******
Copyright © 2021 C. D. Fable
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All characters appearing in this story are over the age of 18.
******
Gaine gazed out her bedroom window. A light dusting of snow gathered on the windowsill. Her warm and cozy bed was making a strong case for staying there all day. She blinked several times and wiped the sleep from her large, amber-coloured eyes before sitting up and letting the covers slide down to her waist, revealing her naked muscular frame. She stretched and clenched tight, her long legs poking out of the end of her covers. The cold air made her hairs stand on edge, and she quickly wrapped herself back in the blankets. Her bright curly red hair was doing its usual morning impression of a rat's nest with uncanny results. It went very well with the freckles that dotted her face and button nose.
"Bien?" she muttered, looking around the bed.
She smiled and pressed her hand to the Bien-sized imprint on the other side of the bed. She took a deep breath in through her nose, inhaling the scent of a delicious breakfast. He was in the kitchen. With a shiver, she got out of bed and put on her warmest furs. She shambled in the direction of the delicious smelling food, making her way into the main living area.
Gaine's home was sparsely decorated with furniture acquired over her years of raiding travellers foolish enough to enter her people's territory. Being a muscular giantess of over nine feet, most of her furnishings were either too small to be of any practical use or made functional by crudely cobbling together several of the same items into one useful furniture amalgam. The rest was custom built by herself or the other Damesdure villagers.
Bien, a more typical human of around six feet, was stoking the fireplace while tending to several pots and pans. The sizzle of eggs and bacon sounded as good as it smelled. He was dressed in only pants and long woollen socks. Given the choice of his broad shoulders atop his strong back or the wonderful smelling food, Gaine wasn't sure what she wanted to gobble up more.
"Almost done!" he exclaimed without looking away from the fire.
"You know," she said, sitting at the table and resting her chin on her closed fist, "you should be in the fields by now."
"It's fine, those parsnips aren't going anywhere. Besides, the longer they stay in the ground the sweeter they are in soup."
She smiled at him. "I suppose you're right." The rich aroma of the nearly finished meal filled her nostrils. "Speaking of your soup, how are the spices from the last raid?"
"They're great! Wait 'till you see what I did with them." He rustled around for a moment before turning around, presenting a plate piled high with bacon, eggs, and fresh bread. He placed the hearty meal in front of Gaine and returned to the fire to grab himself a more reasonably portioned helping.
Bien's handsome face was full of rugged stubble that matched his short tawny hair and brown eyes. His jaw was nearly as sturdy as his square frame. He was well built and quite strong, at least by traditional human standards. Being a farmhand, especially one for the Damesdure, was hard work, and the fact that he could almost keep pace with her was impressive; At least when she was slacking off.
He placed his own helping on his side of the table and continued over to Gaine. He stretched to his side, showing off a curious makeshift belt. It had small pockets sewn into it that held tiny capped vials filled with various spices.
"Very clever!" said Gaine.
Bien took his seat at the table, and the two happily devoured their meals.
Gaine watched Bien contently. She fantasized about putting off the harvest and spending the day in bed with him. As sweet as her vision was, it slowly soured, and her smile faded.
"We should be more careful, Bien," she said, pushing the last bits of food around her plate. "I think we've been getting too careless."
Bien looked up from his plate, raising an eyebrow and continuing to chew.
"If Avide were to find out about this..."
He swallowed and waved his fork around as he spoke, "Would it really be that bad?"
"She has a jealous nature. And-"
"It seems like she's fucking half the village though."
"More than half," said Gaine with a slight chuckle. "She's the strongest warrior in the village. Maybe one of the most fearsome Damesdure ever. It is an honor to be called to her bed."
"So before me, you two..."
"Many times." She looked off to the side and bit her lower lip as she slid into a pleasant memory. "Many times."
"Oh," said Bien, coughing slightly. "Do you," he paused, "miss her?"
"I do," admitted Gaine. "Truth be told I think she favors me. My willingness to challenge her leadership fuels her passion." There was a hint of pride in her tone.
Bien looked off to the side and continued to chew his already well-masticated food.
"But, when it's just her and I, and she stands naked before me, I feel powerless to oppose her desires. I just admire her physique, her power. The way she takes me-" Gaine let out a squeaky moan as her legs began to fidget. She suddenly remembered why they were talking about Avide in the first place. "It's been some time since I've lain with any of my fellow warriors. And you and I do spend a lot of time together. I'm sure there are already rumors."
Bien let out a pensive hum. "I knew everyone here was involved with one another but I guess I never really thought it through. It's not like anyone is discrete about it. It's ether fighting, farming, or fucking."
Gaine let out a small laugh through her nose. "There's a fair bit of overlap between the three. It's a small village and we have a lot more energy than you smaller humans. When we do find a man worthy of breeding they don't last more than a week." Her eyes crept up to meet Bien's as she brushed her foot against his leg from under the table. "With rare exception."
Bien blushed and swallowed his food. "So," he said with a quiver as her foot crept up the inside of his thigh. "What do we do?"
"Oh," she mumbled, his question raising the lusty haze that she had lost herself in. She slumped back into her chair. "I- I'm not sure..."
"What am I to you, anyway?" he asked, looking up at her. "I don't want to cause you any trouble. Why take the risk?"
Gaine opened her mouth, but no words came out. The room was silent for some time, save for the occasional pop of firewood or gust of wind from outside.
"I... don't know," she said, finally. "But I really like you, Bien. I want this to continue."
"I really like you too, Gaine." He looked out a nearby frost-covered window. "We'll just be more careful. I'll sleep in my own cabin for a while and maybe you should-" he paused, "reconnect with some of the other villagers?"
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Look," he said, standing and making his way over to her, "Whatever we have, I don't want it to end either." He put his hands on her shoulder and massaged her. Her pronounced muscles made finding knots easy, and his strong hands made quick work of them. "We'll figure this out." He kissed her softly on the nape of her neck.