A mix of blood and sweat drips from my brow and stings my eye. Wiping it away with the back of my hand, I survey the destruction. Men, broken and bleeding litter the ground throughout the village. The fortunate ones have already expired. The others, if grace be with them, will be stumbled upon by my men, who give them the sweet release of death. We have torched more homes than is preferable, so I think this village will not be salvageable for us. I order the men to load up the valuable and useful. They can take what they want, or who they want. The spoils of war, as they say, goes to the victors, and many spoils I have had.
With my men ransacking the remaining structures, I turn my attentions elsewhere. The fight, the struggle, the conquest, they all get my blood pumping. With the battle done, I begin hungering for a different type of conquering. Perhaps there is a decent maiden left in this village for me to bed. That thought chases the fatigue from my body and, rejuvenated, I begin to hunt.
Striding through the village, I feel the heat of the flaming huts upon my skin. The smoke fills my nostrils, mixing with the scents of sweat and blood. My intense brown eyes scan the open space before me, when a sight stops me still. In the middle distance, kneeling on the ground, a creature of breathtaking beauty appears in my vision. Her bright blue eyes searching the chaos frantically for some semblance of peace or safety. The maiden's simple dress has been torn at the right side, exposing the milky white skin of her shoulder and a hint of the perfectly rounded breast contained within. Her long blonde hair, braided on both sides, falls along her neck. Aside from the blood on her dress and smudges of dirt on her cheek, she seems physically unscathed.
The desire within me ignites and I must have her. I see one of my men heading in her direction, so I clear my throat to get his attention. When he turns to me, I simply growl, "Mine." The younger soldier backs away, knowing better than to challenge me on this. I approach the woman, seeing she cannot be more than 20. Given the remoteness of the village, she most likely is still untainted. I smile at the things I can teach this young lady. For, she will be mine. There is nothing she can do to stop that. But how she will be taken, that she can still hope to influence.
As I draw near, my shadow falls upon her, my form eclipsing the conflagration behind me. I stand, shirtless, silhouetted by firelight. The masculine scent of battle comes off me in waves. Peering down at her, I wait for her to acknowledge I am not going to simply pass her by. As she trembles, her head tilts up and those radiant sapphire pools look timidly up at me, filled with fear at what I may have in mind for her. Gazing down at her, the soft delicate structure of her face proclaims the innocence of the life she has led. I like my lips lustfully at the sight of such purity. "And what is your name, my dear?" I ask. "For it would be a shame to claim such a prize without knowing what to call it"
I can see the war raging in her mind. In fact, I can practically her mind saying, "You and your men came at the crack of dawn. My village had no chance against your brute force and violence, let alone your army's skill and numbers. You have been taking land and sacking villages all around the country, so we knew it was only a matter of time before you came. In less than two hours you have killed all that resisted you here in my village." In her eyes though, there is something else, admiration. Part of her is quite impressed with what I have commanded this night.
As if on command, I see her cringe, likely rebuking her thoughts of me. She tries to look away, but instead I feel her gaze traverse my body. Seeing me covered in blood, dirt, and, sweat. My toned body glistening in the combination of the moonlight and light of the flames surrounding us. She swallows hard and looks up at me, "Its...Its...Lilith sir" She says quietly. I simply smile at her and reach a strong arm down and tuck it under hers, hand firmly planted on her back. Pulling back towards myself, the motion makes the nubile woman rise to her feet. She stands half a head shorter than me, taller than I was expecting. With the same tone I command my men, I flatly tell her, "You are mine. You will be my consort and servant and perhaps..." I gaze down into the striking oceans before me and decide she is the right one. I resume, "Yes, Lilith, you will be my wife." Her already wide eyes expand further in shock, but she does not speak.
I escort her through the smoldering remnants of her home and a small part of me feels sympathy for the poor thing. This morning, she woke up like it was any other day. Tonight, her entire world has been torn asunder and her future is in upheaval. Clearing past the outskirts of the village, I decide to spare her some of the horror. I step beside her and with my body I angle her off to the side. Placing my hand at the small of her back, I guide Lilith away from the main battlefield. Her village did not put up much of a fight, but that is where they futilely tried, and died.
We circumvent the field full of corpses and I navigate us to where my mare has been tied. With ease, I hoist her up onto my horse and mount behind her. It is a half day's ride back to our camp and I suddenly have a reason to get there quickly. I call to one of my lieutenants, "Stephen, make sure nothing of value is left behind. You lot can stay the night here, no doubt there is entertainment to be had. Once the wagons are fully loaded, and the men have concluded their fun, gather the troops and return to camp." Glancing at the beauty with me on the horse, he regards me with a knowing smile, "And you sire, you will be riding ahead to get things in hand." Aye Stephen, I will have plenty in hand when the morning comes, I muse. I nod to him, tug the reigns of my horse to turn her north, and gently squeeze my thighs.