No One's Daughter

Part of an unconnected series of stories following a young adventurer named Journey who gets into various amorous adventures.

This story follows our hero as he has a small spot of bother, and his effort to find the culprit.

------------------------------

Hollygate was a larger city than I usually had a chance to visit, big enough to get lost in. Split in two by the Jules river, the city had two distinct districts. There was the upland side and the ploughman's district. From what I could gather in my previous visits, the upland side was the place to end up, while the ploughman's had the excitement. Upland was where the regional lord lived, and perhaps more importantly, it was where the largest merchants and guilds did their business. A few times I had worked jobs up there, odds and ends, and various errands. Over the years I had accumulated a few favors from a few traders and guild members. Today I was on my way to check in on a few leads for any jobs that needed done.

That was the plan for this evening though. This morning I'm planning on catching up with an old friend on the ploughman's side. Jerrick and I had known each other for years at this point. He had worked with my uncle on and off. I had even briefly apprenticed under him when I was young. A carpenter by trade, he could do pretty much anything with his hands. Nowadays he was doing steady business as a farrier, shoeing horses for farmers, traders, and anyone that would have him. We had planned on meeting for lunch a little later. Until then I had to amuse myself at the morning market.

The morning market was a burst of people, colors, and sound. Stalls of every kind lined the street in every available space, behind them doorways led into various shops. I passed by a spice seller hawking their wares in a thick accent haggling with a bearded old man. The seller had a pile of orange powder on a scale, and the old man was pointing at the powder presenting a collection of coins in his hand. Arms crossed in front of him, it didn't appear the spicer was keen on the offer. Moving on I ducked into what turned out to be an herbalists' shop. Dingy and dark, but filled with a delightful aroma. All around the walls of the shop were covered in small shelves. Each shelf was filled with small jars of unguents, various powders, and dried plants. Seated in the corner was a dark haired woman sitting in a small chair. Her hair was tied back and she was wearing a practical looking brown dress. She looked to be about ten years older than myself, with quizzical eyes and very appealing smile

Looking me up and down, she greeted me with a "What do we have here? Is there something in particular you are looking for, or are you just...browsing?" She gave me a wink.

I picked up a small jar filled with oil from a nearby shelf, and held it up to the light. It was a pale orange in the light. "What's this here?"

"Oh that, you don't want that. That's a cure for the needles. Don't have the needles do you? Pain in your joints? Swelling?" She asked me. I shook my head. Turning, she lifted a tiny bottle from under a table at her side. "This might be a bit more to your liking." She smiled again. Now standing up, she was taller than I thought she would be, almost eye to eye with me.

"And what's this then?" I said taking it from her hand. It was filled with small red crystals.

Stepping close to me, she said, "This is something every man needs." Leaning forward, she whispered into my ear, "This lets your manhood fulfill its greatest potential."

Startled, I took a step back from here. Grinning back at her, "That something I don't need, of that I can assure you."

One hand sliding across her chest, the other resting on her hip, "There's only one way I can be assured of that sweetie." Once again the proprietor gave me a wink.

"I...I've got a prior engagement, Miss?" It had been a while since I had gotten so flustered.

"Miss Elicka, and I'll be waiting," she looked pointedly back to a small set of stairs, presumably leading to Miss Elicka's quarter's upstairs.

"Until we meet again, Miss Elicka. Call me Journey." With that I turned and hurried out of her shop, and the promises held within.

Moving on browsing the different stalls and shops, I eventually found myself in front of a blacksmith's shop in a less crowded portion of the morning market. It was located outside a small house. The forge was outside and a stall full of wares was in front of the small building. An array of tools, implements, and blades were displayed. Above the doorway was sign carved with "Houfton's wares". What I presumed to be Houfton himself was working at the forge. His back was to the crowd, and he was working a large piece of metal. At the stall was a young blond woman, a handful of years my junior, sitting on a stool.

Browsing the 'wares' there I greeted the blond, "Fair weather to you young Houfton. Is your morning going well?" Her eyes were distracting me from all the fine metalwork ahead of me.

She chirped a "Good steel makes any morning better," with a well rehearsed smile. "It isn't 'young Houfton, but Ashlyn if you want to know," she added.

I was surprised to see the fine detail work on a series of goblets. Towards the other end of the display table was a series of knives ranging from small skinning knives to small swords. Each one was gleaming in the morning sun. I picked up a small dagger, feeling its balance in my hand. To my surprise it was as well balanced as anything I'd owned if not better, and it fit exceptionally well in my hand.

"How much is the dagger?" I queried, holding it out to the young woman on the stool.

"Oh that is a fine piece of quality that," Ashlyn responded matter of fact, not as innocent as she first seemed. She screwed up her face thinking on it, playing her part in the haggling game. She was really cute with her nose wrinkled up like that. Finally she said, "That'll be 170 pieces."

"That's an upland price right there. I'll give you 120 pieces," I countered.

"An upland price for upland quality. 155 pieces, no less," she said with some finality, sitting up.

I needed a good knife, as I had most recently lost my best one on a bet. "Deal." Opening up my coat, I pulled out a small bag. Opening it up, I counted out enough coins placing them in her palm one by one. She placed them into a well crafted strong box on a shelf behind her. I slid the dagger into a small pocket in my jacket, hiding it away.

Turning back around, she seemed to relax. Leaning forward, she asked me, "Is there anything else that's catching your eye?" I couldn't help but notice her fingers in one hand playing with a small pendant that was dangling over her ample cleavage. Noticing my wandering eyes, she smiled, hooking the front of her blouse with one finger. "It's ever so hot today, isn't it, or maybe it's just the forge?" This time it was my turn to notice her wandering eyes making their way down to my bulge.

Our flirtations were interrupted when Houfton called back, "Be a dear, and fetch my other apron."

The moment broke, as she turned away I softly said, "Until the morrow Miss Houfton." She smiled as she walked off to help her father.

Turning back to the crowd I had to take a sudden step back to avoid a mule cart racing through. I nearly knocked over a small red headed figure, wearing a hood. I apologized with a "So sorry!" Fortunately they moved on none the worse for wear.

I was almost running late for my lunch meeting with Jerrick. Patting my coat, and feeling the comfort of my new dagger, I hurried on.

Jerrick's forge was located all the way at the end of morning market. He was finishing up work on a set of horseshoes on his large anvil set next to the forge. Sweating, he was finishing up punching the last couple nail holes. If he noticed me leaning against the wall he didn't let on. Putting on a show of impatience, I sighed dramatically as he dunked the last shoe into a quenching bath. As he was heading into his house, he bellowed without looking back at me, "Are you just gonna stand there or come inside?"

Rolling my eyes I followed the farrier inside. He had a cozy home, with most of his metalworks placed on one wall, a table and a couple chairs, and bed. On his other wall he kept his tools. Hanging up his apron, the big man changed shirts. "So what's bringing you back into town my boy?" he asked finally.

"I'm just following up on a couple leads, always trying to stay busy," I replied. "We should get something to eat. I'm hungry and I'm betting you've worked up an appetite too."

Scoffing, "You could never stay in one place too long, I guess you're still that way. Let's go, I've got a place in mind."

One our way there, I updated him on my travels in recent years, and he caught me up on his recent work. Finally we reached the inn where we were going to stop for lunch. It was a sprawling place, at least three floors and I could only imagine how many rooms. However what interested us at the moment was the welcoming common room. A series of long tables scattered around the place were occupied by a handful of patrons, and a few stools were open at the bar. We made our way to a couple open stools and sat down. We were greeted by a friendly barmaid, "What'll it be fellas?

Jerrick responded, "We'll have a couple of the house brews if you could."

"Coming right up!" she said, backing away. I eyed her backside appreciatively as she worked the tun and mugs.

Jerrick turned toward me in his stool, laughing "Still up to your old tricks are you?"

I returned his grin, "Always."

"Still getting into trouble?" he inquired, giving me a knowing look.

Looking down, "Always," was my only response.

At that moment, the barmaid had come back placing our drinks in front of us. "Is there any food I can get for you?"

"Nothing fancy, just the special if you could." Jerrick took the lead. I nodded in agreement.

"I'll be right back," the barmaid hustled off.

We chatted pleasantly as the lunch crowd came in. Eventually our barmaid came back with our food, "That'll be six pieces for the drinks and the meals." Jerrick fished his three pieces from his pocket. I went to grab my coin pouch from my purse, but it wasn't there. I stood up patting all my pockets. "Is something wrong?" she asked a little hesitantly.

"No, it's fine," I pulled another coin purse from my boot. Handing over the payment, I sat down seething.

"Ran into some trouble did ya?" Jerrick asked coolly. "I've got a contact in the thieves' guild if you need it."

"I may be needing that," I replied, as I chewed through the mutton on my plate.

He updated me on the happenings of Hollygate, rumors, local politics, etc. I had already picked up on some of it, overhearing the gossip on my travel through the morning market. However, Jerrick did manage to give me a few handy leads, both in town and with my thief. A while later we said our goodbyes. He wished me luck on my investigation as we parted ways.

As you could expect, contacting the thieves' guild wasn't straightforward. Eventually though, I was able to get a hold of a member. It took a couple promises of favors on my end and a little bit of coin, but eventually I got the information I needed. My more legitimate guild contacts would have to wait. It turned out there were only two members of the guild that worked the morning market that time of day: Altin was a disgraced guardsman from abroad and Atres, a local orphan. Given her description Atres seemed to be the one I was looking for. She was slight of build, with fiery red hair usually hidden by a shawl or hood. Supposedly she didn't have a place where she usually stayed during the day, at least as far as my contact knew. However, my contact knew she stayed in a burnt out building during the night.

Her hideaway wasn't in the worst part of the ploughman's district, but it was well away from the main thoroughfares. I was settled onto the roof of a building across from where I had expected Atres to return. Earlier in the evening I chanced scouting the building out, figuring that she wouldn't want to try sneaking in until well after dark. It turned out that the building used to be a bakery. There was a fire that had started in the kitchens, and destroyed most of the downstairs areas. Surprisingly the stairs leading up were mostly intact, carpet and all. Upstairs the bedroom area had seen some scorching, but most of it seemed relatively intact. There was even a window that looked out over the street and a scattering of ragged curtains. What was left of the bed was still there. It looked like Atres had even found a relatively intact piece of bedding to use as a mattress and roll of cloth for a pillow. Scattered about were some odds and ends that it seemed that she had gathered or stolen. Seemingly she had a fondness for colored glass. She had a series of pieces lined up on a shelf near the bed next to a small lamp. Not expecting to find my coin purse at this point, I rummaged around, but didn't find anything else worthy of note. I had spent enough time in the thief's den, carefully leaving everything as I had found it.

It was late, and I hadn't seen a guardsman pass by since the last clock bell. It had been dark for twice that long, but there was no sign of the red head. I was getting drowsy, but held hope that I'd have a chance to meet the girl that had stolen my coin purse from me. It was fortunate I kept most of my money in my boot for just such occasions. Dozing off, reminiscing about the time I had a tumble with a shepherd's daughter, I noticed a flicker of light from the bakery window. There hadn't been a sound, nor had I caught any sight of her as she slipped into the bakery. This was the worst part. The waiting, staying patient, until she settled in for the night. The moon was settling back down across the rooftops by the time I figured it was ready. The little light I had seen in the window had been out for quite a while at that point, and it didn't look like Atres had headed out.

Now it was time to move. I eased my way off the roof, landing on some boxes in an alleyway. Crouching low, I hurried across the street to the bakery. Fortunately the door wasn't locked and opened relatively soundlessly, I had checked earlier it wouldn't give me away. Carefully stepping around, I made my way to the stairs, thankful for the carpeting that would deaden my footsteps. Feeling my way up the stairs, I paused for a while to allow my eyes to adjust. Eventually I found myself at the top of the stairs into the doorway to Atres' bedroom. I could see the outline of her figure sprawled on the mattress. For long minutes I waited, seeing if she would stir. However it appeared she was breathing steadily. Carefully I eased my lantern off my belt and opened it ever so slightly facing it towards the wall of the room. Now that the room was illuminated, I could now match the identity of my thief to the sleeping girl in front of me. This sleeping beauty matched the description my informant had given me. Both had pale skin, freckles, long red hair, and a long straight scar over their left cheek. She was lying on her back, breathing softly, wearing a small white slip that covered her from her shoulders to below her hips. Beneath the thin fabric of the shift I could see the outline of her breasts rising and falling with her breathing. One hand was under the small bundle she was using as a pillow, and the other was placed across her waist. She did look so sweet and innocent laying there, but I had already made all this effort.

I pulled out a section of thin rope I keep in my jacket and wrapped it around my hand. Gently setting down the lamp, I eased towards the bed. Placing one foot, then the other, I tried to make sure not to make any sudden movements that may wake her up. With my cursed luck though right as I got to the edge of the bed the old flooring gave a tremendous squeak. Atres' hand shot out from under the pillow, a glint streaking in the light. Fortunately for me, I stepped back just in time as the dagger in her hand slashed short of me. Bursting up off the bed yelling, she jumped at me. Falling back, I just caught her wrist as the knife came right at me. She landed roughly on top of me as we both struggled for her dagger. Letting off my resistance, I got her off balance as she fell forward and I shifted under her. She tumbled over and I rolled, pinning her down with my body. For a few more moments we still struggled, but I had the better position and strength on her. She tried to buck me off of her, but I wouldn't budge. She kept trying to free the hand with the dagger, but I could feel her strength start to leave her. Eventually I pried her hand open and managed to grab the dagger, flinging it to the side.

"Calm yourself! Calm yourself. Don't make it worse for you at this point," I scolded her. Unwrapping the rope from my hand, I got a hold of her left wrist.

Looking more scared now, she finally stopped struggling and asked, "Who are you? What do you want with me?" She started to look panicked as I started to wrap her wrist.

"I'm the man you stole from this morning, Atres," I said as I finished the knot. "Not everyone would know how to find you. It wasn't easy, and I had a bit of luck to be honest," I continued as I pulled both her wrists tightly together. "Where did you put the money?"

"I can't tell you that," she replied, trying once more to shake me off. In response I let off, flipping her over in the process. This time pinning her down with a knee to the back, I completed my knot on her other hand. I took my weight off her and looked on as she fought against the knots keeping her wrists bound together behind her head. She shimmied, and pulled, but to no avail. All she could manage was flip over back onto her back. Atres looked defiantly up at me, her hands trapped behind her head. Suddenly confused she asked, "Wait, how do you know my name?"

Bending down, I lifted her up off the ground. Looking down at her in my arms I told her, "Somebody sold you out." She looked a little stunned as I lay her back down onto her bedding. Getting another stretch of rope, I fastened one end to a hole at the head of the bed. Turning her to the side, I knotted the free end of the rope to the rope binding her wrists. She didn't make it easy, but I was able to press down on her, pinning her in place. Finally, I pushed her back onto her back. She tested the knots again, trying to pull her hands apart or pull away from the head of the bed.

Now that the redhead was secured, I stepped away from the bed and took a moment to compose myself. I bent down, opening up the lantern even further, lighting up the small bedroom. I took off my jacket and turned around to see the girl stretched out on the bed before me. With her hands restrained behind her head, the fabric of her slip was stretched across her round breasts. I could clearly see the outline of her nipples peeking up. I asked again, "Where is my money you took from me earlier today?"

"Like I said, I can't tell you."

"You can't tell me or you don't want to tell me?" I responded. She hesitated at that. "Okay, I'm going to make you tell me. Sooner or later."

"Wait...what are you going to do?" she said in a quiet voice.

To answer her I walked over to the bed and straddled across her legs. I reached out with one finger and started to tease one of her nipples. With my index finger I circled around and around that little bump.

"Stop it! Just stop what you're doing, please. I need that money." She cried out.

I ignored her as I moved on to her other nipple, giving it the same treatment I gave the other. She squirmed beneath me, trying to avoid my finger. Not wanting to give her that satisfaction I pinched it lightly between my fingers.

Atres said, "Sssstop...please."

Momentarily pausing, I looked at her and repeated, "Where is it?" All she could do was shake her head. I leaned down and placed my mouth over one of her nipples, sucking on it until her slip soaked through. She started to shift beneath me. I could hear her breath start to speed up. Despite her reluctance, her body was responding to my efforts. I repeated the process with her other nipple, coaxing it until it grew stiff. I could hear Atres drawing sharp breaths in and out of her nose. Stopping for a moment, I sat back up. She was biting her lip, not wanting to give me the satisfaction of a groan escaping her lips. I placed both hands at the collar of her slip.