A Drow's Dilemma Ep. 39: Freedom

Author's Note:

A Drow's Dilemma began as a one-on-one roleplaying project and has been converted into a chapter-by-chapter format for weekly posting with the permission and assistance from my partner. It will contain a considerable amount of sexual themes such as femdom, lesbian, straight, 'reverse' rape, BDSM, group sex, romance, and other themes. The main goal of the story, however, is to tell an epic tale of adventures, gods and goddesses, fae, and nymphomaniacs. This episode and every episode to come will be available for free on Literotica for the foreseeable future. All characters that engage in sexual or suggestive situations are mentally and sexually mature: the human equivalent of 18 for their race.

*****

Episode 39: Freedom

About a half-hour later the two huntresses appeared. They walked out of the door and into the main living room apparently empty-handed. Then a skinned and gutted dire boar got spat out on the floor in front of them by way of a pile of roiling branches. It barely fit in the room. Ashyr's platinum hair was slightly blood-splattered, and there was a mostly healed scar that cut through her right eyebrow and continued on a little further to the top of her cheekbone. She seemed to be in good spirits and otherwise unharmed.

"You awake yet, Selene?" Ashyr teased in undercommon with a grin on her face.

Caleldir awoke with a start when the drow and the dryad returned. "I am definitely awake!" He shot up. He yawned. "Mostly." His eyes, which seemed to tell of more than he wished, looked down at the boar. "I see that you were successful. That will serve us well for the rest of the journey. If we can get it preserved in the next few hours." He put his hand down to his growling stomach. "But I am anxious to eat first. I could practically eat the thing raw at this point."

Selene's eyes fluttered open. She did not stand nor even lift her head from the table, but she did turn her face to watch as the rest of the people in the treehouse got to work on their various projects. Unconsciously one hand dropped to her lower abdomen almost as if she could feel the life that grew there. She was debating whether she should tell Ashyr what she and Caleldir had discovered. It didn't really seem like the time for it, though. For one thing, it would likely halt progress on getting food started, and Selene knew very well that a good bit of food in her stomach would dull the nausea. It helped with her last pregnancy, anyway.

Ashyr's next words were in elvish, and thick with her native accent. "Should have seen that battle we had." She said to the both of them. "Dumb beast got in a lucky shot, but we got our revenge, didn't we Naliira?"

The dryad gave her a subdued smile. She mostly shared Ashyr's sentiments, but could not now get her mind off the fact that this successful hunt meant that her husband was that much closer to going on his own adventure away from her. "I'll get started on cooking something up if you show me how that new contraption works." She told Caleldir softly.

"I'll get started on making this hulking thing more manageable." Ashyr announced as she began to do just that. Her good spirits were for the exact reason why the dryad was so subdued. She had not quite realized that even after getting away from Naliira's tree, they would have to be careful not to earn the wrath of Caleldir's 'wife.'

Standing up, he gave Naliira a genuine, if somewhat distracted, smile. "Of course I will teach you how to use it. I poured my soul into this for you, after all. Somewhat literally." That was the annoying thing about crafting magical items, the powerful ones tended to drain life from their creators. This was no artifact, but it was a potent item for what it did. "This may look like a wooden plate, but it is actually a spell matrix: a number of magical effects encoded into a device. By limiting the specificity of the effects, it can be used a limitless number of times, as opposed to more potent objects that require a period to charge. So, the easiest way to use it is like a fry pan, simply put the food on it, touch the plate, and state how you wish it cooked. There are a few dozen applications though, including a setting for cooking larger amounts of food that you use almost like a wand. I have wrote the uses and necessary commands here." He pushed the dryad a small sheaf of papers. "But for the simple applications, let me show you..." And so he instructed the dryad in the use of the device. It was a welcome distraction, actually.

Before too much longer, the boar was butchered and Naliira was in the process of experimenting with the hotplate with Caleldir's instruction. Ashyr sat down beside Selene with a great sigh of relief to finally be able to rest for a while.

"Are you alright, dearest?" Ashyr asked in undercommon when she finally got a good look at Selene. The younger drow couldn't quite keep the look of nausea-born discomfort from her features. There was also a blanket wrapped around her shoulders from when Caleldir gave it to her, which gave Selene an all-around sick appearance. Ashyr raised a hand to rub at her cousin's back as she scrutinized the other drow.

Selene made a small, appreciative noise when she felt the hand on her back. That felt good. "I'm hungry." She complained to try to explain away what really bothered her.

The older drow scoffed and pulled her hand away. "I'm hungry, too, but I had to run around getting you food all morning. Don't see what you're complaining about." She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms in front of her chest.

"Fuck you." Selene grumbled as she hid her face back in her arms. Her cousin's words actually hurt a little, considering the circumstances and her emotional vulnerability. Selene blamed it on hormones. Ashyr was oblivious; she was too busy watching Caleldir.

The exchange between the two of them caused Caleldir to sigh and shake his head. Why must the two of them be at such odds so quickly? He opened his mouth to say something, but, as was quickly becoming standard for him, he decided against it. Now was not the time, nor the place.

With Caleldir shooting his concerned glances over to Selene, Ashyr finally caught on that there might have been something a little more wrong with Selene than her cousin let on. Either that, or Selene had told him just how upset it made her to watch him act married to the dryad and now he was worried about her mental state. Her cousin could also just be displaying her usual grumpy, selfish behavior that should not be encouraged. Ashyr could not figure out what it was, only that it was something neither wanted to talk about. She let out a heavy, frustrated sigh before she pulled her chair closer to Selene, wrapped her arms around her from behind, and rested her head on Selene's shoulder. There. She didn't know what the fuck else to do to make them happy.

With a bit of relief that Ashyr picked up on his worry, Caleldir turned towards Naliira and gave her a big smile. The poor dryad so desperately wanted what Selene now had, and he was running away from her, planning on ditching his 'wife' to live with two 'mistresses'. The least that he could do was to seriously give her some quality attention for this last hour they had together. So he smiled and joked, teased and caressed, occasionally sending deeply apologetic glances to Selene and Ashyr.

The pregnant drow only grew more more angry and abrasive as she listened to Caleldir flirt with Naliira. She refused to watch the couple. Instead, she kept her face buried in her arms. She was sorely tempted to storm out of the room, but again that would only make it so that she got food that much slower. It seemed that food was currently the priority. The younger drow could make her displeasure painfully obvious when she had a full stomach.

As for her reaction to Caleldir's flirtations with his 'wife,' Ashyr's outlook seemed much more positive. It was fascinating to watch him act (and perhaps be a little bit) in love with another woman. While her hand rubbed against Selene's back distractedly, she watched half-nymph and dryad act like a married couple. The display didn't make her feel threatened. She knew and trusted where his heart truly lie. Again, all she wished was that she could participate in those smiles and caresses.

If Selene had been her normal self, then Caleldir would have felt slightly bad about flirting with the dryad in front of her, but as things were, he felt devastatingly guilty. It was all he could do to keep up appearances and not do something that would make Naliira suspicious. Certainly he felt bad about tormenting Selene this way, purposely or not, but he also owed at least something to the mad dryad. He would have ample opportunity to make things back to Selene later. She would almost certainly be out for revenge though, which he did not look forward to. Ashyr was, as expected, far easier to deal with. He admired the drow's ability to put aside jealousy. In her place, he would probably be... well, not taking things as well. He would definitely make it up to her later as well, and since she was probably not out for revenge he might have an easier time with that.

At last, they finished up breakfast, and Caleldir helped to serve the food to Ashyr and Selene. After pouring some liquid down the unconscious nymph's throat, he sat down next to Naliira. "This will be our last meal together for quite some time, my dear." He said gently to the mad dryad. "Let us make the most of it."

Both drow separated and sat up as the meal began to be laid out before them. Naliira had managed to make steamed vegetables, bacon, eggs found during foraging, and thicker cuts of meat from the boar's hindquarters. All were set out on the breakfast table. Plates were set down next, though Selene had not waited for her own dishware before picking out some slightly too hot vegetables with her fingers and nibbling on the finely cooked food. For once in her life, Ashyr waited with more dignity than Selene. She actually had a plate in front of her before she tried to dig into the food that was still too hot to eat.

As hungry as Selene was, she didn't actually manage to eat all that much. Her damned stomach didn't seem to know what it wanted. It didn't help that she and Ashyr hadn't been eating enough while on their quest to rescue Caleldir. Selene figured her stomach must have shrunk. What she did know for certain is that she wanted to be out of this place as soon as possible. The fact would be painfully obvious to everyone in the treehouse.

"It was nice hunting with you, Naliira." Ashyr told the dryad through a mouthful of food and the thick accent. It made her words almost unintelligible. "I would like to do it again one day." Her words were actually honest. She suspected that one day the madwoman would not be quiet as mad. Then they could really have fun, though the fun Ashyr had in mind was more along the lines of the time they were captured by nymphs.

The dryad had been staring at her empty plate. She didn't really eat much and was feeling quite sorry for herself besides. Naliira looked up and managed a smile when Ashyr spoke. "Yes. When my husband is done with his task, you certainly are invited back." The invitation seemed only for Ashyr - to be fair, Selene had threatened her with fire upon first meeting her. "I would love to have some... er." She wanted to call it 'female companionship,' but Ashyr was unlike any female she'd ever met. She couldn't find another phrase for it, though. "Female companionship? Ah, but maybe not the kind you two have." She looked between both drow, then back at her plate with a bright blush.

Ashyr bit her tongue to keep from saying anything more. Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she glanced between Caleldir and Naliira.

Watching Naliira and Ashyr interact was pretty amusing. Especially since the poor dryad did not suspect the... appetite with which Ashyr was observing her. Well, given her protest that she did not want to be the sort of friend that Selene was, she probably suspected something, but not to the extent that Ashyr was thinking. "I would be quite pleased if the two of you became friends." Caleldir said with a sparkle in his eyes. He really would be, even more so if Ashyr could successfully seduce the dryad. Then again, they might need Althaia for that. Ironically, half-fey like him were immune to enchantment, but full-fae like Naliira were not. So Althaia's ability to seduce the dryad would be a given, even in the unlikely event that Ashyr failed.

Caleldir grimaced at himself. The monks would be beyond scandalized. Here he was hoping that one woman would be able to seduce another (by itself something he once thought scandalously immoral) for his sexual benefit. He really had fallen far from the prim and proper librarian, and later, camp guard, that he had once been. To the exceedingly moralistic monks, he would no doubt seem like a shameful libertine now. Well, to most of them.

Putting that aside, he finished up his food, and stood up. "I am afraid that the time has come for our departure, Naliira. We have a long journey ahead of us, and not much time left."

Naliira stood with a tearful expression on her face. She turned to face him in order to wrap her arms around him slowly but firmly. "Please don't be gone for too long, my husband. I do not think I can stand to be away from you for even a day." She begged him with a voice thick with grief. "But I know it must be longer." The dryad clung a little tighter.

Naliira's embrace was not an unexpected thing, nor an unwelcome one, but Caleldir still was not altogether prepared for the emotion in her voice. He really had to get this woman something to relieve her intense loneliness. Sadly, he could not think of anything or anyone. He was slightly tempted to throw the nymph at her, but Althaia was still unconscious, and had all their stuff. So that was not an option. No, he would simply intensify his resolve to cure her madness as soon as possible. How though, he had no idea. Perhaps the answer would be found at the monastery. "Worry not, dear Naliira." He soothed. "You survived without me for twelve hundred years already since we last met, even if the worst were to happen and I were to vanish for a decade or two, that would be a mere blink in time compared to what we have already spent apart. But I do not intend to be decades. Maybe months, at most. Hopefully weeks." That said, it may be a long time indeed. But he had time. According to his father, he was immortal, as was she.

As she watched the dryad, Ashyr's mouth twisted in an expression dangerously close to pity. The older drow's crimson eyes flashed from Caleldir to Naliira's clinging form. With a sigh, she went around the table to the hugging couple. Her hand lifted to rub the dryad's back gently. "I'll keep your husband safe, darling. We'll do everything we can to keep you from missing him too long." Ashyr promised with absolute conviction. Her assumption was that, if they managed to lift the curse, the dryad would realize that she had the real bond she'd likely been craving all along: the magical connection with the giant oak. Then Naliira wouldn't have to pine for her 'husband.'

Selene was clearly and absolutely disgusted with the whole scene. She stood, packed the rest of her food into a clean piece of cloth, and did what she wanted to do this entire time. She stormed over to the front door of the treehouse, cast a spell, then jumped down the shaft that ran down the middle of the tree. Undercommon profanity echoed up at the people still within the treehouse.

Ashyr's pronouncement did take Caleldir by surprise, though Selene's storming off, not so much. Sigh. He would have to go after her soon. "What Ashyr said. We will try to keep you from suffering loneliness as best as we may." He looked out the door. "And now we will have to go after that one..." Turning around, he pulled the dryad's face to his for a deep kiss, letting go about a minute later. "Until we meet again." With that, he exited the tree.

"Can you bring our friend down after us?" Ashyr asked Naliira just before leaving the treehouse. She nodded toward the unconscious nymph.

Naliira wiped tears from her eyes, which didn't do her much good, as more took their place. "What's wrong with her, anyway?" The dryad sniffled. As she spoke, branches began to roil and pick up her apparently sleeping form. She still had on one of Naliira's dresses, and the dryad showed no signs of wanting the garment back.

"She fought a giant vampire dragon princess and lost." Ashyr said with a causal shrug.

"Um. Right."

The moment he was outside of Naliira's giant oak tree, Caleldir activated his runes to put his armor back on. He let out a long sigh of relief, but looked back at the entrance with some small regret. Althaia's body appeared out of a mass of branches at ground level, directly followed by Ashyr with Bard slung over her shoulders. Caleldir sighed. "We should find Selene. She has... news for you."

"News?" Ashyr asked as she looked around the base of the tree.

"News." Selene responded grimly. She appeared from the other side of the huge trunk. "I'll let you guess at it for now. Let's get out of here first. I don't want to tell you here." She looked up at the treehouse with a hard frown. "Once we get out of this corruption we can discuss it."

"All...right..." Ashyr responded as she looked from Selene to Caleldir. "Let's get moving, then, I guess."

"Agreed. Let us move." He sighed, looking pained.

"A warning, Ashyr: we do not know how long the dryad will be watching us." He said in Undercommon. "It would likely be best to be circumspect until we leave the trees, so for probably about two days."

Ashyr frowned. Two whole days of keeping herself from mauling Caleldir? The older drow groaned, but otherwise tried to hide the massive disappointment she felt. By the time those two days were over, it would be the better part of a week since they'd enjoyed each other. It seemed like a lifetime for Ashyr, as ridiculous as that sounded.

The disappointment on Ashyr's features would have been gratifying to Caleldir did he not share her frustration as much as he did. "A harsh fate, I know." He said grimly. "Yet another reason to hurry from here. I missed you, Ashyr. I really, really did. And not simply your body: I missed you, your energy and zest, your shameless desires and hypnotizing glances, the way that the trinkets in your hair bounce when you walk, your good humor and mischievous nature, your swaggering skills with your blades, and your stealthy movements... Ashyr, I really did miss you. I am glad to be back. So let us hurry, so that we can truly be back together."

Ashyr smiled up at him. She wanted to embrace him right then, to find a nice place to hole up in and show him her appreciation, and how much she missed his as well. It was not to be, not yet anyway. It was not quite so tempting that she would risk the wrath of the dryad whose eyes she could almost feel at her back. "I missed you, too, my love." She responded. Then her smile turned into a smirk. "But I won't wax poetic about all my favorite things about you. Selene might vomit. She already looks tempted." Ashyr shot a grin back at her cousin who walked just behind them. The younger drow did actually look like she was about to puke, though whether that was because of Caleldir's professed affection or because of her recent fight with morning sickness was up for debate. Not that Ashyr had any idea that the latter was an option.

And so, distractedly, Caleldir guided the two drow out from the ruins of Stone Oaks. For that is where they were. It was a city of wood and rock melded together with nature and industry, of stone manors that tapered off to tree-top towers. Even now the city was beautiful in a wild way. It was ruined and corrupted with the dry, grasping, unnatural fungi that drained the life from the city. Wan spectres peered from darkened corners. Rusted out bits of complex machinery lay around with grasping vines tangled through them to prevent their repair. But to Caleldir, who had seen it during its height, it was an ugly thing: the corpse frozen mid-rot of a once lovely maiden. The air down here sickened him, and the curse was strong enough that his skin began to go translucent, as he felt the magic begin to bore into his soul. It was not powerful enough to completely turn him, but fighting it back was still tiring. So he hurried out of the gates that opened before them, and exited into the relatively normal forest. Both drow looked at Caleldir with concern when they noticed his translucency. As one, they lengthened their stride to get the five of them out of the corrupted town as quickly as possible.