The clanging of steel and the cheering of the crowd still rang in your ears, as you made your way out of the banquet hall. The days tournament had been an exciting one that would be talked about for weeks to come, and the meal afterwards matched it in it's splendor. You had managed to talk your mother into letting you go for an evening ride alone. You wanted the ride to calm your nerves before you slept for the night, but didn't want to have your family's guards with you. After all, you had recently celebrated your twentieth year of life, so you absently made your curtseys and bows to the other lords and ladies at the banquet as you passed them on your way to the door. Smiling to the guards as you approached, you give the younger one a wink. You reveled in the way his cheeks flushed as you did. You enjoyed teasing the younger boys. The way their cheeks would turn crimson, and the older ones would chuckle knowingly.
You paused as you passed out of the banquet hall, taking a deep breath of the crisp evening air. Smiling to yourself, you made your way through the maze of stairs and balconies that made up the outer promenade of the city until you came upon your destination, the stables of your family home. A stablehand comes out of a stable, leading your gray-spotted mare, already with full donning and saddle, smiling at you as he says, 'Here you are, m'lady, we thought you might show up tonight'
He hands you the reins and fetches the stairs for you to climb up. You smile to him as you sit down on the saddle with both legs on one side. Letting out a small giggle as he turns his face from you to hide his blush. You nod at him slightly and he stands and steps away. You pat the mare's neck, and then slowly ride it away from the stables and towards the city gate.
You approach the gates, your mind thinking about the handsome boys you made blush this day, trying to imagine the thoughts that were in their heads that made them blush. You look ahead to the gate, hoping to spot your next victim. You see a couple young faces that you recognize and smile to yourself. Your gaze continues moving over the guards around the gate then stops suddenly. Your green eyes linger on a dark-haired man talking to the guards to the right of the gate. You're not sure why you're looking at him so until you get a bit closer and realize that he's looking at you as he talks. His hazel eyes moving over your body, then looking up to your eyes filled with hunger. You feel your blood rise and your cheeks get warm, you long to look away but something in his eyes holds your gaze. You suddenly realize that you've reached the gate as one of the guards ask you if you are going out for a ride. You nod absently at him, your eyes glancing over to him so that he knows your answering him.
You look back to the man, able to see him in the light now. He's not as big as the guards, but you have a feeling he's near as strong as them, not the bulky strength that they have, but more of a disciplined look to his build. He's dressed in commoner's clothing: a shirt of forest green, tan pants, weathered leather boots. The only piece of his attire that stands out to you is the sword on his belt, it's hilt made entirely of silver, with a vein of emerald spiraling around the hilt, the scabbard decorated to match the hilt with intricate patterns in silver and emerald. Your eyes return to his to find them still looking hungrily at you, his gaze causing more than your face to flush now. You barely hear the guard as he tells you to take care on your ride and opens the gate. You pat your mare's neck again to spur her on, exiting the city, but you can still feel the man's gaze on you until you hear the gates close behind you again.
You ride a ways along the road until you reach a bridge over the large stream that runs past the city, turning you look back to the city, just barely able to make out the guards on the wall and near the gate. You turn your gaze back to the road over the bridge, and can see the lights of the village that you normally ride to. Shifting in the saddle, you move to where one leg is on either side of the mare, causing the bottom of your red dress to move up, baring your skin to your knees. You always hated how your mother tried to make sure you did things the proper way. With another look down towards the village, you grin slightly to yourself, feeling adventurous. You turn the horse, continuing away from the city, following the stream as you ride over grassy fields through light woods, spurring the mare on faster now, enjoying the exhilirating feel of the evening's air passing you, your golden brown hair bouncing in the wind behind you.
The woods start get thicker around you steadily, forcing you to slow your mare. Then finally causing you to stop as the woods ahead become impassable. You frown in disappointment for a moment, then suddenly grin as you move your mare down into the stream, slowly walking her up it. After a while, the woods thin out again, and you hear a dull roar ahead. Moving the mare a little further up the stream, your breath catches as you come into a beautiful cave-like area. A waterfall on the far end, with cliffs of moss-covered rock surrounding it, the water forming a calm, clear pool that fills most the area. You move your mare to the side, up on to one of the shores. You dismount from the mare, tethering the rains to a nearby tree, then looking around to take in the majesty of the area. Walking to the water's edge you squat down, rolling up the sleeves of your white blouse, then washing your arms in the water. You're surprised to find that it's not as cold as you'd expect it to be, rather it's just cool enough to be refreshing.
Looking back to your horse, you grin, and ask her, 'Should I?', not really expecting an answer. Then you move back over to your mare, rubbing it's neck as you smile. 'I think I will'
You step away from the mare, looking around once just to make sure nobody is around, you begin to unlace the front of your dress. You look back at your mare, and giggle softly as you say, 'Oh don't worry...nobody will ever know', finishing unlacing your dress, you slide it from your shoulders, carefully rolling it down your legs until you can step out of it, then setting it on a nearby dry rock. You take off your boots and your blouse also, setting the blouse on your dress and your boots next to the rock. You slowly wade into the water, gasping softly as the cool water touches your more sensitive areas. You're happy to find that the water doesn't get above your shoulders when you stand on the bottom. You swim and play in the water, doing all the things you wished your mom would have let you when you were little. You float on your back staring up at the sky until the blue of day turns into the oranges and pinks of sunset. Sighing softly to yourself you decide it's time to go home.
You stand in the water again, and turn to walk towards your clothes and your horse, but stop as you do. There's another horse tethered next to yours and a small fire up in the trees a little ways. You don't see anybody as you look around, so you slowly start to make your way up to the shore. As soon as you begin to move though you hear a man's voice behind you, 'Did you enjoy your swim?'
You turn quickly and see the man from the gates standing in the water, his hazel eyes still hungry as they look into yours, his dark brown hair wet and slicked back. You glare at him incredulously, as you half-yell, 'You! What are you doing here? I demand an explanation!'
With a laugh, he smiles at you. The smile adding a mirth to his eyes, the combination makes your knees feel weak suddenly. 'I live here. This is my home'
Stammering slightly for a response, you manage to say, 'Oh...I'm sorry then...but now you will turn around so that I may collect my things and leave!'
He grins as he asks, 'And if I don't turn around?', he watches you, grinning wider as you try to think of a response, your cheeks flushing at the thought of him seeing you naked. He reaches out, taking your wrist in his hand and pulling you closer, 'And if I don't let you leave yet...'
He gently pulls you towards him still, your eyes looking at him with shock, 'You will! Don't you know who I a-...', he cuts you off as he reaches with his other hand cupping your cheek and then running it back into your hair, leaning in he kisses you before you can finish. His lips firm against yours, parting slightly, his tongue moving gently over your lips. Your mind races but all thoughts leave your head as he kisses you, you find your lips parting slightly, letting his tongue slide between them slowly. He slips his tongue slowly into your mouth, the tip of his moving slowly, over the tip of yours, swirling around it a couple times before slowly sliding deeper into your mouth.
