Quest For Atonement (Closed For BlondeAmbition4RP)

[LucianDevine]

The sound of the harness being undone drew Lucian's attention, and her words brought his gaze up to her. "I'll try, but I roll around in my sleep sometimes." Every one of the precautions Myrina had taken with his presence, especially with him being unbound, her understandable, right down to the final order she gave him before blowing out the candle. He once again nodded in understanding before he tucked his legs under the warm furs and pulled them up to his chin.

When Lucian fell asleep, he was comfortably near his edge of the bed with his back to Myrina, ensuring that she wouldn't be able to claim in good conscience that he was on her side of the pallet.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

It was early in the morning when Myrina began to stir from her sleep, shifting slightly and releasing a sigh as she lay upon her back beneath the fur covering. Her mind still a bit hazy as she awoke, she gradually became aware of a pleasant warmth pressed against her side beneath the furs. She lazily shifted a bit towards the warmth and could feel something firmer jutting out and poking against her hip as she did.

Her mind suddenly snapping awake at the sensation, she opened her eyes and realized the warmth she felt was Lucian as he lay on his side up against her. Thinking the firmness she felt might be a weapon he had somehow concealed from her, without hesitation she moved in one fluid motion and reached for her dagger at the side of the pallet and then rolled, pushing him forcefully onto his back and straddling him to hold him in place as she raised the drawn blade and pressed it against his throat.

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian's sleep was surprisingly peaceful that night. It was likely because of how safe he felt in that moment, which was ironic to say the least given that his life was anything but in his own hands.

It was in the midst of a particularly peaceful dream that Lucian was suddenly awakened. He saw Myrina on top of him and didn't even have time to try and remember where he was and who she was before he felt the press of her dagger against his throat.

"Woah woah woah! Um...My...Myrina what the hell?!" Lucian stammered at first when he was trying to remember the woman's name. His mind was still foggy from just having woken up, but despite the clear threat to his life he didn't fight her. His arms were flat against the furs above his head. Where it would have been natural for the threat against his life to have his full attention, it was impossible to ignore the way his hard and throbbing member was awkwardly pinned between them in this position.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina thought it was wise of Lucian that he did not try to fight her as she held the knife to his throat. Her warrior's training was now in full effect and as nice a person as he had seemed to be the previous day, she would not have hesitated to slit his throat if he had.

"Don't give me that bullshit!" Myrina accused Lucian as she kept the dagger pressed against his throat and gave him a harsh look in response to his stammering, thinking his confusion an act at first, "What are you hiding?!"

His hands were empty but she could feel the hardness that she'd felt poking against her hip before pinned between them and pressing against her crotch now as she straddled him. Sliding her free hand down between them to see what it was, she ran her hand over it through his trousers and jumped slightly with surprise as she felt it pulse and twitch in response to her touch.

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian could understand Myrina's initial exclamation and chalk it up to surprise and potential rage that he'd apparently crossed over to her side of the bed. Her question though, really caught him off guard. She's searched him before and knew that he wasn't hiding anything.

It wasn't until Myrina's moved her free hand between them towards his trapped and throbbing member that Lucian realized what she was talking about. He didn't have time to say anything before he felt her fingers slide over the noticeable bulge in his trousers, though. His member twitched and jumped of it's own volition in response to her bold touch, and he had to force himself to swallow despite the blade at his throat, to stifle the gasp that had been about to escape from his lips.

"That...um...it gets hard in the morning sometimes and I told you I roll around in my sleep I was asleep Myrina I wasn't trying anything I swear!"

Lucian's words came out in a babbling mouth and it wasn't until he was done speaking that he finally dared to take a breath. This was as close as he'd come to begging for his life, and just life he'd been at every other point, he was at Myrina's mercy and he knew it.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina listened as Lucian gave his explanation, understanding dawning upon her face as she made sense of his babblings and realized her misunderstanding.

"I'd never been told that...that happens in the mornings," she admitted as she withdrew her hand from between them and lowered her dagger from his neck.

She had been schooled on the male body and how breeding with them was done, but her teachers had not included that piece of information. Perhaps they had never encountered it themselves. She could still feel his bulge pressing against her own sex, and to her horror she felt heat of an embarrassed blush begin to rise up within her cheeks. Not wanting to let it show, she did her best to keep her face stern.

"You should have warned me last night that such a thing might happen."

She slid off of him and moved to sit at the edge of the furs, using the task of bending down and sliding her dagger back into its sheath as an excuse to hide her blush from him.

 

[LucianDevine]

Myrina's words were a relief to hear, but nearly as relieving as when she pulled the blade away from his throat. Lucian's head dropped as he let out an audible sigh. He didn't pay too much attention to her reactions, because embarrassment was a natural reaction to a misunderstanding, especially one of such an intimate nature.

The feeling of Myrina sliding off of him almost had Lucian's eyes rolling into the back of his head. It was impossible for him to not think thoughts of the most intimate nature. His erection was actually a blessing of sorts, because it meant that the thoughts that rolled through his head as he moved to sit couldn't cause any other embarrassments that weren't already happening. "I-I didn't think to mention it..." Lucian started. "I hoped that I wouldn't end up close enough to you for it to matter..."

Lucian sat on the side of the pallet for a couple minutes holding his head in his hands as he tried to get his brain and body to calm down. Myrina was such a beautiful woman, and he couldn't even remember the last time he'd spent the night with a woman without having sex with her.

After that couple of minutes to steady himself, Lucian forced himself to his feet so that he could to where his boots and armor were on the floor so that he could start to get ready to head to the temple.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

"I-I didn't think to mention it..." Lucian started. "I hoped that I wouldn't end up close enough to you for it to matter..."

Myrina scoffed at Lucian's words.

"Well you did. You were right up against me when I woke... but never mind it. We shouldn't have a need to share a bed again, so I suppose it doesn't really matter."

Picking up the harness containing the dagger and taking it with her, she walked over to where she'd left her boots the night before and began to put them back on. She couldn't help but notice the way that Lucian held his head in his hands and that it took him a little bit before he was able to do likewise.

"Does it cause pain for you when it gets hard?" she asked him, unable to help her curiosity about his odd behavior now that her embarrassment over the misunderstanding had begun to fade.

"I'd always been told that it felt good for men when that happens."

Finished with putting on her boots, she moved over to her chest of weapons and began to select which ones she wanted to bring with her on their journey.

 

[LucianDevine]

Myrina's naive question actually made Lucian smile as he was putting his armor and boots on. He couldn't help but look up at her with a small smile on his face.

"No, it doesn't hurt. It's all just catching up to me I guess. I mean hell. Even if I'm right about all of this, my journey is just beginning, and if I'm wrong..."

Lucian just let his words trail off as he pushed himself to his feet and threw his cloak over his shoulder. He walked towards Myrina, genuinely curious if she was going to allow him his weapon. It was for that reason that he still had his cloak over his shoulder. There was no point in putting it in place if he was going to be get to secure his weapon to his side.

While he did step relatively close to Myrina's and the chest of weapons, he did keep a respectful distance, wanting to ensure that she knew he wasn't going to try and acquire a weapon by force.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

"Lets just focus on getting to the temple for now, and then we'll worry about whether you were right or not," Myrina suggested as she selected the pair of swords that she had decided upon for the journey and removed them from the chest along with their harness that would allow her to keep them strapped to her back when not in use.

Putting the harness on, she slid the swords into place and then chose another harness containing six shining and deadly sharp throwing knives and fastened this around her waist. She even picked out a dagger and tucked it into one of her boots for good measure, wanting to be prepared for whatever they might encounter. It was then that her eyes fell upon Lucian's katana that she had placed in the chest the night before, her gaze lifting and looking over at him where he stood a short but respectable distance away. She hesitated for a moment in consideration before finally reaching in and retrieving both the sword and dagger that he'd surrendered from his boot and handing them to him.

"You might as well have these now. I trust you not to use them against anyone here in the village, but all the same you might want to keep them hidden beneath your cloak until we are on our own in the forest... my sisters might not be as comfortable with you having them as I am."

 

[LucianDevine]

The directness of Myrina's first statement was one of the refreshing things about her and this place. She said what she meant, and it was a simple as that. It was a much simpler place than dealing with the politics and potential backstabbing of a royal court, and Lucian simply nodded and smiled.

Watching Myrina strap on her weapons was one of the sexiest things Lucian had ever seen. There was no reluctance or hesitation in her movements. Everything had it's place, and every move she made was precise and to the point as she put the sword harness on, sheathed her swords, and then strapped on a separate harness that held six throwing knives.

There was one small bit of hesitation in her preparation that Lucian noticed, and he didn't have to wait long to find out what the hold up was. When her hands appeared from the chest the final time, she held his sheathed katana and the daggers he'd pulled from his boots.

It was calming for Lucian to know that Myrina was going to be bringing them on their journey, but that paled in comparison to how it felt to hold his weapon in his hands once more. His eyes closed briefly as one hand held the sheath and the other trailed down to the hilt. He closed his hand around it just briefly before snapping out of his own head and securing it in place at his side. His daggers came next, and he slid each one snugly into place inside his boot before he finally pulled his cloak off of his shoulder and swung it around himself. He clasped it into place so that it was concealing everything except the sheath of his katana protruding behind him. His left hand then retreated into the cloak to grip the sheath and hold it vertical so that nobody would be able to notice it.

"Thank you for this, Myrina, all of this. I'm ready when you are."

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina noted the look of relief that passed over Lucian as he held the katana in his hands once more. She watched him with an inspecting look as he secured the weapon at his side and then slid the daggers back into his boots. After he had clasped his cloak around his shoulders and positioned the katana so that the sheath did not show she gave him a nod of approval and moved to gather more supplies.

"No need to thank me," she told him as she walked over to her stores of food, "As you explained last night, if what you say about these demons is true then it is to everyone's benefit that we make sure they are stopped."

She picked out some portions of dried meat and fruit, nuts, and a water skin that she quickly filled and placed them and a few other items that she thought they might need into a sack fashioned to be worn across one's back and handed it to him.

"Here, carry this."

Then without further ado, she made her way to the front of her hut and stepped outside, holding the flap open for him in expectation that he would follow her.

 

[LucianDevine]

It wasn't until he saw Myrina starting to pack things into a sack that Lucian realized that he had no idea how close or far the temple was from the camp. He'd been in such a hurry to try and get there, especially since he'd been pursued at the time, that he hadn't even thought of the simple things like food and water.

When Myrina extended the sack towards him and spoke, clearly expecting him to carry it, Lucian reached for it without hesitation. His left arm reappeared out of his cloak just long enough for him to secure the straps in place on his shoulders, and his right hand remained on the strap there while his left hand moved back underneath to secure his weapon once more.

Lucian moved to follow Myrina as she moved towards the door flap, and when she paused briefly to make sure that he was ready to follow her, he simply nodded and reached for the flap as she stepped outside. He then followed her out of her hut and through the camp once more.

It was early in the morning, but not so early that a few people weren't out and about. Myrina and Lucian naturally drew their gaze as they walked through the camp, but Lucian simply gripped his katana firmly with his left hand, making sure that it was parallel to his body and steady. The last thing he needed just then was for somebody to notice his weapon now that they were finally about to be under way.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Unfortunately the path that they would need to take to begin their journey to the temple was on the other end of the camp from Myrina's hut, this meant that they passed quite a few onlookers on their way to the trailhead. The women they passed looked on silently as she and Lucian walked by, not stopping to say hello or make small talk with Myrina as they might have on a normal morning. It was to be expected though. After Lucian's arrival the night before and speech in front of the chief everyone would have known where she was headed with him now.

As they passed by the front of the chief's hut now on their way out of the camp, Myrina's gaze wandered over towards it and she paused in her steps in surprise. Her chief was standing outside her dwelling, tall and regal and without her usual guard as she watched as the pair leaving. Her eyes met Myrina's from across the distance and though the chief did not say anything Myrina saw the other woman incline her head in a slight nod. Myrina returned the gesture, and then after a moment the other woman turned and walked back inside her hut.

Myrina continued to lead Lucian out of the village without speaking, and the two of them headed down the path into the woods that would eventually take them to the temple. She could hear his footsteps as he walked, so she knew he was following behind her. Finally, after they had traveled a ways, she glanced behind them to make sure that the village was no longer in view.

"You may stop holding your sword from view now if you wish," she told him with a nod.

 

[LucianDevine]

To say that the walk through the village was stressful would be an understatement. Lucian just tried to keep his head down and his eyes forward. His grip on his sword at his side was almost painfully tight, and he expected at every second that somebody was going to call out in alarm. He was as eager to be out of the village as soon as possible, and was genuinely surprised when Myrina stopped mid stride.

Lucian's gaze lifted to see why Myrina stopped. He looked in the direction that she was facing, and the sight of the chief made his breath catch. He forced his gaze forward once more and waited patiently for Myrina to start moving once more. He let out a soft sigh of relief when she started to walk once more, and another one when entered the tree line.

The grip that Lucian had on his sword lightened up a little bit when they were finally surrounded by trees, but he waited to fully let go of it until Myrina told him it was okay to do so. Only then did he let go of his sword and raise his arms to brush his cloak back behind him. The clasp around his neck kept it secure, but now his arms and legs could move freely.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina caught herself staring for a moment as Lucian brushed back his cloak and the sun glinted off of the iridescent blue scales of his dragon armor. It truly was mesmerizing. Quickly though she turned back to the trail before them and began to lead him once more along the path.

"The path to the temple is not well marked, but I remember well where it is," she explained to Lucian as they walked.

Indeed she seemed to now the path that they were on like the back of her hand, stepping over roots and ducking under low hanging branches without hardly even a glance as she led them further and further down an ever narrowing trail through the trees.

"The temple is carved into the side of a mountain that is located near the center of our wood. It will likely take us most of the day to reach it. We can camp at the base of the mountain and then make the climb up to the temple tomorrow morning."

 

[LucianDevine]

While Lucian was glad to hear that the temple was so close to them, he wished that it wasn't so close to the center of the forest. The path they traveled on only got narrower the farther in they got, and the narrower it got, the harder it was for him to figure out where he was supposed to step next to avoid the roots and large branches while also trying to not get his face scratched to hell by the trees that were rapidly closing in around them.

It was impossible not to admire the effortless way in which Myrina navigated the forest. Her lithe formed almost flowed through the trees, leaving nary a trace of her presence as he stomped and stumbled behind her as he struggled to keep up with the pace that seemed totally natural for her.

Despite the terrain and the difficulties it caused, Lucian was able to keep up with Myrina, but not without a significant amount of work. He was sweating freely, but never once voice a complaint or desire for her to slow down. Whether it was pride or bravado, he felt a need to try and prove himself to her at every step, of only so that if their journey proved fruitless, he might have somebody on his side when his life and usefulness came into question from her chief.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina couldn't help but smirk at the racket Lucian made as he followed her through the forest. At least the noise that he was making made it easy for her to tell that he was still following her. She had to give him credit though, even with all of his fumbling he seemed to me matching her pace and keeping up well as the day continued on.

The golden light of early evening was beginning to filter through the upper canopy of the trees when up ahead there could be spotted a break in the trees and a large rocky mountainside rising up before them.

"There..." Myrina told Lucian, pointing to the mountain, "That's where we're headed. Just a bit further... If you look closely you can see the temple entrance carved into its cliff side like I told you."

 

[LucianDevine]

The journey through the forest could only be described as pure hell. At this point he'd even prefer to be chased by his former friends, because at least then he'd have a more tangible objective. His armor was heavy, the sack that he was carrying seemed to be getting heavier with each passing hour, and it was only through sheer grit that he managed to keep up with Myrina.

Myrina's words were both a blessing and a curse. They spoke of the nearness of their goal, but also that there was still more walking to be done, even if it was just a little farther. There was some slight solace in the nearness of the mountain though, and that was the fact that the trees seemed to be thinning out like they had been when they were near the camp.All of those positive factors gave Lucian the strength that he needed to hoist up the sack on his shoulders and push on.

"Who'd have thought that I'd be happy to climb a mountain?"

Lucian asked between heavy breaths, speaking for the first time since they'd left. There was no way to know what the next morning was going to bring, but at least their journey today was almost over!

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Noticing the breathlessness of Lucian's speech Myrina turned and took a glance behind her at him as she walked, noticing how tired he looked and the sweat upon his brow. A look of concern crossed her features.

"Sorry... I guess I should have asked if you needed a break before..."

Her walking slowed.

"Do you think you can make it the rest of the way ok, or do you need a quick rest? I'd prefer we make it to the base of the mountain quickly though so we can get settled in and make camp before it gets too dark. We can build a fire, and there is a stream nearby where I'd planned to catch some fish for our dinner."

 

[LucianDevine]

Myrina's offer to take a break was both heard and appreciated by Lucian, but he was having enough trouble navigating the forest in the day light. The fading light told him how close the sun was to setting, especially since it would be even darker beneath the canopy of the trees than it would be out in the open.

"I appreciate the offer..." Lucian started, verbally acknowledging Myrina's offer of a break. "But a stream sounds really good right now." He continued as he hiked up the straps of the sack on his back and moved up beside her.

"I should be okay to keep going, and I definitely don't want to be running around here in the dark. I'm having enough trouble as it is." Lucian finished speaking with a soft chuckle, acknowledging that he was little more than a bumbling liability in the forest, but was at least willing to try and keep to her pace as best he could.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina smiled slightly at Lucian's reply as he moved up beside her. Now that the trees were thinning out, there was room for both of them to walk shoulder to shoulder on the path. She'd kept a fairly brisk pace throughout their journey that day, and she had to admit that she was a little impressed that he'd managed to keep up.

"I suppose as a prince you're more used to traveling on horseback," she teased good naturedly, "Well don't worry your Highness, soon we'll have you to a nice cool stream to bathe in and then a warm fire and hot meal in your belly."

She laughed softly as she increased her pace again and before long the trees opened up completely to a clearing at the base of the mountain, a crystal clear steam running through it.

"Help me find some wood for a fire before it gets too dark," she instructed him as she bent down to pick up a couple fallen branches along the treeline.

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian couldn't help but laugh at Myrina's humorous remarks. Even the light jab at the way she referred him as "his highness" he laughed.

"On a horse on a clear path that isn't in the middle of a goddamn forest." Lucian responded over his shoulder as he moved away from Myrina to look for more firewood. He wasn't sure how much firewood she wanted him to bring back, so he wandered closer to the tree line to build up a good-sized armful of wood.

When Lucian had what he felt was enough firewood to last them the night and more, he headed back towards the center of the clearing where Myrina was likely to be starting a fire. He paused for a bit, glancing up at her to see if she wanted him to grab more.

When Myrina didn't give him any outward signal that she wanted him to grab more firewood, he happily shrugged the sack off his of shoulders and laid it on the ground a safe distance from where she was setting up the fire. He then pulled his sword and sheath out of the loop that secured it to his side and laid it on the ground next to the sack. The chest piece of his armor came next, and after he took his boots off, his pants followed. He put his boots back on to walk towards the stream, not wanting to cut his feet on any stray rocks or twigs.

The stream was within sight of the mountain, and Lucian gladly headed towards it. He bent over the water and dipped his hand in to feel how cold it was. It sent a brief shock through his overheated hand, but he knew it was going to feel good. He bent his head down and scooped up some of the water and splashed it on his face and then scooped up another handful and splashed it on his neck. The water was so cold, but man did it feel good. Only when the initial shock was gone did he pull his tunic over his head and toss it to the ground so he could splash water on the rest of his upper body.

As much as Lucian wanted to wash his entire body, he was reluctant to do so because there wasn't going to be a good way to dry himself, and he didn't want to be sitting or laying down in wet clothes. So when he gave himself as much of a bath as he dared under the circumstances, Lucian stood up, turned around, grabbed his tunic in one hand, and walked back towards the center of the clearing. After the long walk that the two of them had had, he was more than looking forward to sitting down and resting for the rest of the night. A good warm meal wouldn't hurt either.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Myrina had smiled in response to Lucian's words as she'd bent down and picked up a few more fallen branches and sticks before moving to the middle of the clearing. She made sure the spot that she had in mind for their fire was free of anything that might catch and then began to stack the wood, giving Lucian a nod of thanks as he set down the wood he had gathered and the sack before returning to her task. The light would soon be dimming and she wanted to make sure that they had a fire to see by before she did anything else.

Stacking some of the wood into the formation she wanted, she then reached into the sack Lucian had been carrying and pulled out two flint stones and a bit of dried moss she'd brought with them. Turning towards the fire again, she glanced up and caught sight of Lucian as he washed himself in the spring, her abdomen involuntarily clenching a bit at the sight of his exposed form. She quickly looked down and tried to focus on her work, striking the stones together. Sparks flew, igniting the moss which she then used to bring flame to the rest of wood she had piled.

She looked up again and saw Lucian now walking back towards her from the spring, still undressed and with his tunic in one hand. It wasn't anything she hadn't seen when he'd bathed at the river the day before. Even so, she felt a different kind of fire than the one that blazed before her begin to spark and burn within her blood.

She rose suddenly and began to make her way towards the spring.

"Watch the fire and make sure that it does not spread to anything," she instructed him as she passed by him quickly, her eyes ahead of her.

Reaching the water's edge, she stripped of her clothing, boots, and weapons and laid them down on the grassy banks. Like him she had originally planned to only take a partial bath, but suddenly the cold water of the spring was beyond resistance. Stepping into the water, she walked until she was waist deep and then dipped down, submerging herself completely before bobbing up again. The cold water was jarring but served its purpose, sufficiently cooling her heated flesh and helping to clear her head as she proceeded to wash herself clean of the dirt and sweat of the day.

 

[LucianDevine]

It was impossible for Lucian to not notice the change in Myrina's demeanor. He knew that he hadn't been washing himself all that long, and he couldn't for the life of him think about what had come over her in such a short period of time. Just moments ago they'd been openly joking, and now she didn't so much as look at him when she gave him her instructions about the fire, let alone wait for his response before walking past him.

Lucian swallowed hard, the gears in his brain turning as he tried to think of what he might have done to offend Myrina. He crouched down by the small but soon to grow fire and took a deep and steady breath of the fresh air. Though his eyes watched the fire dutifully, he couldn't help but hear the sounds Myrina made behind him. He'd intentionally positioned himself with his back to the stream, wanting to be respectful and give her some privacy.

Though it was easy to keep his eyes away from Myrina and the stream, it was much harder to keep his thoughts in check. His eyes sort of glazed over as he remembered what he'd seen when she'd been washing herself with the cloth in her hut. Now he imagined her entire body wet and glistening in what would soon be moonlight as her hands...

Lucian snapped himself out of his own head with a sharp shake of it. He swallowed hard and forced his eyes closed for a second before opening them and focusing on the fire once more. He watched it dutifully as he waited for Myrina to get back so they could decide if they wanted to fish for their dinner or settle for the food they had brought with them.