Serving the Amazons

Anteros woke in Lien's bed. He rarely slept in a bed. When he did he slept alone. Usually a mat on the floor was all it took to allow him to sleep comfortably. He'd slept soundly and only woke now because of Lien's intimate touch. He woke with an erection as he almost always did. The difference this morning was that Lien's hand was grasping it.

"Good morning, Anteros. It is time for your next lesson," she said.

"Good morning, Mistress Lien," he replied.

"Do you always wake with an erection?" she asked.

"Not always, but most days I do," Anteros answered.

"Good. That is a sign of good health. As long as you have an erection and a willing woman in bed with you, perhaps you should put it to good use," she suggested.

Lien climbed on top of his body and kissed him. Anteros put his arms around her and returned her kiss. His hands wandered down to her bottom, which felt so soft and yet firm at the same time. Anteros resolved to inspect her bottom if given the chance. He wanted to see how it could feel this way, but right now he was only interested in touching Lien and dousing the fire burning in his loins.

Lien rolled off of him and said, "Anteros, pleasure me with your mouth. Start at my head and kiss my body the way I kissed yours last night."

Anteros started kissing her on the forehead and kissed his way down her face and throat to her bosom. He squeezed each breast in his hands as he sucked her nipples. He then kissed his way to her belly, which he found very appealing. Lien's flat stomach was something he hadn't had a chance to explore yesterday and he found it very erotic.

Lien was guiding him by touching her fingers to her body where she wanted to be kissed. Anteros kissed her left hip bone then kissed his way across her pubic mound and up again to her opposite hip bone. Lien slowly ran her finger from her navel to the cleft between her legs. Anteros interpreted this motion correctly and kissed her navel and then slowly kissed and licked his way down until he was between her legs. Lien spread her legs wide and closed her eyes.

"You've been doing just fine, Anteros. Now I'm going to relax and see what you remember of your lesson last night. If you make me climax, I will make you climax. Now let's see what you can do," Lien said.

Anteros used his lips, tongue and finger tips to tease Lien's outer labia. He gently spread her lips apart with his fingers and looked inside. This wasn't something she'd taught him. He was improvising now. She didn't express any displeasure so he continued. Holding her labia apart with his fingers he gently and slowly put his tongue inside her. He licked from the bottom of her pink treasure to the top. Lien moaned her approval.

Anteros licked a little faster. He tried using the tip of his tongue and also the flat top. Lien grasped his head in both hands and pulled his mouth to her clitoris. She moaned again when he started concentrating on the tender nub.

"Faster, Anteros. What you are doing is wonderful, but do it faster," she insisted.

Anteros did as he was told. Lien's juices were flowing freely and Anteros' penis was as hard as iron. Lien pulled his head into her sex hard as she climaxed.

"Well done, Anteros," said Lien. "Now move up here and put your penis in my mouth.

Anteros moved up near her head. Lien rolled on her side and took his erection in her mouth. She had to use on arm to support her own body, but the opposite hand was cradling and squeezing his testicles. Anteros was fighting off an orgasm within a minute. Lien pulled his testicles down and released his penis from her mouth.

"Not yet, Anteros. I want that big penis inside of me. Now climb on top of me and put it in slowly," she instructed.

He had enough sense to support his upper body with his arms. He had to be twice her weight and he didn't want to crush her. He was awkwardly trying to insert his penis into her without the aid of his hands. Lien was anxious to feel him inside of her and grasped his penis in her hand and guided it in.

Anteros pushed it in hilt deep and just stayed there. Just one slow thrust and he already felt like he was ready to ejaculate.

"Don't just stay there. Move your penis in and out of me. Don't withdraw it fully, but keep moving," she instructed.

"I am already close to ejaculating, Mistress," he said.

"Nonsense. You have the power to control your ejaculations and you've only been inside of me a few seconds. You couldn't possibly be ready to climax yet. Now do as you are told," she insisted.

Anteros started slowly moving his hips. Lien reached around him and squeezed the powerful muscles of his back and buttocks. Controlling a man excited her. Controlling a large and strong man excited her even more.

"Move faster, Anteros. I want our loins to slap together when you thrust in," ordered Lien.

Anteros slowly withdrew but quickly thrust inward, causing the slapping sound she desired. The only problem was that it also caused his testicles to slap against her and that excited him even more. He didn't know how long he could keep this up.

"Move out faster too, Anteros."

Anteros did as he was told. His penis, testicles, in fact his whole midsection ached with the pain of his suppressed orgasm. He slapped into Lien over and over.

"I'm going to ejaculate if I don't stop, Mistress!"

"No! Don't stop and don't climax until I do. You'll know when. Keep pumping, Anteros! Don't stop and don't you dare climax too soon and ruin this for me!"

Anteros strained and the tensed muscles of his arms, neck, chest and jaw excited Lien.

She wailed as she climaxed. Anteros continued to hold his back with a Herculean effort. She wanted him to climax with her, not wait for her to finish so she told him so.

"Now, Anteros! Release your seed now!" she shouted.

Anteros groaned loudly as he released the incredible physical tension inside him. Semen gushed from his penis and his penis tried to pump more out for a full minute after there was nothing more to be released.

Lien was smiling broadly at him. "You did very well, Anteros. You are going to be an exceptional student!" she declared. "Now it is time for you to leave me. Go have a bath and some breakfast. Then it will be time for your classes. As much as I'd like you to, you can't spend the day with me. You will return tonight because until I am finished training you, this is your home."

Anteros bathed then went to his room to dress. His clothing was clean and laid out for him. Phoebe joined him for breakfast and told him he was to report to his normal class today. He was to take his armor and weapons and meet Mistress Diana in the library. He was to ask for her at the front desk.

It puzzled him. Why was he bringing weapons to the library? The city guards always carried their weapons. Weapons were a common sight in the hands of ordinary citizens since everyone was expected to train several times a week and they had to carry them to the practice fields. Anteros spent many hours in the library and rarely saw a weapon there, but he would carry his weapons and armor as he was told.

When he arrived he asked a woman at the desk where he could find Mistress Diana and she directed him to a small room at one end of the hall. Anteros walked in and saw the tall, athletic, Diana standing and talking to the seated Lorissa. Lorissa's crutches leaned against the wall next to her and her injured leg was propped up on the top of a table.

There were three other young women in the room, all from Ninsala's class. There was also an older woman he didn't recognize.

Anteros' attention immediately went back to Diana, with her flaming red hair, blue eyes and fair skin. Were it not for the muscle he could see in her limbs, he would not have suspected that she was an accomplished warrior. It was said that Diana could release an arrow at a target 200 paces away and have 2 more in the air before the first one struck the center. Anteros had never seen anyone that could use a bow that quickly with accuracy but he'd heard the story from more than one that claimed they'd actually seen it.

Diana and Lorissa were both wearing leather skirts that went down to mid-thigh. Their blouses, also made of soft, brown leather, closely followed the shape of their narrow waists, and flared out to support their breasts. Their clothing was not only functional, but also quite flattering to a woman's figure. It was especially appealing to see Lorissa's bare leg on the desk. This caused her skirt to ride up near the top of her thigh.

Anteros quickly snapped to his senses, realizing that the last time he stared and Lorissa's legs, he was soon sent sprawling on the ground. He averted his eyes from Lorissa and looked at Diana's face.

"Good day, Mistress Diana," he said with a nod of his head.

"Good day, Anteros. I've been expecting you. Have a seat and we'll get started," she said.

Anteros sat down near Lorissa, looked over at her, winked and smiled. Lorissa returned his smile. Anteros would like to speak to her, but he and Lorissa both knew better than to test Diana's patience. Her temper was nearly as well known as her prowess with a bow.

"You are now my pupils, Amazons," announced Diana. "Ninsala is a fine teacher but a bit too easy on you to suit me. Now your real education begins. There will be no nonsense when you train with me. As of today you are not warriors in training, you are warriors. You may be called on to fight for our people at any time. It is serious business and I expect you to treat it as such. Do you have any questions?"

No one spoke a word.

Diana continued. "You have all learned to speak, read and write our language and also the language of Atlantis."

Since Atlantis was the richest and most powerful nation, their language was the language of commerce. With hundreds of languages in the world, one couldn't learn them all. The language of Atlantis was known by nearly all educated people.

"You've learned about history, art, politics, and something about our neighbors as well. You all have a good education," said Diana. "Now it is time to stop studying everything and start studying one thing, the way of the Amazon warrior. This is the vocation that you have chosen and proved your ability in, but you still have much to learn. You can all handle a sword, bow, spear and staff, but you know nothing of tactics. You've all mastered a wooden sword, but now you must master an iron sword. An iron sword requires care that a wooden sword does not. Mistress Tiana is a master of tactics and will teach you everything you need to know. It will take weeks, but learn well because your lives will depend on it. Notice I didn't say 'may depend on it'. Your lives WILL depend on how well you learn tactics no matter how skilled you are with weapons. She will also teach you how to care for you new swords. I will inspect them when it suits me. Woe to you if I find a dull edge or a spot of rust. Do I make myself clear?"

Five voices rang out in unison, "Yes, Mistress!" exactly as Ninsala had trained them to do.

"Good. Now I leave you to Tiana. I will see all of you at midday on the south practice field." With that, she turned and walked briskly out of the room.

Despite Diana's intimidating demeanor, Anteros wondered what it would be like to be in her bed. He wondered this only briefly. He focused on Tiana's as she started to speak. She was probably near 50, tall and athletic looking as most Amazon warriors were. Her dark hair was streaked with gray but she was still an attractive woman. Anteros was just starting to think of her naked but managed to clear the thought from his head. The memory of what Ninsala said to him yesterday returned. He didn't want to be responsible for the death of one of his own people because he was daydreaming in class.

"Most of you don't know me because you don't see me on the practice field. I was once a young warrior like you, but I no longer practice with weapons because I was crippled in battle. I now wear trousers like a man to hide the scars on legs. Although I can't fight myself, my mind is still sharp and I can teach you about tactics," said Tiana.

Tiana was an exceptional teacher and storyteller. She wove her considerable experience as a warrior with her stories to teach lessons that were as entertaining as valuable.

She spent twenty years as an elite Amazon warrior. One day an enemy struck her across both legs with a sword. She was cut deeply but survived. The scars in her muscles made her legs weak. She could walk, but she would never run again.

In Amazon society everyone was useful. If you couldn't perform the task you were trained to do, another was found that you could do. Tiana's new profession was that of teacher and she enjoyed it. She would have preferred to become a teacher because she was too old to fight anymore, but this is what the fates gave her and she made the most of it.

Tiana spent some time teaching her new students how to care for their new swords. They were prone to rust, so a light coating of oil was to be on them at all times. They should be kept clean, cleaned every day if necessary. The leather grips should be treated with a resin that protected the leather and made the grip feel tacky. She showed them how to keep the edges sharp without wearing the metal away too rapidly. This was the easiest part of the lesson. It was also the least entertaining.

The students were mesmerized by her stories. They barely realized that they were learning as she spoke, but they were learning a great deal. The lessons she taught them were based on real battles so the lessons learned really were examples of tactics determining life or death.

"Now I will tell you what others say about the Amazons. Some say that we kill our male children. You all know that this isn't true. Don't we, Anteros?" she asked. He thought he saw the hint of a smile on her face.

"Some also say that we give no quarter in battle and that IS true," Tiana confirmed. "We live in a world where many evil men take whatever they want by force. We have few men among us so the women must fight. Women are not as strong as men. We aren't as large as men. We do what we must do to survive as free women. We train harder than any of our enemies and when we must fight, we fight savagely. We don't take prisoners and we don't allow any of our enemies to survive, even if they flee. We don't allow ourselves to be taken prisoner. This would only lead to rape, slavery, and possibly other torture."

As Ninsala's students, they'd not heard the hard, cold facts about war. They simply practiced combat techniques and kept fit. But this was something they needed to learn. Tiana would do her best to prepare them for what they would see in battle. Hearing about it was nothing compared to the first time you saw a man or woman bleeding to death. There were no words that could compare to the real horrors of war.

"There is one exception to our rule about allowing survivors. If we win a battle so quickly and decisively that we appear to be unbeatable, we sometimes leave one survivor so they can tell others what they've seen. The legend of our ferocity serves us well. Intimidation is a large factor to determining the winner of a battle. If we can sufficiently intimidate an opponent the battle may be avoided. They and we may live another day. That is the best possible outcome."

Anteros was speechless as were the other students. They'd never seen a person killed. When they were learning to use weapons, they didn't think much about killing or being killed. Now the thought was planted in their brains. All of the physical training they'd done and all of the training Tiana was giving them now, was to teach them to kill as efficiently as possible.

"You all look like you've been struck in the head," said Tiana. "So you are now realizing that you will kill or be killed. You will kill or watch your companions die. I can tell you from experience that it is better to kill an opponent than to be on the ground bleeding and wondering if you will live through the day. Prepare yourselves for it. You are warriors now."

++++++++++++++++++++

Tiana dismissed them for a meal and then they gathered their belongings and headed for the practice field. The recently injured Lorissa could not join them. Anteros felt terrible about her having to walk on crutches and told her so.

Lorissa said, "When you think about the battles we face, it is possible that you did me a favor, Anteros. You taught me a painful lesson about attacking with anger. I was careless and I was injured. If I were that careless in a real battle, it would have cost me my leg or my life. I should thank you. I'll be okay in a few days."

Anteros was glad that she wasn't angry with him, but he still couldn't help feeling guilty.

When he got to the practice field, Diana was waiting at the edge. There were dozens of warriors already practicing. Not warriors in training, or new warrior like himself, but real warriors with many battles behind them.

Diana paired each of her new students up with an experienced warrior and let them know what they should work on. She assigned a very large man by the name of Xan to Anteros. Anteros was instantly intimidated, not by Xan's size, but by his reputation. He'd never seen Xan before, but he knew of his deeds.

Xan had been a member of the queen's personal guard before she granted him the favor of traveling with the trading parties. Since the queen rarely left the city, there really wasn't much for a royal guard to do. He longed for excitement. He'd actually had the audacity to tell the queen that he wanted to travel and rather than be angry, she granted his request. He would rejoin the queen's guard if she left the city, but he spent most of his time protecting Amazon traders. This allowed him to prove his prowess in battle many times.

Anteros looked at Xan with awe. He was taller than Anteros and heavier too. His arms were the biggest that Anteros had ever seen. His neck was so thick that it appeared that his head were mounted directly onto his shoulders with nothing in between.

"Welcome, Anteros," said Xan with a smile as he extended his hand.

"Thank you, Xan. It is an honor to meet you, Sir," said Anteros as gripped Xan's arm just below the elbow. Xan gripped Anteros' arm in the same fashion. The difference was that his large hand nearly encircled Anteros' arm. Anteros' hand seemed small compared to Xan's massive forearm.

Anteros noticed that Xan was balding and had much darker skin than most people he'd seen. Then he realized that he'd seen several Amazon children with skin a lovely shade of light brown. It made sense. The best warriors were chosen to father children. Xan had been doing his part to improve Amazon blood.

"I've chosen Xan to work with you for a good reason, Anteros," said Diana. "You are very strong and you use that strength to your advantage. That won't work with Xan. If you try to overpower him he will crush you. You must use speed and finesse to defeat him. There is no other way."

Anteros had no doubt that Xan could crush him. He didn't need to take a second look to confirm that.

"Amazon women often face opponents that are larger and stronger than they. Speed, finesse and flawless technique are how we compensate," said Diana. "An Amazon woman can defeat any normal man with a sword or a bow. She can even defeat a skilled soldier if she makes no mistakes. Still, she can't overpower a man. You will be forced to think like a woman and use speed, finesse, trickery or other methods to defeat Xan. Xan possesses excellent speed and great strength. If you can defeat him, you can defeat anyone. A man with your strength, combined with an Amazon woman's technique, will make you a fearsome warrior."

Diana looked at Xan and said with a very serious tone, "Teach him well, Xan. I only ask that you not kill him on his first day."