This is one of my older stories, but hopefully it's still enjoyable. It was written for the following prompt: A sorceress wants to seduce her paladin bodyguard. The only issue is that her paladin bodyguard is also a woman and her oaths prevent her from having sex with other women.
"Oh, by all the gods, let the place have a bath," Alyssa moaned. "A week covered in filth is torture."
Samarra sighed, tugging at the reins of their horse to direct them towards the small village inn's stable. Alyssa sat sidesaddle behind her, fantasizing out loud about secluded hot springs and wondrous soap. Samarra had been through much worse in her training and a life outside city comforts. Her new ward, however, had not. Samarra was not used to having such talkative traveling companions, and in a little over a month together she had learned far more about the sorceress than she was really comfortable knowing. Alyssa was charismatic and childish, loved the luxuries of city living, was unreasonably beautiful, and Samarra was almost certain that Alyssa was trying to seduce her. And by Mordeth, it was trouble. The sorceress's love of baths was legitimate, but it also provided her as many excuses as possible to be naked under the watchful eyes of her bodyguard. Samarra gulped at the memory of the first time it had happened - Alyssa throwing off her travel-stained clothes, revealing her supple, curvy body. She had smiled at Samarra and given her a look that she now recognized as come-hither before plunging into the creek by their campsite and scrubbing herself clean. She had watched Samarra with amusement as the paladin attempted to keep an eye on her without actually keeping an eye
on
her.
She shook herself out of the memory and stabled their horse as Alyssa hopped off, wincing at her saddle-soreness. There was already a crowd around the doors of the inn, and Samarra had to forcefully shove some of the more curious onlookers out of Alyssa's way. This wasn't that unusual - strangers were curious enough in these towns far from the main trading routes, and a knight escorting a gorgeous woman was bound to bring out plenty of gawkers.
The inn was small, low-ceilinged and dark, smelling of stale beer and the pig farmers that were the main economy out here. Curious eyes turned to stare at them as they entered, but Samarra felt the more malicious stares turn away as she followed Alyssa through the doorway. That was as intended. Even the stupidest rural bandit or thief would think twice about harassing someone who could afford armor and weapons of her quality. Though for this kind of rabble, her presence was more of a protection for them than Alyssa. She had seen the sorceress when she was roused, and Samarra knew she could leave a man a charred husk before he made two steps.
The innkeeper bowed inexpertly to the two of them, and said nervously, "What would your lordship and her ladyship be needin' of my 'umble inn?" Samarra took off her helmet, the gloom of the inn too much for her visor, and the innkeeper started with shock. "O-Oh! Your ladyship, beggin' yer pardon, I never meant any 'arm-"
Samarra held up a hand, stopping his flood of apologies. She had long gotten used to people assuming her male in the obscuring armor. "A room, please. Two beds," she said, plunking a coin on the bartop. The innkeeper stared wide-eyed, the gold gleaming dully in the dim light. The coin probably represented more money than he'd ever seen at once, paying for even an overpriced room ten times over.
"O-Of course," he said, finally finding his voice. "But- beggin' yer pardon, I ain't got any rooms with two beds, terrible sorry, I just-" He wrung his hands, babbling apologies, terrified of offering insult to them. Samarra opened her mouth to speak, but Alyssa was faster.
"I'm sure one bed will be fine, don't you agree?" She smiled at Samarra and wrapped an arm around the paladin's waist, leaning against her armored shoulder. Samarra flushed at the implication and was glad of the darkness as a few curious whispers traveled around the room. She opened her mouth to object, but stopped herself at seeing the blatant relief on the innkeeper's face. She merely gritted her teeth as Alyssa negotiated a bath, dinner, breakfast, and a whole host of other luxuries. She was uncomfortably aware of Alyssa's warmth on her arm, and was only too glad of the sorceress's request for her to buy some soap. That was easy enough.
The fresh air did wonders to clear her head, and she headed to the room in a good mood, clutching a homemade chunk of soap she had bought from a peasant woman. She knocked on the door and heard Alyssa call, "Come in!"
Samarra stepped inside and stopped dead. Alyssa was stark naked, sitting in a steaming bath in front of the fireplace, her legs dangling over the edge. Her ivory skin was flushed pink with heat, and Samarra's eyes wandered, taking in her auburn hair, her ample breasts, her long, toned legs...
With difficulty, Samarra pulled her gaze away, a fiery blush making her face burn. "Come on in, the water's fine!" Alyssa teased, laughing as Samarra stormed past her to the large bed. She only barely remembered she was holding the soap and tossed it behind herself without looking, furious at herself and Alyssa to varying degrees. She stripped off her gauntlets and threw them down, but began removing her armor more methodically, the long routine taking over her hands. She was sore and tired from riding all day, and frustrated, in more than one way. Her oaths had not restricted her very much. Her promises to be virtuous and faithful and charitable and kind were only reinforcements of her own ideals, her natural instincts to be good. And until now, the oath of celibacy had not mattered to her at all. Her few experiences with men before coming to the church had been disappointing, to say the least, and her vows did not prevent her from self-pleasure, recognizing it as a necessary natural function. The last month with Alyssa had changed things. The beautiful sorceress had awakened something inside her, filled her with confusing thoughts and desires. She had little privacy while traveling with a companion, but even when she had the chance to satisfy her needs, all she could see when she closed her eyes was Alyssa's naked figure, and she would give up in despair. Beyond her vows, her order banned homosexuality, calling it unnatural. She had felt that was just and right, and fought against her own fleeting feelings, believing that they were a test for her to hold strong against. But this was not a fleeting feeling, and she was tired, oh so tired of fighting it.
So when Alyssa called out to her, teasingly asking for Samarra to wash her back, she stood up from the bed mechanically and walked over. Alyssa looked startled and quickly covered it with a smile, handing her the soap and holding her hair out of the way to present her wet back. Samarra took the soap and began to rub it across Alyssa's shoulders, noting as if from far away the smoothness of her creamy white skin, the lack of scars and marks. Down she went, smelling the sweetness of the sorceress mixed with the sharpness of the lye soap. Alyssa was quiet throughout, only adjusting herself so that Samarra could reach different spots. Finally, Samarra rinsed the soap away, and Alyssa stood up, rivulets of water running down her body and over the shapely curves of her ass. It was quite close to Samarra's face, and she straightened up as well, feeling strange. As long as she didn't think about it, nothing was wrong. She was just helping her companion, and they were both women, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about.
"Do you want to take a bath too?" Alyssa asked as she toweled herself off. "I can heat some extra water. You must be as dirty as me."
Samarra nodded after a few moments, not trusting her voice. A bath would be nice, to wash away some of the filth of travel and ease her sore body. And her fingers were a bit stiff as she plucked at the strings of her tunic, so it made sense for Alyssa's slim hands to run over her body and loosen her clothes. She pulled away the tunic, unwrapped the cloth that bound her average breasts to her chest, and stepped out of her leggings with the help of Alyssa. She sunk into the lukewarm bathwater and sighed, even this a simple pleasure. Alyssa added more water, gloriously hot water, and Samarra melted into it, feeling the tension in her body ebb. She was bigger than the sorceress - a few inches taller and a good deal broader - and the cramped bath spilled onto the floorboards, but she didn't care. Without a word, Alyssa found the soap and began to wash Samarra's body, working over her toned muscles. Scars marked her from head to toe, the signs of a hardened and active warrior.
Samarra sat still, finding it harder and harder to keep this feeling of distance from herself. The feeling of soft, wet hands soaping up her body was difficult to ignore, especially when she knew who they belonged to. All it would take was single slip of the hands to her breasts or down to her thighs, a flirtatious comment, a kiss, and she would feel the wrongness, the ingrained repulsion of her own desires. But it didn't come. Alyssa was careful, gentle with her hands, cleaning only to the edges of dangerous areas and stopping. She stood up, letting Samarra finish washing herself, and sat on the bed. Samarra scrubbed her short hair in the water and rinsed herself off, feeling that she had walked to the edge of a cliff with Alyssa pushing her forward, then stopped, and stepped back. And now, beyond all reason, she wanted to jump.
