Author's Notes:
Hacins 2020 all rights reserved.
All characters engaging in sexual relationships or activities are 18 years old or older.
This story is sort of a harem fantasy, but while some characters will have sex, I want to focus my writing on the story itself. It's the first time I tried to write something like this so all critiques and comments are welcome!
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I was awakened by the sun shooting its rays across my face.
I lay with my eyes barely open, watching the flashes of light coming through the window. It was still early, I could tell, 'cause my room was still partly dark. That told me the sun was still low in the sky.
"How much did I drink last night?"
I wondered, as I was unable to recall last night's events. I looked at my nightstand and on it, I saw a cup still filled with cheap wine. By the sour smell coming from the cup, I knew it was the wine served last night at the village tavern. The memories suddenly came rushing back as the smell entered my nostrils. The aroma would have been enough to make me want to puke on any given day, but today was even worse since I was fighting a horrible headache. I closed my eyes and covered my nose with the palm of my hand, as the memories of last night came crawling back.
I remembered going with my brother Carellus to the Cock and Bull for a drink after finishing our practice duel. I remembered cheering for my brother's victory in that same duel. It was my envy that probably made me drink more than I usually do. Then I recalled another thing. No, not a thing, a person, a girl. Yes, I remembered talking to a girl with the most amazing eyes I'd ever seen. Her eyes were the color of purest emeralds and they shone like falling stars. Her eyes went together perfectly with her autumn-red and curly hair falling over her shoulders... I wanted to remember more, but my memory faded as my headache hit.
Just like that, I was back in my bed lying perfectly numb, my eyes still closed in anticipation of my headache fading, so I could remember more details about the mysterious stranger I met last night. My headache vanished after a few minutes, which felt like an eternity, but no memories came in its place. I decided to open my eyes and look around the room for anything that might make me recall the missing pieces of last night. From my nightstand, my look trailed along the old ash floor. My gaze stopped at the woolen tunic. No memories came, but that wasn't surprising, as the tunic was mine and I usually slept without it. My eyes trailed farther along the floor until they found a wooden table at the corner of the room. I wouldn't normally pay any attention to the table, but something about it seemed out of place. I glanced at it and saw a few pieces of paper, a quill, an ink bottle, and a dress, wrinkled probably from last night's activities. I inspected the dress more closely. It was dark green, with a pattern of golden threads along both sleeves. I remembered that the girl from the tavern wore this dress last night, which could only mean that she must have come back here with me.
I quickly turned my head to the other side of the bed to find her lying there. She was covered to her waist with a blanket, but from the waist up she was naked, only her long curly hair hiding her exposed body.
The bed made a squicking sound as she slowly turned around. She yawned as she stretched her arms over her head. I knew I had limited time to come up with an excuse for why I din't remember everything from last night. At that moment a million thoughts were racing through my mind, but none were convincing enough for my missing memory. Before I could think of a good enough explanation for my lack of reminiscence, I was interrupted by her heavenly voice.
"Good morning," she whispered, her eyes partially closed but still focused on me.
"Good morning," I replied quietly, not wanting to antagonize her. I wanted to ask her what happened last night, what was her name, what land does she come from, and most importantly what did we do last night that she ended up naked in my bed? I must have had a confused expression on my face, because before I could ask any of those questions she rolled to her side, facing me, her beautiful eyes now fully opened as she giggled and asked, "You have no idea what happened last night or who I am, do you?"
I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks, turning them red with embarrassment. By the expression on her face, she didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that I didn't remember her. Maybe I should try bluffing my way out of it, but somehow my mind conjured my father's words. "Honesty is the greatest virtue," he used to say. "Only the greatest of men are honest at all times. That is why honesty is a foundation upon which greatness is built." I never gave much thought to my father's words, but in this situation, I decided to be guided by those words.
I gave myself another second to formulate the words I was about to say, knowing that they could be the last I said to this beautiful creature lying next to me. I finally opened my mouth, my lips dry from fear. "I'm truly sorry, M'Lady, but no I have no memories of last night's events, besides the pleasure I received from your company," I confess trying to paint her a compliment at the same time.
"So I'm a 'Lady' now." She smiled seductively. "Glad your sense of humor didn't go away now that you're sober. And for making me laugh this early in the morning, which is no small feat since I'm not a morning person at all, I will tell you everything you wish to know about last night."
I stared at those gorgeous sparkling eyes, making her smile all the more magical. The combination of her smile paired with her eyes and curly hair made her look divine, and I wished nothing more than to kiss her.
"Snap out of it!"
I forced myself to ask her a question. "Would you please tell me what happened last night between us? All I can recall is that I talked to you, about what I can't tell. I'm truly sorry to put you in this situation, and for any discomfort I might have caused you."
"By the Lady, will you stop apologizing!" she demanded. "First off, I hate people who apologize too often. It makes them look dishonest. And don't ruin the image of yourself I created by coming out dishonest. Secondly, you were a gentleman, as far as a drunken young man can be, so don't worry about wounding my honor or whatever other crazy ideas are running through your head. You did offer to sleep on the floor so I could have the bed all to myself, after all. And lastly, my name is Aisling and I'm a simple merchant's daughter hailing from the Island of Eire to the north, not a Lady at all, so please don't call me a Lady," she said with a determined voice, that could easily lead armies, were she not a woman.
"The Island of Eire. That's at least a three-week journey from here," I said, remembering the map of the land I had to study as a child. "I recall it's a small island also called Emerald Island," I wanted to apologize for my lack of knowledge about the land she hails from, but I bit my tongue at the last second to keep my mouth shut.
"That's correct. The Island is famous for its green meadows and fields which stretch along the island, and also underground mines filled with precious stones," she said with pride. It was obvious that she loved her homeland. She took a moment to lick her lips, her tongue running along her upper lip. "I'm glad to see you weren't bluffing last night when you declared that you are the smartest person in the tavern," she said, holding back her laughter.
"What can I say? I'm an honest person," I answered, smiling at her, my left eye honoring her with a wink.
"I can see that," she said as she extended her hand to rub my swollen shoulder. When she touched me I noticed the discomfort in my arms and shoulders, the cause of which was probably the duel I lost yesterday. The pain seemed to slip away as her lips parted: "I can also see that you are strong. Another thing you weren't bluffing about last night." This time she couldn't contain her laughter as it burst out and the honeyed sound of her voice filled the quiet room.
I couldn't help but stare in amazement at her. This girl was something else. She could make a man's pain go away by her touch, and put him in a better mood just by her laughter alone. I wondered what other tricks she had in her arsenal, but one thing was sure, she was magical. "Will you please tell me more about last night?" I brought myself to ask her, trying to focus on last night and not on her.
She moved her hands to her face wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. "Of course! I told you I will. What do you want to know exactly?"
"Well, for now, only two things come to mind. First is, how far did we take it last night? And second, how come you're not embarrassed by lying here with a stranger?"
"Oh, is that all?" she exhaled. She seemed completely relaxed, as if she already had the answers drawn up. "Well for your first question, we didn't do anything besides kissing, and no, we didn't have sex if that's what you're wondering," she said. She seemed to be disappointed by that fact, indicated by the way her lower lip moved downwards, making a frown-face for a second.
Before I could comment on what she said she spoke again. "And before you can ask why am I naked in your bed, well that is quite simple. I hate sleeping in a dress. I have been on the road for the past ten days, and in those ten days I was unable to sleep freely even once. So when you offered me a warm bed I took it, and decided to make the most of it."
"How did you know I wouldn't force myself on you, make you do things you wouldn't want to?"
"Well, besides the fact that you were drunk, I didn't. But I can take care of myself. My brothers showed me how to use different kinds of weapons. And who said you would have to force yourself on me?" she asked seductively, her eyes meeting mine, her hand once again rubbing up and down my shoulder.
"But you didn't have any weapons on you last night," I said. I would surely have noticed if she was armed.
"Are you that certain that I don't have a blade hidden somewhere? There are things you men will never understand about women. One of those is our ability to hide things," she said mockingly.
I brushed off her mockery, not giving her the satisfaction of letting her know that it bothered me. I figured she was a tease. "And for my second question?"
