Dame Sara Illou, Knight of the Land, breathed in the cool morning air in the courtyard of the inn. It was still early, barely after dawn, and she was preparing to leave.
For you see, Sara had a quest. There were gryphons attacking the local farms and villages leaving destruction in their wake and she needed to alert the garrison in the nearest town. It was a day's travel away so she had to get an early start.
Which was a bit of a shame as it meant leaving the beautiful serving girl Rose asleep in bed. The gorgeous young woman had been Sara's lover last night and Dame Sara had woken up horny as she always did. Sex with Rose would have been the perfect start to the day but Sara was not going to wake her up just to quench her lust so early in the morning.
Instead she finished preparing her mare Snowglide, and climbed onto her back. A voice to her right made her turn.
"I see you are leaving without breakfast, dame knight," said June, Rose's grandmother and also the owner of the inn. "I cannot allow that. Take these."
The old woman stepped forward and offered Sara a small package that was still warm. Sara could smell fresh bread within.
"Are you sure?" Sara said.
"I am," June replied with a smile. "Thank you for everything you are doing. If you see any more helpless people, direct them to this hamlet. I will do my best to aid them."
"You are a noble woman, June," Sara said with a seated bow.
"As are you, dame knight," the innkeeper replied. "Good luck."
With that, Sara turned and edged Snowglide out of the courtyard. Soon she was on the road and as the sun rose she opened the package up and ate some of the bread. It was very tasty and soon she had eaten enough for her breakfast. She knew that she would likely want some later on in the day too so she did not eat it all.
She rode for the morning, always keeping a wary eye out for the gryphons. Though she had not seen them herself she had no doubt that the people hiding in the tavern were telling the truth - or at least thought they were. She passed a few farmsteads and found them all empty. People were definitely hiding.
As it reached afternoon she caught sight of a small collection of buildings up ahead. A large farm was by the side of the road with a couple of houses next to it, probably belonging to people who worked the farm. One of the buildings also housed a small shop which was completely closed up.
Suddenly Sara heard raised voices and she guided Snowglide off the road into the farmyard. A small stone outbuilding was at the far side with the large farmhouse behind. In the yard itself a group of people were loudly arguing.
When they saw her ride in they paused and turned to look at her. An older man waved his hand angrily.
"And who are you?" he said with annoyance. "Someone else trying to drive me off my land?"
"For the queen's sake, we're not trying to drive you off!" shouted a younger man. "We're trying to save you!"
"From what!" the first man shouted back. "Gryphons that I've not even seen? Hah!"
Sara dismounted, walking over to them in the hope she could cool this argument down. As she did so, she noticed the younger man staring at her and she could see his eyes widen with surprise. Clearly he had not expected a Knight of the Land to come riding into the farmyard, and definitely not one as beautiful as she was.
She took the time to check him out in return. He was extremely handsome; broad-shouldered and in his mid-twenties, he had short brown hair and a neat goatee and stood about six foot tall with deep brown eyes. From his tanned skin and physique she guessed he worked the fields.
"Sir, allow me to introduce myself," she said as she approached the older man. "I am Dame Sara Illou, a Knight of the Land. You can trust me."
The man sighed, shaking his head. "I am sure you mean well, dame knight, but I cannot abandon this farm. I do not believe this panic is real - it is a ruse concocted by thieves, eager to see the local farms and houses left empty for them to ransack."
"You have not seen the gryphons then?" Sara asked.
The man shook his head. "Have you?"
Sara had to admit that she hadn't. She had only heard stories about them. Perhaps this man was right.
"Surely you can't be allowing him to stay, dame knight?" the younger man said, clearly horrified.
"I cannot force anyone to leave," she replied.
"Did you hear that Darryl? Even a Knight of the Land can't make me leave!" the older man said triumphantly.
It was decided then that the group was staying, and the farmer invited Sara inside to eat. She had to admit that she was hungry so she graciously accepted.
Sara was about to follow the rest of the group into the house when she noticed that the younger man, whom she now knew was named Darryl, had not moved. She walked up to him.
"You have a good heart, Darryl, but you cannot force him to leave," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
He smiled at her, nodding. "Yes, I suppose. It's just... I don't want to see anyone get hurt." He reached up and placed his own hand on hers, then suddenly flushed red and pulled it away. "Sorry... I shouldn't be putting my hands on you."
Sara's magic cunt flared and she smiled naughtily at the extremely handsome farmhand. "Oh no, Darryl, I think I'd quite enjoy you putting your hands on me," she said with a flirty wink.
He opened his mouth to respond but she turned away, grinning at how flustered he was. She walked into the house.
The farmer's wife had laid on a good meal, and Sara took her seat at the table. She took a bite and soon had eaten a good portion of her plate. She had not realised how hungry she was. However, she noticed with disappointment that Darryl had not yet come in. She hoped her words had not driven him away with embarrassment.
There was a surprising good cheer amongst the assembled group despite the threat of gryphons. She guessed that the farmer's assertion that it was all made up had a calming influence on the farmhands. It was only Darryl who seemed to take the threat seriously. Even Sara had to admit she was starting to doubt it. After all, she had seen no evidence of the gryphons, only heard the scared whispers of those in the tavern.
That was until a few seconds later.
A cacophonous screech sounded through the house and the conversation suddenly dropped silent. A shadow swooped overhead and there was the loud thud of beating wings.
Darryl burst through the door frantically. "They're here!" he bellowed.
Another loud beastly cry sounded overhead and the assembled group shrieked. The old farmer's face went white with horror but Sara was pleased to note he was not crippled with inaction.
"Into the cellar!" he shouted, running to the corner of the room and hauling open the trapdoor. "Everyone inside!"