Quest For Atonement (Closed For BlondeAmbition4RP)

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina wasn't really concerned about Lucian being unbound at this point. Even if she had been distrustful of his story about why he was in the forest, she still had his katana at this point which meant that he was unarmed. He was also in the middle of a village full of armed and highly trained warriors. Surely the man had enough sense to know that things would not go well for him if he tried to turn on them. That didn't mean that she wasn't going to keep a close eye on him however.

Glancing over her shoulder at him to make sure that he was keeping up, she continued to lead him through the village until they reached a small hut with a thatched roof and a large animal hide draped over the entry way to serve as a door. Pulling back the hide, she motioned for him to follow her inside. Upon entering it became very apparent that the dwelling was obviously her own living quarters and not a holding cell as he might have feared.

"Feel free to make yourself comfortable, but don't touch anything," she told him, gesturing over at a pallet comfortable looking pallet of various furs located at the opposite end of the hut as she made her way over to a small fire pit located at its center.

Directly above the fire pit there was a small vent in the roof to let out the smoke that it would create once a fire was lit. Various personal items were scattered around the small home, most of which were hunting and tracking supplies. Setting down the katana beside her, she picked up a couple of flint stones located near the pit and struck them together, igniting the wood and kindling that had already been carefully arranged within it before she'd left earlier that day for the hunt.

 

[LucianDevine]

It wasn't until this exact moment, when Lucian knew he wasn't going to die, that he started to truly look around at the structures and people around him. People were naturally staring, likely for a variety of reasons. He was once again self-conscious about his armor being on full display, but there wasn't much to be done about it at this point.

The main draw of Lucian's attention, was the women themselves. They were all lithe and toned specimens of beauty with no true commonalities about them, aside from the fact that they were women. They were of seemingly every color in skin, hair, and eye, each wearing the same kind of clothes as Myrina save for their own personal trophies dangling from either their belts or their necks. He tried not to let his eye linger on any particular woman too long, lest be incur some kind of wrath or punishment for breaking some rule that he didn't know about.

Lucian's eyes naturally settled on Myrina after a while. He watched the way her muscles moved under her skin, the way the sun reflected off her hair, and of course the curves of her body. It was hard not to be aroused by the sight, but he did the best he could to keep himself in check. Nothing good could come of such things in a place like this.

The dwellings themselves seemed as unique as the women that lived in them, and Lucian was pleasantly surprised when he saw the building that Myrina led him to. From the exterior, it did not seem to be a prison-style building. She pulled back the large animal hide that served as a door and motioned for him to follow her before she stepped inside. He did as she bade and stepped in before letting the hide close behind him.

Lucian let out a soft sigh when he felt the coolness of the shade overtake him, and he gladly stood in place for a moment to let his eyes adjust to the dimness before moving over to the pallet that Myrina gestured towards. He didn't sit on top of the admittedly comfortable looking furs, but rather sat on the ground at the foot of it for now. He once again let his eyes study the lovely specimen before him. Normally she stood just a touch shorter than him, but with her crouching down as she was, he was able to see every defining line of the muscle in her strong thigh. Only when he realized he was staring did he lift his gaze to look around. It was a humble dwelling to be sure, with most of the items being hunting or tracking necessities, but here and there were small trinkets whose sentimental meaning he could only guess at.

After Myrina started the fire, Lucian took the opportunity to shrug off the cloak his cloak before lifting his hands to the neck of his armor and pulling it over his head. He let out an audible sigh as the weight was lifted off of his shoulder revealing a thin and loose-fitting tunic. He gladly set the weighty chest piece aside and turned his attention to his boots. It was only just then that he remembered the dagger he had in each of them. He remembered it as his fingers brushed over them. It took only a moment for him to pull both of them free and gently toss them towards where Myrina was still crouching near the fires.

"Your girls forgot to finish checking me after they found my armor." Lucian said simply before reclining back against the pallet with another audible sigh.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina's attention had been drawn to Lucian for a moment as she heard his movement from where he sat over by the pallet, but when she'd glanced over at him she'd seen that he was simply pulling off his armor and so she had turned her attention back to the fire, stoking it a bit to make sure that the wood caught properly. In a rare oversight, she allowed her guard to drop for a moment, and so it wasn't until Lucian had already pulled both of the daggers free from his boots that she even noticed he had them at all. Immediately her hand reached for his katana that she'd set down beside her, but by then he was already tossing the daggers towards her, both of the weapons landing with a soft thud in the dirt by her.

"Your girls forgot to finish checking me after they found my armor."

Her eyes flashing with anger at the potentially deadly mistake of her hunters she quickly gathered up the daggers and rose, walking with both them and his katana over to a large wooden chest. Lifting the lid she placed his weapons inside along with her own bow and arrows, though her own daggers she kept on her person.

"Do you have anything else on you?" she asked him, her expression stern as she crossed her arms over her chest.

 

[LucianDevine]

The anger that flashed in Myrina's eyes was visible even to Lucian in the dim light. He watched as she gathered his weapons and walked over to a large wooden chest. When she lifted it, he could see a variety of weapons inside, and he didn't move as she placed his weapons inside.

Myrina's question was an understandable one, and her stern expression made it quite clear how serious she was about it. Lucian shook his head at first as he pulled first one scaled boot off and then the other. "Just those three.."He tipped each upside down to show that there was nothing inside either of them before setting them next to his discarded chest piece. He then braced his hand on his knee to once more push himself to his feet. His hands lowered to grip the base of the tunic and lift it up over his waist, baring his toned abs as he turned around, showing her that he had no weapons secreted about his person. When he was done, though, he did take the opportunity to pull his sheath free of the loop that kept it secured to his waist so that he could toss it to her.

"I normally only carry the katana..." Lucian said matter-of-factly as he pushed his scale leggings down, off, and stepped out of them. He still had a simple pair of pants on, but nothing regal or elaborate as one might expect of a member of royalty. "Given the circumstances though, it was prudent to have at least some sort of backup." Lucian laid his leggings on top of his chest piece before moving to put his boots back on.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina was a little surprised when of his own accord Lucian began to remove his various items of armor and clothing to show her that he was not hiding any more weapons on his person. She watched carefully as he pulled off first his boots and then rose to his feet to remove his tunic as well, doing her best to ignore the way her stomach gave a small flip at the sight of his toned abs and then reaching out to catch the empty sheath that he tossed to her and setting it down on top of the chest.

She watched as he pushed down the scale leggings as well, though he still had another pair of pants on underneath them. As he moved to put his boots back on she raised a hand to stop him. There was still a chance that he could be hiding a small weapon under the pants. She wasn't going to make him strip naked before her, but at this point she couldn't just take his word that he didn't have anything under them either.

"Wait," she instructed him, as she crossed the room over to him again until they stood face to face, "Don't move."

Her tone made it clear that it was not a request. As he stood before her she crouched down in front of him and moved her hands over his ankles, checking through the fabric to make sure that he did not have any weapons strapped there. Then she slowly began to rise, her fingers trailing upwards over his legs as she did. Her hands traced over his calves and then up the front of his thighs, then standing upright again she moved both of her hands slowly up the inseam of each inner thigh until they met again in the middle.

If he thought she would stop there he was mistaken. Instead her hands brushes lightly over the front of his pants, making sure that the only bulge she felt there was him, and then sliding her fingers up to feel around the waist of his pants and over his lower back as well. Only then did she pull her hands away and take a step back from him.

"Alright, you may put your boots back on now if you like," she told him with a nod.

The search had been strictly as a safety precaution, not for her own pleasure at getting to explore his body, but regardless she had felt her heart begin to beat faster in response to the feel of him as she had checked him, and so she turned and moved back closer to the fire so that she could use its heat as an excuse for the slight flush that she knew would soon appear across her cheeks as a result.

 

[LucianDevine]

Myrina telling him to wait actually caught Lucian off guard. Still, the command that came next did not leave any room for questioning, and and he simply let the boot he held fall back to the ground before rising to his full height. His gaze followed her as she lowered herself before him. He was slightly confused at first until he felt her hands on his ankles. Only then did he understand that she was looking for any more weapons he had on him.

Lucian was a little surprised that Myrina was checking him for weapons, though. She'd said she believed him out in the field and volunteered to accompany him to the temple. He figured that he'd earned a measure of trust, especially when he freely let gave up the weapons she hadn't known about. Still, he let her go about her search, his groin stirring as her hands moved up his legs. He did the best he could to keep his arousal in check, but there was only so much a red-blooded man could do when a beautiful woman was touching you, even if her intent wasn't sexual in nature.

The brush of Myrina's hand over the bulge in his pants made Lucian's breath hitch. Her touch was brief but enough for her to feel that he didn't have any weapons concealed there. When her hands moved up to circle his waist he actually caught the faintest scent of her feminine smell, and even that small bit had his eyes closing as thoughts rolled through his head. He silently shook them off, or tried to at least, as Myrina finished her search and stepped away, giving him permission to put his boots back on.

"I never thanked you...for before." Lucian said as he lowered himself to sit on the ground with his back to the pallet once more. "You could have killed me easily, but you didn't. You even stood up for me in front of your chief. I don't know what's going to happen when we get to the temple, but thank you all the same..."

Lucian let his words hang in the air between them as he let his blue gaze fall to the fire Myrina had built. He let his mind wander then, gladly losing himself in the safety of the moment, for he had no idea how long that might truly last.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina remained where she was by the fire, pulling over a round and short wooden stool that sometimes served her as a seat and other times as a table and sat down upon it facing Lucian. The light of the fire illuminated her, dancing within her hair as she watched him curiously for a moment before finally speaking.

"There is no need to thank me," she assured him, "Only a coward would have snuck up and killed someone from behind as you suggest, especially if the person was as weak as you were after that battle. As for standing up to our chief, well..."

She turned and looked into the flames, thinking for a moment.

"I know she thinks your story unlikely and that we are secluded enough here that the danger would not reach us anyways, but... if the things that you've said to have seen are true. Well..."

She turned and faced him again.

"I think you are right... I don't think there is any place that would be safe from such creatures."

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian's gaze lifted from the fire as he saw Myrina move to grab a stool and settle herself down upon it. In the back of his mind he knew that he should look back at the fire, but it was impossible to tear his gaze away from her red. He was almost mesmerized by the way the light from the fire danced in her hair. His eyes glazed over for a bit until he saw her turn towards him, her eyes catching his attention.

It was hard not to scoff at least a little at Myrina's first words. Lord knows there were plenty of other people, possibly even her own sister who might have just killed him after having heard what she heard and seen what she saw.

Lucian held Myrina's gaze for several seconds, his mind rolling as he tried to put the jumbled mess that was his thoughts into words.

"Part of me wishes I were in her shoes..." Lucian said after a while, shaking his head as he continued to meet Myrina's gaze. "They say that ignorance is bliss, and it's hard to argue. I can't unsee what I saw, unknow what I know. Hell, at this point I don't even know where I'm going or what I'm supposed to be doing..." He let his words hang in the air for a while before completing the thought. "I'm just taking the only small lead that I've got and hoping that I get lucky, because I don't think your chief is going to give me a second chance if I'm wrong."

Lucian shook his head once more, finally breaking eye contact with Myrina. A big part of him wanted to ask her what the chief would do if he was wrong, but that could be seen as a form of self-incrimination, and he couldn't afford to lose the support of the only woman in this village that was willing to give him a chance.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

"No, I don't think she would," Myrina agreed, her gaze wandering over him in thought as he broke eye contact with her.

"She wouldn't be very happy with you if you took me away from our tribe and put me at risk only to come back with nothing to show for it. She would probably see it as some kind of wild goose chase and think you were just lying or insane as she accused before," she explained in a matter-of-fact tone, "You seemed to be a skilled fighter, but judging by how quickly you tired in the battle I observed I don't think she would deem you fit for breeding purposes, so with no use for you she would likely just order you to be killed."

She rose then from the stool and reached up to where some dried meat was hanging from a rafter above the fire pit. She broke off two large pieces and offered him one.

"Hungry?"

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian listened to Myrina's assessment on what was likely to happen if the the trip to the temple turned up nothing of use. She spoke simply and plainly, and he couldn't fault her for that. It was what it was, and there wasn't any use claiming otherwise. He couldn't stop the chuckle when she mentioned how quickly he tired in battle though. His head bowed as he did but lifted when he heard her last word and saw the offered piece of dried meat.

"Well in my defense, I was surrounded by ten men." Lucian said with another chuckle before taking a small bite of the meat. "Even knowing what I knew about them and how they fought, I couldn't hold back..." Lucian hesitated then, opening his mouth to speak but closing it before taking another bite of the meat.

"I was born with a weak heart..." Lucian started at long last as he lifted his head once more. His blue eyes burned with an intensity as he spoke now. "They didn't think I'd last through the first night, then the first week, then the first month, and of course the first year. They never expected anything of me except to be a disappointment. I had to try that much harder to keep up with my brothers, but I was never really taken seriously until I was old enough to fight."

Lucian took another bite of meat, but didn't take his eyes off of Myrina as he continued. "I chose the path of a Warblade, knowing how hard it was going to be. A normal soldier is trained to know that his weapon is an extension of his body. A Warblade takes that one step further. Your weapon is an extension of your body and your mind. Knowing the motions isn't enough, you have to focus your mind and your body on what you want to do. A master can perform even the most advance maneuvers with minimal effort and exertion, but for me it's not so easy." He shook his head for a moment, but he tightened up a bit as he stared hard into Myrina's eyes. "The easier ones aren't so bad for me, but the advanced ones, some of which you probably saw...they take their toll. Nobody believed that I'd even be able to do the simple maneuvers, let alone the advanced ones. Hell, my father thought the strain would kill me, but here I am...alive and fighting for people who probably wish I was dead."

Lucian didn't even know why he was telling these things to Myrina. Maybe part of him was offended at how she'd described him after the fight, or maybe he was offended at the thought that he couldn't even be used as breeding stock. Whatever the reason was, he just hoped that she understood at least a little of what he was talking about, or at least the passion behind it. He'd lived his entire life without any purpose at all, but now he had one.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina listened as Lucian explained the reasons why he had been so exhausted after his battle with the ten men pursuing him earlier that day. She'd had no way of knowing of course about the condition of his heart and how much he'd had to overcome in order to learn and perform the special maneuvers that he'd apparently used to defeat the men with. Knowing it now she could not help but feel a little guilty for the straight forward manner in which she'd spoken of his perceived short comings before.

"I apologize if my words came off harshly," she spoke to him softly, her tone expressing her sincerity.

She moved and sat back down on her stool by the fire, her green eyes meeting his blue ones.

"I hope you understand that I meant no offense, it is simply how things are done here," she explained, "For the sake of the tribe any kind of physical weakness, regardless of the cause, can not be tolerated."

She was quiet, looking him over for a moment in consideration before speaking up again.

"But... you clearly have the bravery and spirit of a fighter, and that is to be greatly admired."

 

[LucianDevine]

Though Lucian appreciated Myrina's apology, he couldn't help but appreciate her bluntness in a small way. It was better than the passive aggressive nonsense of a royal court or any of the numerous ways one could get back-stabbed and betrayed.

"You have nothing to apologize for Myrina, but I appreciate the sentiment. Everything you said is true, and besides, It's the way of the world, right? We all have reasons for why we do the things we do, only the strong survive and all that..."

Lucian let his final words trail off as he let his gaze turn away from the fire. His eyes instinctively landed on the armor sitting beside him. "It's funny how much can change in such a short time isn't it?" He asked as he moved the weighty chest piece onto his lap. It alone comprised half the total weight of the outfit as a whole. The leggings were naturally next and finally the boots. "Tell me..." Lucian started as he lifted his gaze to meet Myrina's shining green one once more. "Were you expecting it to feel cold and hard, or did you expect it to be as warm feel as pliable to the touch as it is?" There was a small smile on Lucian's lips as he asked the question, but it was likely just due to him wanting to change the subject from something as depressing as his potentially upcoming execution.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

"It's funny how much can change in such a short time isn't it?"

Myrina wasn't entirely certain if Lucian was directing the question at her, or if he had simply been musing to himself out loud. She had to admit though, if everything that the man claimed was true, then his life undoubtedly had changed a great deal in a short amount of time. One moment a victorious dragon slaying prince, the next an exile on the run from his own family and friends, and now an Amazon captive who may or may not be sentenced to death should his quest prove unfruitful. She wondered at how he seemed to be dealing with it all so calmly.

He changed the subject then and she couldn't really blame him for wanting to switch topics, her gaze turning from his eyes to the armor in his lap in response to his question.

"I wasn't certain what exactly it would feel like. I thought it might feel like a snakes' skin, or a lizard's..." she admitted as she moved from her place by the fire to sit beside him, unable to resist reaching out her hand and curiously trailing her fingers over the armor once more with amazement as she had when he was first captured.

"But it is indeed very different, like nothing I've ever felt..." she commented in awe as her fingers slid carefully over the blue scales as they glimmered in the firelight.

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian was genuinely surprised when Myrina got up from her place by the fire and sat beside him. His eyes watched her hands as it once more moved to trace over the glimmering blue scales of the armor in his lap.

"You should have seen it..." Lucian started as he lifted his gaze to stare across the hut at nothing in particular. Even now he could recall every detail of it. "You hear about them in taverns late at night and in children's stories, but the stories don't even begin to do it justice. It was so big that I could barely believe that it could fly. It killed men almost as easily as it looked at them, even after it was grounded. It's lightning breath was almost blinding and all but disintegrated everything it touched."

Lucian's fingers slowly traced over the armor in his lap as he spoke. He didn't even blink until he felt his finger brush against hers. The feeling of her skin pulled him out of his head and made him him flinch and pull his hand away.

"It was the kind of victory that people would have well-celebrated in the entire kingdom if not for what happened afterwards..." Lucian's gaze fell back to the armor, a pain look coming to his face like the last time he'd talked about the demons and what had brought them into their world. "I watched thousands of men willingly gave their lives for what was ultimately nothing more than one king's greed."

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina lifted her gaze from the armor and looked at Lucian as he began to speak of the great dragon who's hide had been used to fashion the armor. She could not help but notice the far off look in his eyes as he spoke of the beast. She could not even begin to imagine what it must have been like to be so close to such a creature.

She had seen one herself only once while she'd been out on a hunt deep in the woods and it had been from a great distance as it flew high up in the sky overhead. Even then, far above as it had been, it had blocked out the sun for a moment as it had flown by and had filled her with equal amounts of fear and wonder as she watched it from below until it flew off out of sight.

Her gaze on his face, she had been just as surprised as him when their fingers brushed against one another. She blinked her eyes in surprise, but did not flinch or pull away as he did. Clearly it had been an accident on his part, so she took no offense and simply continued to watch him with curiosity as he spoke, noting the look of pain that came over his face like before and her expression softening in response.

"You had no way of knowing what your father had planned," she told him, her tone quiet and consoling, "What happened to them was not your fault, Lucian."

 

[LucianDevine]

The tone in Myrina's voice made Lucian lift his head and meet her gaze. He heard and appreciated the tenderness in her voice, and could see from the look in her eye that she meant it. She owed him none of this, but was freely giving it anyway, even though they both knew he might be dead soon enough.

"I know..." Lucian started simply, his eyes glazing over even as he looked at Myrina. "I know..." He repeated himself before forcing himself to blink and focus his eyes once more. "Survivor's remorse I suppose, understandable given the circumstances..."

Lucian let out a soft scoff, more or less admitting to the both of them that even he didn't believe it. Only then did he finally shake his head and force his eyes to focus once more.

"I don't mean to impose, Myrina..." Lucian started before meeting her gaze once more. "But is there somewhere I can wash up? It's been a long day, the fight took more out of me than I care to admit, and you can even keep an eye on me if you want..." Lucian knew he was babbling at this point, but it was kind of past the point of no return. "I don't want to get sweat all over the furs, but I'd understand if you don't want to take the risk..."

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

As the member of a warrior tribe Myrina knew all too well the kind of affect survivor's remorse could have on a person, though admittedly her tribe had never suffered losses anywhere near in number as what Lucian had apparently seen. As his eyes glazed over again she could only imagine the visions that he must be reliving, and she was grateful when they finally regained focus again and he inquired about being allowed to wash up. She smirked in amusement at his babbling and raised her hand, indicating for him to stop before he could ramble on further.

"Fine, fine!" she agreed with a soft laugh, "Yes, I'd noticed that you were sweating quite a bit as well, and I have no more desire to have my furs soiled than you do."

She smirked at him.

"I keep a small wash basin in here for quick washes, but for more thorough washings we usually make use of the spring that is behind our village," she explained, "I'll need to come with you of course, but there would be no great risk. Others are likely already bathing there this evening, so you would be outnumbered and very foolish to try and run. We can go now then..."

She rose up from her spot beside him then and made her way to the front of her hut, waiting to make sure that he was following before exiting and beginning to make her way back through the village and down a well worn trail through the treeline, the sound of running water soon being heard up ahead.

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian was glad when Myrina lifted her hand to finally cut him off, and even more glad to hear that she'd let him get washed up. He hated how sweaty and exhausted the fight had made him, but there was no help for it. His gaze lifted to follow her as she moved to stand, and when she started to head towards the doorway he set his armor back down and rose to his feet to follow her. While he naturally wished that he had a less obvious pair of boots to wear to the spring, he also knew that the secret of his armor was already out there, meaning that at this point he really didn't have anything left to hide.

The walk back through the village was thankfully uneventful, but not without a fair share of staring from the people they passed by. It was still to be expected of course, so Lucian simply took it in stride as he followed behind Myrina.

The sound of running water started to make it's way through the treeline, and it didn't take long for the spring to come into view. Along with the view of the spring itself was the view of several of the amazons littered about bathing. It wasn't until that exact moment that Lucian remembered the awkwardness of the position he was about to be in. It was true that he did need to get washed up, but it was going to be a fairly difficult task to do with any amount of modesty with naked woman all around him.

The presence of the pair at the outskirts of the spring took a little bit of time to draw attention. All it took was one person though, and by the time they reached the banks of the spring, every woman in the spring was aware of them, some looking with more discretion than others.

Lucian swallowed hard but forced himself to stop, sit down, and take off the bright blue boots that definitely weren't helping him avoid notice. Even after his boots were off and he stood up though, he knew that dozens of eyes were on him. There was simply no help for it, and he simply undressed quickly. He gripped one of the arms of his tunic and pulled it over his head in a single and fluid motion before tossing it down on top of his boots. He disposed of his trousers with similar speed, simply hooking his thumbs into the waistband and pushing them down and off. He stepped out of them and kicked them onto the small pile that was his boots and shirt before stepping into the water. The water was warmed than he would have expected but still colder than he liked. He hesitated for a moment before wading further in. The feeling of the cold water on his genitals made him shiver briefly before he finally lowered himself fully in the water.

Any hopes that Lucian might have had that the prying eyes would look away once his nudity was hidden by the water were quickly dashed after he dunked his head under water, pulled it out, and looked around. He looked around as discretely as he could, but found eyes staring at him from every direction. It was worse since most of the eyes around him were attached to naked women, meaning that there was literally no direction he could look other than down.

Lucian washed and scrubbed himself as quickly but thoroughly as he could, all the while feeling about as self-conscious as possible. As awkward as it felt to be washing himself while being surrounded by naked women though, that didn't even begin to compare to what happened next. He hadn't thought to look for where the amazons kept the drying cloths, and when he was done washing and scrubbing he realized that he was going to have to walk over to where they were kept naked.

Lucian took a long and slow breath as he walked to the edge of the spring, and only when he was as prepared as he could be did he dare to step out of the water and walk towards a laundry line where the drying cloths were hanging. His journey was made harder by the presence of women walking past him on the way to the spring, and some standing near the line drying off after their bath.

Only when Lucian had a drying cloth in was standing next to his discarded clothes did he truly feel any amount of comfort. He kept his gaze low as he went about the process of drying himself.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

As Myrina had approached the banks of the spring with Lucian, she too had noticed all of the eyes upon them. Well... not them exactly, it was really just Lucian that all of the other women's eyes were upon, though with how rare it was to have a man present in the village she knew that was to be expected.

At first the other women's gazes had been a mix of wariness and curiosity as they watched Lucian, similar to how they had been looking at him during his talk with the chief and as she'd been leading him through the village. As he began to undress and then walk naked into the water she noted an obvious shift in the eyes of the onlookers however, their gazes now roaming over his exposed and impressively formed body with open admiration and looks of attraction and desire on their faces as he bathed himself.

Well so much for the chief not allowing him to be used for breeding, she thought to herself with amusement.

Even with his weaker heart, Lucian seemed to have enough admirers within their camp now that there would likely be enough of an interest in mating with him that the chief would not simply have him killed should their quest prove unfruitful. She supposed she should be pleased by the idea, a man she believed to be innocent of any wrongdoing was now less likely to meet an untimely end after all. Instead though she found herself frowning as she watched Lucian walk naked out of the water and retrieve a drying cloth as the women he passed openly stared at him.

After retrieving the cloth he moved back to his pile of clothes near where she was standing and she noticed that several of the women had completely stopped what they were doing to watch at he dried himself, their eyes roaming over his body. She straightened herself and met their gazes, the look that she gave them making the women quickly advert their eyes and return to their previous business. Noticing the exchange many of the other women began to look at Lucian more discreetly as well.

"Finish drying yourself quickly and then get dressed so that we can head back," she instructed him briskly, "We've an early morning tomorrow and need to be rested for the journey."

 

[LucianDevine]

There was only so much Lucian could do when it came to covering his nudity, and as much care as he took to try and keep himself covered as best as possible, he knew that he was still a naked man surrounded by women. There was of course some humor to be seen in the situation, though. Most men would kill to be in such a place where he just wanted to be dry and done with it.

Myrina's words and the tone they came in made it quite clear how she felt about the current situation. Lucian dried his toned and firm upper body first. He had never been the biggest or the strongest, but he was still a proud prince after all, and had done everything he could to keep his body in shape. His legs came next, making it easier for him to keep his groin covered. He then wrapped the cloth around his waist and used it as a barrier of sorts while he pulled his trousers up. Only then, when his lower body was mercifully covered did he finally dry his hair and then finish drying any of the moisture that had dripped down from it.

Only when his upper body was dry once more did Lucian finally put his tunic back on and move to hang the drying cloth up on the line that already had several like it lined up. He then turned towards Myrina, hoping that they could head back to the privacy of her hut and rest for the remainder of the day and night.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina was relieved that with his eyes lowered and his focus on drying himself, Lucian had not seemed to notice the small exchange between herself and the other women. She had to admit, she was more than a little confused and embarrassed by her reaction to her sisters' blatant stares at his body. After all, she had no claim on him. Even if she did believe his story to be true and wanted to help him on his quest, he was still technically just a prisoner. If the other women wanted to watch him, why should she stop them?

Her eyes cut over to Lucian, eyes roaming over his body for a moment as he dried himself and began to get dressed before catching herself and quickly adverting her gaze. Only when she heard him move to return the drying clothe to the line did she allow herself to look at him again, finally addressing him again when he turned towards her to leave.

"Get your boots then, and we'll head back," she told him with a nod, her voice returned to its usual tone.

She gave him time to do as she'd instructed, and then she turned to lead him back the way that they had come. She held the flap of her hut open and waited for him to enter before following after him. Once inside, she moved over to her own small wash station in the corner of the hut. Since the hut that day had been interrupted by his arrival she had not gotten as dirty or sweaty as him, and she had not wanted to be distracted with washing herself while she was guarding him at the spring, but she did want to wash up a bit before retiring that evening.

"If you are hungry there is more dried meat over the fire, and over there is water and a bowl with fruit and cheese inside of it," she said, pointing in the direction of the items before pouring some water from a pitcher into the small wash basin before her and dipping a small, clean clothe into it.

Once the clothe was drenched she wrung it out slightly and began to wash some of the exposed areas of her skin, using it to wash her face and down her neck and decolletage before moving on to her arms, removing her arm bands and wrist guards as she did. She continued to slowly make her way down her body with the clothe, re-wetting it as needed in the bowl of water. Her last order of business was to unfasten her boots and slip out of them before running the clothe over her toned and milky legs and thighs to wash away any dirt and muck from the day off of them.

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian actually blushed when Myrina reminded him to put his boots on. He'd been so focused on covering his naked body that he'd completely forgotten about them. He nodded and silently did as she bade, moving over to his boots, sitting down to put them on, and then standing up to follow her as she led the way away from the spring back towards her hut.

Myrina held the flap open for him, and Lucian gladly entered the hut to get out of the heat and away from the eyes that were constantly on him as he walked through the camp. He heard her speak as he he headed towards the fire to grab a couple pieces of dried meat. He heard the sounds of dripping water behind him but headed towards the bowl of fruit that she also mentioned. After he had a handful to eat as a snack he headed back towards his place at the foot of the bed.

It was only after he sat down that Lucian looked towards Myrina. What he saw almost made his jaw drop. He saw her swiping a wet cloth down her neck towards her chest. The sight of it sent a surge through his body that ended in his crotch, and it was only out of modesty that he lowered his gaze to his food and started to eat.

Even as Lucian ate, though, it was impossible for to not sneak glances at Myria as she slid the moist cloth over every bit of her wiry arms, toned stomach, and firm legs. His mind was reeling with thoughts that he knew would likely get him killed, but he tried to keep his gaze in check and focus on his meal.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina had heard Lucian go and fetch some of the food and water that she'd mentioned to him and then noticed him go and sit down to eat. Satisfied at this point that he was not up to any trouble, she had not really paid him any mind while she was washing up. The thought hadn't even really crossed her mind that he might be watching her. After all, he had just been surrounded by naked women at the river and had kept his eyes down the entire time, and she at least still had her clothes on.

After having bent over and washed off the traces of dirt and sweat from her legs she straightened herself once more. Wringing out the remaining water from the cloth back into the bowl, she picked up the small container and carried it over to the opening of the hut, opening up the flap and tossing out the dirty water onto the ground before letting the flap fall back into place and coming back towards him.

"We'll get a good night's rest here tonight and then at daybreak we will gather our supplies and begin our journey to the temple," she told him, informing him of her plans as she set the bowl back down in its place at the wash station and then took a seat on the pallet of furs.

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian didn't truly let his gaze wander over and appreciate the true beauty that was Myrina until she finished washing herself and carried the bowl of dirty water towards the entrance of the hut. Only when her back was turned could he do it without fear of repercussion, and by the time she turned back towards him, his attention was once more focused on the food in his hands.

When Myrina spoke walked towards the pallet of furs and explained the plan for tomorrow, Lucian nodded in understanding before finishing up the last bit of the food that he held. He then took his boots off once more before rising to his feet. He took his cue from the side of the furs that she was on, moved to the other side. He waited for her to sit down before doing the same. He remained sitting there and waited to see what she was going to do before he fully climbed under the furs and made himself comfortable.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina had sat down on the edge of the furs on the side that she'd planned to sleep on, watching Lucian as he moved over to his side. Once he'd sat she finally removed the harnessed dagger that she'd still been wearing belted around her waist and set it down on the ground next to her within easy reach... just in case.

She'd been careful to position herself so that she was between him and the exit of her hut. She didn't think that he'd be stupid enough to try and escape or cause any harm in the middle of the night, but he was under her charge after all and one could never be too cautious when it came to such things.

"Just make sure that you stay on your side," she ordered him with a strong look before leaning over and blowing out the lantern beside the pallet before slipping beneath one of the furs and settling in for the night.

She closed her eyes and listened as he slipped in beside her and got comfortable for the night as well. She lay like that for a while listening for his movements until, finally, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.