A Bastard and His Bitch

Author's Note: Readers be warned that this tale is a gradual development of the main character and leads a romance in the ethereal and real worlds. Sex enhances the flavor of the story. It goes without saying that if you have not read the previous chapters, you should before starting this installment. Please sit back and enjoy the telling of this tale of Ciara and her lover, Amal.

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The ominous blackness of the new moon was shredded by searing, jagged lightning streaks and shattered by the ear-shattering roar of thunder that instantly followed. The mountains below trembled in awe and fear while the waters of the rivers and lakes roiled violently as the unleashed wind mercilessly gusted and viciously swirled. Terrified beasts howled in utter dread as their winged counterparts took to blind flight desperately seeking escape.

The ice men of the five clans cowered in their domed tents in huddled families. The shaman of each clan cast the oracle bones and cried out at the ominous reading. Moments later a great wail of despair was heard as the recast bones foretold the same divination - a momentous event...something...or someone...a change in the world as they knew it.

"Arrgh, Goddess of Heaven and Earth!" cried Rena through clenched teeth as the pangs of child birthing ripped cruelly through her spasming distended stomach. Beads of sweat dripped from her face and drenched the thin birthing gown that clung to her writhing body.

Rena lay with her back on a slanted narrow, inverted Y-shaped table that she had devised with the input of Ruth, the midwife. Her bent legs were spread apart with her feet pushing on wooden blocks at the end of each arm. At the other end of the strange table, she pulled upon cloth straps that were fastened to embedded rings on either side of her head.

Her sister-in-law, Mary, was the first to test it and promptly delivered to Owen's surprise and delight not one but two babies...a boy named Connell ("strong wolf" like his father)...and a girl named Hilda ("battle maiden" like her mother). "Come on, you silly weak bitch, push!" taunted Mary to spur on Rena. "I popped out two brats...and you are struggling to let go of only one! Hurry! My babies are clamoring out for my swollen tits...and my poor little brother is consumed with fretting. Push, damn it!"

Bracing herself, Rena issued a guttural grunt while sliding into a quasi-squat. As her buttocks slipped into the table split and caused her hairless sex to be spread wide. "I can see the baby's head, milady!" cried Ruth the midwife who sat between Rena's spread legs. "Bear down...harder...take a deep breath and then push with all your might! Do it! Almost out! More...for the love of all things holy...push!"

"Goddess damn Liam!" groaned Rena as gut-wrenching pangs of labor consumed her. "He...and that big cock of his...yes...that is right! He should have known better...than to listen to me. He is supposed to be the voice of reason...to deny my lewd carnal demands. But no! He gives into me...and ruts with me...like a bull taking his heifer... hard and fast...the way I like...

"It is Liam's fault for obscenely exciting me! He should have known that once he started shooting his seed in my twitching womb...it would be more than I could take...and force me to climax...what a glorious eye-opening orgasm...triggering my labor! Damn that Liam!"

"Almost there!" cried Mary, rudely interrupting Rena's husband-cursing. "Push with all of your might, princess!" And Rena did and suddenly felt moments later a strange 'releasing' of her lower belly and then to her utter relief, the blessed cry of her newborn baby

"It is a...girl, milady," yelled an elated Ruth, "as foretold! She who will give birth to a new world..." With that uttered declaration, the heavens ominously roared with a tumultuous heavenly cacophony.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"She has your eyes, my beloved. See how they glow amber with pleasure, and how can our little Ciara not be while voraciously sucking on your fat distended nipple..."

"Ha, you horndog...our daughter reminds me of you...given how she sucks on my teat. She suckles my mother's milk... and has me on the verge of climaxing and seeing stars. Oooh this nasty little one. Hmmph!

Then addressing her nursing newborn, Rena cooed, "Do you see, little one, this big handsome brute of a man looking at you? He is your perverted sire...who is always taking advantage of your poor innocent mother. The moment you have sated yourself at my tit, been burped, and placed in your crib to sleep, your loving but always randy father will have his way with me...stripping me naked...draining my untouched engorged breast... and the one you are latched on to for any leftover milk.

"Then, your beast of a sire will force...yes, he will...your mother to suck on that big piece of man-meat poking up from his crotch. Yes, that fleshy big sword of his that made you. Your poor mother will be forced to milk him dry. Yes, I will! And he will...say that his discharge will restore my vitality! Ha!

"So, watch from your crib and learn, little one, for it is how women of the East learn the ways of men and how to pleasure them...and themselves. That is how my mother learned...how I learned...and how you will learn. You will one day put such knowledge and skills to good use...when you meet the one you are destined to meet. And it is how you will make him yours...and fulfill your destiny. Now, drink, Ciara, drink..."

At this urging, Ciara focused her gaze on Rena while latched on her mother's fat nipple. For some strange reason, Rena saw her daughter's hazel eyes glow warmly as if in understanding and total agreement.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the years to follow, the first steps that would shape Ciara's path were taken. Owen had been recalled to the capital. As a reward for his distinguished military service, the title of Earl of the Northern Reaches which included his former fort, was bestowed on him. Mary and her twins went with him, much to the delight of Sir Cedric who now had grandchildren to bless his senior years. Liam was appointed to the commander's position in lieu of Owen, and Ciara became the titular head of the women's archer contingent.

Given the inclusion of fifteen women archers to the fort at a ratio of one woman to three men, nearly all had found mates among the male defenders, and the subsequent pairing and pregnancies made for the special birthing table being often used. For the few who did not, they were extremely popular among the remaining males.

Because of the unexpected marriages and subsequent births, the once-outpost developed into a permanent garrison with family-living quarters being built outside and adjacent to the rear gate that face the principality. Slowly but surely others were drawn to the fort as it was now called, and soon the presence of a tavern, blacksmith, shops, and other crafts helped create a permanent village.

Because their homes were outside of the fort, the children did not often venture into or play in the fort itself. When they were old enough, weapons training was required of them on the developed training grounds adjacent to the fort. The girls were schooled in archery and long spear, whereas the boys were trained in throwing the javelin and using sword and shield. For those living on the edge of the Frigid Lands, ice men raids and clan attacks could occur at any moment. At such moments, the children would be pressed to help their parents and defend the fort and ultimately themselves.

Ciara, however, received additional special individualized training in the weapons and warfare ways of the East from her mother as passed down from generation to generation of women in her family. Rena was amazed at how quickly and adeptly her five-year-old daughter had mastered her gifted long knife with deadly cunning and skill. By the time she was ten, Ciara could shoot arrows from her short bow with agility and deadly accuracy while on horseback or afoot, and could wield a saber with innate adroitness and ferocity in the sword fighting style of the East.

Yet, while Ciara's impressive fighting skills set her apart from other children her age, it was her eyes, the windows to her soul, that really distinguished her. Like her mother and grandmother, her expressive hazel eyes from the moment of birth conveyed her moods and most basic desires. However, as Ciara developed into an unusually precocious girl, her eyes could capture and hold... almost command...another's attention. This uniqueness was further enhanced by an almost 'otherworld' quality about Ciara's hazel eyes...as if she was 'seeing' things that others did not.

With straight black hair and ivory-toned skin, Ciara had a petite and slender stature more akin to her grandmother, Belinda, than her mother who took after her father's physical characteristics. Ciara was the epitome of her name's meaning - "little dark one."

As she grew, she amply demonstrated that her name meant more than just physical appearance. This manifested itself when as a girl, she would often take a break from her mother's rigorous military training to roam the battlefield across the shallow river. There Ciara could be seen wandering the desolate area especially that of the bone walls.

At first, some thought that maybe the dark little one was curious as to the battlefield and its historical significance. Yet, Ciara asked no questions about previous battles but eerily could speak of long-forgotten conflicts in such detail that one would think that she had been there during the battles well before her time.

A few who watched her from the ramparts thought that perhaps their little dark princess might be...well, a bit daft...as they watched her pick up objects, take them to the river, and then place them in one of five piles she had made. Yet, Ciara's sparkling nature, charming personality, intelligent responses, and ability to relate to anyone dispelled such thoughts.

Then one night after dinner, Liam was cleaning a two-handed ice man sword that was his prized war trophy. The wide blade was inscribed with mysterious runes that none of the defenders could decipher until Ciara laid eyes on it and said as a matter of fact, "That is Ragnok's 'Body Cleaver'...he was the chieftain of the Red Bear clan.

When her shocked parents asked how she knew this, Ciara pointed to the runes and spoke in the tongue of the ice men before saying, "It says so right there.

"You can read and speak the language of the ice men? How? Who taught you?" asked a surprised Liam.

"Why, they did," was Ciara's response as if she thought her father's question was silly.

"Who are they?" pressed a perplexed Rena.

With a sigh of resignation at having to explain further, Ciara said simply, "The spirits of the dead ice men who died on the battlefield across the river...they have taught me to speak and read their language among other things. As for this sword, Ragnok told me that you took it for yours when you slew him after he managed to scale the rampart."

"Are there are of the dead about us?" Liam asked as a shiver shot up his spine and he furtively looked about.

"No, not here. They cannot cross the running water of the river to visit, but they can call out to me...begging me to listen to their pleas. I have heard them from the time I was born...but elected not to cross the river to meet them until I was...prepared...strong in body and resolve...skilled at combat...and able to carry and wield the enchanted long knife gifted to me by my wise great-grandmother.

"While living, they feared you, mother," Ciara said calmly as she looked at Rena, "But...in death, they fear me even more. I can help them find their way back to their clan and loved ones...to be given the proper rites...and to rest in peace...until born again. Or I can, if displeased, doom them to eternal wandering...mourned by none...remembered by none."

Reflecting momentarily, Ciara then partially unsheathed her long knife, saying, "And for those few bitter, twisted, and vengeful spirits such as the head shaman who first died on grandmother's arrow in the Battle of the Pass...well...he sought to attack and possess me...only to die...a second time...screaming...begging...as he was bound and absorbed by the kiss of the freezing cold enchanted metal of my long knife which I call 'Soul Taker.'"

While her daughter could see, interact with, and even kill again the spirits of the dead shocked Rena, what bothered her the most was just how nonchalant Ciara was about her 'gift'...taking it for granted as one would take breathing.

Then gazing at her flabbergasted father, Ciara said before her mother could interrupt her, "I know how to achieve peace between the ice men and the people of the North." Seeing the stunned looks yet avid attention of her parents, she continued, "It will, however, both sides must trust, let go of past animosity, and be open to forming a mutually beneficial relationship between the two people.

"It will start by returning to the clans, the skulls of their fallen. Towards this end, I have gathered the skulls found in the bone walls and elsewhere on the battlefield... cleansed them in running water...and separated them by the five clans. How? The skulls 'told' me where they could be found...their names...and to which clan they belonged.

"My next step would be to 'reach out' to the shamans of the five clans. How? Well...it would be best if I could travel to the Frigid Lands and meet with the shamans' council face-to-face...but, my father along with my grandfather and his brother, the King would probably not permit this.

"So, I must reach them through the dream world. I have never attempted to do so...and am concerned about the unknowns...who...or what...I might meet when traveling in the nether realm...but it is necessary. I will ask the five shamans to gather and meet me at the entrance of the battlefield and conduct them through the bone walls to the skull piles. I will offer to point out which pile belongs to which clan and even go so far as to identify each skull owner if asked.

"In return for allowing them to retrieve the skulls of their clansmen, I will ask that they argue for a treaty with the North. The North will give the ice men what they need the most...food...to survive the harsh winter. In exchange, the ice men will provide skins and raw metal ores which they have of plenty. If this beneficial partnership comes to pass, there will be no need for conflicts and unnecessary deaths.

"Oh, and I need to be fitted with armor...red of course. Yes, I know that a small eleven-year-old girl in armor may seem a bit ridiculous, but it is necessary. The shamans must see...and believe... that my lineage is that of their feared Red Demon Goddess...or as Ragnok spat out when he first learned of whom I was...'the spawn of the bitch-witch.' So, what say you, father and mother?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The clan chieftains and their shamans were met by Prince Duncan, Liam as the commander of the fort, and the three Red Demon Goddesses - Belinda, Rena, and Ciara. The sight of her fully-armed grandmother and mother brought instant fear to the men of the Frigid Lands; however, it was the petite red-armor-clad Ciara who carried only her enchanted long blade at her side that drew and held their attention.

Striding casually towards the ice men group, Ciara removed her small helmet to let all before her clearly see her glowing hazel eyes. Bowing slightly, she lifted her pretty face and in the language of the ice men said, "Well met honored leaders and wise advisors of the Frigid Lands. Today we sign no paper treaty, but pledge by all that we hold true and holy to abide by and live in peace.

"We will enter into a mutually beneficial cooperation that will replace needless war and death. On the full moon after the Harvest Moon, let us again meet here to exchange grain and other food items for hides and metal ore." Then gazing at the five leaders before her, she let her captivating eyes look deeply into theirs before asking, "Does this arrangement meet with your approval?"

When the chieftains pledged their agreement, Ciara took out her knife and nicked her left thumb so that it bled. "Come then, bind our words with a blood bond." The leaders of the ice men understood the solemnity of this oath and without hesitation, cut their thumbs to press it against that of the youngest Red Demon Goddess.

"As a token of our pact, take these tapped barrels of a specially brewed mead from my grandfather's brother, King Godfrey." Then taking a small cup that dangled from her hip, Ciara drew and drank a wee dram from each barrel before saying, "The King's mead is a heady brew made from fermented honey, pure water, fruits, and herbs. Around your clan fire, drink to the blood oath you gave today, and hope never to break it for I will be forced to haunt your dreams."

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Over the course of the next seven years, Ciara oversaw the trading agreement she had founded. Determining what was a "fair trade" proved daunting...how many sacks of grain were worth piles of metal ore and raw hides? This led to many meetings and disagreements; yet, both sides were committed to peace that would be based on trade. In large part, this was due to Ciara who while dwarfed by those of both sides, fairly but with an iron-fist mediated disputes and administered justice to both sides.

Ciara convinced the ice men clans that it was to their advantage to trade in "semi-processed" materials. Instead of using their existing furnaces to make weapons, they could produce bricks of smelted iron, copper, and lead which would be easier to transport and fetch a higher price. Discovered ores of gold and silver and uncut gemstones were an added bartering source. Salted-preserved hides, especially those of the wooly mammoth hunted by the ice men and unknown elsewhere, brought better deals as did its ivory tusks and teeth.

Besides raw grains, Ciara had the men of the North offer milled flour, cheese, beans, dried fruit, and preserved vegetables that could be readily used during the winter. Bolts of sturdy cloth fabric and kegs of brewed spirits were always in demand by the clan leaders.

The fort became a bustling trading center between the North and the Frigid Lands. While there were those on both sides who sought to cheat, Ciara discouraged such practices with standard sizing of traded commodities, quality checks, and swift and harsh penalties for swindlers on both sides. Under her watchful eye, the two former enemies became invaluable trading partners.

Yet, despite her success, Ciara knew that this was but a way-stop along her road of destiny. This awareness began with the onset of her feminine bleed that marked her passage into womanhood. She found herself wandering the dream world more and more in search of something...or someone.

And then Ciara found him...or rather his presence...a masculine voice...kind and pleasant...at first friendly...morphing into that of a companion and then good confidant...and then more. She found herself longing to reunite with her now ethereal interest and longing got his pleasant words, gentle touches, and soft kisses. Upon turning eighteen, Ciara's dream trysts had become seductively addictive... passion permeated...sometimes pleasant... sometimes disturbing...whether visiting or being visited...but only lingering vague but intriguing memories upon awakening.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After years of the successful exchange of goods and the cessation of hostilities, a royal courier arrived saying that the King had summoned Ciara to present herself at his court for the Winter Solstice celebration. The event would host dignitaries from the Kingdom of the South and for the first time, a delegation from the West would be present since a fragile truce had been declared.

Rena, Ciara's mother, immediately was suspicious of her uncle's motive in summoning her daughter. Recalling her youthful fears when she had been her daughter's age of being involuntarily made part of the King's scheming to achieve a diplomatic treaty with the West, she informed the herald that while Liam had to remain on post, she and her parents, especially her mother, would "accompany" her now eighteen-year-old daughter when responding to the King's command.