The Rescuer

Her hands were soft.

But of course they were. Iliana was no warrior.

In fact, she looked like she could hardly take care of herself. Rada stared at her from across the bonfire. The young woman was wrapped in Rada's cloak, hiding most of her face save for her eyes.

Rada smirked as she cleared her mind of her prior distraction. "Why do you cower like a small child? There is no more danger here."

Iliana jumped at her sudden address. Muffled, she spoke through the cloak. "I have little reason to believe you are any safer than the men you slew to take me."

Her voice was soft and steady, like that of a troubadour. She couldn't have been long into adulthood by now. Rada leaned to the side, holding herself up with a hand on the soil. "You saw the contract, and your father's signature, did you not? I am your rescuer."

Iliana scoffed behind the cloak and averted her eyes to gaze upon the fire. The reflection would have been mesmerizing had Rada stared too long. Instead, she stood, causing Iliana to start.

"Calm yourself. I am not your enemy." Rada ran her hands through her reddish locks. Her fingers picked up traces of dirt and something akin to blood. Iliana watched in disgust as she rinsed her hands from her water skin and poured it over her head.

"How uncouth."

Rada shook her hair dry and glared at the girl. "You'd best get used to living in the wilds. We're a long way from the comforts of home."

Iliana dropped her gaze to the dirt in front of the log on which she sat. Her pale blond hair fell across her face as she sighed. "I suppose I must. Where are you taking me?"

Rada began the process of untying her leather tunic as she replied. "Back along the road your kidnappers brought you, to Kalig."

"Ugh, why such a horrid place?" Iliana whined, like a child would, which grated on Rada's ears. Her tunic loosened, she pulled it up over her head, leaving her in just her camisole and undergarments. She laid the tunic where she had sat by the fire to dry.

"Your father requested I turn you over there. Likely to conduct business as well." Now properly unburdened, Rada began her nightly routine of stretches. Arms held straight up, her stomach bared itself and Iliana stared from behind the cloak.

"You have a well-defined body," Iliana stated bluntly.

At this, Rada nearly laughed out loud as she lowered her arms to reach for her toes. "If you meant that in a complimentary manner, I thank you. Good that you recognize such things."

"You must be quite strong, the way you lug that sword around," Iliana continued in her songbird voice.

Rada held both arms behind her back, stretching out her chest toward the woman. "Well, now it merely sounds like flattery. What are you getting after?"

Iliana lifted her gaze from Rada's chest to her face after a brief moment. "I am just trying to be civil. I haven't anyone else, you know." As she finished, she opened her mouth wide in a yawn.

Rada concluded her routine, letting her arms fall loosely to her sides. She caught the end of Iliana's yawn and fought to let it catch on. "Well then, let us retire for the night. It will be a long trek in the morning, and there are no pack animals to carry you this time."

Iliana stood, keeping the cloak wrapped around her thin frame. She lowered the cloak from her face and fixed her eyes on the deerskin tent. "That looks oh so very fun..."

Rada picked up the pair of bed rolls outside the tent and laid them within. "You'll prefer this to simply lying in the dirt, won't you?"

Iliana approached and stuck her head in. "Is there even room for both of us in here?"

"Certainly, as long as you don't try to stand." Rada crawled into the tent and laid on her back on one of the bed rolls. With a sigh, Iliana did the same, nearly tripping on the cloak she still wrapped herself in.

"Why do you cling to that cloak?" Rada asked once Iliana had stopped fidgeting.

"I am cold."

Rada did not respond. She had done so even by the fire. Rada surmised that the girl would likely find anything she could to complain about, just for the sake of it.

Her mind wandered, finally returning to the thought of the girl's hands. Why this point stuck in her mind, she did not know. She recalled the events of the day behind her.

Rada had held her hands only briefly, to untie the binds that held her wrists together. It struck her then, that perhaps it reminded her of a time long past.

Since Iliana's rescue, she hadn't been able to rid herself of the thought.

"Rada?"

Hardly awake, Rada simply grunted in reply.

"I am cold."

Rada took a deep breath, letting it out audibly through her nose. "Yes, you already said that."

Silence. Rada began to drift away once more.

Tap, tap, tap. Rada felt a tapping on her arm that brought her back to consciousness. "Wh-what? What are you doing?" She turned and found Iliana on her knees, wrapped tightly in the cloak and shivering.

With a long sigh, Rada held out her hand. "Come here." Iliana crawled across the tent onto Rada's bed roll, and Rada pushed herself back as far as she could to make room. Iliana curled up facing the opposite side and continued her shaking and shivering.

Rada slowly inched forward, gently pressing her body into Iliana's back, who responded by doing the same. Rada carefully reached over and found Iliana's hand under the cloak.

"Let me in," she whispered. Iliana adjusted the cloak to allow Rada to clasp her hand. She quickly brought her other one up and Rada found herself nearly wrapped around the girl. Her hands were nearly cold as ice, which caught Rada by surprise.

The two stayed like this for a moment, but Iliana's shivering did not cease.

"R-Rada..." Iliana started to turn over. "M-May I..." Instead of finishing her question, she unwrapped herself from the cloak, turned fully over, and curled herself up into Rada, her head tucked under her chin. The cloak now laying over both of them, Rada held Iliana's back and hoped this would work.

"What a frail thing you are," She thought aloud.

Sucking wind through her teeth, Iliana replied, her warm breath flowing over Rada's chest. "What a way to repay m-my compliments..." Her shuddering seemed to be calming, at least.

As the shivering lessened and Rada felt more confident that all was well, she once again began to drift into sleep. That is, until she felt something peculiar. At first, she thought it part of her dream and disregarded the feeling. But then it happened again.

Rada stirred and found herself wrapped around a young woman. After a brief moment of confusion she remembered what had happened. Iliana felt warm, which was a relief, but Rada was still unsure of what it was that woke her. Then she clearly felt a light squeeze around her breast, and became aware that Iliana had placed her hands over her breasts and presumably fallen asleep that way.

It wasn't a particularly uncomfortable feeling. In fact, she felt a peculiar pleasantness about it. As she began to drift again, she had to catch herself from lowering her own hand down the small of Iliana's back, as she would a lover's.

Absently, she found herself twirling a finger through Iliana's hair to stay awake. It had been a long time since she was so close to another. She had forgotten how nice it felt. Of course, this girl was not a lover, but her charge. Her task was to keep her safe until delivery, and if this is what it took, so it would be.

Rada suddenly experienced a wave of warmth from her chest as Iliana's hand squeezed tighter. Then again, as the other followed suit.

Flushed, Rada opened her mouth and whispered, "Iliana..." She got no response but a deep breath, which only furthered the pleasurable warmth in her chest as the younger woman exhaled.

Rada decided she would simply wait it out and see if Iliana would settle. But what came next was undeniable. Iliana stirred, then raised a hand up Rada's chest and to her neck, brushing it lightly. Before Rada could react she felt a light pressure on her collarbone. Lips...? Rada pulled her head back and looked down at Iliana, whose eyes were wide open and her cheeks flushed red.

"I-I... I am sorry..." Iliana seemed to have tears welling up, and Rada was thoroughly confused. Iliana withdrew her hands into her chest and lowered her gaze.

"No, I... What are you doing?" Rada managed to ask.

"I wanted to touch you..." Iliana shivered once more, though not from cold.

Rada felt a surge of something, a lump forming in her throat. Before she could think, she found her lips planted on the top of Iliana's head, to comfort her. Iliana sobbed and pressed her face into Rada's chest. Rada felt her warm tears and brought her hand up to hold her head.

"I... I was so... Deathly afraid," Iliana attempted to explain her thoughts.

Rada shushed her and held her tight. She knew well what sort of trauma Iliana had just been plucked from. For some time Iliana cried into Rada's chest as she gently stroked the girl's hair. When the tears stopped, Iliana began to speak once more.

"Thank you... My savior..." Her lips pressed gently into the top of Rada's breast, and Rada fought to keep from reacting. This focus prevented her from noticing Iliana's hand, which had been tugging on the hem of her camisole. When Rada lowered her arm after stroking her hair, the strap fell and exposed her nipple, which was swiftly covered by Iliana's soft lips.

Rada moaned lightly before she could stop herself, which only encouraged Iliana. Her tongue teased the nipple, which was quickly hardening.

"What..." Rada breathed out, trying not to vocalize her pleasure any further. Her hand fell dangerously close to Iliana's backside, who had begun to press her hips against Rada's thighs.

As Iliana began to gently suck on Rada's exposed breast, her hand found the other still covered by the camisole and caressed it. Rada held the small of her back and pressed her lips into her hair to keep from moaning aloud. Any logical thoughts were lost as she was flooded with pleasure from Iliana's touch.

When Iliana let go of the nipple and began kissing her chest once more, Rada regained some sense of herself and whispered. "Why are you..."

Iliana reached up and held Rada's head, guiding her gaze downward to meet her eyes. "I have to repay you," she cooed.

"But-" Rada was cut off by Iliana's lips pressed against hers in a sweet kiss, almost causing her to lose herself again.

Iliana picked herself up and gently pushed Rada's shoulder down, leaving her on her back. Then, she crawled just under the side of the tent and laid herself on top, her head above Rada's chest. Her hand found the other camisole strap and pulled it off the shoulder.

Rada dared to place her hands on Iliana's buttocks, lost in the moment. Iliana giggled and wiggled her hips before lowering her lips on the other nipple, causing Rada to close her eyes and arch her back. She squeezed the girl's rump through her skirt, putting pressure between their sensitive parts.

Iliana moaned this time, seemingly caught off-guard, and pulled her lips from Rada's breast.

"I didn't mean to -" Rada began, but was quickly silenced by Iliana's lustful gaze. Her eyes darted between Rada's, before her lips parted ever so slightly to whisper.

"Don't stop." At once Iliana took another mouthful of Rada's chest and wrapped her legs around Rada's own. Rada took the opportunity to raise one knee, exposing more of herself to the wonderful friction between them. She held Iliana's behind with one hand and caressed her head with the other.

Iliana began rocking herself forward and back over Rada's lower leg, licking her hard nipple with each pass. She soon whimpered with pleasure and held herself up on both hands.

Rada, breathing heavily, watched her beautiful eyes for signs of apprehension. Instead, she saw adoration reflected in the firelight. Iliana sat up, her knees wrapped around Rada's leg, and smiled.

"Oh, Rada..." She turned her head to Rada's raised knee and kissed it, before running a hand up her lower thigh. "So strong..." She gently tugged on her calf, prompting her to raise her foot over Iliana's head. Iliana swung her own leg underneath Rada's and scooted in close, leaving little but their undergarments between their warm mounds.

All doubts dismissed, Rada could finally accept that this was really happening. Had she wanted this? Did it matter? She thought not, as the young woman wrapped her arms around her leg and squeezed herself tightly into it. Between gasps of pleasure, Rada reached up and took hold of Iliana's breast for the first time, caressing it through the soft fabric of her dress. She could get used to this. But...

Surely this couldn't last.

Iliana's soft yelping snapped Rada out of her pleasurable trance, as the young woman experienced her climax. Rada managed to contain herself, though not for lack of desire. Rational thought tended to dampen such reflexes. Better still to maintain a clear mind as much as possible, she thought. Iliana finally caught her breath, leaning against Rada's outstretched leg, and her face flushed an even brighter red in embarrassment.

Rada couldn't help but smile as Iliana tried to hide her face with one hand. Rada gently took her hand away and pulled her to lay down. Iliana settled herself into her original position, her back to Rada's chest, and sighed. Rada wrapped her arm around her and held her close.

Neither spoke for some time. But when Rada finally thought to say a word, she realized that Iliana had actually gotten to sleep with the steady rise and fall of her breath.

Thinking to herself, Rada determined that she had never before administered such a lullaby.