Lilith & Blade:
Rescued Legend
Eyes of fire watched the maiden as she floated completely submerged just beneath the surface of the pool. Her dark hair, soft as a ghost's whisper, fanned out in the water, the ends of it curling and swirling with the slightest current of the water. The girl remained motionless almost too long, causing her viewer some concern. Upon the flinch of his muscles to rescue her, the maid arched backwards and brought her face up and back out of the water. Her eyes were closed, oblivious to the world outside of the water. Her voyeur allowed himself a slight smile as the woman glided in the water as though a part of it. Yes, he thought, bringing this one back home was already proving worth his trouble—even if he wouldn't be able to keep her. A kind of sadness inside him banished a part of his smile at his conscience's reminder: this was Lilith.
It was legends that inspired the young man to seek out the lost or the improbable. Dragon's he now had by the dozen; he was raising them. Unicorns were boring; except for use as maiden bait. The gods tested his worthiness almost as a matter of routine. It was Lilith who fascinated and inspired him from the beginning to seek out the reality of stories that grew into legends. It was he who rescued just such a legend from her sealed sarcophagus deep in the heart of the Hell Furies Mountains, its chain a somewhat active group of volcanoes.
It was now three days since he brought the sleeping maiden home with him and this was the first bit of real activity she had shown. Until now the local clerics were caring for her, seeing to her revival and reporting back to their lord. No one knew for sure how the maid would react after having been in a magically induced slumber for the last almost millennium. If it was a normal coma lasting only days the girl would be re-teaching herself a good many physical acts. It appeared no such lessons were needed here. For the moment he was quite satisfied in watching his newest treasure discover the world all over again.
Lilith brought her head out of the water and found her footing on the pool's floor. Brushing her hair back fully exposed her slanted ears that marked her as a member of the sylvan race. She opened her wide, grey eyes and gazed directly at her voyeur.
"Do you see something that pleases you?" she asked in the old elven tongue. The bluntness of her question caused a devilishly delicious smile on the stranger's face.
"Yes, I do," was his reply in kind.
"Do you have a name?" Lilith asked swirling the waters gently about her chest with her arms. She gazed at a youthful man whom she found most pleasing to look upon. He stood over her at the poolside with one foot propped up on a stone bench and his arms crossed over the knee. Blonde wavy hair that was almost white fell over his shoulder in a ponytail caught by a leather strap. He was broad of the chest and muscled in the way she'd seen many an ancient human warrior. But this one's eyes were different. His eyes were of a reddish hue, almost smoldering; surely they were enough to frighten most of the humans he would associate with.
"You waste no time with formalities, do you?" he said.
Lilith's mouth curved and her eyes narrowed to a bedroom bold, almost cunning. "Formalities are something I save for court. Are you going to stand there all morrow trespassing me with your eyes or are you going to do something?"
The stranger allowed his eyes to smile; one of his more charming—and alarming—features he was told. He stepped away from the bench and knelt poolside. "Come here," he told her.
Intrigued, Lilith complied. At the stranger's gesture she offered him a hand. He gently cupped her hand within both of his, but did not help her out of the pool.
"For you, my lady, I would do anything." He kissed the back of the hand offered and his eyes never left hers. "My name is Blade."
Skepticism flashed in her eyes, but then, so did interest. "Do you know me?" she asked.
The stranger's smile broadened. "I have studied your legend for most of my life, my lady."
"What legend?" Lilith blinked.
"Of course, you couldn't know, unless the clerics told you."
"Know what? As easy as you are to look upon, this is getting tiresome."
"My apologies," Blade offered. "What do you remember of your last adventure?"
What an odd question
, Lilith mused. "Four—no, five of us, six, counting the dragon, breached an ancient tomb. Two were felled by traps and my Sard, the dragon, died when he took a chestful of arrows—from a door trap. I'd never seen so many deadly traps in one place in my life. I crossed a 'spanse of molten lava to get to a sarcophagus set upon an island—knowing the best treasures would be on the mummy. I started as I saw myself lying dead inside the sarcophagus—and then I was yanked inside. I awoke to your priests. Now I am here, with you."
"The sarcophagus was about nine-hundred and fifty-seven years ago," Blade told her.
"Nine—?" Lilith pulled her hand out from between his. "How do I know you're not lying?"
"Why would I lie to one whose fabled abilities is to recognize a lie at will?"
"That would be foolish, wouldn't it?" Lilith said neither acknowledging nor denying the ability.
"It was said that you were as beautiful as you were cunning," Blade said. "I'd like to get to know the cunning part, if you don't mind, my lady, Lilith. Lilith of Ever—"
Lilith pressed her fingers against Blade's mouth. "That's all right," she said. "I believe you." She hesitated. "I uh— it would appear that I owe you a debt." Blade took her fingers again and began kissing them as a man in love. "Does this mean you've decided on what you would like in return?" She bobbed her head to get his attention.
"I want you."
"Uhm... For how long?"
"Forever."
"Really?" Imaginary chains rattled loudly inside Lilith's head threatening to wrap themselves around her heart and her ankles. "I don't know how much of the me you really know, but I'm not able—"
"I know," Blade said, "but I'd like to try."
Her gaze softened. "Many others have tried. I simply can't stay with any one person or in any one area for long. I can't."
"Stay the night. Share my bed. For the trouble I went through to get you out of that volcano I deserve that much." One of his hands strayed down her arm to cup a breast beneath the water. Lilith leaned forward into his grasp.
"That, I can do."
"And, perhaps, a little while longer?"
"We shall see," she breathed feeling herself drawn in by the touch of this man's hand upon her breast. "Uhm... Help a girl out?" she asked.
"Gladly," Blade said offering both hands and a strong grip that allowed her to climb out of the pool.
Lilith landed with a little hop that made her bounce off of Blade's chest. She suppressed a gasp as she realized she looked him mid-chest.
"You all right?" Blade asked at her raised eyebrows when she looked up at him.
All the easier to reach your crotch
, she thought. "Uhm, yeah—yes. You know, coming out of the water that quickly has me a bit light-headed. Can we—?"
"Bench is right here," Blade offered as all he need do was take a step back and he was there. Lilith looked ahead but managed to stumble nearly onto his lap. Blade smiled recognizing the play from the lady.
