The Knight Errant

[cgraven]

The Knight Errant

This is a closed thread for SummerStar and cgraven.

The aboral forest lay spread out before him. He lifted the visor of his helm. The forest was not a consent but showed the division of the races. The realm of the Elves was like a garden, the spires of their capital rose at the foot of the far blue mountains. The realm of man showed clearings, cleared farm plots, and clusters of villages. Each race be they Elf, Human, Dwarf, Halfling, or Orc each claimed a part of the forest where they came in contact with each other the forest showed the signs of that conflict.

Conflict had marred the beauty of the forest where it had become a no man’s land of twisted, gnarled, and charred trees. A no mans land where freebooters of all the races reigned. This was the world of conflict; this was the world for the brigand and the Knight Errant.

A movement in the forest below caught the Knight’s eye. It was a party of Elves by their dress it was a royal party. Off to his left was a band of freebooters concealed laying in ambush undoubtably for the royal Elven Party. It was no affair of his if they wished to kill each other. He had just begun to turn his mount when he caught sight of her. A petite figure astride her mount, her hair shimmering in the morning sun. If captured her fate would be sealed, and the freebooters would have their way with her. An Elven princess would be quite a boon to him. His horse was making their way down the mountain slope as the royal Elfin was ambushed.

 

[SummerStar]

The soft clopping of hooves were almost like a lullaby as Caira rocked gently back and forth in her saddle. The forest was almost as much a home to her as the castle, but rarely did she venture this far. This was not the soft and protective wood she knew. Her wood was mysterious and offered promise of protection and adventure. These gnarled trees and barren grounds could barely be called forest anymore. They warned any traveling through that they had come too far. Pain and suffering and hatred thrived here and little else. But stories could be rewritten. That was the aim of their travels through this unfortunate land. The Elves and Human had reached a tense truce. Both sides tired of bloodshed and loss, royal ambassadors were being sent by both sides. Kings and Queens would not be risked, of course, not this soon, nor Princes or Princesses first in line, but Caira was the third child, and in the worst case scenario her loss would be mourned, but held no greater effect to the throne.

She wheel no bitterness over how apparently disposable she was. She understood duty. She was the perfect fit for this role. Polite and kind, some might mistake her for weak, but her will, when tested, was iron clad. And beautiful hardly began to describe her. Her skin was ivory, and though is bore a few memories of tussles lost within the brambles of her forest, most agreed it only added to her features. It made her flesh and blood, instead of pristine figurine. Her pearlescent hair fell nearly to her waist and reflected just the faintest hues of pink and cream in the sun’s light. Braids were weaves through it, keeping it from her eyes, which were ever changing in appearance, depending how the light played with them. Sometimes jade green, sometimes sapphire blue, and in the darkness a sterling grey. She was petite, especially by elf standards, standing 5’6”, and slender but muscular, her time in the woods trained her muscles well. She would represent her kind and family well, no one receiving this specimen at their gates would suspect ill will.

A branch cracked in the shadows nearby. Instinctively, Caira clenched the reins in her hand tighter and her calf muscles tended, ready to urge her mount forward. Her guards fell closer in step to her, but it was all too late. Their assailants had been prepared long before a stray footfall gave them away. Arrows flew into their caravan, swords sang their way from their sheaths and horses whinnied in distress. Caira kicked her heels in her dappled mount and leaned forward into its muscular neck. “H’yeh.” Her soft voice did not plea or waiver. It was a command of focused urgency.

 

[cgraven]

The ambush had been perfectly planed, the location selected carefully so as not to bring suspension on any of the warring races, and guilt easily blamed on the roving bands of freebooters. All this careful planning nearly came to naught by the simple misstep, the sharp crack of a stick broken by that misstep. The blighted forest erupted into the cacophony of battle, the clang of steel against steel as swords were drawn, and arrows let loose in flight.

The sounds and shouts of battle reached the Knight Errant as his horse wound its way down the steep slope. The battle lust already rising, filling every fiber of his being. He saw a stunning Elven beauty put sur to her mount in a vain effort to escape the ambush. He saw that the party that attacked the group of Elves was but the first part of the clever ambush. Other parties had been stationed on the trail both ahead of and behind the point of ambush. The Knight pulled rein, he would be a fool to ride into such a melee, a target for both the Elven party, and the ambushers.

His eye was drawn to the young beauty that fled the scene of the ambush only to run into a second party. The young beauty was hopelessly caught and dragged from her mounts saddle. The knight wheeled his warhorse around drew his battle ax and spurred his horse forward towards the group and the young beauty.

The young Elven girl was pushed from man to man each tearing at her gown. “She make a fine little slave, and shell spread her legs for anyone who has the coin to pay for her charms.” The men laughed and their could be no doubt that they meant to rape her. It was at that moment that the Knight Errant crashed the group. His battle ax nearly cleaved a man in two. He was a fearful site to behold, his armor steamed with the heat of battle and was smeared with the blood of these men. The skirmish was over before it really began. The dead laid around the knight. He held his hand out to the young Elven maiden and swung her over the pummel of his saddle as if she were a sack of grain.

 

[SummerStar]

The dappled grey mare moved swiftly from the fray and just as the bellows started to fade from the Elven girl’s ears, her steed halted and reared in surprise. Another trap. These were no ordinary roadside bandits. The question she was left with was how did they know. Which side did the betrayal lie on? Perhaps it spoke to her loyalty to her family and kind that this was her first thought, not another desperate plan to escape, or perhaps she just knew better.

She was pulled from her mount by rough and greedy hands and shoved towards a surprisingly small and scarred man. Some others in the group stood an entire head over him, but there was no doubt who was in charge here. He caught the girl by the throat and sized her up.

“Yeh. She’s the one.”

Loud and heavy grunts and cheers were exchanged through the group. Echos of the initial fray still reverberated through the forest. The petite elven girl swallowed hard under the hand of her captor. Was there hope in this situation? Negotiation seemed unlikely. They clearly already had a plan. Perhaps it was just ransom. Her captor’s narrow brown eyes caught the bright blue of hers and he gave a malicious grin. He pulled her close and licked the sweat beaded on her skin, from the nape of her neck to her soft cheek.

“Whatcha thinkin’ m’lady?”

His voice was a deceptively smooth for the uncultured common that fell from it. Without warning, he shoved her roughly forward to the straggled line of men circling them and shouted out, in contrast to the near whisper he had tickled her ear with.

“Whad’ya think boys?!”

“She make a fine little slave, and she’ll spread her legs for anyone who has the coin to pay for her charms,”

came an almost instantly reply. Caira couldn’t even make out which filthy villain it had come from. She felt herself falling from the unexpected shove but before she hit the ground a of hand caught her elbow. A small yelp escaped her lips at the jolt of pain felt in her muscle from the break in momentum of her fall. The man who caught her quickly slid his other hand down the V of her neck to firmly grasp one of her small breasts. She gasped at the forward intrusion and the reality of her new future was quickly setting in.

“Oy! Don’ keep ‘er all tuh yerself!”

Another gravelly voice ripped from the crowd and she felt hands grip her waist. The hand on her arm remained where it was but she was pulled backwards, her body stretching between the two assailants. The groping of her breast continued and another hand reached in to rip her dress from her shoulder. She heard fabric tear and would have tried to cover herself with her free hand, but at that moment a hand came snaking up her dress. If the hand on her breast had been a shock, this left her horror stricken. She grabbed at her virginal mound to protect herself. Fat, course fingers poked stubbornly through her delicate ones, feeling through the twine of pubic hair, inserting themselves just enough to make her whimper, not in pain, but fear.

And suddenly, she was released. Shouts and curses rang out and she fell prone on the ground. Before she could push herself up there was a thud next to her and a pair of vacant blue eyes stared lifelessly past her. She recoiled as more men screamed and fell around her. Blood flew, staining her white dress. Hope was kindled in her heart once again. Had the royal guard prevailed? As quickly as everything had turned to chaos, it ended.

She picked herself up off the ground and surveyed the scene. All those menacing men, dead. Their leader was nearly split in two. Never in her life had she seen such horror. Where she expected to see elven knights ready to tend to their wounds and find refuge, instead there was a singular, hulking knight. He was no elf, that was certain. His body was easily twice as wide as any on her guard and though tough to tell on horseback, he would tower over them as well. Before she was could process any more, he held out a hand to her. She took a step forward, but hesitated. Her eyes darted to the woods. She had just been rescued, but her stomach sank with foreboding. Just how had this knight been here, at just the right place and just the right time? A second passed. She heard shouts, closer now than the echos they were before. They were not elven voices. She knew her fate if she did not accept. With a shaky breath, she extended her delicate hand and flew through the air almost immediately.

He tossed her carelessly atop his mount, nearly laid out on his lap. Only hours before she could say she’d never been treated as such in her life, but then…She squeezed her eyes and brushed those thoughts aside. She attempted to right herself, though it felt as if his arms were made of the same iron his armor was. If he would not relent, she at least tried straining her neck to see where they were headed.

 

[cgraven]

Caira lay across the bow of the knight Errant’s saddle’s pummel, as his mount gallop away from the scene of battle he could not help but notice how Caira’s pert little derrière seductively bounced up and down in a most delightful way. They road for what must have seemed like an eternity to the young Elfin princess, as her draped position over the bow of his saddle left something to be desired.

The Knight did not stop until late afternoon when he pulled rein, it seem the man never tiered. He gave the you Elvin princess a firm swat on her delicious derrière. “Get down we camp here.” He let Caira slid down from the bow of his saddle. He bodice was ripped from her struggle with the freebooters, her right breast was bared to his view. He swung down from his saddle and for the first time Caira saw that he truly was not only broad in the shoulders but tall, not quite six foot. His armor was scared and dented his shield carried no heraldic device. He gave the appearance of a solid block.

“Gather firewood girl!” his voice was muffled behind his helm’s visor and it had a guttural quality to boot. He lifted his visor and pulled off his gauntlets. Caira was face to face with her people’s sworn enemy an Orc. His skin had a greenish yellow tinge, his eyes a slight slant, and two upward curving tusks.

 

[SummerStar]

For hours and hours they rode. The petite young elf had stamina to spare when it came to riding, but this neared torture. Her torso ached from the strain of the position and the constant bumping and rubbing against fur and saddle. Her fair skin was red from friction and already a faint blue where the pummel dug into her, the knot she felt in her muscle promised that was only the beginning of the display.

She was proud, but could not stop the shudder of relief as the hoofbeats stopped. She picked her head up once more to try and see where they had traveled to. The movement was met with a sharp slap on the small curve of her behind. She stifled a surprised yelp that came out as a quiet squeak. Instructions were barked at her and she followed them. Considering the fatigue and shock and pain she felt, she was not sure her legs would hold her up, but her feet were stead on the ground. So many other things weighed on her in the moment, she hadn’t even realized she was baring her breast to him, until the swish of air the accompanied him dropping from his mount teased her pale pink nipple. Instantly, a similar rose color flushed her cheeks and she pulled the torn cotton back over her shoulder. If she had one thing to be thankful for, it was that thus far, though devoid of manners, he did not seem to have the same intentions as the humans that had planned the ambush.

Another set of orders came from the hulking figure. She was still entirely uncertain of his plan or her place, but she was in no position to argue. She bowed her head, ever so slightly, stopping with her chin down as he removed his helm. Had she not been groomed so well for her diplomatic role, her reaction might have been different, but one would need to be fine tuned to notice anything at all. Her jaw set, and her next inhale was possibly a bit deeper than the last, and every last one of her muscles involuntarily tensed, but she continued to dip her head, to finish her bow to his command. She could not count the kin she had lost to the bloody and blind war their races waged against each other. From her cradle she was taught they were the enemy. They were heartless - hellbent on destroying everyone and everything that wasn’t like them. Evil incarnate, they were said to be. And compared to the stories, perhaps this warrior was a savior. Whatever his plans for her, acting on an ancient feud served no purpose at this time.

“Caira, if it makes a difference,” she said softly before starting to scout the ground for kindling and branches to beginning where she stood and circling slowly outward. The task required little focus and she kept her awareness on the hulking figure that currently held her fate in her hands. Her mind raced. She wasn’t sure how far he would let her get from their camp, what his plan was for keeping her under his control while they slept, and how she could find and seize an opportunity to escape. But until she knew it was right, cooperation was her plan.

 

[cgraven]

It was obvious that when Caira slid from the bow of the knight’s saddle that she could barely stand. The young Elvin princess seemed unaware of the fact that her right breast and her pale pink rose bud nipple were sensual displayed to the knight until he dismounted. The girl moved to cover her naked breast with the tattered remains of her bodice. When the knight removed his helm, his identity as an Orc was revealed the nature of Caira situation changed greatly and it possessed the question was this knight her savior or her captor.

His command to gather firewood had been gruff as if he was taking to a servant. She proclaimed that her name was Caira. She kept her eyes demurely lowered as if she was a servant in the presence of her betters. Searching the ground for kindling and branches, beginning where she stood and circling slowly outward. It was time he put the princess’ charade to an end. “Your highness I would not go to far, this is not one of you Elven glades. There are men and creatures that would make you a tasty treat.”

“Smash” he pounded his chest. He pointed to the young girl. “Caira, princess Royal of the Elfin realms.” It was obvious that this creature knew exactly who she was, he might even know what her mission was. It must have occurred to Caira that the Orcs would be the only ones to profit from her mission to the humans. Then why save her from the freebooters. Those questions could but plague her during the meager meal he provided to them, a grease meat in a disgusting sauce. After what had passed for refreshment Smash quickly bound Caira hands behind her back and a rope around her slender neck. Like the freebooters before him he ripped Caira’s bodice again baring this time both her breasts to him.
‘Humph you shall make me a silver piece or two, perhaps even a gold piece if I decide to sell you or keep you as my slave.” He made this announcement as if it was the most natural thing that he should sell the young Elvin Princess or keep her as a slave. “Come hear and sleep by me to keep me warm.” It appeared that Caira had gone from the frying pan and into the fire. There could be no doubt as to her fate if sold or if this creature kept her as his slave.

 

[SummerStar]

‘Your Highness’ he said before violently introducing himself. So he knew exactly who she was. Again, she could only wonder exactly why he had come to her “rescue” and how both her and the freebooters knew when and where to strike. The more information she could glean, the better her kingdom could react, under the assumption she made it back of course. She heeded his warning and brought back to him what she had gathered, though couldn’t help to think to herself the irony him warning her of the dangers that lie outside their campsite. Given the choice between her current circumstance and what lay beyond…she would take her chances. All of this, she kept to herself. Sass would get her no where. The question was…what could she do to change her circumstance?

She considered her meal a moment before taking it in her hand and consuming it in a few large bites. The Orc was probably waiting for her to turn up her nose or pick daintily at it, but she would not perpetuate the notions he likely held of her and her kind. The Elves thought the Orcs to be bloodthirsty and savage. The Orcs thought the Elves to be pompous and weak. Feuds to not end unless perceptions change. Perhaps if she could show him there was more to her kind than what he held in his head, her fate might not be as bleak as she currently feared.

The Orc gave her a once over as she ate but gave no reaction. As soon as they had finished eating he grabbed her suddenly and started to bind her hands, then neck with rope. She did not struggle against him, though a few small, choked out squeaks of discomfort escaped her as the rope bit her skin when he secured each knot. After he was satisfied with her bounds he ripped the material of her dress, this time leaving no shreds of fabric remaining for her try and make herself decent. His eyes assessed her pale, soft body once more and she dropped her eyes to the ground. This type of thing was not in her diplomacy lessons. A pale pink blossomed under her skin as the shame brought heat to her face. He assessed her worth then commanded her to keep him warm for the night. She did not hesitate to go to him and lie down in the dirt next to him, though decided now, to take a chance. She spoke in a soft and reverent tone.

“Surely you must know that if you return me to my kingdom, your reward will be well beyond a gold piece or two. I would tell them of the Orc Knight that slayed my would be captors and let no harm come to me.”

 

[cgraven]

“Humph you shall make me a silver piece or two, perhaps even a gold piece if I decide to sell you or keep you as my slave.” He made this announcement as if it was the most natural thing that he should sell the young Elvin Princess or keep her as a slave. His eyes boldly roamed over Caira’s supple young body and the perfection of her bared breasts. “Come here and sleep by me to keep me warm.”

Caira retorted, “Surely you must know that if you return me to my kingdom, your reward will be well beyond a gold piece or two.” It was apparent that the young Elfin princess considered Smash as nothing but a slow witted oaf of an orc whose natural greed could be played to her advantage. She did not press him but came to his side to warm him as he slept. Caira continued in her effort to manipulate Smash, “ I would tell them of the Orc Knight that slayed my would be captors and let no harm come to me.”

As The young Elfin Princess attempted to manipulate Smash as she lay by his side, his massive had slid up her shapely leg and under the helm of her skirt. He traced idle little patterns on her lily white inner thigh. “Your supple young body offers pleasure a man could well enjoy. As he spoke his fingers slid higher and higher of Caira’s thigh until they brushed her maidens treasure. “A pleasure worth more than gold my proud young beauty.” His finger slid along the moist pink folds of Caira’s labia, to dip within the young girl’s chaste young body to tease and coax the hooded guardian of her chastity from it hooded hiding place.

“Have you lain with any one yet?” Smash slowly worked his finger in and out of her chaste young body. “Do not lie to me girl for I shall know if you do.” To seduce this proud young Elfin Princess appealed to his dark nature, as well as having her as his personal sex slave.