.”

Why her? Was it now about the chase? Was it the fact that she rejected him, made him want her even more? She knew the male psyche was driven by competition and the ego, but anything else she did not know nor did she care. All she cared about was her safety and her family’s well being.

And she had decided, at least for now that she would trust the words of William. If he said that he would not force her to his bed nor to anyone other man’s bed and no harm would come to her, then he would trust her or rather she had no choice but to trust him.

But the words that lingered the most in Cara’s head throughout the day were his last,

“And one day, if you so choose to come to my bed, I will ensure that, that decision is one you will never regret.”


“A decision I would never regret…” Cara carefully said to herself as she was in the kitchen, cleaning up the dishes. She had already sent her mother and brother back home to the village before it was too late. Her mother insisted of staying to help clean up, but she and her brother knew that it would be better to have their mother leave as early as possible especially when the trip down to the village was still a hike.

“Cara.” Turell said gently as he entered into the kitchen.

Cara was startled when she heard his voice and quickly turned around.

“What…are you…” Cara quickly said, her eyes instinctively searching for something to protect herself with despite the knowledge that she knew she was safe.

“Will…Lord William will like some hot grog.” Turell quickly stammered, despite his knowledge that William lacked the true right to be called a nobility he didn’t want anyone, especially his daughter to know as she would certainly cause problems for William.

Cara nodded her head. “Okay, thank you…” Cara said as she moved around in the kitchen, preparing the warm alcoholic drink for her master. She had hoped that Turell would leave, but she could feel his lingering presence it was obvious that something was on his mind.

Cara sighed loudly, a sound that the Village Elder knew all too well.

“Cara…” Turell said carefully, he wanted his daughter to know that he was there for her, his daughter.

Cara acknowledged her name was being called by looking up at him, but she didn’t stop her task at hand.

Turell would have liked for Cara to stand in front of him, for her to stop what she was doing and fully pay attention to him, but he knew that would only happen if he forced her to and forcing her to do anything was never a good idea.

“Are you enjoying your time at the Keep? Is everything okay?” Turell asked carefully, trying to study Cara’s body language to see if he could pick up any answers.

Cara nodded her head, “I am, its a good paying job. My mother and brother are both employed here…I like it here.” Cara replied, her eyes looking down at the pot of alcohol as she stirred it over the fire to ensure that it didn’t burn.

“And at night…you are, okay?” Turell asked carefully, he didn’t want to intrude too much in her personal life, but he was curious whether or not if William had taken his daughter’s virtue, if he had there was much for him and her family to gain.

Cara furrowed her brows for a second as she looked up at Turell, “Yes…I am fine at the Keep.” Cara replied with a gentle scoff. She would never dare tell anyone about William entering into her room last night and attempting to part her thighs, especially Turell.

“Good, good.” Turell said with a smile.

“Anything else you wanted to ask me?” Cara said with a bit of annoyance in her voice.

Turell sighed, he then nodded his head. “Well…you see…” He said carefully as he looked at his daughter, “Lord William wanted to know if your father had arranged any marriage prospects for you.”

Cara stopped what she was doing and looked at her father, “Did you tell him that you’re my?” Her eyes were wide and demanding.

Turell shook his head, “No…but I don’t think it would matter….”

“Well, still, I don’t want him to know…I don’t like for people to know that I’m the bastard of the Village Elder.” Cara said quietly.

Turell shifted in his boots, uncomfortable in the way his own daughter called herself a bastard.

“Why would Lord William want to know if my father had arranged any marriage prospects for me?” Cara asked curiously? Her hand back to stirring the pot of alcohol, the smell of alcohol wafting into her nostrils.

Turell sighed, he himself had no idea either. Turell knew that William wasn’t a true noble and thus had the freedom of marrying whomever he wanted to marry. But if he was to keep appearances as a noble, why would he want to know if a peasant girl was spoken for or not? It wasn’t as if just because Cara’s virtue was taken by the Viscount of Wildwood a man in the village would find her unsuitable for marriage, instead they would want her even more. So why would William even bother to know?

“I’m not sure…” Turell told Cara. “What are you so worried about? What do you think would happen if Lord William finds out that you’re my daughter?” Turell asked as he watched Cara pour the warm alcohol in a mug cup.

Cara glared at Turell as he asked her, she opened her lips and then closed them, unsure of how to respond.

“I’m not worried about anything…” Cara quickly stammered out.

“I just don’t think he needs to know, or fine…I’ll tell him myself.” Cara said as she left the kitchen with the cup of hot grog in her hand, making sure her steps her fast so as to leave Turell behind.

She only said her last words because she wanted to leave the conversation. She had no intention of telling William about the true identity of her father, but she did have to admit that Turell did have a point…what was she worried about? William didn’t seem like the person that would terminate her position at the Keep just because she was related to the Village Elder, especially if he didn’t terminate it after what happened last night…

So what was she worried about?

Cara went up the steps to William’s quarters. When she arrived she heard the sound of a water being filled into a large tub, small footsteps, surely of a young boy, and the sound of a fire crackling in the hearth. She carefully entered into the room, her head mainly only the ground as she did not want to see William naked, even if he did not mind.

“Lord William, I’ve brought you your hot grog, where should I put it?” Cara said carefully. Her eyes still on the wooden floorboard, waiting for her master’s reply.

 

[BigBubblehead]

(OOC: Slight bit of god moding of Cara here. I'm assuming, based upon the history you've established, that this is what would have happened.)

William waited patiently as the young boy added hot water to the tub, testing it with his own hand. When the boy asked for the Noble's approval and -- with a dipped hand -- William gave it, the boy refilled the pot in the fire place as William undressed.

"Lord William, I’ve brought you your hot grog, where should I put it?”

William was just dropping the last of his clothing as Cara entered. He'd heard her feet upon the steps, so he showed no surprise; nor did he turn away as she stepped into the room, standing in profile to her with just a bit more of his back side than front side in her view.

He nodded to a recently delivered small table, saying only, "Please."

He looked to the boy, gestured to the clothing, and asked, "Please take those down for washing."

The boy's attention was on the interaction -- or lack thereof -- between the naked Knight and young woman standing just a dozen feet away and didn't consciously hear William's order. He may have only been a kid, but he knew that this was ... not normal.

"Boy!" William said, catching the lad's eye. The boy's eyes opened with concern, then -- his brain catching up with his ears -- he hurried forward and gathered everything that looked washable. William handed the lad a coin, which made him beam with delight. "I want those back here, fire dried, before sunrise, understand?"

The boy shook his head and hurried away, nodding politely to Cara as he passed -- a smirk on his lips -- before hurrying away.

William ignored Cara's presence as he leaned over to test the water with his hand again. His semi-hardened penis dangle before him; the tight muscles of his legs and back flexed in the low combination of candle and torch light. He stepped into the water slowly -- it was a touch too warm -- and lowered himself carefully until he was submerged to his belly.

Only then did he look to Cara before nodding toward another small table. "Soap ... brush, please, Cara."

He waited for her to bring them to him, wetted the horse hair brush, then rubbed it with the fat soap bar until it was flush with lather. Then, he rose to his knees -- causing his groin to be exposed for just a moment before again dropping below the water level -- and leaned forward, offering the brush out toward Cara.

"Would you mind scrubbing my back, Cara?" he asked politely. "My injuries ... they make it a bit difficult to do with pain."

(OOC: Just a reminder about his scars: Sword slash diagonally across his back from left shoulder to right hip; Arrow piercings in upper right back shoulder, lower left belly, and right thigh; Knife slash across neck just below the chin.)

 

[summergal21]

Cara had turned her head away from the bathing Viscount, waiting for him to let her know that her presence is no longer needed. She would have left when the boy had left the room, but without a formal verbal command, Cara stayed standing, her eyes away from the naked man in the room.

She did as she was told when William asked for the brush and soap, but when she was asked to scrub his back she hesitated.

“My injuries…they make it a bit difficult to do with pain.” William’s words lingered in Cara’s ears as she finally allowed her eyes to study William’s back.

Her eyes glanced at his back, on his upper right back shoulder she found what seemed to be the remnants of a pierced arrow, but what shocked her the most was a long diagonal scar that had marked him from the left shoulder to somewhere much lower on the body.

She felt uncomfortable helping bathe a man that had attempted to steal her virtue the night before, but after examining the scars on his back, she felt it would be unkind not to help him, especially if he still was in pain from his injuries.

Making sure her long red head was secured in a bun, she rolled up the sleeves of her dress and carefully made her way to the bathtub. She made sure her footsteps were loud so that William knew that she had agreed with his request. She then breathed heavily through her mouth, letting out a sigh. She didn’t mean to sound annoyed with the request, but it was a request she had no desire to fulfill.

Once she reached the bathtub she carefully kneeled onto the wooden floor and reached for the soaped brush, making sure she kept only his back in her view.

Then carefully taking the wooden brush she gently placed it on the bottom of William’s neck, weary of the pressure she should place the brush against his skin. Then with swift circular motions she started to wash his back. Her eyes carefully studying where the bristles were touching, trying not to touch his scars, or if it did, making sure they were only soft strokes.

“Does it hurt, m’lord?” Cara asked, curiously, unsure of how she should handle the area around his upper back shoulder, her right hand almost feeling as it would shake as it was unsure of how it should handle the scarred skin of his back.

“Would it be better, to…” She hesitated, she thought using her hand would be better than the hoarse horse hair brush on the scarred skin, but she was unsure if it would be proper to touch his skin with her bare hands.

But before she heard his response her left hand softly touched the raised skin on his upper right back shoulder. Her fingers moving in a soft and slow circular movement as the soap slowly foamed between her fingertips.

“Is this alright, m’lord?” Cara asked, her right hand still holding tightly to the brush, her pointer and middle finger of her left hand slowly and carefully in a circular movement washing the scarred area of his upper right back shoulder.

 

[BigBubblehead]

“Is this alright, m’lord?” Cara asked

"Yes," William said in a soft voice, almost a sigh. He had anticipated her concerns -- her hesitance had been obvious -- and added, "It is no longer sensitive, Cara. It only restricts my movements a bit."

His claim was both truth and lie. The wounds were in fact sensitive at times, mostly when his movements involved contracting his back muscles; but simply sitting -- or in this case bathing -- caused him no pain at all. And really the only time that his movements were restricted were when he was making love, which seemed so highly unfair of God to do to a man, William had often joked.

The feel of Cara's fingers at his wounds was soothing, and he told her so, wanting her to continue massaging them. No woman had ever touched them the way Cara was now. At least, no woman he wasn't in some fashion paying to bath and sleep with him. The few women with whom he'd been lovers simply for love's sake had been uncomfortable even viewing the wounds, let alone touching them.

"I got that one saving a young child from a certain death," William suddenly said as he felt Cara's fingers touch the arrow wound on his upper right back. It wasn't simply an explanation: William was hoping that it might lead to a bit of sympathy from the woman with whom he was desperate to sleep. "I was fleeing with it in my arms..."

He was going to continue his story, but the sheer pleasure that he was realizing from Cara's touch only made him want to sit here for ever at her fingertips. He murmured, "May I have some more hot water?"

 

[summergal21]

“I got that one saving a young child from a certain death,”…

Cara had to hide a scoff as she heard William’s words. She didn’t doubt the truthfulness of his words and she was curious in how his wounds came to be. But she also knew that only sympathy would be gained from hearing a story such as that and what would be gained from sympathy for William? An emotional connection to the man, something she had no interest in.

Cara placed her soapy fingers in the bath water, rinsing them as she stood up and placed the brush down on the ground, making sure the bristles were away from the dirty ground. Then carefully she walked over to the fire and took the boiling water, mixed it with some cold water and placed the hot water into the bath.

As she poured the hot water into the bath, William shifted his position and moved his leg to one side allowing her to pour the water without touching his bare skin.

While pouring the water, she had no reason to look but the sight of William’s manhood was in her view. She quickly turned her head away as her eyes were stunned to see it, but even in that second she saw it and was sure that his manhood was erect, as it was last night. She had just seen the tip of it poking from the water.

Her mind flash backed to when she naively held it, thinking that it was a dagger that William had accidentally dropped in her bed. She cursed herself for doing such a silly thing the night before and had wished she had rejected his proposal in seeking comfort in her warm bed last night. Now that she knew William wished to bed her, the relationship between them was more complex than just master and servant.

Cara felt her cheeks flush as she realized that William was aroused and she panicked. She quickly placed the bucket back down on the ground and breathed heavily.

“How is the water, m’lord? Would you like some more hot water?” Her words were shaky in the beginning but soon found its foundation as she finished her question. She felt uncomfortable as she waited for his response. She had no problem with the task of helping bathe Lord William, but knowing that he was now sexually aroused, that made the virgin Cara very very uneasy…