Kayci looked at her stack of books, towering over her head and threatening to fall over on her. Well, it wasn't really that tall, it was only four books, but it still felt like it was dangerous. Books should be dangerous, at least. There didn't seem to be any reason for them besides causing her pain.
It was 10pm on a Saturday night and Kayci was on the 8th floor of the campus library working on her Old English Lit paper. There should be a law against making papers due on Mondays, that way, she wouldn't have to slave through the weekend to get it done.
She could be getting drunk at a frat party tonight, but instead she was in the library, working on her paper. And from the looks of things, she was the only one in the entire library. On the plus side, that meant that things were super quiet, and she could, at least hypothetically, get plenty of work done.
Pushing away one of the open books in front of her, she scratched a few more notes in her notebook. Beowulf was so over played, she needed to find something different. Her professor had specifically asked for a subject that she hadn't read over a hundred times before. And that meant classics like Beowulf were definitely out.
Maybe she should talk about Caedmon's Hymn? Or maybe one of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles? Kayci rubbed a hand into her forehead, trying to keep the impending headache at bay. She probably shouldn't have waited until the last minute to work on the paper, but it was only worth 10% of her overall grade, so it wasn't that important.
Reaching up to her stack of research material, Kayci pulled down the next book on the stack. Setting it down in front of her, a look of confusion passed over her features. A small leather-bound book lay in front of her now, scarred and scuffed on every surface. The leather was cracked and faded by age and use, and the tome felt rough and aged in her hands. It looked like this book had survived since the 8th century all on its own.
Her brow furled in contemplation. She didn't remember pulling this particular book off the shelf with the others, and with its time-worn look, she was sure it would have stuck out. She gingerly opened the worn book, carefully turning the pages as she scanned the words. It didn't seem to be a research book, like all the others she had grabbed, but an actual work from the Old English tradition. She couldn't even read the Old English language used in the book.
As she continued to flip through the pages the words seemed to blur in her vision for a moment. Kayci rubbed her eyes that had obviously become sore from reading all of these variously boring books on outdated literature. And to think, she had many more hours of this to trudge through tonight. She struggled to keep the mounting headache at bay, and was obviously failing.
When she finally looked back down at the book, turning the pages without paying much attention, she noticed that the words were now written in a much more modern script. When did that happen?
Kayci redirected her full attention on the old book in front of her, starting to read the text for the first time. It did seem like a story, and an odd one at that. As she flipped through a few pages, reading through it all, she figured that it was the chronical of some local Saxon lord from pre-Middle Age England.
***
The Saxon lord sat in a large, solidly built wooden chair, a luxury that none other could afford. His longhouse was constructed out of the best stone in the area, and the roof was tightly built and not a bit of the outside rain dripped through. Thick rich furs were draped over the lord, keeping the night's chill at bay. Warm, inviting fires crackled in the twin hearths on either side of the longhouse.
This particular Saxon lord was living comfortably while his subjects struggled with their day to day lives. Woven wool tapestries covered the walls, keeping drafts from moving through the stone walls. His casual displays of wealth and power were draped all over his abode. His current audience, however, didn't seem to be affected by the surroundings.
A tall woman with long, raven dark hair, and dressed in unfamiliar leathers was facing him in his longhouse, alone. She stood with her back slightly hunched and her head inclined towards the dirt floor. He chuckled to himself, this one would bend to his will like all the others he'd ever met. He too what he wanted and conquered everything he set out to get. He could see himself mounting this woman right here in his hall. The thought making his cock stir underneath his furs.
Kayci mechanically turned the page in the old manuscript, she could hear the rain patter rhythmically on the roof. It was quite soothing to listen to the rain as she devoted her full attention to the work in front of her. Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter.
The woman was a gift from one of the druids, a peace offering of sorts. Those Celtic mystics liked to think they led the common rabble around these parts. But the Saxon lord had crushed all his opposition, and he wouldn't think twice about taking out any of those druids who didn't bend their knee to him.
"My... lord?" the strange raven-haired woman asked, obviously uncomfortable in such a powerful man's presence. "I was sent to serve you."
The Saxon lord stared down the woman. They were alone in his longhouse, his servants and lieutenants sent home early in the evening. This new woman was a surprise visit, but not entirely unwelcome. She had an exotic look for the area. Her skin was pale and practically flawless, and her pure black hair was unusual as well.
"May I... approach, my lord?" the woman asked meekly again.
The Saxon lord merely nodded his head, slowly inclining it to give his consent. This woman was meek and submissive, just the way she should be in his presence.
"It is very warm and comforting in here, my lord," the raven-haired beauty began while she slowly slinked around the wooden throne to stand behind the Saxon lord.
"Let me help you relax, my lord. I am here to serve, after all." Her voice was soft and subservient. Her hands began to cautiously rub the Saxon lord's shoulders, attempting to ease his tension. Her fingers seemed to find just the right places to work out the knots in his back. It was good to know that his new servant wasn't just a pretty face.
"It's so much more comfortable in here. So warm and dry. Much nicer than the rain outside. Just relax as you listen to the rain slowly patter on the roof."
Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter. The soft falling of the rain was relaxing to listen to. Kayci felt her body relaxing into her chair as continued to read.
"Just let your body relax as you listen to the rain falling. Its so soothing to listen to the rain. It's so relaxing to know that you're nice and warm inside."
"That's right, my lord," the woman continued.
"I've been sent here to comfort you. So just lay back in your chair and let the warmth wash over you. Rest. Relax. You've certainly earned it." Her hands worked magic across his shoulders, forcing the tension to abandon his body. The Saxon lord felt his eyes slip shut as he sank into the comforting fingers of this exotic beauty.
"You can feel the warmth from the fires slowly wash over your legs. It infuses you, relaxes you. You can feel it enter your muscles and drain all that stress away. You can feel the warmth relax your legs as they grow heavy and comfy..."
"The warmth from your fires are so relaxing, so comfortable."
"You can feel the warmth seep into your chest and shoulders. That warmth massages away all the stiffness in your shoulders, making you so relaxed. You can feel all that tension unwind as all those muscles slowly relax. Feel those shoulders slump down as you relax deeper and deeper."
Kayci felt the tension in between her shoulder blades slowly unwind and fade. She let out a slow sigh as all the stress built up over the course of the night silently bleed out. She could feel herself sinking deeper into the study chair as she continued to read.
"That's right, my lord. It's my duty to relax you from all your taxing responsibilities. Right now, none of that exists. Right now, only the warmth of your hall exists. Just let me soothe all the weariness from your body."
The tall raven-haired beauty remained behind the Saxon lord. Her hands were on his bare shoulder blades, underneath his furs, slowly working out every single knot in his upper body. Kayci could feel the warm hands on her own shoulders, working out her own kinks. Whoever had written this manuscript was really good. She could feel all of the words written on the pages. It was like magic, and she couldn't stop herself from reading.
"Feel that warmth enter your neck now, my lord."
That warmth immediately crept up Kayci's neck. It felt so good. So soothing.
"The warmth is massaging away all the day's stress. You can feel the knots on your neck slowly unwinding as the warmth grows stronger and stronger. Every single muscle on your weak and weary neck is warm and relaxed. So relaxed."
"You can feel your head growing heavy, so heavy as your neck grows so relaxed and weak from that soothing warmth. Just let your head fall back into my hands, my lord. Let me take care of all your needs."
Kayci's head fell forward as she slumped into her chair. Her eyes were starting to get heavy, but she was still able to keep them open so she could keep reading. She was feeling so nice and relaxed, she didn't want to stop, her school work was completely forgotten for the time being.
The dark-haired beauty started the run her hands over the Saxon lords head, massaging his scalp and running through his wild and unkempt hair.
"Now feel that warmth growing in your head. Let your head fall back into my hands, my lord. Let my hands and the warmth drain away all your troubles. Let your head grow heavy and weak as you relax more and more. It so warm, so relaxed, so weak... just lay back into my hands and sink deeper as you relax."
"Let my hands massage away all those worries. You are safe now, my lord. Safe and secure in your own hall. There's no need to be so alert. Just fall back into my hands as I massage all the stress away. Too many thoughts. Too many worries. My hands cause your head grow warmer and warmer."
"And the warmer your head grows, the less thoughts you have. My hands are rubbing all those pesky thoughts out of your head. Just fall back and relax. Relax and sink deeper. Deeper and deeper."
Kayci felt her head grow so warm. The light pitter patter of the rain was the only thing she noticed beside the book she was reading. She could feel fingers combing through her hair, causing her to drift further away. The words in front of her took up all her thoughts. She didn't really need her thoughts after all, they only got in the way.
