《Fate's Fortune》


 Chapter 1: The Festival of Chance

    Elissa quivered slightly inside as the loud roar of the crowd echoed from outside the small tent she was in. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be here,¡¯ she thought pitifully to herself, as she thought back on how the Fates had twisted her path to bring her to this junction in her life.


    All children of wealth, status, or nobility knew to avoid the Festival of Chance which was held every year in honor of the God of Chaos, and like nearly every other child of influence, her family had prepared her for the occasion. Only the most trusted of her family¡¯s retainers had been chosen to escort her from the city and to the small private manor which had been reserved exclusively by her father for this occasion, and they had left the city and traveled in the midst of midnight darkness to escape without any knowing their destination.


    If all would¡¯ve went as planned, Elissa would¡¯ve been safe in the privacy of her own family¡¯s home, ready to be given off to one of her family¡¯s most trusted protectors to serve and obey for the next week ¨C for that¡¯s what the Festival of Chance was all about: a turning of the rules of society completely upside down!


    Children of wealth, status, and noble blood, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, had to place their names into a lottery which the priests and gods oversaw. The more wealth one¡¯s family had, the more times their name was entered into the lottery. The higher status one¡¯s family had obtained, the more times they were entered into the lottery. And noble blood? Should one be born with noble blood, their name was entered a thousand times more into the lottery.


    Once all the names had been gathered, the priests would draw lots ¨C the number of chosen to be determined by the overall population of the town, city, village, or temple one was in ¨C and then the ¡°lucky¡± chosen ones would become a ¡°Maiden of Fate¡± or a ¡°Lad of Luck¡±. They¡¯d be pampered and bathed. Fed the finest of foods. Dressed in what Elissa felt was one of the most embarrassing outfits she¡¯d ever worn in her entire life. And then, when the festival was in high swing, they¡¯d be lotteried off to one of the people attending the festival, to serve them faithfully for the next week of their lives.


    The priests claimed that this festival helped those of status connect and learn of the lives of the common folk of the kingdom. It helped encourage kindness and largess between the wealthy and the poor ¨C for one would never know if their own child might end up going to serve under someone whom they had slighted, mistreated, or angered.


    The festival was supposed to encourage a joining of the rich and the poor, to help them reach out and find middle ground. Instead, it was often a time of terrible dread for the children of prestige. Servitude for a week to a complete stranger, with the backing of the gods behind them. If they were beaten, worked nearly to death, or even wenched out in the taverns for that whole week, there was no legal recourse for them to avoid their fate.


    The order of the world turned itself upside down and the rich were trapped obeying the poor. Even while trying not to think of all the terrible things that could happen to her, Elissa couldn¡¯t help but feel her knees tremble and knock together. In all her life, she¡¯d never been this helpless. This hopeless!


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be here,¡¯ she thought to herself again, for about the hundredth time.


    She¡¯d packed up and left town on time. She was surrounded by men and women her father trusted above all others ¨C guards which had watched her be born and which had been there beside her for each step she took in her life. She knew each and every one of them by name. Knew their families. Knew their hearts!


    She would¡¯ve been safe with them, and that was the plan all along ¨C leave the city, travel to her family¡¯s private manor, and take her ¡°chance¡± with whichever of her family¡¯s guardians might obtain her service for a week. Instead, everything that could¡¯ve possibly went wrong, did so. They were ambushed by a large group of bandits several days from their destination and several of her guards were gravely injured¡ªeven to the point where the healers were unable to cure them.


    ¡®Whatever that poison was,¡¯ Elissa thought to herself while chewing on the end of her thumbnail, ¡®it wasn¡¯t the least bit natural. Some alchemist or wizard had to alter it to make it as dark and evil as it was.¡¯ Even thinking back on what had happened made her stomach churn queasily. Black blood slowly leaking from the eyes. Skin turning gray and ashen. Breathing labored and ragged.


    Shaking her head violently from side to side, Elissa tried to force the images out of her mind. Those were her guards. She¡¯d grown up with them. Surrounded by them. They¡¯d been there for her with each step that she learned to take in her life. She couldn¡¯t just abandon them and let them die for her sake. Even if she somehow managed to spare her body some suffering at the hands of a poor bastard, it would¡¯ve left a wound in her heart that could never heal.


    ¡®There was only one real choice, and I made it,¡¯ Elissa reassured herself. Even if she was given to the roughest bastard in the city, she¡¯d only have to suffer for a week. No one was actually fool enough to kill one of the chosen and risk the wrath of the god of chaos. The worst that she¡¯d have to do is endure for seven days ¨C and that¡¯s only IF she was chosen in the lottery ¨C compared to doing nothing and simply letting those who meant so much to her die a terrible death. ¡®No real choice at all,¡¯ Elissa muttered softly to herself, as she slowly took a step forward to await her place in line to be lotteried off.


    She¡¯d made her choice. Took her chance with lottery. She knew the risks and knew there was a chance she might be one of the ones chosen ¨C but she took it anyway. ¡®I had to,¡¯ she reassured herself one final time, as a brightly dressed young man bounced back into the tent and skipped over to her. Dressed in a robe painted all the colors of the rainbow, the young priest gently held out his hand for her. His hair was dyed brilliant purple, and spiked wildly in all directions. Bells attached to dozens of random places on his robes tinkled and chimed merrily with every step he took and glitter ¨C or perhaps it was confetti ¨C seemed to fall constantly from his clothing and color the ground all around him every shade of the rainbow.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go!¡± Without giving her time to even take his hand on her own, the young priest laughed merrily and grabbed her arm, turned, and began to half-skip, half-bounce towards the exit. The cheers were nearly deafening as Elissa emerged out into the bright noontime sun and was led up onto the podium to await her fate.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    <hr>


    ¡°Is this one the bitch we want?¡± Concealed in a thick woolen cloak with a deep hood pulled low over his face, a man¡¯s voice growled softly over to his companion ¨C a greasy looking fat man who greedily was rubbing his hands together.


    The fat merchant sighed deeply and glanced down once again to check the small crystal he held carefully in his hands. ¡°Not this one. Not yet. Be patient,¡± he repeated for what felt like the millionth time today.


    Every time a new young lady was brought out to be lotteried off, he had to go through the same thing. Get pestered about if it was her ¨C as if he wouldn¡¯t say something if it was her! Listen to several minutes of bitching from his partner about how he was wasting his precious time and needed to get back to his research. Get threatened a few times if he didn¡¯t hurry it up ¨C as if HE had anything to do about what order the priests brought the chosen out ¨C and then repeat the process once again.


    As the last girl was being off in the direction of some old grandmother, the crowd went wild once again, and the fat merchant sighed deeply knowing it was time for another exchange of stupidity with the man at his side. ¡°Before you even ask¡­¡° Glancing down at the crystal in his hand, he was going to try and cut off the questions before they even started, but he had to stop and blink several times to make certain he wasn¡¯t seeing things. The crystal was finally giving off a pale pink glow. Had they finally found her??


    ¡°Is this the bitch we want?¡± Once again, the rough voice half growled in the fat man¡¯s direction.


    ¡°It is! It is!¡± Finally! The fat merchant couldn¡¯t help smiling as he thought about he could get soon out of here, be done with this business, and hopefully never have to deal with growl-voice once again!


    ¡°So how are you going to get her?¡± He had to ask, just for his own curiosity, not that he really cared one way or another. His job was just to identify her, then accept her when growl-voice acquired her, and to just deliver her.


    ¡°These games are simple to influence,¡± growl-voice told him with a snort, as he pointed one gloved finger up towards the podium.


    The fat merchant had to admit, the young lady up on the stage right now certainly had all the right curves in all the right places. Wearing a loose pink dress that was so sheer it didn¡¯t hide anything, the girl had been bathed and dyed pure white from head to toe. Some say the dying of skin and hair was to help give the young boys and girls a sense of anonymity, but the fat merchant had always held to the belief that it was just to help highlight the skin under those ridiculously thin outfits. Lingerie was probably thicker and less sheer than what this young lass had on currently!


    The round swelling of her full breasts was plainly visible, as was the risen peaks of her nipples. ¡®I wonder if the priests do something to make them perk up, or if that¡¯s just natural from being nervous,¡¯ the fat man wondered to himself. Either way, he couldn¡¯t help but grin at the two risen white peaks plainly visible under the gossamer pink dress. Letting his eyes caress up and down the full length of her body, the fat man couldn¡¯t help but find himself getting somewhat aroused. High heels. Long legs. No bush. Large, full breasts. Soft curves. Long, wavy white hair which seemed to dance across he shoulders and lick all the way down the back of her knees. There wasn¡¯t no doubt about it. The girl before him was definitely a beauty.


    And soon¡­.


    Soon she was going to be in his hands and he could do anything he wanted with her, before he finished his delivery.


    <hr>


    Stone stood tall and unmoving near his brother¡¯s side, never swaying, never even blinking, as the morning¡¯s festival carried on all around them. He never cheered. Never waved. Never even twitched. He simply stood where his brother had told him to wait, and planted himself firmly and patiently there like a rock ¨C thus why everyone who knew him always called him Stone.


    Tall and massive, by any standards, Stone stood head and shoulders above all the rest in the crowd and had a perfect view of the morning¡¯s proceedings. His brother was laughing with the nearby boys and trying to flirt with any of the nearby girls who might give him the time of day, and he just stood there. Several people jostled and bumped into him, but they might as well have been bouncing into a wall for all the effect it had on Stone.


    Silently, unmoving and unaffected by the wild party all around, Stone stood and waited. From time to time, his right eyebrow would twitch slightly as he listened to the fat merchant and cloaked idiot standing directly in front of him. At first, they¡¯d whispered conspiratorially to each other, but as the morning moved on into the afternoon, they quickly dismissed him from their thoughts. It seemed obvious to them, just like it did to everyone else who ever met him ¨C Stone was a complete and utter imbecile!


    As the morning advanced, Stone watched with a mild sense of amusement as Hoodman got more and more agitated and threatened Fatman. Some of the things which the one threatened to do to the other sounded quite bizarre and rather impossible. There wasn¡¯t anyway you could pull someone¡¯s ass out their nose and make them eat it. Was there?


    As Stone mulled over whether the last threat was even possible or not, the two men in front of him suddenly leaned together and began to whisper and point at a really pretty girl who¡¯d just been led up onto the stage.


    ¡°Friends! Neighbors! Countrymen and Visitors too!¡± The rainbow dressed priest laughed and waved his hands wildly back and forth as the crowd cheered and yelled encouragement. Fireworks burst in the sky and confetti rained down -- once again ¨C over the crowd. Laughing gaily, the priest yelled out to the masses, ¡°Who¡¯s going to be the lucky person to win this little beauty?¡±


    ¡°ME! ME! ME!¡± A thousand enthusiastic cheers echoed throughout the courtyard and the priest seemed to bounce even higher in response to the people¡¯s excitement.


    ¡°Maybe! Maybe,¡± the priest laughed, as he skipped over to a large circular wheel on the podium. ¡°Let¡¯s find out!¡± Giggling happily, he spun the wheel and laughed as color after color rotated once after the other for several moments. When it finally stopped on red, the young priest hopped three feet into the air and waved his hands back and forth, causing a large ray of red light to burst forth from them and highlight the whole stage!


    ¡°Our first color is red,¡± he screamed wildly out to the cheers of the crowd.


    Frowning, Stone blinked a few times and thought about what he¡¯d just witnessed. Hoodman had just did something, and he¡¯d made the wheel stop on red. It¡¯d been going fast enough that yellow should¡¯ve been the color up top, but the wheel had stopped early on red. Slowly, and for the first time that whole morning, Stone moved his hand and slowly rubbed his chin as he thought about what he¡¯d just seen.


    ¡°Oh! Oh! It¡¯s red again!¡± Another rainbow flash of red light shone across the podium and Stone¡¯s frown grew even larger. Hoodman was doing something to make the wheel stop when he wanted it to, and that wasn¡¯t right! ¡®Of course¡¯, Stone thought to himself, ¡®this is a festival of Chaos. Is it really wrong to break the rules in a game dedicated to the God of Rule Breaking?¡¯ Frowning, Stone tried to sort out his feelings as the priest continued to spin the wheel and Hoodman continued to cheat. Green was chosen, then blue, followed by yellow, and then finished with black.


    As the last color was chosen, Fatman lifted up the small metal disk he¡¯d been issued when the festival started that morning, but before he could say a word, he staggered and fell over ¨C as did the cloaked fellow beside him. Blood oozed from the corner of both men¡¯s heads where they¡¯d been banged together with enough force to instantly send them both into a deep state of unconsciousness. Ignoring the two collapsed men laying at his feet, Stone slowly leaned down and picked up the small metal disk from the ground.


    ¡°I won,¡± Stone exclaimed calmly, as he held it up for the world to see.

 Chapter 2: Lost

    ¡°David¡­   David¡­¡±  Sarah pushed insistently back on the boy¡¯s head who was leaned over and kissing repeatedly on her neck.  ¡°David, quit that,¡± she demanded firmly.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±  David leaned back and blinked several times while grinning up at her sheepishly.  ¡°Why?  What¡¯s wrong darling?  I thought we were just getting started,¡± he added wishfully.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Sarah sighed, ¡°but isn¡¯t that your brother going up to the stage like an idiot?¡±  Using her hands, she turned his head to make him face in the direction of the podium where the lottery was being held.


    ¡°Stone?  Nah, It can¡¯t be¡­¡±  Blinking a few times, David¡¯s eyes widened as he tried to convince himself that it wasn¡¯t his brother slowly stepping up to the stage and heading over to the priests.   ¡°What the hell!  I told that idiot to stay put!¡±  Shoving himself back away from Sarah ¨C her lithe form suddenly far from his thoughts ¨C he began to push and shove his way though the crowd to try and get up to the stage.


    <hr>


    The priest was halfway through the award speech by the time David elbowed and shoved his way through the densely packed crowd, his mind racing with worries and fears about how he was going to get his brother out of this mess that he¡¯d gotten himself into.  He was so worried in fact, that he didn¡¯t give more than a passing thought to the two men he¡¯d had to step over who¡¯d drank so much they¡¯d passed out and collapsed in the middle of the crowd.  It was a shame their friends couldn¡¯t be bothered to drag them out to rest it off in the shade somewhere ¨C his friends would¡¯ve at least did that for him if he¡¯d drunken himself into a stupor ¨C but they weren¡¯t his worry and he didn¡¯t have time to spare for them at the moment.  His only real thought was to stop his brother before it was too late and he got himself into some sort of irreversible trouble.   Idiot Stone!


    ¡°And so, unless someone has reason to object,¡± the young colorful priest announced loudly out over the cheers of the crowd, ¡°I declare this chosen to belong t¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait!  Wait!  Wait a minute,¡± David demanded as he pushed out past the final line of people separating him from the stage.  ¡°He didn¡¯t know any better,¡± he half yelled, half pleaded, rushing up the steps to join his brother, the girl, and the priest on the podium.  Uncertain what new entertainment they were going to get to see, the crowd let out another loud wave of wild cheering and drunken shouting.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± the young priest laughed gaily, waving his hands and spraying rainbow confetti out across the crowd once again.  ¡°You don¡¯t have to know anything to win at the Festival of Chance!¡±


    ¡°But¡­ But¡­ He can¡¯t win,¡± David panted breathlessly as he finally stopped in front of the priest and stood beside his brother.  ¡°Stone didn¡¯t have a game token,¡± he confessed, smacking his much larger brother upside the back of the head, which only made his own hand ache, and Stone didn¡¯t even seem to notice.  ¡°He tends to lose things like these,¡± David explained, pulling two shiny metal disks out of his own pocket and holding them over towards the priest, ¡°so I was holding onto his token for him.¡±


    ¡°Oh!   OH!  OHHH!¡±  The young priests eyes grew wide and he half hopped where he stood.  ¡°It¡¯s wonderful,¡± he exclaimed, suddenly and unexpectedly.  ¡°If what you¡¯re saying is true, we must have a cheater somewhere!¡±  Instead of looking the least bit offended, the priest¡¯s eyes twinkled and happy laughter pealed out from between his lips as he half danced a crazy jog on the podium.


    ¡°Father!  Father!  Lookie!  Lookie!!¡±  Grabbing the colored disk from both Stone and the two disks from his brother David, the priest laughed wildly and held all three of them up towards the heavens.  ¡°It¡¯s funny!  It¡¯s fishy!  It¡¯s not right!¡±  Too excited to contain himself any longer, the young priest threw open this robe and then tossed it out across the crowd and danced a wild jig across the stage.  ¡°Whatcha going do, Papa?  Huh?  Huh?  Whatcha going to do,¡± he laughed out gleefully, taunting the heavens.


    ¡°Wait!  Wait!   Wait a moment,¡± David pleaded, ¡°before you do something, let me explain!  Stone didn¡¯t mean to do anything wrong.  He¡¯s just an idiot who doesn¡¯t know any¡­¡±


    Several terrified screams from out in the crowd interrupted David¡¯s heartfelt explanation, and several people began to push and shove each other clearing a sudden hole in the mass of people, exposing two massive spotted cats, as large as any dog!   Hissing and growling, the two angry looking felines seemed almost as confused and frightened as the crowd around, and they slowly turned in circles as if eying who they wanted to attack first.


    ¡°Cheetahs!  Cheetahs,¡± the young priest laughed gaily, pointing out towards the massive cats.  ¡°It¡¯s funny!  Go get ¡®em!  Go get em!¡±  The excitement was too much for the priest as he gyrated and contorted  wildly while bouncing from one end of the stage to the other.


    ¡°Come on, dammit!¡±  David shoved at Stone¡¯s back with all his might, but couldn¡¯t budge his brother at all.  ¡°Move you stupid ol¡¯ ox!  Let¡¯s get out of here while the getting¡¯s good!¡±


    Without paying any attention at all to his brother¡¯s frantic attempts to move him, Stone slowly took two steps forward and then wrapped both his arms around the beautiful young woman who was up on the stage with them.  Without saying a word, he pulled her much smaller frame up tight to his chest and then gently began to stroke her hair, as if he was attempting to somehow comfort her.


    ¡°Damn it!  Leave her,¡± David pleaded.  Grabbing his brother¡¯s massive arm, he nearly lifted himself off the ground trying to pull it down and away from the woman.  ¡°Can¡¯t you see you¡¯re in trouble?  Listen to me Stone!  We¡¯ve got to get you out of here.  That wasn¡¯t your token, and you know it!¡±


    A sudden collective gasp from the crowd, followed by soft murmurings and wild laughter from the priest made David¡¯s heart sink and then leap up into the back of his throat.  Nervously, even though he didn¡¯t want to, he forced himself to slowly turn his head and see what was going on out in the crowd.  It was too late.   Several heavily armed and armored men had already surrounded the two massive cats and sliced them almost in two.  Whatever chance they¡¯d had to use the confusion caused by the great beasts to escape, had already passed them by.


    ¡°Look.¡±  David held both hands up pleadingly and firmly placed himself between the exhuberant priest and his brother.  ¡°Stone¡¯s not right in the head.  He didn¡¯t intend any ill will.  You don¡¯t have to do anything to him; we¡¯ll find the true owner of that token someho¡­¡±, he started to promise, but was interrupted when the priest suddenly skipped over and then cartwheeled around him.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Well big fella, that¡¯s all done now.¡±  Giggling like a madman, the naked priest wrapped both arms tightly around both Stone and the young lady he was holding.  ¡°Father says it¡¯s all taken care of and that she¡¯s yours now.  Now, go enjoy yourselves, both of you!¡±   With a quick wave of his hand, a large puff of rainbow smoke billowed out and fogged over everything on the stage.  When it finally cleared away, Stone and the young lady was gone ¨C as was the young priest ¨C leaving David standing alone, looking like an idiot with his mouth agape, feeling lost, and wondering just what the hell he was supposed to do now and how he was going to explain what¡¯d just happened to his parents.


    <hr>


    Elissa had never been as nervous or embarrassed in her whole life as when the priest took her hand and energetically pulled her from the tent where she was waiting and up onto the podium to face the crowd.  ¡®I¡¯m just like a hunk of meat up on display,¡¯ she thought to herself, cringing inwardly at the horde of people who were all whooping, hollering, and jeering up at her all but naked body.  ¡®I¡¯m just glad they painted me white for this,¡¯ she tried to console herself somewhat.  ¡®At least nobody can see how red I am!¡¯   It was a small victory, but at this point, she felt like she should try and hold onto any victory she could claim, no matter how trivial it might be.


    ¡®Power, Courage, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Faith, Courtesy, and from these seven come Authority.¡¯    Elissa closed her eyes and repeated her family¡¯s motto to herself over and over to try and calm her frantic mind.  ¡®Power, Courage, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Faith, Courtesy, and from these seven come Authority.¡¯


    ¡®May I have the Power to endure this trial and tribulation, and the Courage to accept that this is a fate which is beyond my control,¡¯ she prayed silently to herself, while working to control her breathing and settle her nerves.  ¡®Give me the Honestly to admit to my fears, and the Generosity to accept that this will help me and my family draw closer to those less fortunate than ourselves.  Allow me to have Faith that the one who wins my freedom for the next week shall be a righteous and honorable person, all let me have the Courtesy to accept whomever I go to, no matter what their beliefs, home, or life may be like.¡¯


    After several more deep and calming breaths, she slowly repeated her family¡¯s motto one last time.  ¡®Power, Courage, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Faith, Courtesy, and from these seven come Authority.¡¯  Taking one final deep breath and holding it for several moments, she finally opened her eyes again and tried to take in the rest of the proceedings with a calmer heart and mind.


    Apparently the priest had already finished the raffle, and the winner was making their way through the crowd to the podium.  Curiosity overcoming embarassement, she moved forward closer to the edge of the stage to see who was approaching, and then stopped; eyes opening wide in shock.


    ¡®MotherFatherSomeonesaveme!!¡¯  Just one look at the beast of a man who was approaching the stage was enough to send all her work calming herself out the window.  ¡®That¡¯s not a man!  That¡¯s an ogre,¡¯ she screamed inwardly, as her eyes frantically darted left and right seeking for some path which would allow her to escape.


    Whoever ¨C or whatever it was ¨C was steadily approaching and easily advanced through the horde of people that opened up frantically to clear a path as it to approached.   ¡®It can¡¯t be an ogre.  Even the Children of Chaos wouldn¡¯t let an ogre into the town to participate in the festival.  Would they?¡¯  She asked herself uncertainly.


    ¡®It¡­¡¯  Shaking her head left and right  slightly, Elissa clenched her fists hard enough that her fingernails threatened to dig the blood from palms.  ¡®No,¡¯ she chided herself.  ¡®He.  He¡¯s not an it.  He¡¯s a HE.  He¡¯s just the size of two HE¡¯s, but that still doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s not a HE.¡¯  Refusing to let any tears trickle down the side of her face, Elissa bit her lip and took a long deep breath to try and resteady herself once again.


    Obviously, now that he was stepping up onto the stage, he was certainly a he.  ¡®May the Gods have mercy on me,¡¯ Elissa thought, shivering slightly at the thought, ¡®but he¡¯s going to break me in half.  I¡¯ll end up a cripple after he takes me to his bed!¡¯


    Never in her life, had Elissa ever seen such a large and daunting man.  She¡¯d heard of people towering head and shoulders above another, but never before had she imagined that a person would stand head, shoulder, and half the torso above another fully grown man.  The poor little priest barely came up to this guys elbow!  He looked like a child of ten beside him, rather than a fully grown adult!


    And wide!  Heaven¡¯s forbid if she was going to be expected to wrap her legs around this guy ¨C he was broader and wider than any of her father¡¯s horses that she¡¯d ever attempted to ride in the past.  He might be a he ¨C a plain enough looking he, without any real redeeming features of beauty which stood out, except for his size ¨C but he was every bit as large as any two normal he¡¯s put together.


    ¡®And I¡¯m not some stupid, naive child of twelve,¡¯ Elissa reminded herself.  ¡®I know very well that almost none of the girls who get chosen in the festival, and end up with young men, come home with their virtue intact.  Once I was chosen in the raffle, I knew in my heart that my purity probably wouldn¡¯t survive this week, but this¡­  This won¡¯t just break my purity.  It¡¯ll break me!¡¯


    ¡°Wait!  Wait!  Wait a minute!¡± A handsome young man, of about sixteen years of age, suddenly pushed himself out of the crowd and rushed up onto the stage.  ¡°He didn¡¯t know any better,¡± the young gentleman yelled, rushing up the steps, before firmly planting himself between the giant-he and the wildly giggling priest.


    ¡®I¡¯m saved!¡¯  Elissa¡¯s heart leaped up into the back of her throat and she felt like cheering with the rest of the crowd when they released another loud wave of wild cheering and drunken shouting.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± the young priest laughed gaily, waving his hands and spraying rainbow confetti out across the crowd once again, and Elissa¡¯s heart sunk back into her chest just as quickly as it had risen.  Whatever else the priest said, she didn¡¯t hear it as her mind was reeling at being offered hope and then having it suddenly and ruthlessly snatched back away from her.  Blinking blankly for several moments, Elissa was completely lost for several moments as it was all just too much for her to take in and comprehend all at once.  It wasn¡¯t until the priest yelled something about cheetahs and the giant-he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her that she snapped out of it.


    ¡®FatherMother, MotherFather, he¡¯s even larger than I¡¯d imagined!¡¯  Elissa couldn¡¯t help but tremble at how tiny and insignificant she felt while wrapped up in the much larger man¡¯s arms.  ¡®I¡¯m not going to end up crippled.  I¡¯m going to end up dead!¡¯  It was finally too much for her to take any longer; Elissa slumped heavily and leaned up tight against the massive frame which was holding her, silent tears now rolling freely down both sides of her face.


    ¡°¡°Can¡¯t you see you¡¯re in trouble?¡±  Her handsome savior pleaded beside her, but Elissa was in no state to truly listen to what he was saying.  No more than half his words were sinking though her addled mind and reaching her.  ¡°We¡¯ve got to get you out of here.¡±


    ¡®I know I¡¯m in trouble,¡¯ Elissa moaned inwardly.  ¡®I¡¯m going to die and there¡¯s nothing anyone can do about this.  I took a chance to save my family, and now I¡¯m going to have to pay the price for that gamble.  The ultimate price,¡¯ she thought pitifully.  ¡®Oh, my charming hero, if only you could save me,¡± she lamented, ¡°but it¡¯s no use.  No one can save me from this fate!¡¯


    Wild, peeling laughter from the priest caused Elissa to snap out of her funk once again.  ¡°Father says it¡¯s all taken care of and that she¡¯s yours now.¡±


    ¡°she¡¯s yours now.¡±


    ¡°yours now¡­¡±


    ¡°she¡¯s yours¡­¡±


    The priests words echoed hollowly throughout Elissa¡¯s skull for several moments, until the cool blackness of oblivion washed over her and she fainted dead away.

 Chapter 3: Found

    The sun was low in the sky, painting the horizon  brilliant shades of orange and red when Elissa finally started to stretch and come around.  Even before she could open her eyes, she realized that she was no longer in the city; the sound of the crowds and people were gone ¨C replaced with the whisper of wind in the trees and a gentle tinkle as water slowly flowed nearby.


    It was still warm ¨C wherever she was ¨C even dressed in the sheer almost-dress that she was wearing, so she hadn¡¯t been sent off to some frozen wasteland to die by random chance.  ¡®It¡¯s funny how the mind works,¡ä Elissa chided herself.  ¡®Here I am ¨C Gods only know where ¨C and I¡¯m too nervous to open up my eyes and actually see where I¡¯m at for myself.¡¯


    And, since she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that she truly was nervous.  Not because she had been whisked off by the priests ¨C Children of Chaos didn¡¯t have a reputation for killing people, after all.  Perhaps pranking them or annoying them so bad that they wanted to die, but not actually for killing people.  The priest might¡¯ve sent here away somewhere ¨C perhaps even to the other side of the world, for all she knew ¨C but he wouldn¡¯t have sent her somewhere where she¡¯d just instantly freeze to death, drown in the ocean, or burn to a crisp in the center of a volcano.  Wherever she was, her mind knew that she was safe for the moment.


    Well, safe except for one thing ¨C the thing which keep her from wanting to open her eyes and actually look around ¨C she was being held snuggly up against a man¡¯s warm chest, with massive arms wrapped around her while her hair was being stroked gently out of her face.  It ¨C HIM, she reminded herself again ¨C was still with her, and was still holding her.


    ¡®What did that priest mean that I was his now?¡¯  Elissa wondered fitfully, trying not to think about opening her eyes for right now.  If she was lucky, maybe he would get tired of holding her and sit her down and wander off somewhere on his own for a few minutes.  ¡®I¡¯m just not really prepared to face him at the moment,¡¯ she admitted to herself, a little embarrassed.


    ¡®Power, Courage, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Faith, Courtesy, and from these seven come Authority,¡¯ Elissa reminded herself, once again.  ¡®Father would be disappointed in me,¡¯ she sighed inwardly.  ¡®I¡¯m certainly not showing any real Courage right now, but to be Honest, I¡¯m scared out of my wits!  I¡¯ve never even imagined that a man could be the size this one is; much less that I might end up being told that I was his now.¡¯


    ¡®And what exactly did that priest mean by, ¡°Father says it¡¯s all taken care of and that she¡¯s yours now.  Now, go enjoy yourselves, both of you!¡±  That was the crux of her greatest mental trauma, at the moment.  ¡®The Children of Chaos are always so unpredictable, but they still hold all the authority of the Gods behind them.  Did he mean I belonged to this brute for the duration of the festival?  He didn¡¯t say ¡°for the next week¡±, or anything like that.  Am I supposed to be his servant for the rest of my days?  Am I a slave,¡± she thought helplessly.


    ¡®¡°Father says it¡¯s all taken care of and that she¡¯s yours now.¡±¡¯  Feeling completely lost, tears slowly began to leak from the corner of Elissa¡¯s eyes again and slowly work their way down her perfect cheeks.  ¡®Father.  The father of a priest is their God.  The God of Chaos says that I¡¯m his now.  He didn¡¯t say for the festival, or for a week.  I¡¯m just his now.  Father, Mother, forgive me.  I think I might be this man¡¯s slave for the rest of my life.  I¡¯ve failed you.¡¯


    Unable to keep her eyes shut any longer, Elissa slowly reached up and wiped the water from the edges of them.  Looking around, the first thing she spied was the giant of a man sitting with his back against a tree about half as wide as he was.  ¡®My master,¡¯ she told herself inwardly, to try on the feel of the word.  More tears worked their way unnoticed from the corner of her eyes to join the others which had already began to soak the neckline of her wisp-thin dress.


    Forcing herself to pry her gaze off the giant brute that was holding her, Elissa slowly turned her head left and right to look around.  Trees were all around them, with a small opening to a peaceful glade before them.  A small stream gently meandered into and out from a peaceful pond, and the evening sun was steadily moving down behind the horizon, painting the  sky in deep shades of blues and purples now.


    ¡®Have I been sitting here all afternoon,¡¯  Elissa wondered to herself.  ¡®Has he simply sat and held me and rubbed my hair all that time?  It was just after Highsun when the priest raffled me off.  It¡¯s now almost Lastsun and won¡¯t be long until Firstmoon.  That¡¯s over six candlemarks,¡¯  Elissa reasoned, trying to get her mind to think about anything besides her own personal fate.  ¡®But, if I wasn¡¯t actually unconscious all afternoon, then that means we¡¯ve been traveled so far that the sun moves here faster than it does at home.  We¡¯d be a month¡¯s journey ¨C or longer ¨C from our homes!¡¯


    ¡®And that¡¯s just the hell what I need; something else to worry about!¡¯  Taking a deep breath, Elissa coughed slightly to clear her throat.  If the giant brute who was holding her noticed, he never gave any indication as he simply sat rock-like and continued the gentle stroking of her hair with his eyes closed.  ¡®Is he even awake,¡¯ Elissa wondered briefly.  ¡®Could he be stroking me and sleeping at the same time?  Just who, or what, the hell is he?


    ¡®I don¡¯t know who he is, where I am, how long I¡¯m supposed to ¡°be his¡±, or even what damn time it actually is!  I don¡¯t know a damn thing,¡¯  Elissa chided herself, ¡®and I¡¯m never going to know anything unless I work up the Courage to start looking for some damn answers!¡¯  Coughing slightly once again to clear her throat, Elissa started to speak, but then shook her head lightly from side to side.


    Sitting up, Elissa gently pushed on the larger man¡¯s hand and brushed it away from her face, easing herself up to stretch and stare out at her surroundings.  ¡®Damn, he¡¯s big,¡¯ Elissa couldn¡¯t help but think, as she glanced over to realize that even sitting as he was, he was  still almost the same height as her standing.  She really did feel like a small child when comparing herself against his massive frame.


    ¡®I could probably get some answers out from him,¡¯ Elissa told herself, ¡®but I¡¯m not supposed to talk while serving my week.  If I don¡¯t speak, nobody can recognize my voice, and they¡¯ll never know for certain if I ever participated in the festival as a prize or not.  At least,¡¯ she chided herself, ¡®that¡¯s the general theory.  But does it even apply in this case?  I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m just his for this week, or his until I die infirm of old age!¡¯If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Steeling her resolve, Elissa forced herself to push her worries to the side.  ¡°Hi,¡± she half croaked, turning to look the large man before her in the eyes.  ¡®He¡¯s got beautiful brown eyes at least,¡¯ she thought silently to herself.


    ¡°Hi.¡±  The voice that he answered her with was just as large and loud as the rest of him, disturbing the tranquil quiet of the glade and causing several small birds to fly out of hiding and take to the sky.  With still arms resting peacefully in his lap now, he stared back at Elissa, unblinking and with an almost blank look on his face that was impossible to read.


    ¡®Hi?  Hi??  Is that it?¡¯  Elissa mind was beginning to race with a mixture of confusion and annoyance.  ¡®No, ¡°Are you Okay?¡± No, ¡°I¡¯m Big Ass Brute ¨C call me BAB for short ¨C who are you?¡±  Who the hell replies to a greeting by just saying ¡°Hi¡±?  Are we strangers just passing each other on the street?¡¯


    Taking a deep breath, Elissa rubbed her face gently to make certain none of her inner turmoil was beginning to reach the surface.  ¡°I¡¯m Elissa,¡± she offered up graciously, while lifting the hem on the right side of her sheer dress and attempting to curtsey as much as possible with it.


    ¡°Nuunnhhh.¡±  The oversized fellow in front of her made some sort of strange grunt, without moving or twitching a muscle.  Even the muscles in his face and cheekbones never so much as twitched.


    ¡°Nuh?  What the hell¡¯s that even supposed to mean,¡± Elissa asked, irritably.  ¡°You could at least tell me your name in return!¡±  Stomping her foot on the forest floor in a fit of annoyance, caused her to twist her ankle and suddenly find herself falling forward in an attempt to crash into the giant man before her.


    Moving faster than his massive size would make seem possible, he leaned forward and scooped both arms around her, wrapping her up like a bride being carried across the threshold on her wedding day.  Slowly lowering his head to stare back down into her eyes, he muttered a single word, ¡°Stone.¡±


    Blinking several times, Elissa felt her cheeks getting warm and flushed from embarrassment.  The outfit she was wearing was so thin she could feel the warmth of his chest as she rested up against it, and feel the hard, firm warmth of his hands as they wrapped around her waist and held her firmly.  Once again, she couldn¡¯t help but be grateful for the white dye which covered her skin and prevented her shame from showing to the world.


    ¡°Than..  Thank you, Stone.¡±  Squirming a few times, Elissa pushed herself back up and moved several steps away from the large man who¡¯d caught her.  ¡°Stupid heels,¡± she murmured softly to herself, before sitting down and starting to unbuckle the shoes the priests had made her wear for the festival.  Six inch heels were a pain in the ass to wear anytime, always forcing someone to almost stay on their tippy toes while wearing them, but out in the forest they were just insane!  ¡°Stupid priest,¡± Elissa muttered to herself as she pulled the second shoe off and then tossed them both out into the middle of the pond in a fit of pique.


    ¡®Power, Courage, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Faith, Courtesy, and from these seven come Authority,¡¯ Elissa reminded herself, once again, as she took several deep breaths to try and get herself fully back under control.  Standing, she slowly turned to face the oversized man ¨C Stone, she reminded herself; his name was Stone ¨C and then she tried once again to curtsey as gracefully as the not-clothes she was wearing would allow.


    ¡°Forgive me, Stone,¡± Elissa apologized, honestly.  ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not at my best this evening.  A lot has happened today and I find myself having trouble coming to terms with all that¡¯s occurred ¨C though none of that is any fault of your own.¡±  Smiling as brightly as she could ¨C a brilliant, winning smile that highlighted the beauty of her face, and which had always made any man she used it on squirm and instantly  forgive her, no matter her trespass ¨C Elissa offered a heartfelt apology to the massive man still seated in front of her.


    ¡°Nuunnhhh.¡±  Stone grunted something once again, though Elissa had no idea if it was affirmative or negative, and then he slowly nodded his head up and down, before going back to rest perfectly still and stare unblinking in her direction.


    ¡®What the hell¡¯s up with this guy?!¡¯  Turning her back so he couldn¡¯t see the corner of her lips twitching, Elissa stared out over the small pond and shook her head slightly.  ¡®I¡¯ve never met anyone so unresponsive in my entire life,¡¯ she snorted to herself.  ¡®I¡¯ve never been brushed off so easily either,¡¯ she admitted a little ruefully.  ¡®I apologized and he didn¡¯t hardly even seem to notice.  Just who, or what, the hell is this guy,¡¯ she found herself asking once again.


    Without turning to face him again ¨C Elissa didn¡¯t trust herself not to show some unsightly expression if he just grunted one more time ¨C she took a calming breath and then asked, ¡°Do you have any idea where we¡¯re at?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± was the single monosyllable response she got that made her grit her teeth in frustration.


    ¡°And where are we exactly,¡± Elissa forced herself to ask, between clenched teeth.


    ¡°Home,¡± was the only response she got.


    ¡°AHHHHHHHH!¡±  Screaming, Elissa finally unleashed all the pent up frustration and bottled up emotion which she¡¯d been trying to keep inside all day long.  Turning, she stomped over to Stone and slapped him soundly across his face.  He didn¡¯t try to lift a hand to block her, nor did he try to move away in the slightest.  ¡°THWAPPPP!¡±  The sound echoed around the little glade, and Elissa¡¯s hand stung and throbbed from the impact itself.


    ¡°Come on,¡± she half screamed, ¡°you¡¯ve got to be able to say more than that!  Home?  Home?!  What the hell does that even mean?  There¡¯s no house here!  Are you saying this is where we¡¯re going to live from now on, and that we¡¯re going to make a home here?  Did this place used to be your home?  It sure as hell isn¡¯t my home!  What does that even mean!


    ¡°GAHHHHHH!!¡±  Screaming once again, Elissa turned and pointed both hands out at the pond and unleashed a wave of fire, causing the water to steam and hiss.  After several long moments to unleash her frustration, Elissa finally put her arms down and turned back around.  Blinking several times, she had to look up to see Stone¡¯s face from where he was now standing directly in front of her.  With one swift move of his right hand, Stone reached out and scooped her up by her waist and draped her across his other hand.  ¡°What the hel..¡±  Elissa started, but was suddenly interrupted by a massive smack which thundered into her eyes and made her whole ass erupt in pain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill the fishies!¡±  Stone¡¯s voice echoed throughout the glade as his massive right hand lifted and thundered down across Elissa¡¯s butt once again.  ¡°Fishies didn¡¯t do no bad,¡± Stone roared, smacking her once again, and once again thunder rang out when his hand echoed off Elissa¡¯s rear.  Letting go of her with his left hand, Elissa fell face first, crashing into the soft ground without even attempting to catch herself.


    ¡°No hurt fishies,¡± Stone rumbled much more quietly, as he slowly stomped away and headed towards the pond, leaving Elissa stunned and feeling as if her hips had just been flattened to a pulp.


    ¡°I won¡¯t hurt the fishies,¡± she promised weakly, as wave after wave of nauseating pain rippled up from her battered rear.  ¡°If I live through this,¡± she gasped raggedly, ¡°I¡¯ll never hurt the fishies again, I promise¡­¡±

 Chapter 4: Epiphany

    Several hours of pure misery passed, with Elissa unable to do much more than just groan and whimper.  She¡¯d always assumed herself to be a strong woman, able to deal with any ache as much as any other person out there ¨C male or female ¨C but she honestly couldn¡¯t make her legs work no matter how hard she tried.  ¡®I think he shattered my pelvic bone,¡¯ she lamented to herself pitifully.  ¡®The gods gave me to a half-ogre brute and now I¡¯m going to die because I might¡¯ve hurt some stinking fish.  I¡¯ll never walk again, which means I¡¯ll never be able to get out of this place, which means I¡¯m just going to die right here with my battered ass up and my face buried in the dirt for eternity.¡¯


    Looking back on her life, Elissa couldn¡¯t fathom what she¡¯d did to deserve the gods giving her such an end.  She¡¯d tried not to let her family¡¯s wealth or authority influence her into becoming a bad person.  She¡¯d tried to take care of her guards and protectors when they got hurt ¨C that was what got her into this mess to start with!  She really wasn¡¯t a bad person; there wasn¡¯t any reason for her to leave this world like this!


    Wrapped up in her own pain and misery, lost in her own internal feelings of dark despair, Elissa never even noticed when Stone came back from wherever it¡¯d been that he¡¯d left and went to on his own.  It wasn¡¯t until he started pulling up the back of the sheer dress to expose her raw bottom to the cool night air that she pulled herself together enough to try and glance back and see what he was doing.


    ¡®Brute bastard is going to rape me now,¡¯ she thought bitterly.  ¡®Already broke my ass and now he¡¯s going to break my purity.  I doubt I¡¯ll live through this.¡¯  Sighing pitifully, Elissa closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, determined that she wasn¡¯t going to give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream and beg for mercy.  If she was going to die, Elissa was determined to leave the world with as much dignity as she could possibly hold on to.


    Waves of fresh pain rippled up her hips, causing her stomach to roll, and her eyes to blur as the world swam around her, as Stone caressed first one bare buttocks and then the other.  After what felt like an eternity, she felt something warm, wet, and sticky splat across one side of her ass and then the other.  ¡®Oh great,¡¯ Elissa groaned from the agony, ¡®he¡¯s doing that to himself while playing with my ass.¡¯


    Feeling utterly dejected and humiliated, Elissa closed her eyes and whimpered slightly.  ¡®I belong to him,¡¯ she reminded herself pitifully.  ¡®This is the will of the gods.  This is the will of Chaos.  There¡¯s nothing I can do, except bear it.  This is the will of the gods,¡¯ she reminded herself once again.


    ¡®Power, Courage, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Faith, and Courtesy,¡¯ Elissa repeated to herself time after time, hoping that the mantra would help give her strength to endure.  Broken and molested by a pervert who was staining her pure white flesh with his sticky wet goop ¨C she needed something to help give her strength!  ¡®¡®Power, Courage, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Faith, and Courtesy.   Power, Courage, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Faith, and Courtesy.  Power, Courage, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Faith, and Courtesy.¡¯


    Time after time, Elissa repeated the mantra to herself, and after several moments, it appeared to be working.  The pain in her hips had settled down to a manageable throb, and she no longer felt nauseous to her stomach, and the world no longer swam drunkenly around her each time Stone caressed his hands across her rear.  Lifting her head and glancing back, Elissa let out a started scream, ¡°HIIIIYYYAAAAAA¡±, and quickly scurried several feet forward and away.


    Eyes wide, Elissa at first thought that Stone had went completely insane.  His lower jaw drooped gaping open, and drool dribbled freely down his chin as he slobbered all around.  ¡°Ibb pbbbttbt  albuuurpt,¡± he slurred widely, spraying spittle everywhere.Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°What¡­  What the hell¡¯s wrong with you?¡±  Scooting back away from him even more, Elissa never took her eyes off Stone ¨C not even when looking for a stick or large stone which she might be able to use as a weapon to protect herself, in case her magic was ineffective.


    ¡°Ittbbbeee ppttbtbtt  mibbbllllllleesppt,¡± Stone assured her, holding out both his hands to palm up, showing some chewed up purple gloop which he slowly moved towards her.  ¡°Ibbbbppptt   smmittppa,¡± he repeated, non-sensibly.


    Feeling a stick with her left hand, Elissa firmly gripped her hands around it and quickly planted it unwaveringly between her and Stone.  ¡°What the hell is that supposed to be?  What¡¯s wrong with you,¡± she asked, no longer even noticing the dull throb in her rear any more.


    ¡°Tbbbpppt nippbblee,¡± Stone assured her, as his jaw flapped loosely and hung wide up with spittle spraying everywhere with each attempt to form a word.  ¡°Fliibbbb,¡± Stone sighed, taking a deep breath and drooling down his own chin.   Using his left hand, he pulled his middle finger back to his thumb, leaned it over against the chewed up purple gloop in his right hand, and flicked the wad of slimy cud, where it arced gracefully and splatted itself against Elissa¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°AAAHHHHHH!¡±  Screaming, she dropped the stick and quickly swatted at her cheek several times to brush the stinky purple mass away.  ¡°Whab be helb!¡±  Grabbing back up the stick, she waved it between herself and Stone  once again, defensively.  ¡°Whabbuzz zatt?¡±


    Blinking a few times in confusion, Elissa slowly tried to ask again, ¡°Whab ba helb ib biss jubt?¡±  Reaching up to poke at her jaw, where the purple mass had splattered her, she felt nothing.  Her fingers could feel the pressure of the skin at her cheeks, but her cheeks were completely numb and couldn¡¯t feel anything, no matter how hard she poked at her own jaw.


    ¡°Bibs sub sorbba nubbin mebbicine,¡± she suddenly reasoned, blinking a few times as her mind finally began to put all the pieces together.  Stone hadn¡¯t been doing that while rubbing her butt cheeks earlier ¨C he¡¯d apparently been chewing up some sort of natural herb which caused numbness.  The warm glop that she assumed was from something nasty that he was doing, was the chewed up plant fibers which he was spreading across her bottom.  It wasn¡¯t her chanting any family mantra which helped her cope with the soreness and pain from where he¡¯d spanked her ¨C it was whatever mysterious substance Stone had rubbed over her wounds.


    Elissa had no idea what the strange purple substance was, but it was also the same thing that apparently made Stone resemble some sort of oversized rabid idiot.  Chewing the herb must¡¯ve completely numbed all the nerves and muscles in his jaws, and now the oversized brute was stuck with his jaw hanging and flopping widely open, letting drool leak freely from either side of his face and drip down his massive chin.


    Finally dropping the stick she was holding, Elissa pointed her finger at Stone and laughed freely, now that she understood the situation fully.  ¡°Hubb bubub bubb bubb!¡±  Even hearing her own distorted laughter, from where he own jaw and cheekbone was completely numb, was now hilarious to her.  ¡°Hubba bubba hibba hoppa,¡± she spittled, before finally breaking down into complete hysterical laughter.


    Worried about her guards, she¡¯d had to go to town, where she¡¯d been chosen for the festival.  Uncertain who might win her or what her fate might be for the next week, only caused her worries and stress to increase even further.  Finally seeing who won her, did nothing to put her mind at ease, and when she finally tried to talk to the guy, all he could do is grunt in response.  She¡¯d convinced herself that Stone was an oversized brute of a bastard, and that she was going to have to endure pure torment and hell for the next week, (and maybe even for the rest of her days, depending on what the priest¡¯s words meant), and when he¡¯d finally bent her over and beat her, she¡¯d affirmed her suspicions and simply gave up and waited for the end to come¡­


    ¡®¡­But,¡¯ Elissa finally admitted to herself, ¡®he can¡¯t be completely bad.  Not if he¡¯s willing to do that to himself just to ease the pain in my backside.  I¡¯d thought he was doing disgusting, perverted things to me, when he was simply doing his best to try and help ease my suffering.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯b sobby,¡± she finally offered, hanging her head slightly in shame.  ¡°I¡¯b won¡¯bt hurb  ba fibbies anybore,¡± Elissa promised solemnly, before slowly lifting her head to chuckle again at the drooling, droopy-jawed giant who sat unmoving several feet in front of her, beautiful chestnut eyes reflecting the moonlight and glittering brightly back at her.

 Chapter 5: Resolution

    Feeling drained, but much better after letting her pent up tension out after laughing so hard, Elissa finally forced herself to get up and stand.  Her knees still wobbled unsteadily, and her hips were stiff and dull feeling.  To be honest, Elissa found it quite odd, not really being able to feel her backside at all.  It was almost as if her mind was telling her that hips and rear had disappeared, even though her eyes plainly showed she was still all attached and together.


    Unsteadily, she wobbled a few steps forward to close the distance between herself and Stone, before placing both hands atop his massive shoulders to help steady herself.  Slurring her words slightly, she asked, ¡°How long dub dib stub last?¡±


    ¡°Babble balbba bay,¡± Stone spittled senselessly, flopping his hands slowly up and down.


    ¡°Uh hu,¡± Elissa nodded.  ¡°That makes absolute sense.¡±  Sighing slightly, she couldn¡¯t help but half smile to herself at how silly the slack-jawed large man looked in front of her.  ¡°For starters,¡± she laughed lightly, ¡°let¡¯s see if we can stop you from drooling all down your own chest.¡±


    ¡°Ibbb bee obbaa,¡± Stone assured her, spraying drool left and right as he flopped his arms down to let them rest limp at his side.


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably be okay,¡± Elissa agreed, nodding her head up and down, thinking that she almost knew what he¡¯d tried to say this time.  ¡°But that¡¯s still no reason to let you catch flies with your mouth, or keep spitting and sputtering all over everything.  Hold still,¡± she demanded firmly, as she steadied herself with one hand across his massive shoulders and then used her other to pull the wisp-thin dress up over her shoulders.


    Standing naked in the moonlight, painted white from head to toe, Elissa shivered slightly at losing what little covering she had ¨C no matter how little that actually was ¨C but then she quickly tried to shrug off her own discomfort.  ¡®It¡¯s not like the damn thing was hiding me from being seen,¡¯ Elissa reminded herself, ¡®and it¡¯s not like it¡¯d protect me in the slightest bit ¨C my ass can attest to that!  And it¡¯s not like I¡¯m doing this just to show myself to him!  I¡¯m just getting tired of watching him drool and slobber all over the place,¡¯ she reassured herself.


    Sighing slightly, Elissa was once more thankful to the paint which hid the red blush that was spreading warmly throughout her body as she wrung her dress up in her hands, until it resembled a long, twisted makeshift rope of sorts.  Trying hard not to blush, or to think about which parts of her body she was shoving right up to his face, Elissa leaned forward and wrapped it around Stone¡¯s jaw and head several times, before tying the ends up in a knot.


    Taking a step back, she half smirked as she unconsciously placed her hands on her hips and inspected her handiwork.  ¡°There,¡± she said, triumphantly, ¡°that¡¯s better.  You look like you might have the world¡¯s biggest toothache now, but at least you¡¯re not spraying everything with spittle anymore.¡±


    At that moment, the moon chose to come out from behind the few clouds which were lazily wandering across the sky, and it¡¯s warm pale light shined fully and reflected wonderfully across Elissa¡¯s fully exposed and naked form.  Seeing Stone¡¯s eyes widen slightly in appreciation ¨C the only noticeable sign of movement in his whole, huge body ¨C Elissa felt herself growing flush with embarrassment once again.  Quickly sitting down, she pulled her long white hair around to the front of herself, and then crossed her arms and placed her hands in her lap to conceal as much of herself as possible.  ¡°So¡­  umm¡­¡±  Now that she wasn¡¯t hurting so badly anymore, and now that she¡¯d came to realize that Stone wasn¡¯t a complete and utter villain, Elissa really didn¡¯t know what to say or do.


    Sighing slightly, while squirming uncomfortably, Elissa finally forced herself to start talking.  ¡°So..,¡± she really didn¡¯t know where to begin or what to actually say.  ¡°Umm..  How long will this medicine last,¡± she finally asked.


    Wrinkling his brow slightly, Stone grunted softly ¨C unable to talk from where she¡¯d wrapped his jaw shut ¨C and then slowly pointed up to the moon with one hand.  Waiting a moment to make certain that Elissa was following where he was pointing, he nodded slightly and then moved his hard in an arc from right to left, until he pointed to the ground.


    Biting her lip gently in concentration, Elissa tried to puzzle out what he was telling her.  ¡°Until the moon goes across the sky and then settles back behind the earth,¡± she reasoned, questionably.


    Stone nodded his head slowly up and down in ascent, never blinking and never moving his stare away from her.  To be honest, Elissa found his whole still manner surreal; almost unnatural even, and it made her rather uncomfortable on many different levels.  If she¡¯d never been chosen in the festival for him, Stone would¡¯ve been one of those few, rare people that she would¡¯ve went out of her way to avoid.  It¡¯s not that he was necessarily bad or anything, but that unblinking, unmoving, unwavering stare was just¡­


    ¡®¡­Well, just downright creepy,¡¯ she thought belatedly to herself.  Sighing slightly, Elissa took a deep breath and tried not to let the feeling bother her.  ¡®May I have the Courage to work past my own weakness,¡¯ she prayed inwardly.  ¡®The Honesty to admit that the feeling is probably all mine and not something Stone intends at all.  The Faith in the gods to accept their will and to trust that they would not have allowed me to end up with a dark spirit,  Grant me the Loyalty necessary so I can fulfill my obligation for this week ¨C or for however long my service may continue,¡¯ Elissa cringed inwardly even thinking about it, but refused to let her own doubts stop her any longer.  ¡®And grant me the Power to grow and change so that I may treat Stone with the full Courtesy which he deserves, as my chosen master during this uncertain time of tribulation.¡¯This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Opening her eyes after her brief inner prayer, Elissa took another deep breath and then flicked her head left and right to shake her hair back behind her shoulders.  Moving her hands, she deliberately moved them from her lap and rested them at her sides, knowing full well that she was allowing Stone to see her fully in the moonlight.  ¡°So¡­ ummm¡­.¡±  No matter how much she tried to convince herself that she was going to be strong and bear with her fate, Elissa still couldn¡¯t help but squirm slightly, uncomfortably, from side to side.


    ¡°You said you knew this place,¡± she finally asked, after a long awkward pause.  ¡°Right?¡±


    Stone simply nodded his head slightly, never taking his unblinking gaze from her naked form.


    ¡°And you said this was home,¡± Elissa stated, forcing herself to hold still and stop squirming.  She really wanted to just wrap her arms around her chest, squeal like a young child, and hide herself, but she wasn¡¯t going to allow herself to give in to her weakness  like that.  For at least the next week, she was supposed to do her best to serve the one she¡¯d been chosen for by the gods, and giving in to her own embarrassment was serving her own desires, not his.  ¡®Not that I¡¯m even one hundred percent certain that he even desires to look at me either,¡¯ Elissa lamented inwardly.  ¡®He¡¯s just so hard to read.  I don¡¯t really have a clue what he¡¯s thinking at all!¡¯


    Showing no signs that he had the slightest clue about her own inward confusion, Stone just nodded lightly and then held a thumb up in confirmation.


    ¡°So, you know this place,¡± Elissa mused ruefully, ¡°and you consider it to be a home of some sorts.  What home?  Whose home?  Is this your home,¡± she finally asked, frowning slightly.


    Blinking once at all the questions, Stone finally just nodded and held up his thumb again.


    ¡°So this is your home,¡± Elissa pressed.


    Stone just slowly nodded again, slightly lifting his head up and down in confirmation.


    ¡°Where?!¡± Elissa asked, exasperated, waving her arms back and forth.  ¡°There¡¯s no house here.  No fields.  No crops.  No people.  How can you call this a home?  Where¡¯s the home?¡±


    Once again, Stone blinked several times at the barrage of questions.  When she was finished, he slowly held up one massive hand, pointed a single finger out into the distance, and then slowly moved it from side to side, before pointing back to himself.  Lifting both massive shoulders afterwards, he half shrugged, as if he didn¡¯t know any better way to explain what he was trying to say than that.


    Taking a deep breath, Elissa slowly closed her eyes and then laid back on the grassy field and crossed her arms behind her head.  Trying hard not to think about how the moonlight was dancing across her stretched out body, she instead tried to pull together what Stone might be trying to tell her.  Several long moments of silence passed, until she could hear him starting to get up and move around once again.


    A moment later, Stone crossed the short distance between the two of them and stretched out beside her, causing Elissa to catch her breath and stiffen up reflexively.  Turning to face her, he slid his massive frame up tight beside her, wrapped one arm loosely around her waist, and then slowly rested his huge head gently down across he shoulder.


    For several long moments, Elissa held herself stiff as a board, wincing inwardly every time his warm breath brushed across her bare breasts and caressed her nipples.  It wasn¡¯t until she suddenly heard him snore slightly that she half jerked and got embarrassed at herself once again.  ¡®Fat lot of courage and grace I¡¯ve got,¡¯  Elissa chided herself.  ¡®I tell myself I¡¯m going to be strong and bear with whatever happens, and then I freeze up like a lock that¡¯s been underwater for a month, the first time he gets close to me.¡¯


    ¡®Maybe,¡¯ Elissa thought ruefully, ¡®there¡¯s more to this Festival of Chance than what it seems.  The priests say it¡¯s to help the high class of society get to know the low class better, but maybe ¨C just maybe ¨C it¡¯s also a way for us to get to know ourselves better as well.  I never would¡¯ve imagined I¡¯d ever be so weak or helpless, as I¡¯ve felt in these last several hours,¡¯ Elissa admitted silently to herself.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t me,¡¯ she thought firmly.  ¡®This isn¡¯t my family, or what we stand for.¡¯  Half snorting with disgust at her own perceived inner weakness, Elissa slowly and deliberately took Stone¡¯s arm from where it was wrapped across her waist and moved it until his massive hand rested directly across her left breast.  ¡®For at least six more days, I belong to him,¡¯ she reminded herself firmly.  ¡®I¡¯m not going to live those days in fear and cringe each and every time he looks my way, or touches me.  I¡¯m not that weak!¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m not,¡¯ she insisted to herself, stubbornly, half curling his fingers around her breast, before moving her arm to rest it back under her head once again.  ¡®What will be, will be,¡¯ she promised, ¡®and I¡¯ll bear it with all the virtues of a Silverstar.  And if I can¡¯t,¡¯ Elissa snorted, ¡®then I don¡¯t deserve the name, the freedom, or the authority that goes with it.¡¯


    ¡®Either I¡¯ll fulfill my duties as a graceful servant for this week,¡¯ Elissa promised herself stubbornly, ¡®or else I¡¯ll end up just giving myself to Stone and live out the rest of my life as a worthless slave.  Without honor, without virtue, what use is freedom?¡¯


    Snorting in annoyance to herself, Elissa resisted the temptation to move Stone¡¯s hand someplace even more private and personal, just to show that she could and would endure it gracefully.  Laying with her arms crossed behind her back, she tried hard to not disturb Stone as she stared up at the stars and tried to sort out her own tangled feelings and whatever he¡¯d been trying to tell her about ¡°home¡±.

 NAC: Authors Notes/Updates/Life Rant

    So, as many of you long time fans and followers might''ve noticed, I''m back -- once again -- from an extended break on the forums here.


    "Where have I been," you ask?


    The simple answer is the same place I''ve always been: at home.  I haven''t died.  I haven''t went to Timbuktu or anyplace exotic.  I''ve been sitting at home, honestly doing nothing more than twiddling my thumbs a whole lot for the last several months.


    "So why the heck haven''t you been updating your stories?!"


    I just know several folks are going to want to know the reason for this, and the simple answer there is "technical difficulties".  First my computer died and the folks at Geek Squad took a look at it to fix it.  A week later, I brough it home, plugged it in -- after giving them a nice chunk of cash -- and turned it on...  Where it promply failed once again right on the VERY FIRST startup!


    GAHHH!!


    So, a new appointment was made so they could fix the problem, and several days later the machine was back over at Best Buy/Geek Squad.  And, once again, it was over a week before I got it back..  This time, MISSING the screws which hold the expansion cards such as the graphic cards and sound cards!


    WTF Geek Squad!!  For the prices you guys charge, how the hell can you be so damn worthless!!


    Needless to say, I didn''t trust their repair at all this time, but I plugged it back up and turned the machine on -- and simply let it set for a few days to see if it''d go back into its endless restart cycle.  (I suspected that the issue was the power supply not always generating enough power for all the peripherals and thus shutting down as it spiked.  Geek Squad claimed it was a bad video card and charged me to install a new card.)


    At first, everything seemed to be working as it should -- but then, when the 30-day repair warrenty ran out, the damn thing began to shut itself down once again randomly!  I honestly think this is just a case of the damnable power supply acting up as it gets hot or has to generate peak power, such as when a hard drive resumes from standby mode, but I haven''t had it back in the shop to have it tested.   The reason it lasted about a month is just from where it was using less power to support a single video card than what it used to use to support the nice dual graphics cards which I had in there...Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    So, needless to say, all this just annoyed the hell out of me and took away whatever desire I had to sit down and be creative and write, so I just took a nice long break from things until my stress/annoyance levels went back down...


    So, I haven''t written anything for the past several months, but now I''ve gotten where I really miss indulging the creative side of myself once again, and I wanted to start back up and just let my mind wander once more.


    At first, I was going to start on my existing works here, but then I realized something rather shocking for me:  I forgot my characters, settings, and what the hell I had going on with every story!!  I need to take time to sit down and reread my own work, refresh my memories of the stories and where I was going with them, and THEN pick them back up from there.


    BUT...   That takes time, and I found myself with the desire to CREATE something, rather than just spend several weeks revisiting something I''d already created, so with very liittle arguing with myself, I decided on the following plan:


    1) Start something NEW,  which will hopefully be a single, stand-alone story, without expanding it into the usual series which I seem inclined to do.  Give it a start/middle/end, and use it as an opportunity to get back into the habit of writing on a regular basis.  Fate''s Fortune ( http://royalroadl.com/fiction/14441/fates-fortune</a> ) is  going to be that story.


    2) Once Fate''s Fortune is finished, and I take a small break it edit, proof, and format it properly, I''m going to choose one of my exisitng works and take a week or two and catch up on rereading it and refamilarizing myself with all the little intricies of the story world, and then I''m going to restart it with a rather slow release schedule.  (Probably only a chapter a week or so.)


    3) While releasing new chapters in whichever work I pick up first, I''m also going to spend a little time catching back up with my other works and slowly restarting them until I get everything back into a normal writing rotation like I used to do.


    Now, I don''t have a clue what I''m going to catch up to and work on first once I finish up Fate''s Fortune.  I suppose it''ll depend on what mood I''m in when I finish FF.  For now though, don''t expect to see any real updates for any of my other works, until Fate''s Fortune is wrapped up and completed.


    I''m *NOT* dropping any of my stories which I''ve been working on and sharing; but I am leaving the rest of them n hiatus for now, until I get back into a nice writing routine and get caught back up with where and what was going on in with all the rest of our beloved characters and their respective worlds which they exist in.


    I hope everyone can understand and bear with me as I move ever forward with writing at my own pace and enjoyment.  If not:   "PBBBBBBBTTTTTTTTBBBTTTTT!!!  Tough titty!"   </img>


    Darkbringer

 Chapter 6: Sacrifice

    It was a combination of several different things which caused Elissa to finally stretch and wake up the next morning. First, there was the warm glow of the morning sun caressing the early morning chill off her body, which sent slight shivers up and down her whole frame. Then, there was the dull throb which was slowly returning to her hips and backside, which was insistently progressing into ever sharper throbs as the numbing was wearing off. And last, but not least, was the tantalizing smell of fresh cook cooking tormenting her empty stomach with promised of succulent breakfast.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Easing up, Elissa stretched, yawned, and inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell of whatever was being cooked. ¡°Is that fish?¡± Blinking a few times, she tried to convince herself that it was anything BUT fish which she was smelling cooking, but the more she inhaled the fragrance, the more her nose kept insisting that it was indeed fresh fish cooking.


    Looking back from where he was squatting over a small campfire, Stone nodded slightly, before turning his attention back to what he was cooking.


    ¡°Are you serious?!¡± Elissa half gasped, while blinking several times in disbelief. ¡°What about ¡®don¡¯t hurt the fishies?¡¯, she asked, incredulously.


    ¡°Not hurt them,¡± Stone assured her ponderously. ¡°Only kill them. Eat them,¡± he grumbled slowly, in his deep, rumbling voice.


    Shaking her head from side to side, Elissa eased over around the campfire and sat down cross-legged in front of Stone. Wincing slightly at the throb in her rump, she squirmed several times and then finally sat on her knees with her rear resting several inches up off the ground. ¡°So, are you a hunter then,¡± Elissa asked, while watching Stone slowly turn a long stick over the campfire with several fish pierced on it. ¡°That sounds kind of like a hunter¡¯s code,¡± she reasoned. ¡°Only kill what you can eat.¡±


    Shaking his massive head left to right, Stone just grunted slightly.


    ¡°So¡­ ¡°. Elissa sighed slightly to herself, then shrugged her shoulders minutely. Apparently the big boy simply wasn¡¯t a big talker; she¡¯d just have to learn to accept that for the next several days while he was her master. ¡°If you¡¯re not a hunter, what do you do,¡± Elissa asked, careful not to phrase her question in such a manner that he could just grunt or shake his head to avoid answering.


    ¡°Horse,¡± was the strange, single word response she got back in return for her efforts, as Stone never looked up or twitched from his cooking.


    ¡°Horse?¡± Elissa blinked a few times in confusion, having absolutely no idea what that was supposed to mean.


    ¡°Me horse,¡± Stone explained, slowly lifting his head to stare at her with his bright brown eyes. ¡°Me pull plow. Pull cart. Carry log. Stone. Me horse,¡± he explained once again, before looking down and turning the fish on the makeshift spit once again.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a horse,¡± Elissa laughed lightly. ¡°It sounds as if you¡¯re what people simply call a laborer. Your job is basically just lifting and moving things. Right?¡±


    ¡°Like horse,¡± Stone agreed, nodding his head slightly, as he carefully pulled the spit with the fish on it up from the fire. ¡°Stone big like horse,¡± he explained in his slow, ponderous voice, while slowly holding the end of the spit out towards Elissa. ¡°Strong like horse. Stupid as horse. Stone job is horse,¡± he explained without seeming to hold any malice, as his gentle brown eyes seemed to twinkle in the morning sunlight.


    ¡°You¡¯re not stupid,¡± Elissa told him firmly, as she gingerly reached out and took the spit from Stone. ¡°Unless, of course,¡± she added, smirking gently, ¡°you think I¡¯m going to be able to eat all of these! I don¡¯t really eat that much, you know.¡±


    Smiling lightly, Elissa blew on the row of roasted fish several times, before finally working the spit up so she could nibble daintily on the edge of the fish on the closest side of the skewer. ¡°If you were an idiot,¡± Elissa chided Stone gently, ¡°you never could¡¯ve found the medicine to numb my hips like you did. Healers aren¡¯t idiots,¡± she told him firmly, ¡°and you were a healer to me last night.¡±


    ¡°What was that medicine, anyway,¡± she asked, while taking another tiny nibble from the last fish again.


    ¡°Not medicine,¡± Stone rumbled slowly. ¡°Poison.¡±


    ¡°Poison?¡± Elissa blinked a few times and stopped the skewer of fish halfway to her mouth


    up or twitched from his coo, before taking another bite. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®poison¡¯,¡± she asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly, in concern.


    ¡°Purple Needleweed,¡± Stone rumbled, in the same slow, steady voice as before. For all the lack of changes in his face, expression, or stance, he might as well be talking about the rain in a different kingdom for all he showed it.


    ¡°Purple Needleweed?¡± Elissa frowned slightly, and softly repeated what he¡¯d said a few times to herself. ¡°Purple Needleweed. Purple Needleweed. I¡¯ve heard that name before,¡± she mused to herself, wracking her mind to try to recall where she¡¯d heard it before.


    Gasping suddenly, Elissa¡¯s hand quivered lightly from side to side as he face suddenly registered shock and understanding. ¡°Purple Needleweed¡­¡± Staring directly at Stone, Elissa slowly placed the skewer full of fish down on the grass beside her and stared directly into his eyes. ¡°Are you certain that was Purple Needleweed,¡± she asked, concern plainly visible on her face.


    Raising a single eyebrow, Stone nodded slightly without saying anything in response.


    ¡°Purple Needleweed,¡± Elissa emphasized, ¡°is also known as Deathgrass. That¡¯s not what you had was it?¡±


    Stone just nodded once again, remaining perfectly unmoving and silent otherwise.


    ¡°Deathgrass isn¡¯t a medicine,¡± Elissa trembled slightly, while staring directly into Stone¡¯s eyes. ¡°Deathgrass is a purple weed-like grass that¡¯s often found near stagnant lakes or ponds. The blades of the grass are thin and sturdy, and almost razor sharp. It oozes a paralytic sap which disables creatures that try to walk through the grass and get to the water, and then they lay there and slowly die from starvation or dehydration. Their screams and cries help draw other creatures to attempt to pray on them as they suffer, and once they¡¯re dead, the grass grows from the rot produced as the bodies decay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the merchants and guards talk about Deathgrass before and how it was so dangerous for travelers trying to gather water late at night as it¡¯s hard to tell it apart from normal grass in the dark shadows of night.¡± Elissa half shivered, remembering some of the tells she¡¯d heard. At the time, she¡¯d shrugged most of them off as the merchants or guards simply not wanting to go fetch water, or do a lot of work once they¡¯d stopped traveling late in the evening, but now she wasn¡¯t so certain. Deathgrass had just went from a traveler¡¯s tall tale to something concrete, deadly, and nearby.


    Nervously, Elissa eyed up and down the edges of the nearby pond, looking for any sign of a purple-sheen weed in the light of day. ¡°You weren¡¯t chewing and spitting that Deathgrass on me last night, were you?¡± Staring unwavering at Stone, Elissa had a sinking feeling that she already knew how he was going to answer her question.


    Nodding slowly and deliberately, Stone confirmed her deepest worries and made Elissa want to leap across the campfire and strangle him.


    ¡°How? Why?¡± Elissa half sputtered, staring with wide-eyed disbelief over at Stone. ¡°Deathgrass isn¡¯t a medicine! It¡¯s deadly! You could¡¯ve killed yourself,¡± she admonished him, completely in shock at how nonchalantly he seemed to be taking the whole situation. ¡°Why the hell would you even thing about trying to chew up something like that?¡± Elissa asked, completely flustered.


    Lifting one massive hand, Stone slowly pointed a finger over at Elissa. ¡°You hurt,¡± he explained slowly. ¡°Grass stop you hurt. Not hurt Stone. Stone strong.¡± Making a fist with both hands, Stone thumped soundly against his chest several times to show he was fine. ¡°No hurt Stone. Stop ¡®Lissa hurt. Why Stone not use grass?¡± Holding up his hands, Stone looked completely innocent, as if it was the simplest thing in the world to understand.


    ¡°But you could¡¯ve died,¡± Elissa half screamed at him. Standing suddenly, she quickly walked around the campfire and wrapped her arms around his massive head, pulling it up tight between her ample breasts. ¡°You could¡¯ve died,¡± Elissa whispered softly, gently stroking his hair. ¡°And just to stop me from feeling a little pain which I¡¯d honestly brought on and earned for myself.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Maybe you really are stupid,¡± Elissa murmured softly to herself. How could anyone put themselves at risk chewing up something as deadly as Deathgrass, for someone who was basically a stranger to them? And not even to save that stranger¡¯s life ¨C just to stop that person from feeling sorry for themselves and having a bruised ass!! Never before in her life had Elissa been around anyone who would take such a risk to themselves for her ¨C not even her own guards.


    Shivering, Elissa couldn¡¯t help but imagine what could¡¯ve happened if Stone would¡¯ve swallowed any of the paralytic poison, rather than just drooling it out all over the place. Honestly, he had to have been one swallow away from a terrible death ¨C and all just to ease the pain from where she¡¯d been spanked!


    ¡°I think you really are a stupid idiot,¡± Elissa muttered once again, trembling slightly while clutching Stone tight up against her. ¡°A stupid idiot¡±, she added softly, while stroking his hair gently, ¡°who seems to embrace the seven virtues more than anyone I think I¡¯ve ever had the honor of meeting before ¨C and that includes my own family!¡±


    <hr>


    Stone sat perfectly still, head pressed tightly into Elissa¡¯s bosom for several long moments while she gently stoked his hair and remained lost in her own thoughts, before he slowly pushed her away with his massive hands gently against her waist. ¡°Food cold,¡± he muttered simply, tilting his head to stare directly into her eyes.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Elissa sighed, somewhat regrettably, in agreement. ¡°The food is getting cold.¡± Gently disentangling her arms from around Stone¡¯s head, she leaned down and gently gave him a quick lite kiss on his forehead, before turning and going back over to sit down across from him. Remembering the dull throb in her backside from before, she once again to chose to sit resting on her knees, to keep as much weight off her tender rear as possible.


    Slowly picking back up the wooden skewer, she turned it first to one side and then the other, making certain to brush any stray grass, dirt, or insects off the roasted fish, before finally sliding one of the now cooler fish off. Holding it in her left hand, Elissa turned the stick which held the other two fish and offered it out to Stone.


    ¡°¡¯Lissa eat first. Stone eat leftovers,¡± Stone rumbled slowly, making no move to reach for the fish on his own.


    ¡°Take this,¡± Elissa insisted, shaking the stick and fish at him slightly. ¡°I won¡¯t eat them. I don¡¯t eat that much,¡± she informed him, honestly.


    ¡°Eat,¡± Stone insisted back at her. ¡°One fish not feed woman,¡± he rumbled, unmoving.


    ¡°It will this woman,¡± Elissa insisted, before drawing back the stick and tossing it over the campfire and into his massive lap. Taking the other fish in her left hand, she held it up and then deliberately took a small bite from it to show that she was going to eat too. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry,¡± Elissa assured him, ¡°I¡¯ve got both a blessing and a curse which affects my meals.¡±


    ¡°Blessed curse?¡± Raising one eyebrow slightly ¨C which Elissa was beginning to associate as his way of showing confusion or uncertainly ¨C Stone slowly reached down and picked up the fish in his lap. Unceremoniously, he lifted the stick to his mouth and bit off what looked like a whole half of one of the fish to Elissa, and began chewing it ¨C bones and all!


    Trying not to let her surprise show, Elissa forced herself to half laugh as she daintily took another nibble from her fish. ¡°You probably realize that I come from a family with at least a little wealth,¡± Elissa stated, between small delicate bites, ¡°or else I wouldn¡¯t have been in the raffle so you could win me yesterday.¡±


    Stone nodded, still chewing the large bite of fish which he¡¯d just ripped off, but said nothing. His eyes stayed focused directly on her however, indicating that he was, indeed, paying attention to what she was saying.


    ¡°Since my family has a little extra coin to spare,¡± Elissa explained, giggling slightly to herself. A little extra gold? Her family was one of the wealthiest in the kingdom, but she really didn¡¯t need to say all that at the moment. Bragging never accomplished anything good, and it¡¯s not like she was actually lying about anything, she told herself. After all, they did have a little extra coin to spare¡­


    Taking another small nibble from her fish to hide the smirk that threatened to cross her cheeks, Elissa took a moment to be certain to compose herself before continuing. ¡°Like most people,¡± Elissa informed Stone matter-of-factly, ¡°my family will also spend extra coin when we have it to make our lives easier. A farmer might get a new hoe,¡± she explained reasonably, ¡°or a hunter might get a new pack or bow, to help make their live simpler.¡±


    Stone simply nodded to show that he understood what she was trying to say and then pulled off the rest of the fish he¡¯d bit into and popped what remained of it into his mouth, head and all, and began slowly crewing on it.


    ¡°Well¡­ umm¡­¡± Elissa blinked a few times, shocked to see someone chewing up a whole fish in just a couple of bites, but she stubbornly shook her head slightly from side to side and refused to let it bother her. ¡°Err¡­ Anyway,¡± she finally continued, taking another small nibble from her own meal, ¡°my father let me spend some of our coin to make things easier on me, much in that same way as a farmer or hunter will spend to make their lives easier.¡±


    ¡°Except,¡± she giggled again slightly, ¡°I didn¡¯t get a new hoe or a bow.¡± Leaning forward a little closer towards she campfire, she whispered half-conspiratorially, ¡°What I got was some herbs from an alchemist to make my life simpler.¡± Reaching down with her hand which wasn¡¯t holding the fish she was eating, Elissa slowly caressed her leg up and down a few times. ¡°You might have noticed how smooth I am,¡± she went on quietly, before sitting back up straighter and half laughing. ¡°That¡¯s all thanks to some herbal remedy which the alchemists produce which permanently remove hair.¡±


    Stone raised one eyebrow while watching her, but said nothing, which made Elissa laugh lightly again to herself. ¡°You¡¯re a guy,¡± she told him, ¡°you wouldn¡¯t understand, but it¡¯s a pain having to shave your legs every day or so, so the stubble won¡¯t rip hose, or some guy call you a ¡®wild wolf-girl¡¯. And you¡¯ve never had to try and shave under your arms and cut yourself half to death,¡± Elissa told him, snorting slightly.


    ¡°I got tired of dealing with all that,¡± Elissa laughed, waving the fish in her hands back and forth a few times, ¡°so I bought some herbs for my bath. All I had to do is sit and soak in the water for an hour or so, and when I got out, everywhere that the water was, my hair was gone. I just had to be careful to keep my hair up in a bun and keep it from getting wet, and keep it away from my eyebrows, but in the end it was worth it,¡± she explained.


    ¡°No bush,¡± Stone rumbled, the left side of his lips twitching slightly, almost as if he was trying to hold back a smirk. ¡°Baby bottom,¡± he added slowly, and with a twinkle dancing in his eyes.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Elissa sighed, while nodding her head up and down slightly in agreement. ¡°It did also leave me with a very smooth front and ¡®no bush¡¯ as you oh-so-elegantly put it. Not that that¡¯s ever been much of an issue really,¡± she laughed, squirming slightly, once again glad that the white dye the priests had painted her in was hiding the blush which she felt spreading warmly throughout her body.


    ¡°I guess if you want, you could call that ¡®side effect¡¯ part of the curse that goes with not ever needing to worry about shaving again,¡± Elissa shrugged slightly. ¡°Most things in life come with both good and bad attached to them. We just have to decide if paying the price with the one is worth it for the benefit of the other. When it comes to not cutting myself anymore, having to deal with stubble, or the bumps which come from shaving, I don¡¯t even think the loss of a little extra hair there is even worth mentioning in the long run.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Elissa frowned slightly, sitting the half eaten fish she was holding back down on the ground, ¡°when it comes to eating, I¡¯m not so certain the blessing was worth the price of the curse that I got.¡±


    ¡°What blessing? What curse?¡± Pulling the last fish off the skewer, Stone slowly took a massive bite out of it, while raising an eyebrow in Elissa¡¯s direction.


    ¡°I took some a different elixir from an alchemist at another time,¡± Elissa informed him, still frowning slightly. ¡°The choice was entirely mine, and I bought the elixir myself, knowing full well what it did, but I¡¯m not so certain if I¡¯d make the same choice again, if I had it to do over. I don¡¯t think I would,¡± Elissa sighed ruefully to herself.


    ¡°What I took was an elixir which strengthens the stomach,¡± she explained sadly. ¡°What it does is really rather simple ¨C it makes a person¡¯s digestive functions much more efficient. Food digests quicker. You get more nutrients from a meal, and you don¡¯t have to pass waste products like other people.¡±


    ¡°Waste products?¡± Stone asked, shrugging to show he didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to go poop,¡± Elissa told him plainly, while turning her head and looking out into the woods and away from him.


    ¡°HUR! HUR! HUR!!¡± Leaning back, Stone laughed loudly and heartily for several moments before finally leaning back up with a large smirk across his face. It was the first real sign of true emotion which Elissa had seen from him, and she couldn¡¯t help but be half annoyed and half embarrassed to think that it was because of something as strange as her bathroom needs!


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny,¡± Elissa snorted. ¡°Sure, it means I don¡¯t have to pack but about half the food as anyone else when traveling, but it also means that I can¡¯t enjoy but half the food I used to! There might be the tastiest cake in the world before me, and all I¡¯ll get to have is one or two bites from it and then I¡¯m full! That¡¯s hardly worth the price of not having to wipe your own ass anymore!¡±


    Pouting her lip out, Elissa crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked almost as if she was about ready to cry. From her forsaken expression and exaggerated reaction, she made it seem almost as if she was saying something like, ¡°And it seems it¡¯s going to kill me by suppertime,¡± to Stone. Getting up, Stone roared out another loud burst of laughter and turned and began to wander into the tree line, forcing Elissa to cry out, ¡°Wait a moment,¡± before hopping up and scurrying after him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny. Not funny at all,¡± Elissa muttered moodily to herself, before catching up and walking a few steps behind Stone as he wandered off, heading to some destination completely unknown to her.

 Chapter 7: Confession

    Walking silently behind Stone, Elissa had no idea where they were going through the forest, but she was glad that at least the land around wasn¡¯t very overgrown.  Green grass and soft, dry leaves blanketed the ground and kept it from hurting her bare feet ¨C after all, she had to admit to herself, she wasn¡¯t used to walking around anywhere without shoes usually ¨C and the trees were tall with most branches stretching high above her head and not in her way instead.


    ¡°That¡¯s funny,¡± Elissa chuckled slightly to herself, after walking for a small ways, which caused Stone to stop and look back at her with one eyebrow raised quizzically.  ¡°I¡¯ve always heard that moss on grows on the north side of a tree,¡± Elissa explained, smirking lightly and then pointing off to one of the large oaks to her left, ¡°but  that tree¡¯s got moss all the way around it.  I guess that means every direction is north from here.¡±  Stone just shrugged and half grunted to himself, before turning and walking off once again, and Elissa had to laugh lightly at how silly some of the commonest sayings really were, once one was out in the real world.


    ¡°So where are we going,¡± she finally asked Stone.  No matter how much she tried to look around for any distinguishable path, as far as she could tell she was just somewhere in some forest, and she didn¡¯t have a clue where or which forest she was actually in.  The more she walked, the more everything looked the same to her.


    Stone didn¡¯t bother to stop, or even to answer her question as he kept on slowly trudging onwards towards whatever his destination might be.  ¡®I don¡¯t guess he really has to answer me,¡¯ Elissa reminded herself.  ¡®After all, I¡¯m here to be his servant and  listen to him; he¡¯s not mine and doesn¡¯t have any obligation to answer anything he doesn¡¯t want to.¡¯  Sighing slightly, Elissa shook her head lightly from side to side, and couldn¡¯t also help grumbling inwardly. ¡®Still, it is damn rude not to respond to people.  Whoever raised him sure did an odd job of it,¡± she thought in mild annoyance.


    Determined that she wasn¡¯t going to waste her break, Elissa followed silently behind Stone, intent on making him be the next one to speak.  If he even noticed, he showed no sign of it as he steadily advanced ever deeper into the woods for the next couple of candlemarks.


    ¡°There,¡± Stone finally stopped, and pointed out past several small bushes and trees to what looked like a natural cave leading back deep into a hillside.


    ¡°Here?¡±  Elissa asked, trying to peer into the cave.  From what she could see with the light shining in from the entrance, it appeared to open up into a small cavern of some sort, with tunnels which naturally slopped downwards and into the darkness of the earth.  ¡°What¡¯s here,¡± she asked, puzzled as to why they¡¯d came here, or even how Stone knew exactly where here was.


    Turning slightly, Stone held one massive hand open, out in her direction.  ¡°Come,¡± was all he grunted as he waited for her to take it.


    Sighing slightly, Elissa reminded herself to be patient and wait for answers.  Instead of taking his hand however, she moved forward and wrapped her arm around his waist, snuggling her bare body up close against his chest.  ¡°I¡¯m ready, she assured him,¡± half smiling to herself, while at the same time tying not to think about how embarrassing and improper she was being at the moment.


    Nodding slowly, Stone gently moved his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, helping to keep her close beside him, and then he slowly turned and walked the rest of the way into the darkness of the cave.


    <hr>


    At first, Elissa thought the cavern was an all natural formation, and brief worries of giant rats, or bats, or even goblins danced wildly through her imagination as they slowly wandered out of the light of day and into the darkness of the belly of the earth.  After a few moments for her eyes to adjust however, it became obvious to her that someone had obviously had an influence on the cave system.


    The ground under her feet was smooth, for one thing.  Cool and a little damp, but polished smooth and without any natural ridges, cracks, or bumps, or holes like she¡¯d expect from a natural cavern.  The walls had been shaped and chiseled slightly, rounding the corners and widening the paths to the point where even her and stone could easily walk through them side by side.  Off to the left side of the entrance, a wooden post was planted, upon which hung several lanterns of various sizes and shapes.


    ¡°Where are we?¡±  Elissa asked again,  squinting to try and make out any details of whatever might lie down the two tunnels that wandered off deeper into the ground.


    ¡°Safe place,¡± Stone assured her, his deep voice rumbling and echoing back and forth through the tunnels several times.


    ¡°Yes, it seems like a safe enough place,¡± Elissa agreed, ¡°but where exactly are we?  What is this place?¡±  Being silent along the walk hadn¡¯t gotten him to open up and give her any answers, so she figured she might as go ahead and ask them once again.  Even if she didn¡¯t get a response, at least it made her feel better to get them out and off her chest.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Frowning, Stone tilted his head slightly and then half shrugged.  ¡°This home,¡± he assured her, after a long pause.  ¡°That home,¡± he lifted his massive hand and pointed outside, past the entrance, and towards the forest.  ¡°All home,¡± he repeated, trying to smile reassuringly at her.  ¡°Stone home.¡±


    ¡°This is part of your home,¡± Elissa asked, staring deep into Stone¡¯s gentle brown eyes, ¡°and the forest is also part of your home?¡±


    Stone nodded, grinned slightly, and gave her a large thumb¡¯s up.


    ¡°Just how large is your home?!¡±  Shocked at what he was saying, Elissa blinked several times and then stared back out into the forest.  They¡¯d spent at least a candlemark, and probably the better part of a second one, walking from the glade to where they were now.  The sun had moved from its position early in the sky to where it always sat around midmorning now.  If what Stone was saying was true, then what he called his home was huge!


    ¡°Small walk that way,¡± Stone told her, pointing straight out the entrance of the cavern and back out into the forest.  ¡°Small walk that way,¡± Stone this time turned and pointed off to the left of the entrance.  ¡°Long walk that way,¡± Stone said, motioning off to the right of the entrance.


    ¡°Small walks?  Long walks?¡±  Elissa was struggling to decipher what he¡¯d just told her again.  ¡°How far was our walk this morning then,¡± she finally asked.  ¡°Was it a small walk, or a long walk?¡±


    ¡°Ummm..¡±  Stone rumbled slightly and then turn and half shuffled his feet together across the floor.  ¡°Small walk,¡± he finally admitted, red starting to blush across his cheeks.


    Somehow, Elissa couldn¡¯t help but smile slightly to herself.  The way Stone was acting right now reminded her of a young child which might have gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar.  ¡°So it¡¯s a small walk to  the edge of your home in that direction,¡± Elissa reasoned.


    Stone just nodded without saying anything, and shuffled his feet together while turning an even darker shade of red.


    ¡°And we just came a small walk from that direction,¡± Elissa half giggled.  To see such a huge man act in such a childlike manner was somehow just heartwarming and charming to her.


    Stone suddenly stood rock still and slowly nodded his head up and down, reluctantly.


    ¡°So that means we were either at, or near, the edge of your ¡®home¡¯,¡± Elissa reasoned.


    Stone didn¡¯t twitch a muscle, though his cheeks were now a bright cherry red in the soft glow from the light coming in from the entrance.


    ¡°So if that¡¯s the edge of your home,¡± Elissa giggled, ¡°what exactly is there in the other direction which we just walked away from?¡±


    ¡°Ummm¡­.¡±  Once again Stone rumbled slightly.  Massive shoulders slumping noticeably, he finally turned to face Elissa once again.  ¡°Road other way,¡± he admitted slowly.  ¡°Village.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a road and a village the other way?¡±  Elissa blinked several times and then giggled freely, before asking, ¡°So why¡¯d we come all the way out in this direction for then?¡±


    Hanging his massive head, Stone took a deep breath and then released a long, depressed sigh, before answering.  ¡°Not want share Elissa,¡± he admitted slowly.  ¡°Not want Elissa to leave.¡±


    ¡°Awwww!¡±  Stone looked so pitiful, Elissa couldn¡¯t help but skip over and wrap her arms tight around his neck.  Leaning up on her tiptoes, she gently planted a kiss atop his oversized nose.  ¡°That¡¯s sweet,¡± she assured him, ¡°but you don¡¯t have to worry about me leaving for now.  You won me in the raffle for at least a week,¡± she reminded him, gently flicking him across the nose where she¡¯d just kissed him, with her finger.  ¡°I won¡¯t be leaving you until my service is up, no matter what,¡± she promised, solemnly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid enough to face the wrath of Chaos for one thing,¡± she admitted, unabashedly.


    ¡°Not leave?¡±  Stone raised an eyebrow slightly, but seemed to stand back up a little bit straighter while staring hard into Elissa¡¯s eyes.  ¡°Everyone leave Stone,¡± he informed her sadly.  ¡°Stone big.  Stone break things.  No one want Stone stay.  Stone stay, Stone not move.  Stone just stupid horse,¡± he lamented, looking completely dejected.


    ¡°Well, I might end up leaving,¡± Elissa confessed, feeling guilty as she did it.  He was such a big fellow, and yet he seemed nice enough and gentle enough to her.  He was concerned about wantonly killing the fish in the glade¡¯s pond, and he¡¯d risked poisoning himself and dying just to help dull the ache in her backside so she could rest last night.  From what she¡¯d seen, she didn¡¯t think he was stupid at all ¨C after all, how many people would be able to figure out how to use Deathgrass as a numbing agent the way he did?  And without knives, spoons, beakers, or any other equipment to boot!


    Taking both his massive hands in hers, Elissa squeezed them tightly and then stared back directly into Stone¡¯s beautiful brown eyes.  ¡°You¡¯re not stupid,¡± she told him firmly.  ¡°And you don¡¯t break things, that I¡¯ve seen.  You¡¯re a kind, gentle man, who cares for the life around him, and that makes you special, and you can trust me on that,¡± Elissa  insisted.


    ¡°I know, I haven¡¯t known you long,¡± Elissa confessed, ¡°but I¡¯ve seen in a light in you already, that I know is bigger and brighter than what most people have in their hearts.   When the week is over, I¡¯m going to have to leave for a while at least,¡± she admitted, unflinchingly keeping her gaze locked with his.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to go home and let my parents know that I¡¯m okay and unhurt, no matter what, when this is over,¡± Elissa sighed slightly, then grinned reassuringly up at Stone.  ¡°But, nothing says that I can¡¯t come back and visit afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Me¡¯d like that,¡± Stone admitted softly.  ¡°Me like if ¡®Lissa never leave, but me understand if her do.¡±


    Laughing gently, Elissa leaned up and kissed him slightly on the nose again.  ¡°So Stone,¡± she asked lightly, trying to change the subject, ¡°what happened to my dress which I¡¯d wrapped around your face last night?  I haven¡¯t seen it all morning.  Did we leave it behind?¡±


    Shoulders slumping, Stone drooped his head and slightly trembled while staring down at his feet.  ¡°Me broked it,¡± he admitted, in the softest rumble which Elissa had heard his deep voice make yet.

 Chapter 8: Exploring

    Seeing how utterly dejected that Stone acted, Elissa couldn¡¯t help but laugh lightly, wrap her arms around his massive frame, and hug him.  ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she assured him, grinning wildly.  ¡°Truth is, you might not have ripped that damn thing at all.  As wisp thin as it was, I might have been the one who ¡®broked¡¯ it rolling it up and wrapping it around your head.¡±


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Elissa laughed, ¡°it¡¯s not like it was actually of any use.  It was too thin to actually hide anything that clothes are supposed to hide, and if anyone had to rely on it for warmth or protection, they should just give up and go ahead and die.  I¡¯m not upset you ripped it,¡± she assured him gently, slowly unwrapping her arms from Stone to stare directly into his sad eyes.  ¡°I was just curious what the heck happened to it, since I hadn¡¯t seen it,¡± she admitted, honestly.


    ¡°It hang from tree,¡± Stone told her, his deep voice still sounding slow and sad.  ¡°Me wash it, but when hang in tree, it not dress not more.  Just ribbons.¡±


    Laughing merrily, Elissa stretched on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Stone¡¯s massive neck, then kissed him lightly on the tip of his nose again.  ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she assured him once again.  ¡°As thin as the damn thing was, it probably would¡¯ve fell apart in the wash for anyone.  You didn¡¯t do anything bad to it.¡±


    Releasing her grip on his neck, Elissa turned and eased over to where the lanterns hung.  Getting one of the larger ones off a hook on the post, she shook it a few times to listen to the oil jostle inside it.  Nodding with satisfaction to herself that it was indeed ready to light, she lifted the glass globe and adjusted the wick up slightly.  Without exerting any real effort, Elissa called forth a small flame from the tip of her finger with her magic, and used it to light the wick.  By the time she had the globe back down and the wick adjusted to a proper height so it didn¡¯t burn too hot or smoke too much, and turned back around, Stone was heading out the entrance of the cavern all alone.


    ¡°Wait a minute!¡±  Rushing to catch up, Elissa grabbed hold of Stone¡¯s left arm with her right hand and tugged it gently.  ¡°Where are you going?  We just got here!¡±


    ¡°Fetch wood,¡± Stone told Elissa simply, stopping to turn his head and stare at her.  ¡°Make fire.  Cook soon,¡± he explained patiently, in his own monosyllabic way.


    Frowning slightly, Elissa asked, ¡°Do you want me to go with you?¡±


    Shaking his head from side to side, Stone simply replied, ¡°Back soon.  ¡®Lissa rest,¡± in that same deep, dragged out voice of his.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Elissa agreed, letting go of her grip on Stone¡¯s forearm.  ¡°I¡¯m not used to wandering around the forest dressed like this anyway,¡± she admitted, trying to resist the impulse to cover  herself up with her arms as she thought about it.  ¡°I¡¯ll wait here on you,¡± she promised, ¡°but you hurry back soon.¡±


    ¡°Stone soon,¡± he promised, holding up a single thumb in her direction.  ¡°Before rain.¡±


    ¡°Rain?¡±  Frowning slightly, Elissa stared out of the cavern entrance and tried to gauge the skies.  They were still clear and blue, and she couldn¡¯t see any indication that it was going to rain anytime soon.  Puzzled, she had to ask, ¡°You think it¡¯s going to rain soon?¡±


    Stone just nodded and then slowly turned and started walking back out into the forest.  ¡°Rain soon,¡± he promised, then added, ¡°Stone sooner.¡±


    Laughing lightly, Elissa simply nodded in agreement.  ¡°Then I¡¯ll be expecting you back before the rain comes,¡± she told him, as she followed to the entrance and watched him slowly lumber past the bushes and head deeper back into the forest.  ¡°Maybe I¡¯m starting to understand him a little better,¡± Elissa mused, as she watched his broad back disappear out of sight.


    Once she was certain Stone was gone, Elissa half giggled and then turned, and holding the lantern up high so it¡¯d illuminate all around her better, she turned and started down into the tunnel to her right to explore the cavern a little better and see where they went.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    <hr>


    Elissa didn¡¯t have to wander far down the right tunnel, before it opened up into another large, hewn-out  cavern.  Various crates and boxes were stacked in tight, neat rows, creating a maze-like path through the cavern floor, and shelves lined the walls, packed tight with cans and stacks of plain gray cloth.


    Frowning slightly to herself, Elissa tried to puzzle out why the room was packed so full of stuff.  ¡°A storeroom of some sort,¡± she reasoned, heading over to pick up one of the bundles of gray and examine  it ¨C a thick, winter cloak.  It was several thick winter cloaks stacked into a neat pile, Elissa realized after examining some of the other bundles as well.  Moving to the side and rifling through other bundles, Elissa uncovered several thick winter blankets, gloves, scarves, pants, and curtains.


    ¡°It¡¯s where they store their winter provisions,¡± Elissa laughed, suddenly putting all the pieces together.  The dark cavern would naturally help keep the cans of food cool in the hot summer months, and the earth would work insulate against the bitter cold of winter and help keep them from freezing and busting.  Many families would have a root cellar for storing such things, but apparently Stone¡¯s family had made use of the natural caverns on their land and used them instead.


    Picking up one of the cloaks, Elissa fought with temptation for several moments before putting it back down.  ¡°It¡¯ll probably be too hot to wear this time of year,¡± she told herself, shaking her head slightly.  ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve got over six more days to serve Stone.  I¡¯m not supposed to give in to my own embarrassment.  For all I know, he likes me dressed like this,¡± she giggled.


    ¡°Probably does,¡± Elissa mused, smiling  slightly to herself.  ¡°Oversized brute, or not, he¡¯s still a man.  And,¡± she reasoned, ¡°I¡¯m certain he knows what¡¯s down here.  If he actually wants me to have them to wear, he¡¯ll give them to me.  I¡¯m not just some thief to take things that belong to other people,¡± she reminded herself firmly.  ¡°These aren¡¯t mine, and I really don¡¯t have any right to use them.¡±


    ¡°Though,¡± Elissa giggled lightly to herself, glad nobody was around to hear her talking to her own flickering shadow, ¡°out of all those clothes, the boots are the most tempting to just grab and put on!¡±  Admitting it out loud made her giggle at herself even more, but the truth was the truth.  Sure, she didn¡¯t enjoy running around naked and jiggling all over the place, but she knew just how hot and itchy those woolen clothes would be in the summer heat.  She could resist the desire to bundle herself up in them fairly easily, but her feet weren¡¯t used to being exposed to the cold stone or the cool grass, and she had to be very careful where she stepped so she didn¡¯t step on thistles, or bees getting nectar from some flower, or anything like that!


    Of all the things to tempt her into taking them without permission, it was the shoes which she was having the hardest time pulling her eyes away from ¨C and that revelation about herself amused Elisa to no end.  ¡®To think,¡¯ she giggled, ¡®I care more about keeping my toes warm, dry, and safe, than I do about the rest of my modesty!  Mother would be appalled at me!¡¯


    Finally forcing herself to pull her gaze away from the diabolical temptation of the shoes, Elissa resolutely turned her back on the shelves and worked her way back up the tunnel to the main cavern and down the other passage to the left.


    <hr>


    Elissa had to go a little slower and be a little more cautious, going down the left passage, as the stone floor was slightly damp, causing the loose dust on the ground to congeal into a slick, cool mud which squished between her toes, and threatened to slip beneath each careful footstep she placed.  The slop here was also more inclined than the gradual passage down to the right, and thick vines and lush roots drooped longingly from the ceiling and cascaded rampantly along the walls, giving a sense of traversing downward through some dark spider¡¯s web, heading towards the cobwebby center core, where some massive creature of darkness lay in wait to devour an unsuspecting traveler.


    Several times, Elissa slowed and glanced back over her shoulder, up towards the entrance, but each time she did, she refused to give in to her fear and continued to work her way ever onward and downward.  As long seconds slowly turned into longer minutes, the passageway finally got steep enough and slick enough that Elissa had to lean her weight against the wall and use the clinging vines to help her stay upright and keep her footing as she continued on ever deeper and darker into the earth, feeling as if she was some unwanted invader stealing into a forbidden tomb.


    Right as Elissa decided she¡¯d pushed her luck too much and that it was time to turn back, her foot came down on empty air instead of landing on the slick floor, and she suddenly found herself screaming and plunging into darkness.  Uncertain what lie beneath her as she fell, Elissa forcibly tossed the lantern she was holding hard to her left side, where it erupted into an explosion of flame and smoke, as she continued to fall ever downward past it.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to hit,¡¯ Elissa¡¯s mind screamed as she plummeted into the depths of the earth, ¡®but at least I¡¯m not going to break a lantern and have my corpse burnt to a crisp when I reach the bottom!¡¯

 Chapter 9: In the Hands of Darkness

    ¡°NOOOOOO!!!¡± An inarticulate scream of anger and frustration echoed off the cobblestones, quickly followed by a, ¡°SHWUMP!¡±, and then a dull, ¡°THUMP¡±, and groan as a young, elegantly dressed gentleman turned and backhanded the much plainer dressed woman riding on the horse beside him, causing her to crash unceremoniously on the ground and look dazed. A dozen rough looking men riding nearly witnessed the whole exchange and chuckled softly amongst themselves, non making any attempt to go to the woman¡¯s aid.


    ¡°What the hell has happened to the crystal this time, wench?¡± Red with rage, the young gentleman¡¯s face was twisted up in a snarl of frustration as he flung a small crystal stone pelting down at the woman, where it bounced off the side of her face, cutting it slightly and causing her to cry out and tremble in fear.


    Pulling her plain cotton robe tightly closed in the front, the young lady ¨C girl really, as she didn¡¯t appear to be much older than sixteen or perhaps seventeen years of age ¨C tried to scoot across the cobblestones away from the slightly older gentleman ¨C he appeared to be perhaps in his mid-twenties, from the mature, chiseled frame of his cheekbones, and the style he wore his will trimmed mustache in ¨C until she was unceremoniously kicked in the back by one of the other men still on horseback, and knocked face first back into the hard, unforgiving cobblestone road.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Nikka pleaded, holding one hand up to her nose to stop the blood which was trying to escape from it, from the collision of her face with the stone. ¡°It should be working,¡± she futilely tried to explain, while staring over fearfully at the clear crystal which had sliced across her cheek. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with the stone,¡± she promised, tears starting to roll freely down the corner of her eyes, ¡°I promise.¡±


    Hanging her head and trembling, she wracked her brain for anything that might be the cause of the crystal failing. Knowing the lord wasn¡¯t the type to wait on a response, Nikka offered up the only solutions she could possibly think of. ¡°Either she¡¯s dead,¡± Nikka trembled, ¡°or else the priests have moved her again ¨C this time to some place too distant for the crystal to find her.¡±


    ¡°GAHHH!¡± Letting out a guttural howl of frustration, the young lord leaned forward on his horse, and kicked Nikka directly in the head, sprawling her out backwards again, with blood freely leaking down the side of her auburn locks.


    ¡°Blade. Cutter.¡± Calling out the names of two of the rough looking men riding nearby caused them to sit up a little straighter in their saddles and slowly ride closer. ¡°Grab her,¡± the young lord demanded. ¡°Since she¡¯s worthless as an alchemist to me now, maybe she¡¯ll be some use as a wench to you boys. Have all the fun in the world you boys want with her for now,¡± the young lord chuckled evily, ¡°and feel free to bend her all you want. Just don¡¯t break her. I might still have some use for the bitch later on, you never know.¡±


    Hopping down off his horse first, Cutter chuckled roughly to himself as he grabbed Nikka up by the hair and forced her to stand in front of him with one arm, while he used his other hand to tug her much smaller arms behind her back where he pinned them up tight against his body, while Blade was dismounting and grinning a crooked, half-tooth smile.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Pulling a long serrated knife from the collection he wore at his side, Blade half cackled as he advanced and then began cutting and slicing at the robes Nikka was wearing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boss,¡± he assured the young man in charge, ¡°we wouldn¡¯t let this one die. She¡¯s the only plaything we¡¯ve got with us at all, until we find the one you¡¯re looking so hard for.¡±


    Tattered clothes cascading down to crumple at her feet, Blade took one hand and grabbed Nikka by the cheek, forcing her to look up at him as blood slowly ran down her battered face. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry darling,¡± he promised her, ¡°we¡¯re going to be having a lot of fun, for a long time, with you.¡±


    The dazed, semi-conscious stare which Nikka returned showed she didn¡¯t comprehend anything that he was saying, but Blade just laughed as Cutter used what used to be the sash on her robe to forcibly tie her arms behind her back. ¡°See,¡± Cutter laughed harshly, into her ear. ¡°Aren¡¯t we nice. We didn¡¯t even strip you naked. You get to keep your pretty little belt at least.


    ¡°And her shoes,¡± one of the other men chuckled, pointing down to her sandals with a half laugh.


    ¡°Oh. Sorry,¡± Blade apologized, leaning down and roughly slicing away at the straps which wrapped around her calves and ankles, holding her sandals up. ¡°You won¡¯t be needing these anymore,¡± he assured Nikka¡¯s limp form. ¡°I doubt you¡¯ll be doing a lot of walking anymore.¡±


    ¡°Kneepads would do her better prolly,¡± one of the other man catcalled, as Blade scooped her limp form up and tossed her up into the saddle of his horse. Expertly hopping up into the saddle behind her, he reached for his reins with one hand, while wrapping his arm around Nikka¡¯s waist and groping her bare breast with the other.


    ¡°She¡¯s set, boss,¡± Blade informed the young lord, while the others all smirked and watched as he roughly used his hands to feel all up and down Nikka¡¯s limp form. ¡°So where we going now? We still on the hunt for the bitch you¡¯re wanting?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± the young lord responded, sounding much calmer now that he¡¯d taken a moment to compose himself. Reaching into his saddlebag, he pulled out a plain silver choker. Nudging his horse, the young lord slowly closed the distance between his self and Blade, and gently tossed the choker over to the other man. ¡°Use that on her,¡± he ordered. ¡°It¡¯s a dampener, which will block her voice while she¡¯s wearing it. No need to let her cry out and warn our prey as we hunt it,¡± he smirked. ¡°Just be certain to train her proper,¡± the young lord commanded, firmly. ¡°That¡¯s the only one of those I brought with me, and I¡¯ll be needing it back once we find the Lady Elissa.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, boss,¡± Blade agreed, snapping the choker around Nikka¡¯s neck. ¡°Me and the boys¡¯ll teach her ta be as quiet as a mouse hiding in an owl¡¯s nest,¡± he promised, before asking, ¡°Where to now?¡±


    The young lord rubbed his chin a few times in thought, then turned his horse and continued back down the road in the direction they¡¯d been traveling in before the crystal stopped working. ¡°This way for now,¡± he commanded. ¡°We¡¯ll see if we can pick back up the bitch¡¯s trail. If not,¡± he chuckled lightly, ¡°we¡¯ll find a small shrine somewhere and politely ask one of the priests if they can divine her location. After all,¡± he laughed freely, ¡°I¡¯m just worried about my beloved, since she¡¯s still participating in their festival, and I don¡¯t know where she¡¯s went.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be visiting any temples with ya, boss,¡± Blade laughed, ¡°but them priests are just stupid enough to tell you what you want to know. Sounds like a plan.¡±


    ¡°It is a plan, you dundering idiot,¡± the young lord mouthed quietly to himself, as he nudged his horse and started back down the road; the other men closing ranks and following closely behind him.

 Chapter 10: Rescued?

    Tilting his head from side to side, Stone stopped breaking and  tugging on the limbs of the dead tree he¡¯d found fallen and decaying in the forest.  Straining his ears, he held himself perfectly still, listening to the whispering of the wind in the trees as Elissa was screaming her head off at her approaching doom.  For several moments, his face twitched slightly and Stone turned to stare back towards the entrance of the cavern where he¡¯d left Elissa.


    Then, nodding to himself  in satisfaction, Stone shrugged his massive shoulders slightly and turned his attention back to the task at hand ¨C gathering firewood before the rains came.


    <hr>


    Elissa cascaded through the dark for several moments, helplessly watching as the small patch of fire on the wall from where she¡¯d thrown the latter got smaller and smaller, until all at once pain erupted throughout her body and the cold wet chill of total darkness splashed itself all around her.  Stunned, hurting, and dazed, Elissa tried to make sense of the sudden burst of information that was assailing her brain.


    Pain washed all over her, dazing her senses and making it hard to comprehend what had happened.  The impact where she¡¯d finally hit had driven the air from her lungs in one massive burst, and all sense of sight had been completely whisked out in a single terrifying moment.  Uncertain if she¡¯d ruptured her eyes and suddenly gone blind, or what had happened, Elissa¡¯s body reflexively tried to take back in air to replace that which it¡¯d just lost ¨C only to find herself filling her lungs with icy cold water, instead of the precious air which she needed so much.


    Shocked, struggling wildly to try and breath, Elissa kicked and tried to force her body to swim upwards, to try and head for the precious air which her lungs so desperately were screaming they needed, but in her panicked and battered state, she wasn¡¯t even certain which direction up was!


    For several long moments, Elissa struggled desperately to try and find her way back to the surface ¨C back to the life sustaining air which she needed so badly ¨C only to find the freezing chill of the water, and the disorientation of her sudden impact with it, too great to overcome.  Eyes closing peacefully, blackness washed over her, and Elissa knew no more.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    <hr>


    Stopping his labor to wipe the sweat from his brow, Stone raised and eyebrow to stare back towards the cavern for several moments as Elissa struggled and finally succumbed to the icy chill of the waters deep under the earth.  Finally, nodding to himself once again, he shrugged his shoulders and began to fill up his arms with the wood which he¡¯d been gathering, and slowly turned and started his slumberous trudge back to the cave.


    <hr>


    Engulfed in total darkness, it was the feeling of rough, dry lips on her own, which brought Elissa coughing and hacking back to herself.  ¡°Rest, weakling,¡± a harsh, cracked voice whispered softly into her ear, jerking Elissa¡¯s mind awake as a sudden fear of the unknown speaker pushed away her pain with a jolt of adrenalin.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there,¡± Elissa demanded, pushing herself back to the right, away from the voice which had whispered into her left ear.  Dry, cackling laughter echoed in the total darkness all around, in response, causing Elissa to tremble as her lungs still struggled with the burning ache of  trying to inflate themselves back up with air instead of water.


    ¡°Little fly caught in the spider¡¯s web, are you?¡±  The dry, cackling voice sounded somewhat feminine as it taunted her, but carried a deep pitch and timbre which seemed impossible for any human throat to make.  ¡°Come to join me in my meal, have you little fly,¡± the voice asked Elissa, this time sounding as if it was coming from directly in front of her.


    Swallowing back the urge to scream and scamper away, Elissa forced herself to draw her magics into her hand and then create a small globe of fire to illuminate the darkness.


    ¡°GREEWAAAAA!!¡±  Inches from Elissa¡¯s face, a misshapen head screeched at the sudden burst of light and fire nearby.  Elissa had just a split moment to take in the view ¨C a mouth opened wider than her own head, with long jagged brown fangs which dripped green ichor, with vine-line tendrils of mossy green hair cascaded  wildly, framing the massive head and hiding the rest of the features from her view ¨C and then there was the briefest flash of something incredibly large and massive smashing in her direction from above and to the side.


    Then, there was just pain and darkness again.


    <hr>


    Getting back into the cave, Stone dropped the bundle of wood which he was hauling down to the left of the entrance, then turned and walked back outside to get a second load.   If he even noticed that Elissa was missing, he showed absolutely no sign of it.

 Chapter 11: Bargain

    Wave after wave of painful agony washed over Elissa as she struggled feebly to awaken again. Trying to move was an exercise in futility as she was firmly stretched, with her arms wrapped together stretched straight above her head, holding all the weight of her body as she danged in midair, bound from top to bottom by something rough and slimy. Groaning feebly, Elissa tried to force her eyes to open ¨C the left was swollen completely shut and refused to obey her at all, and the right would barely crack open where it was puffy and bruised as well ¨C for all the good it did her.


    Darkness.


    Pure and utter darkness was all she could see through the battered slit of her right eye, and the pain and effort to force her eye to remain open wasn¡¯t worth it. Slowly, almost gratefully, Elissa let her eye closed and she forced herself to focus on her other senses.


    She was wet and cold ¨C chilled almost to the bone from her sudden crashing dip into the water ¨C and her body was hypersensitive at the moment, much to her dismay. Impacting the water from the height that she¡¯d fallen had battered and bruised her from top to bottom, and then there was the hit she got when she tried to create a light from¡­


    ¡®¡­well, from whatever it might be,¡¯  Elissa thought hopelessly to herself. ¡®I only caught a glimpse of whatever has me down here, but whatever it is definitely isn¡¯t human. The glimpse of the face and teeth I saw couldn¡¯t belong to anything else other than a demon,¡¯ Elissa shivered, before asking herself, iCould it?¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t be certain what it was. All Elissa could be certain of, at the moment, was that she was freezing, injured, and possibly dying. ¡®And helplessly trapped,¡¯ Elissa reminded herself. ¡®Can¡¯t forget that, now can I? Helplessly trapped and strung up as a meal for a demon to feast on whenever it wants later.¡¯


    Tears slowly trickled down her cheeks as dark hopelessness began to fill her heart, just as pitch black as the darkness which engulfed her all around.


    <hr>


    ¡°No!¡± Stubbornly shaking his head from side to side, Stone picked up the large log laying at his feed and tossed it end of end crashing into the forest. ¡°Not need help! Go away!¡± Balling up his fist, he shook it moodily at a nearby bush.


    ¡°Stone get wood by self! Not need more wood! No need help,¡± he ranted, to no one in particular, in his deep, gruff voice. If an observer would¡¯ve been watching him, they would¡¯ve been convinced that he must¡¯ve eaten some bad mushrooms and was out of his mind.


    Spinning suddenly to his left, Stone stared directly towards a small cherry sapling, and then tilted his head as if he was listening to it for several moments. ¡°Later,¡± he promised the tree, looking slightly annoyed.


    ¡°Later,¡± he repeated, a moment later, turning his back on the tree.


    ¡°Stone say later!!¡± Shouting, Stone stomped several steps into the forest, then stopped and looked all around left and right.


    Shaking his fist at a small thorn bush, Stone growled and demanded, ¡°Give it back! Not yours,¡± he insisted, firmly. ¡°Mine!¡±


    The bush simply swayed gently in the wind and completely ignored him.


    <hr>


    ¡°Stubbbborn jaccckkasss!¡± A soft silky voice echoed from all around Elissa, echoing several times in the deep chamber where she was trapped. ¡°Eaaaats him I shhhhould. Shhhhould I not, chhhiild?¡± Dragging out each syllable, the voice whispered softly around Elissa¡¯s ears, causing her to cringe even more helplessly inside.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    What felt like wet, rough tendrils, slowly wrapped themselves around Elissa¡¯s ankles and then twisted and coiled, squirming themselves up her legs, one slow and violating inch at a time. ¡°Issss thhhisss whaaat he wantsss? I can do thissss¡­¡±, the voice whispered softly, as the tentacles finally released Elissa after exploring all the way to her head.


    Hanging limply, Elissa tensed at the sound of water splashing behind her. Wet footsteps echoed dully on the ground beneath her, and her heart cringed with each wet plop, plop, plop as they steadily approached closer. After several moments, the footsteps stopped directly beneath her, and Elissa found herself being lowered down into someone¡¯s cold, wet arms.


    ¡°WEAK FLESHLING!!¡± A thunderous female voice boomed directly in Elissa¡¯s ears, causing her to scream and kick feebly as she pushed herself away from whoever ¨C whatever ¨C was holding her. Struggling to try and feel her magics in her battered state, Elissa forced a small globe of fire to appear again off slightly to her side, as she scurried backwards on hands and knees away from¡­


    ..HERSELF??


    Thinking she was seeing wrong, with her one good eye, Elissa stopped and used her fingers of her left hand to pry open the lids of her right eye a fraction further. Tears trickled from the edges, but what she saw could only be described utterly as herself.


    A perfect, wooden statue, shaped completely in her image, was standing there, arms stretched out as if it¡¯d been holding someone, unmoving before her.


    And then, it put its arms down and leaned closer to stare back at her, as Elissa stared feebly back up at it.


    ¡°DOES THE PATHETIC FLESHLING BELIEVE HER FIRE FRIGHTENS ME?!¡± The wooden Elissa-statue¡¯s voice boomed out as it leaned forward and stared directly at her. ¡°I FEAR NO FIRE,¡± it assured her, releasing a peel of laughter which echoed around the chamber like booming thunder.


    ¡°Wha¡­ What are you?¡± Barely able to whisper, Elissa wrapped her arms around herself and trembled as the flame she was creating flickered and went out. Too dazed, too hurt to concentrate properly, she couldn¡¯t maintain the necessary focus to keep the flame for more than a moment.


    ¡°STUPID FLESHLING CRAWLS INTO MY WOMB. BURIES ITSELF IN MY INNERMOST PARTS, AS A MAN BURIES HIS SEED INTO HIS MATE. THEN CLAIMS IT DOES NOT KNOW ME?¡± The wooden Elissa-statue¡¯s voice echoed all around, sounding almost amused, before demanding to know, ¡°WHY DOES THE FLESHLING COME HERE? DOES IT SEEK TO DIE?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die,¡± Elissa squeaked, pitifully. ¡°I was just exploring the caverns. I don¡¯t even know where here is, honestly!¡±


    ¡°THEN FLESHLING HAS FAILED,¡± the booming voice told her, sounding almost sad. ¡°FLESHLING NOT IN WORLD OF LIVING MUCH LONGER. ALREADY, BLACKWINGS APPROACH. END OF FLESHING, SOON WILL BE.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t kill me,¡± Elissa pleaded, shivering uncontrollably from both the numbing cold and her own fear. ¡°I¡¯m still marked by Chaos. I¡¯m participating in one of his rituals. Not even a demon would face the wrath of a God,¡± she sputtered, hoping she was right.


    ¡°STUPID FLESHLING,¡± the booming Elissa-statue laughed. ¡°I NOT KILL YOU. YOU KILL YOU,¡± the voice pointed out, sounding rather amused by the whole situation. ¡°BREAK INSIDE WHEN HIT WATER. DIE SOON,¡± it assured her.


    As much as she didn¡¯t want to admit it, Elissa was afraid the demon beast was correct. Each breath brought new waves of burning pain to her chest and lungs. Her heart was beating erratically in her chest, and the chill had settled so deeply into her bones that she could no longer even feel it anymore. ¡°Help me,¡± Elissa called out feebly, into the darkness. ¡°Save me,¡± she pleaded, ashamed of her own weakness. Her father would tell her that it was better to die than seek aid from a demon, but she wasn¡¯t yet ready to give up on life.


    ¡°SAVE YOU, FLESHLING?¡± The voice echoed and boomed thunderous laughter once again, causing Elissa to wince up and cringe inside.


    ¡°I suppose I can do that,¡± the voice continued, this time almost so quiet that it was but a whisper that Elissa had to strain her ears to hear. ¡°Though,¡± the whispering Elissa-stature warned, ¡°there will be a price to pay later.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s always a price to pay,¡± the voice continued, incredibly loud now, but not with the same booming thunder which was echoing throughout the chamber earlier.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Elissa groaned -- this time from the pain she felt in her pride as she begged a demon to save her, rather than from any physical pain. The numbing cold had already penetrated her flesh to the bone and she couldn¡¯t feel anything anymore. Not her fingers, nor her toes. Not the cold ground she was lying upon, nor was the pain of her battered body a concern anymore. The cold had removed all that. The pain she was feeling now was to her virtue as a Silverstar.


    ¡®Very well,¡± the Elissa-statue whispered. ¡°So be it.¡±


    The chill too great to resist any longer, Elissa never felt the cold damp tendrils as they wrapped around her body, hosted her high into the air, and carried her off even deeper into the darkness.

 Chapter 12: Mother

    Elissa¡¯s pain was gone and she was feeling ravenous as her consciousness slowly came back to her.  The cold damp feel of wet stone under her was replaced with the soft, gentle touch of blooming vines and warm moss.  Opening her eyes, at first she thought she must¡¯ve died and had her spirit travel to the heavens, the warm glow of light and life was so intense all around her!


    Thousands of small plants grew all across the ground and bloomed in a cornucopia of vivid colors and shapes,  Vines of various thickness wove and crossed  in an intricate tapestry of life across the walls, and florescent moss clung stubbornly to the roof of the cavern, twinkling and illuminating everything in an unearthly, but undeniable glow of pure beauty.


    ¡°So the fleshling is now awake,¡± the Elissa-statue stated calmly, seeming to move out of the very vines which draped so tightly against the wall.  Her voice was no longer booming, nor whispering, and sounded much more human than previously.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m awake,¡± Elissa admitted, slowly.  The pain in her flesh was gone, but the wound to her pride was still large and gaping.  Looking back, she deeply regretted her actions ¨C asking a demon to save her, without even knowing what price she¡¯d have to pay for the bargain!  All she knew was that she would have to pay whatever it was sometime later.


    ¡°Then come,¡± the Elissa-statue demanded, waving a hand towards the center of the small, enclosed chamber they were in.  Walking slowly, swaying her hips suggestively back and forth in a manner that made Elissa almost blush watching her own body move in such a manner, the Elissa-statue slowly sashayed across to the center of the room.  Then, as it gracefully turned to sit, a multitude of colorful vines rose up out of the floor, to create a chair for it to rest in peacefully.  Crossing its legs in an almost humanlike manner, the Elissa-statue motioned in front of it.  ¡°Join me,¡± it demanded, softly, but firmly.


    Uncertain what else she could do at the moment except obey, Elissa slowly forced herself to stand.  Taking a moment to check her balance, and to check herself over for any sort of injury, Elissa was shocked to see that she appeared to be in perfect health once again.  Except for her skin and hair still being dyed pure white from the priest¡¯s magics at the festival, she was completely whole and fit once again.  ¡°You fixed me,¡± Elissa whispered, uncertainly.


    ¡°I did,¡± the Elissa-statue confirmed, moving its eyes up and down to examine her body as well.  ¡°Is it not to your satisfaction,¡± it asked, sounding half-amused, half-puzzled.


    ¡°Am I still human?¡± Elissa asked, swallowing back a lump of dread in her throat as she forced herself to ask the question.  Slowly, hesitantly, she walked towards the statue of herself, not really wanting to approach it.  As she closed the distance, more vines rose from the ground and formed a living chair in front of the statue.  Even more vines rose after, twisting and shaping themselves until a natural table of brilliant colors and natural blossoms grew in the center between the two chairs.


    Leaning forward to rest both of its elbows on the newly grown table, the Elissa-statue half laughed as it rested its head in its hands.  ¡°Of course not, fleshing,¡± the statue chuckled merrily.  ¡°You have a spark in you now which is beyond those other fleshbags.¡±


    Gulping back a lump of pure dread that suddenly made her mouth go dry, Elissa forced herself to sit on the chair-like vines.  ¡°So what am I?  What are you,¡± Elissa asked, not at all certain that she wanted to know the answers anymore.


    Laughing merrily, the Elissa-statue tilted its head and then fluttered its eyelashes at her in an awkward parody of seduction.  ¡°You are the lover,¡± the statue told her, lips twisting up in an inhuman curl, ¡°and I am the mother.¡±


    ¡°Lover?¡±  Elissa asked, blinking back tears.  ¡°Who¡¯s lover?  Who¡¯s mother?¡±


    ¡°Why my child¡¯s of course,¡± the Elissa-statue laughed merrily, sitting back and feeling its own breasts awkwardly, as it stared directly at her.  ¡°You should know him,¡± the wooden-Elissa told Elissa.  ¡°After all, you did come here, inside my innermost home, with him.¡±


    ¡°I did?¡±  Elissa frowned, puzzled.  ¡°The only one I came with was Stone,¡± she stated, slowly, frowning at where her mind was trying to take her.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Elissa-statue laughed.  ¡°My child.  Stone.  The one you came into my womb with,¡± it reminded her, sounding completely amused by the whole situation.


    <hr>


    Stubbornly dragging yet another load of wood into the cave, Stone tossed it beside the ever growing heap which now stacked  almost to his waist in the corner.  Snorting softly to himself, he glanced left and right to see if Elissa had returned yet. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    When it was obvious that she was still gone, Stone snorted once again and then turned and trudged back out into the forest, completely oblivious to the pouring rain which was falling all around him.


    <hr>


    ¡°Stone is your child?¡±  Elissa blinked several times, feeling light-headed and dazed.  First, the priest told Stone that she ¡®was his now¡¯, and now she¡¯d apparently just bargained herself into becoming his lover, with his mother!  Just who the what the hell was he?!


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±  The Elissa-statue half hummed, while pinching on its own nipples in a manner that made Elissa cringe and wince in sympathetic pain just by watching it.  ¡°Fleshlings always want to know a tale from the beginnings,¡± the wooden-Elissa mused.  ¡°But the question is which beginning one should start a tale at.  At the beginning when the mountains were being born?  When the first seeds took root?  Or when the first fleshthing first walked upon us?¡±


    For several long and awkward moments, the Elissa-statue seemed to focus solely on exploring its own newfound body with its fingers, before it finally laughed and hummed again.  ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±, it mused, leaning back forward with its elbows back on the table and rested its head back in its hands.  ¡°I supposed, the best beginning here is simply with Fool.¡±


    ¡°Fool?¡±  Elissa repeated, actually grateful not to have to watch what so closely resembled her own body, do such painfully inappropriate things to itself anymore.  Her father might say that it was rude to sit with elbows on the table, but she¡¯d take that over what the not-her had been doing to itself for the last few minutes, any day!


    ¡°Fool married Beauty,¡± the Elissa-statue laughed, nodding its wooden head up and down slowly.  ¡°Fleshlings had other names, but why would I care what fleshlings are called?¡±  Shrugging her wooden shoulders, the Elissa-statue sounded completely indifferent to the actual names of the people in her story.


    ¡°Fool married Beauty,¡± it repeated once again, as one wooden foot slowly snaked under the table to caress itself up and down against Elissa¡¯s.  Elissa half jumped and tried not to scream as she forced her body to freeze up and not run away as it so strongly desired to do so.


    ¡°Beauty got big in the belly, as happens when fleshing mates,¡± the Elissa-statue told Elissa, its foot exploring ever higher up her leg, and trying to worm its way between them.  Eyes wide, Elissa tried to pull her knees as tightly together as she possibly could and nodded slightly to show she was still listening.


    ¡°Beauty died,¡± the Elissa-statue told her, as it finally straightened back up in its chair and began to explore its own chest once again.  ¡°Babe was born, but Fool had no milk.  Had no other flesh-thing to make milk.  Fool was a fool; had no metal to trade for milk.  Fool was alone and with no way to feed Beauty¡¯s babe.¡±


    ¡°And Stone was that babe?¡± Elissa guessed, trying to understand what Fool or Beauty had to do with anything.  Apparently they¡¯d gotten married and Beauty had died in childbirth, leaving Fool alone to provide for the child ¨C at least that was how Elissa was interpreting the story.


    ¡°Stone babe,¡± the Elissa-statue nodded, leaning forward once again to rest atop the table.  ¡°Fool, being fool, had too much pride to ask other fleshlings to feed Beauty¡¯s babe.  Instead, Fool asked I.¡±  The statue blinked furiously several times and then winked at Elissa, before blowing her a kiss.


    ¡°Warned Fool, I did,¡± her statue told Elissa, ¡°but Fool insisted.  Debt was  owed and price must be paid.  Fool demanded price be paid in Mother¡¯s Milk.¡±


    ¡°What could one do,¡± the statue half shrugged, leaning back and squeezing its breast until a greenish-white sap eased out to stickily cling to its finger, ¡°but pay the price?¡±  Holding its finger out, the Elissa-statue leaned across the table and gently rubbed the sappy substance across her lips.


    ¡°Taste,¡± it commanded, glaring at Elissa until she hesitantly licked her tongue over her lips.


    ¡°It tastes like cherries in milk,¡± Elissa half gasped, licking her lips more fully, for a second taste.  ¡°That¡¯s actually not bad at all,¡± she admitted, astonished.


    ¡°Mountain milk,¡± the Elissa-statue told her, half smiling at watching her shocked expression.  ¡°Milk of the Forest.  Nature¡¯s Milk,¡± she nodded, finally seeming happy with the name she was giving to describe it.


    ¡°Nature¡¯s Milk is not the milk of fleshlings,¡± the statue admitted, leaning back once again and slowly caressing its own chin.  ¡°Nature¡¯s Milk can make the sick well.  The old feel young.  Nature¡¯s Milk carries strength of nature,¡± the statue tried to explain.


    ¡°And, Stone grew up on this Nature¡¯s Milk?¡±  Elissa¡¯s eyes widened at the thought.  Even now, her lips still tingled and she found herself wanting to taste the substance once again ¨C the finest wines or sweetest honeys couldn¡¯t compare to the ambrosia which she¡¯d just glimpsed upon the tip of her tongue.


    In a move very reminiscent of Stone himself, the Elissa-statue simply nodded and said nothing.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why he¡¯s so big?  So unusual,¡± Elissa reasoned, slowly leaning back in her chair and gently rubbing her hands through her long hair.


    ¡°Born fleshling,¡± the wood-Elissa confirmed, ¡°but grown  on Nature¡¯s Milk.  Stone is Nature¡¯s Child now.  My child,¡± the statue told her, sounding rather possessively.


    ¡°And I¡¯m to be his lover?¡±  Elissa¡¯s eyes were wide as she tried to figure out if this was fate, or just absolute misfortune.  First the priest of Chaos told Stone that she was his.  Now some timeless spirit of nature was telling her that she¡¯d have to be his lover, as payment for saving his life.


    ¡°Can I even be his lover?¡±  Elissa asked, not at all certain if she wanted to know the answer.


    ¡°Of course you can,¡± the wooden statue of herself assured her.  ¡°At least you can, now that I¡¯ve fixed you,¡± it corrected itself, laughing merrily.


    Shivering slightly, Elissa was right ¨C she really didn¡¯t want to know the answer to her question.

 Chapter 13: Understanding and Bewilderment

    Elissa was physically exhausted and mentally drained by the time she found herself stumbling back up the passage to the entrance of the cavern she¡¯d been exploring.  Countless hours had passed since she¡¯d first stated talking to Earthmother, as she¡¯d came to start calling the strange nature spirit, and they¡¯d covered so many topics her mind couldn¡¯t track them all, causing one to blur into another  and then into yet another.


    Earthmother seemed to randomly swap topics as they chatted, sometimes asking about places halfway across the kingdom, sometimes asking about places which were dead and gone for hundreds or thousands of years, and then sometimes asking or talking about people and places that Elissa had no idea who, when, or even when they might be in reference to.


    The only constant subject of mutual interest that Elissa could discuss with Earthmother was Stone.  His birth.  His growth.  The seething annoyance which Earthmother felt at the fleshlings around him as they slowly regarded him more and more as a destructive freak, than one of their own.  In Earthmother¡¯s opinion, fleshlings were stupid ¨C asked for Nature¡¯s Milk to nurture a newborn, and then treat the child as if it was his fault for being built too strong to interact with most of the normal fleshling¡¯s toys!


    Stone had been raised on the essence of the mountains themselves; of course he was going to break puny wooden sticks!  Does not a horse break a twig, when it steps upon it?  Putting wooden handles into tools such as hoes or shovels, and then telling Stone to go use them, was just asking for him to break them ¨C especially as a child which was still uncertain of its own strength!


    Of all the things that Earthmother had ranted and seemed annoyed over, the treatment of Stone seemed foremost in her thoughts, and she willingly shared ¨C even drilled ¨C her thoughts on the  subject into Elissa before finally letting her go.  Stone¡¯s growth.  His bulging, unnatural strength.  His isolation and ostracization from all the others.


    And as Earthmother continued to rant, Elissa came to three conclusions.


    First, Earthmother, even as odd as she was, being an elder spirit of nature, loved Stone as her own child.  Raised on her ¡°milk¡±, nurtured and shaped by her essence, the spirit truly regarded Stone as if he was her actual offspring ¨C and she was irked at all the people who lived nearby.  Elissa wasn¡¯t certain what price that annoyance might pay out in the future, but she was certain that she certainly didn¡¯t want to live anywhere nearby, nor have any shops or businesses close to Earthmother¡¯s domain.  Sooner or later, there was going to be hell to pay, and Elissa didn¡¯t want to get caught up in it just because the people were idiots, and had mistreated a child special to an elder spirit.


    Second, the more Earthmother came to talk about Stone, the more Elissa came to realize he might not be as stupid as she ¨C and everyone else apparently ¨C had assumed.  Isolated from human contact due to his size and strength, Stone was pushed aside and ignored nearly constantly ¨C unless there was a need for him to lift, pull, or break something.  He truly had been treated like a horse in many ways!


    The conclusion Elissa finally came to was that Stone wasn¡¯t retarded; he was socially retarded.  No experience with talking with others.  No knowledge of the social dos and don¡¯ts on which society is casually built.  Stone was told over and over and over not to move, not to break things, to be careful, to wait to the side.  He¡¯d been pushed away all his life and simply told to sit and do nothing, and with the blood of the mountains flowing through his body, he could do just that, without giving in to the natural fidgets and hyperactivity which most children would be subjected to, when exposed to such abject boredom.


    Stone wasn¡¯t stupid.  He just didn¡¯t have the slightest clue how to talk to people, or react to people, and his main method of interaction which he¡¯d been raised and taught, was just to just sit, do nothing, and wait for someone else to tell him what to do and to give him another job to keep him busy, until he finished it again and then went back to doing nothing.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡®Honestly,¡¯ Elissa admitted to herself, ¡®I can see why Earthmother is so irked at Stone¡¯s family and his neighbors.  If a child of mine was treated like that, I¡¯d probably want to thump them all in the head too!  Unfortunately for them,¡¯ Elissa half shivered, ¡®I don¡¯t think I¡¯d spank them a fraction as hard as Earthmother will.¡¯


    <hr>


    Yawning, Elissa half stumbled as she finally emerged from the dark tunnel Earthmother had deposited her in after their ¡°little chat¡±.  Back in the central chamber once again of the cavern, a warm glow of fire flicked and danced shadows erratically across the walls, as rain was pouring once again outside the small opening to the forest.  Blanketed in thick dark storm clouds, it was impossible to see any sign of the sky, but the darkness outside told Elissa that it was now deep night once again ¨C Earthmother had kept her all day long!


    ¡°¡¯Lissa back,¡± came Stone¡¯s deep, rumbling voice, as he slowly stood up from the blazing campfire and walked in her direction.  Skin glistening damp, Stone dripped water from his soaked pants, as he lumberously closed the distance between them, holding out a skewer with some small animal roasted deep brown upon it.  ¡°Eat,¡± Stone grunted, holding the skewer out towards Elissa.


    ¡°Is¡­ Is that rat?¡±  Eying the animal with a weary eye, Elissa took the skewer from Stone and then took a small bite anyway.  The elixir she¡¯d taken might reduce the amount she needed to eat, but it didn¡¯t eliminate her need for food altogether.  Earthmother had given her one single drop of Nature¡¯s Milk, in the whole time Elissa had been trapped with her, and she¡¯d missed both lunch and supper, and she was famished!


    ¡°Squirrel,¡± Stone assured Elissa, shaking his massive head from side to side slowly, as he stood statue-like before her; waiting, unmoving.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good,¡± Elissa admitted, between bites, ¡°whatever it is.¡±


    Nodding slightly, Stone¡¯s lips twisted up in a slight smile and he gave a massive thumb¡¯s up before turning and heading back towards the fire.


    ¡°Stop right there, mister,¡± Elissa commanded, stifling back a half yawn as she was eating.  ¡°You¡¯re soaked to the bone.  You need to get out of those wet clothes before you catch pneumonia or something!¡±


    Stone stopped, turned, and raised one eyebrow in her direction.  ¡°Stone not get sick,¡± he tried to reassure her.  ¡°Stone strong!¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter how strong you are,¡± Elissa insisted, pointing the squirrel skewer at Stone.  ¡°You still need to get out of those clothes and let them dry.¡±  Taking another few bites, Elissa tossed what remained of the squirrel over to Stone, where he caught it deftly.


    Purposefully striding over while Stone blinked and stared at the skewer several times in confusion, Elissa reached down and unfastened the massive belt which helped hold up his plain cotton pants.  Even tired as she was, she had to giggle slightly as she started unbuttoning the pants and pulling them down.  Never in her wildest dreams would she ever imagine that she¡¯d be the one stripping the man who won her in the Festival of Chance!


    ¡°Step on out of them,¡± Elissa commanded, trying not to pay any attention to how little the loin cloth, which was now the only article of clothing Stone was still wearing, covered so very little of him.  ¡®Can you even call that a loin cloth?¡¯, Elissa asked herself, feeling her skin grow flush and warm again, even if the alabaster white kept her skin from showing any sign of blushing.  ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s any larger than a small washcloth draped precariously across his lap!¡¯


    Without saying a word, Stone slowly stepped out of the pants and then took a slow step back.  Before Elissa released what he was doing next, Stone calmly reached down and unhooked the string on the side of the loin cloth and held it out to Elissa.  ¡°Them off,¡± Stone assured her simply.


    Elissa blinked several times, and then slowly rubbed her eyes to make certain she wasn¡¯t seeing things, before her knees gave out and she slumped exhausted to the ground.  Staring straight ahead at the python hanging so nonchalantly no more than an arm¡¯s reach from her face, Elissa couldn¡¯t help but half tremble ¨C and not from the mid night air, nor the cold dampness of the rain.   ¡®Now I see why they call him Horse,¡¯ she thought dejectedly to herself, trembling slightly as she couldn¡¯t help but think that she was  supposed to eventually become his lover.  His mate.   Somehow.


    Seemingly oblivious to where Elissa¡¯s gaze was locked, Stone casually dropped the loin cloth atop his other wet clothes, and then sat down cross-legged in front of Elissa.  With his back to the campfire, the shadows danced lazily around him, making him appear even larger than he already was.


    Except for the soft crackle of the wood burning and the rain pouring down outside, the cavern was filled in silence as both Elissa and Stone sat and simply stared at each, neither being the first to speak.

 Chapter 14: Gift

    As much as Elissa was constantly on edge, dreading being forced to ¡°mate¡± with Stone, the next several days were peaceful and relaxing.  Even thought Elissa tried to steel her will, in preparation for whatever might happen, nothing actually happened.


    Stone usually woke before her, and breakfast was already ready by the time Elissa stretched and got to moving around.  The day was spent simply sitting around and relaxing, doing a whole lot of nothing.  Stone, a terrible conversationalist by nature, spent a lot of his time just sitting and staring at her, as Elissa talked about her own life and dreams, in an attempt to fill the uncomfortable silence.  When she did ask questions directly, Stone almost always responded in the most obtuse way ¨C simply nodding, or giving a thumb¡¯s up, or just by grunting some vague sound of agreement or denial.


    Evenings were almost always spent outside, simply stretched out on the grass and watching the clouds slowly drift by overhead, and supper was some wild forest creature which Stone managed to bring in ¨C though Elissa never was certain exactly how he caught them.  Rabbit, squirrel, pheasant, and even fox ¨C which she¡¯d never heard of anyone actually eating before ¨C filled their stomachs over the course of the next several days.


    And then the nights ¨C the time where Elissa¡¯s nightmares of being ravished and broken by a giant of a man weighed heaviest on her ¨C were simply spent laying side-by-side and sharing the warmth of each other¡¯s bodies against the natural chill of the cavern while they slept.  The most intimate intrusion which Stone ever inflicted upon Elissa was when he wrapped one large arm under her head, and then wrapped his other arm around her waist and squeezed her bare breast firmly with his hand ¨C and how could Elissa object to that, when she was the one who placed it there the first night they were together?!


    And then, quicker than she would have believed possible, Elissa found herself waking up to the natural warm tan of her own skin, rather than the pure white which the priests had dyed it, for the Festival of Chance.


    <hr>


    Laughing gaily, Elissa half skipped as she rushed outside to inspect herself better.  She¡¯d fulfilled her obligation to the God of Chaos, and apparently her allotted time as Stone¡¯s ¡°servant¡± was up.  Feeling as If a giant weight had been lifted since she no longer had to worry about the priest¡¯s vague ¡°she¡¯s yours¡± ¨C Apparently that just referred to the time of the festival after all! ¨C Elissa twirled happily and spun several times around the entrance of the cavern.


    She¡¯d fulfilled her duty, and was free once again!  Ten tan fingers!  Slightly freckled arms!  A small pink birthmark on her stomach, which looked like a fluffy rabbit¡¯s ass.  Perfectly light green nipples¡­


    Blinking, Elissa slowly stopped spinning.  First reaching to push her hair back behind her head, she followed up by gently wrapping her hands to cusp a breast in each and then lifted them for a better view in the morning light.


    ¡®Unmistakably green,¡¯ Elissa confirmed, rubbing first one nipple with and finger and then the other.  Somehow, they seemed surreal, as if they belonged to someone else and not herself. ¡°Yeouch!¡±  Half jumping, Elissa gently rubbed her right nipple ¨C pinching it had definitely proved that it was her own!


    ¡°Is this something the Earthmother did to me?¡±  Frowning to herself, Elissa wasn¡¯t aware she¡¯d spoke aloud until Stone grunted from the entrance of the cavern.  Looking over at him, he simply nodded his head up and down slowly, without taking his eyes off her.


    ¡°More,¡± Stone rumbled, after a long moment, slowly raising a hand to point towards Elissa.


    ¡°More?¡±  Letting go of her breasts, Elissa began to thoroughly rub up and down her arms to examine them.  ¡°More, where?¡±  Finding nothing wrong with her hands and arms, she leaned forward and began to rub and examine her feet, working her way up her legs carefully.


    ¡°Lips,¡± was Stone¡¯s single syllable response, slowly drawn out in the deep voice which was so uniquely his own.


    ¡°My lips?¡±  Standing up, Elissa turned to fully face Stone and gently ran one finger across her lips.


    Stone nodded, then a half smile slowly twitched at the corner of his lips as Elissa tugged her lower lip out as much as possible and tried to stare cross-eyed down at it.  ¡°Both lips,¡± he assured her, helpfully.


    ¡°Bobh libs?¡±   Staring down cross-eyed across her nose, Elissa pooched out her upper lip and tried to examine it.


    Stone nodded slowly, then pointed up towards her face with his hand.  ¡°Upper lips,¡± he slowly informed Elissa, before moving his finger to point down much lower.  ¡°Lower lips,¡± he informed her, the smallest hint of a smirk on his face, as he pointed down below her waist.


    Following his finger with her eyes, Elissa slowly looked down and then turned a light shade of crimson from head to toe.  Quickly turning her back to Stone, she tittered lightly, trying to laugh it off.  ¡°I guess that¡¯s not so bad,¡± she quickly assured herself.  ¡°It¡¯s not like anyone will ever really see those parts, and I can just rub a little berry juice or such to cover my lips.  It¡¯s not a big deal at all, if that¡¯s all Earthmother changed,¡± she tried to tell herself.


    For several long moments, Elissa stood facing away from Stone and the cavern entrance, trying to convince herself that a few oddly colored bits here and there really wasn¡¯t that big a deal.  When she finally calmed down enough to turn back around, Stone was already gone once again.


    <hr>


    Heading back into the cavern, Elissa was surprised to not find Stone sitting around the campfire like usual.  The fire was still burning merrily ¨C with a large enough stack in the corner to last them for another few weeks at least, if they stayed that long ¨C and breakfast was laid out.  Raspberries and blackberries sat comfortably atop a large pile of fresh leaves, to protect them from the wet muck of the cavern floor, and a large animal sat roasted whole upon a separate pile ¨C which Elissa could now identify as being roast rabbit.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Stone?¡±  Calling out softly, Elissa walked back to the entrance and took a moment to check off left and right into the forest, but there was no sign of him there either.  ¡°How the hell can someone so big and bulky move so damn softly in the woods?¡±  Irritated slightly that he¡¯d just wander off on his own in the brief moment she had her back turned, Elissa snorted slightly and rapidly spun on her heels, heading back into the cavern, determined that she wasn¡¯t going to wait to eat breakfast for him.


    ¡°EEEEEEK!¡±  Half screaming, Elissa blinked several times after crashing into something that wasn¡¯t behind her just moments before.  Hands starting to sparkle greenish-red as she willed her magics into them, Elissa scooted back several steps closer to the exit.  Looking up, determination and will to fight steeled across her face, Elissa waved her hands and prepared to blast¡­


    Stone.  Standing there, blinking stupidly, Stone was gazing down at his own massive chest, where Elissa had just spun and crashed into him.  ¡°¡¯Lissa not like?¡±  Eyebrow twitching in what Elissa could easily read as obviously a sign of half-question, half-annoyance, Stone stared down at a bundle of cloth in his arms.  Frowning slightly, he turned and swiftly started to stride purposefully back towards the darkened tunnel to the right.


    ¡°Wai¡­ Wait a moment!¡±  Magics instantly fizzling out as she released her hold on them, Elissa quickly hopped up.  Rushing, she hurried across the cavern, to catch up, and grab ahold of the back of Stone¡¯s arm.  ¡°I didn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t like¡­.¡±  Half laughing, Elissa shrugged her shoulders slightly, before gently wrapping her arms around Stone¡¯s massive waist and hugging him.  ¡°¡­Whatever the heck that is,¡± she finished, smiling lightly.


    ¡°¡¯Lissa not not like?¡±  Stone asked, turning slowly once she¡¯d released her hug, to quirk an eyebrow up towards her.


    ¡°¡¯Lissa not even sure what Stone gots,¡± Elissa laughed, half imitating Stone¡¯s odd way of speaking.  ¡°How ¡®Lissa know her like or not?¡±  Putting her hands on her hips, she stuck her tongue out at Stone.  ¡°Pbbbbtttttb!¡±  Giggling like a young child getting presents for her birthday, Elissa snatched the bundle out of Stone¡¯s hands and quickly dashed outside the entrance so she could examine whatever it was in the full light of day.


    ¡°Gift,¡± Stone rumbled softly, coming out of the cavern as Elissa was unfolding the bundle of plain cotton, to reveal yet another bundle of cloth ¨C this one much more vibrant in a rainbow of colors.  Laughing merrily, Elissa gently grabbed ahold of the cloth and shook it softly, pulling it out from inside the cotton bundle.  As it unfurled, a short, light dress, dyed and swirled all the colors of the rainbow flapped out and waved gently in the breeze.


    A gentle aroma of various flowers and blossoms softly wafted on the wind, as Elissa stared silently at the dress in her hands.  So short, Elissa wasn¡¯t entirely certain she¡¯d actually call it a dress.  ¡®Maybe more of a long shirt,¡¯ she giggled slightly to herself.  ¡®I¡¯ve definitely got nightshirts at home which is longer than this is!¡¯


    ¡®Still though, it¡¯s undeniably beautiful,¡¯ Elissa admitted  to herself, slowly holding it up to breath in the fabric.  ¡®That smell is definitely coming from the dress,¡¯ Elissa affirmed for herself, as she softly rubbed the material back and forth in her hands.  ¡®And I have no idea what it¡¯s made out of either.  It¡¯s not cotton, like it was bundled in, and it¡¯s not wool, silk, or satin either.  I really don¡¯t know what it¡¯s made out of,¡¯ she admitted silently to herself, lifting it to rub gently against her cheek, ¡®but it¡¯s smoother and finer than any material I think I¡¯ve ever come across before..¡¯


    ¡®¡­And that¡¯s even including the outfit the priests gave me to wear for the festival,¡¯ she admitted, astonished, to herself, after a brief moment to take in and digest what she was thinking.


    ¡°Gift,¡± Stone rumbled again, patiently, now standing just a few feet from Elissa¡¯s side.  ¡°¡¯Lissa wear?¡±  Question obvious in his voice, Stone titled his head to stare down at Elissa, unblinking and showing no emotion whatsoever on his face.


    ¡°What is it?¡±  Elissa asked, dropping the cotton which it was bundled in, to hold the outfit up into the light with both hands.  ¡°I¡¯ve never even read of anything like this,¡± she admitted, breathlessly, then giggled slightly.  ¡°Father wouldn¡¯t even have a clue what to sell something like this for!¡±


    ¡°¡¯Lissa sell?¡±  Stone half hung his head and sighed deeply.


    ¡°No. No. No!¡±  Rushing to assure him, Elissa half hopped forward and wrapped her arms around Stone¡¯s massive neck, while leaning up to kiss him soundly across his nose.  ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was going to sell it,¡± she hurried to correct herself.  ¡°I just said Father wouldn¡¯t even know what to sell it for!  It¡¯s just too unusual to put any normal price on!¡±


    ¡°So no good.¡±  Stone sighed even deeper, massive shoulders starting to droop now.


    ¡°It¡¯s lovely,¡± Elissa assured him, punching him in the stomach, careful not to hit hard enough to hurt her own wrist or hand.  Giggling like a young girl once again, she quickly worked both arms up and inside the dress, then pulled it over her head and down around her body.


    Two thin straps, not much wider than a person¡¯s hair, held the backless dress up over Elissa¡¯s shoulders, letting it drape low across her chest, revealing more cleavage than she was normally comfortable showing.  Almost a little too snug under the breasts, the dress clung like a second skin across her stomach and abdomen, before billowing out loosely and waving freely in the wind as it barely covered her ass and teasingly showed soft glimpses of her cheeks and hips as swayed tantalizingly back and forth.


    Twirling, Elissa giggled slightly, not at all concerned at the moment about how the bottom loosely lifted and revealed  everything while she spun.  ¡°So, how is it?¡±  Swaying lightly from foot to foot, Elissa giggled while staring directly at Stone, looking for the subtle clues of his reaction.


    Frowning, Stone titled his head slightly to the side and then nodded slowly, before softly asking,  ¡°Wrong?¡±


    ¡°Wrong?¡±  Elissa blinked a few times, looking down at the dress in confusion.  ¡°What¡¯s wrong?  Doesn¡¯t it suit me,¡± she asked, frowning a little.


    ¡°Wrong,¡± Stone slowly assured her, this time shrugging slightly himself.  ¡°Mother says ¡®Lissa wrong,¡± Stone told her, sounding confused himself.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?  How¡¯s it wrong?¡±  Frowning, Elissa half twirled again, trying to see what could possibly be out of place, but not noticing anything unusual.


    ¡°Backwards,¡± Stone said, raising up a hand slowly, before clarifying.  ¡°Mother say ¡®Lissa put dress backwards.¡±


    ¡®Backwards?¡±  Elissa blinked a few times, gasping suddenly, then half giggling.  ¡°I didn¡¯t put it on backwards,¡± she assured Stone.  ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a back!  See?¡±  Turning, Elissa lifted her hair to show the soft, uncovered curves of her shoulders and upper back.


    ¡°Backwards,¡± Stone snorted, crossing his arms stubbornly.  ¡°Mother say backwards, ¡®Lissa backwards!¡±


    Blushing bright red, Elissa laughed and stuck her tongue out at Stone again, before lifting the back of the dress up over her hips and shaking them back and forth towards the forest itself.  ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she giggled freely.  ¡°It¡¯s my gift and I¡¯ll wear it backwards if I want too!¡±


    ¡°Backwards,¡± Stone muttered moodily once again, half pouching out his lower lip in a pout.


    Laughing, Elissa quickly squatted and picked up the cotton bundle her dress had been wrapped in, then skipped off back into the cavern for breakfast.


    ¡°Backwards,¡± Stone sighed again, shrugging his shoulders at the forest, which seemed to sigh and agree with him.

 Chapter 15: Duty Accepted

    For the next several long minutes, Stone stood calmly outside the cavern entrance and nodded his head up and down foolishly to the rhythm of the wind in the trees, before Elissa came half-skipping out with a small bundle wrapped up in one hand, and the roasted rabbit on its skewer in the other.  Giggling lightly to herself, Elissa held out the skewer towards stone and asked, ¡°Is it going to rain today?¡±


    ¡°No rain today,¡± Stone assured her, never once looking up at the sky.  His eyes were glued firmly staring at Elissa and the cloth bundle in her hand.


    ¡°Then eat up,¡± Elissa laughed, merrily, shoving the skewed  rabbit up towards Stone¡¯s face.


    Frowning slightly, Stone took the skewer and then sighed deeply, lowering his head to look down at his toes.  ¡°¡¯Lissa leaving?¡±  The sad way his voice dragged out the words made them only sound about half like a question, and half like a dreaded, world-ending fact that was finally coming to pass.


    ¡°I am,¡± Elissa nodded, swaying happily from side to side.  ¡°I told you I was going to have to leave once my service was up,¡± she reminded Stone, gently.  ¡°I¡¯ve got to let my family know where I am, and that I¡¯m safe.  They¡¯ve got to be worried about me, me just disappearing from the city without any guards or anything, you know.¡±


    ¡°Stone understand,¡± Stone nodded slowly, hesitantly lifting the hand without the skewer in it, to give Elissa a feeble thumb¡¯s up.   Ponderously, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders, Stone turned his back to Elissa and stared  out gloomily into the forest.


    ¡°Farewell,¡± was the single, remorse-laden word Stone uttered, before stubbornly hiding his face  behind the skewed rabbit, as he single-mindedly began to chew and eat the tasteless bunny.


    ¡°Farewell?¡±  Elissa half laughed, planting both hands firmly on each side of Stone¡¯s ass cheeks, and trying to push.  ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re getting off that easy, mister,¡± she assured Stone, having about as much luck pushing him as she¡¯d have trying to push one of the massive thousand year old trees nearby.


    ¡°Move it,¡± she demanded, putting her shoulder down into Stone¡¯s lower back, spinning up dirt and leaves as she slipped and slid trying to move an unmovable object.  ¡°Move it, move it, move it!¡±  Half laughing, Elissa finally leaned forward, placed her lips against the small of Stone¡¯s lower back, and blew bubbles across it.


    ¡°WAAAHH!¡±  Stone¡¯s deep yell echoed throughout the forest, sending animals scurrying for cover and making whole flocks of birds take to the sky as he jumped forward nearly three man lengths, before turning and glaring as he reached around and rubbed his back several times.


    Blinking, as she suddenly found herself down on the ground from where she fell once Stone just suddenly lurched forward and she no longer had him to support her weight as she leaned on him, Elissa couldn¡¯t help but laugh merrily at the indignant, pouty glare which Stone was tossing her way.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Tickled,¡± Stone told her moodily, causing Elissa to giggle lightly as she slowly worked herself back to her feet, as he still rubbed his lower back, attempting to wipe the spittle off it.


    ¡°As I was saying,¡± Elissa smirked, innocently changing the subject, ¡°you¡¯re not getting off that easy.  Yeeessss,¡± she stressed, ¡°I  might be going home, but you¡¯re going with me.¡±  Placing her hands on her hips, Elissa glared over at Stone with her most serious expression; hoping that she wouldn¡¯t burst out laughing at any moment, looking at the dazed and confused look on his face.


    ¡°Stone go?¡±  Eyebrows arched up almost to the point that they made a ¡°V¡± on his forehead, Stone blinked slowly several times and rubbed his head in utter puzzlement.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Elissa told him, the corner of her mouth twitching up somewhat, despite her best efforts to maintain a completely serious expression.  ¡°My duty¡¯s over,¡± she told Stone, half smirking, ¡°but yours isn¡¯t.  You accepted me from the priests and you need to return me to them safely now that my service is done.¡±


    ¡°You are going to do your duty, are you?¡±  Elissa asked, innocently batting her eyelashes up at Stone.  ¡°I don¡¯t even know the way back from here, you know,¡± she added meekly, slowly pooching out her lower lip, where it trembled ever so slightly.


    ¡°Why¡­,¡± Elissa half simpered, then quickly turned her back to Stone, unable to get out whatever else she was going to say.  Reaching up, she quickly buried her head in her hands and bit her fingers hard, to hold back the laughter that was threatening to bubble up out of her.


    ¡°STONE GO!¡±  Letting out a bellow that boomed like thunder, Stone firmly slammed his fist thunderously into his chest in a sign of commitment.


    ¡°WAAHHH!¡±  Half screaming at the suddenly ear-deafening shout right behind her, it was Elissa¡¯s turn this time to leap forward.  Before her mind even registered what her feet was doing, she was already halfway to the campfire inside the cavern, before she stopped herself.


    ¡°Damn you Stone!  You scared the pee out of me!¡±  Spinning on her heels, Elissa first shook her fist angrily up and down at Stone, then slowly stopped and stared.


    Glaring determinedly, Stone was tugging at what, at first, appeared to be a massive stone staff. out of the forest floor.  As he tugged and triumphantly lifted it above his head however, Elissa¡¯s eyes bulged as he held up what appeared to be the largest hammer she¡¯d ever seen in her life, casually in one hand.


    With a handle as big around as a normal man¡¯s wrists, and as long as Stone was tall, it alone would make a quarterstaff of massive proportions, which would frighten most foes into thinking twice about going to battle ¨C but the handle wasn¡¯t the part Elissa couldn¡¯t  take her eyes off of.  Attached to the end of the staff¡¯s handle was a massive chunk of blood red iron, larger than any smith¡¯s anvil which Elissa had ever seen.  And, as if that still wasn¡¯t intimidating enough, large spikes as large as a man¡¯s fingers were attached to the end of the blood iron, jagging outwards in all directions, like a set of bloodied teeth just praying to bite someone with all their might.


    ¡°STONE DO DUTY!!¡±  Bellowing out again, Stone shook the mighty deathhammer ¨C Elissa couldn¡¯t bring herself to think of it as just a puny warhammer ¨C with one hand, before turning and slamming it into a nearby tree with a blur of force that echoed like thunder and obliterated the tree¡¯s trunk into thousands of toothpicks.  As the top of the tree fell slowly ¨C surreally ¨C to the ground, Stone turned and then pumped the mighty deathhammer into the air once more, before nodding to Elissa as if nothing at all unusual had just happened.


    ¡°Stone go,¡± he assured her, calmly.  ¡°¡¯Lissa safe,¡± Stone grinned, before sitting the massive hammer down spike-first into the ground, and then slowly giving Elissa a thumb¡¯s up.  ¡°Stone give priest ¡®Lissa.  Do duty.¡±


    Not having any idea what to say, Elissa just nodded slightly and feebly returned the thumb up.

 Chapter 16: Nikkas Hell

    Nikka¡¯s mind was nearly blank from the agony which her body was in.  Exhausted and pushed well beyond her limits, all she could do is lie sprawled facedown on the ground, with her hips up and legs apart, waiting for whenever the next beast might want to take a turn riding her.  ¡®Beasts,¡¯ she struggled to remind her, ¡®not men.  Men couldn¡¯t ¨C wouldn¡¯t ¨C do the things these damnations have did to me.¡¯


    Each day, it was getting harder and harder to focus her thoughts.  The pain was overwhelming everything else in existence for Nikka.  When she first awoke, her embarrassment and fear were the strongest things in her heart, but embarrassment dies quickly when pain begins, and even fear can lose its grip once true torment begins.


    Unable to walk anymore ¨C one of the first things the beasts had did was slice the tendons in her calves so they¡¯d no longer support her own weight ¨C Nikka had quickly learned to crawl and beg once they stopped traveling in the late afternoons and evenings.   When the beasts stopped riding, one of the first things they did was simply toss her facedown off whoever¡¯s horse she was trapped riding with.


    Once on the ground, Nikka was expected to lift her ass and crawl on all fours to the first beast.  Taking too long to assume the proper position ¨C ass up and head down ¨C resulted in one of the beasts kicking her.  If her head was held too high, they laughed and kicked her face, telling her to remember her place.  If her ass was too low, Nikka was kicked in the crotch as the beasts snarled and reminded her not to keep the goodies where they couldn¡¯t be reached.  Waiting too long to move and offer herself up to the first beast of the evening resulted in a swift kick to the side which bruised her ribs and made each breath wheeze and burn in her lungs.


    And once she¡¯d dragged her battered and beaten body to the nearest beast, Nikka was to lie back, rest her arms behind her head, sprawl her legs open, with her knees bent, and offer herself as the creatures plaything.  If she was lucky, the beast would simply ravish her body and roughly indulge itself in her flesh.  If she wasn¡¯t, it¡¯d snarl and kick her in the crotch, while demanding she move on and get the hell out of its way.   Either way, once the first beast was finished with her, Nikka was supposed to crawl on and repeat the process for the next beast.


    Beast after beast after beast, that was Nikka¡¯s sole existence now, intermingled with booted kicks which simply increased her never ending pain.  Crawl too slow, get kicked for making a beast wait.  Crawl too fast, get kicked for trying to escape.  Head too high, get kicked.  Ass too low, get kicked.  Visit the same beast more than once, without visiting all the others first?  Get kicked.


    Kicked and rode.  Rode and kicked.  That was Nikka¡¯s sole existence in the evenings now.


    When exhaustion and pain got too great for her to force herself to move and offer herself to the beasts anymore, Nikka was finally given a brief reprieve as they forced open her jaws, shoving a funneled tube of some sort deep down her throat, and then had some thick viscid liquid poured into her stomach.  Not even getting the slightest taste of the substance  -- after all, the beasts thought it was fitting that all she could taste was them ¨C nevertheless, whatever it was provided enough nutrients to keep Nikka from the comforting embrace of death. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The bastard beasts were making certain she wouldn¡¯t starve or dehydrate to death!


    And, after her oh so brief meal, Nikka was forced to resume her existence once again, until the sky got completely dark and every beast had taken several turns with her that evening.  Then, when utter exhaustion and agony had filled every core of her being, Nikka was left sprawled and spent,  in front of the campfire, like some sort of prized trophy which the beasts wanted to make certain was visible for the world to see and admire, as testament to their greatness.


    And the nights ¨C the blessed nights ¨C were the only real period of rest which Nikka got.  As a child, she¡¯d feared the silence of the nights and whatever monsters might be lurking in it, just out of sight.  Now, she was grateful for it, and the short periods of interrupted peace that her tormented body got to enjoy, between brief interludes when the beasts lifted and tossed her around roughly as their plaything for several minutes, when they changed watches for the night.  And oh too quickly, the tremulous peace of the night was shattered as the sun rose over the horizon and the new day started.


    Beasts too busy to watch over her as they broke camp and prepared breakfast, Nikka was turned into nothing more than an artwork ¨C a homage to the depravity and ingenuity  of whichever beast, or group of beasts, that wanted to display their masculinity with her battered flesh.  Some just tied her wrists together, pulled her up until she dangled several feet off the ground, and then left her there hanging until it was time to move down the road again.  A few others didn¡¯t think that was secure enough, so they hosted and dangled her several feet above the campfire, where the smoke tortured her already labored breathing and sparks and ash sizzled potmarks into her feet and legs.


    And a few others ¨C like the Blade beast or the Cutter beast, which had been the first to take her on the first day ¨C they merrily laughed and took time to truly create a masterwork with her.  Forcing her legs out to the side until they popped and dislocated from the hips, they stretched and tied her ankles between two trees.  Lifting Nikka¡¯s limp body, they strung her arms out wide to the left and right, tugging and pulling until the muscles in her shoulders ripped and screamed out in torment.  And then, with her tight as a hammock stretched between the trees, they sat their packs across her chest and torso, making her support their added weight until they finally cut her down once all else was finished around them.


    And then, it was time for the tube to be forced back down her throat and whatever mystery gook they used to be  dumped down into her stomach, and time to ride with Blade-beast after that.  Every day, every morning, she was always hosted up in front of Blade-beast and positioned with her crotch astride the pommel of the saddle where it¡¯d laugh and try to force her down as fully as it possibly could upon the saddle horn.  Breasts and chest under the constant rough assault of Blade-beasts hands as they rode, and hips and groin savaged by the constant bouncing and rocking upon the pommel and saddle horn, Nikka¡¯s days were  a blur of torment.


    Which, in the end, ended simply to repeat the process over and over again, each grueling day one endless nightmare blurring endless exhaustion and torment into ever deepening shades of whelps and bruises across Nikka¡¯s tired flesh, as her mind slipped deeper and deeper into mindless exhaustion.

 Chapter 17: Rising Frustration

    Life for David wasn¡¯t bad; it was just endlessly frustrating.  He¡¯d learned, after much pestering of various Children of Chaos, that his brother and the girl with him had been ¡°sent to the home in his heart,¡± to enjoy the fruits of the festival in peace.  Now, David wasn¡¯t an idiot, so he knew instantly what they meant ¨C there was only two possible places which Stone might call ¡°the home of his heart¡± -- their home, or the god¡¯s forsaken forest which he seemed to have such a strong rapport with.


    Packing up and leaving his friends and the party behind, David had rushed home to report in and check on any sign of Stone.  Nobody there had the slightest idea of where he might be, and David downplayed it as if they¡¯d simply gotten separated and his idiot brother had gotten lost.  There wasn¡¯t any reason to worry anyone about whoever the girl was, and whatever Stone was doing with her now.


    Once he was certain that Stone wasn¡¯t anywhere around, David made his apologies for losing his idiot brother, and promised to return to the city to check on him in the temples and the dungeon.  After all, when dealing with someone as stupid as Stone, his family figured either the priests would have pity and take him in as a lost soul, or else he¡¯d end up in the prisons for stealing, or brawling, or something else stupid.  No one ever indulged even the slightest imagining that Stone might just run away and enjoy life on his out in the forest with some strange, almost naked girl.


    And so, without raising any real flags with his family, David had packed up his bow and arrows, dressed in a fine suit of hunting leathers, and he¡¯d worked his way to the edge of The Mazing Forest.  It wasn¡¯t an ¡°amazing forest¡±, like several of the idiot travelers or merchants liked to call it; the locals all knew of it as ¡°The Mazing Forest¡±.  Those who wandered into it, always wandered out of it, helplessly lost and never where they thought they should be ¨C no matter how good they thought their hunter skills were.


    David had even tested himself against the forest, several times in the past.  Enter the south border, travel north all day, and by nighttime, emerge from the far eastern corner.  Or maybe the far western corner.  Or, once even, right back where he¡¯d entered the forest at!This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    And, there was no damn reason for it!  Sure, the trees were tall and the constant canopy of leaves made it impossible to ever view the sun directly, but the forest itself was generally clear walking.  No large ravines to cross.  No massive mazes of brambles and thorns to navigate around.  It was clear forest, straight walking, and then emerging at some place that was impossible to emerge at!


    ¡®Unless, of course,¡¯ David fumed to himself, ¡®Stone happened to be walking beside one as they wandered the forest.¡¯  Apparently Stone was simply too stupid for whatever magic, or trickery which was afoot in the forest, to work on him!  ¡®And now the idiot bastard¡¯s gotten himself lost in there, and I¡¯m trapped out here,¡¯ David fumed to himself, for the thousandth time over the last few days.


    David couldn¡¯t help as every growing worry built and twisted in his gut over the last several days.  Try as he might, the forest was completely broken now.  He¡¯d paced up and down the road a dozen times, but try as he might, David couldn¡¯t force himself more than a few hundred feet into the forest, before he found himself back out at the road again.


    His mind rebelled and told him it wasn¡¯t possible, yet, it happened anyway.  The forest was simply¡­  broken was the only way David could even begin to imagine describing it.  Tie a string to an arrow.  Tie one end to a tress.  Shoot it direct into the forest and pull to make certain that it¡¯s stuck solidly in another tree.  Follow the rope¡­


    ¡­ And come back out at the road, with the rope stretching out into the forest, as if he¡¯d tied it and fired it from there to the road, and not the other way around!


    ¡®And my dumbass brother,¡¯ David fretted to himself again, for the thousand and first time, ¡®is trapped in there with that girl from the city.  They¡¯re probably both starving, dehydrated, and dying now!¡¯


    Yet, no matter how much her cussed the forest, no matter how much he begged the gods, nor no matter how many times he tried to enter the forest from various paths in, David was helplessly stuck outside, waiting as day after day creeped by slowly; his frustration ever mounting.

 Chapter 18: Walking the Direwood

    Elissa was laughing gaily, trying to frantically push Stone along from behind, as they finally emerged from the trees, out onto the road.  ¡°I told you,¡± she laughed, ¡°you don¡¯t need no doomhamm¡­¡±


    ¡°OOOF!¡±  Half crashing into Stone¡¯s wide back when he just suddenly stopped moving, Elissa laughed lightly and slowly rubbed her nose, while asking,  ¡°What gives?¡±


    ¡°Hi.¡±  Lifting one large arm, Stone slowly waved at the handsome young man standing, and staring, in front of them.


    Dressed in a fine suit of deerskin leathers, with a long bow and quiver of arrows hung across his back, the young gentleman looked very familiar to Elissa somehow.  ¡°Stone!¡±  Half yelling in glee, the young man ran his hands through his short, cropped hair, pulling wavy yellow strands away from his face, before marching over and punching Stone squarely on his forearm.  Looking both annoyed and relieved at the same time, he demanded to know, ¡°Where have you been, you idiot?!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not an idiot,¡± Elissa firmly interjected, squeezing around in front of Stone, placing herself between both boys.  Glaring firmly at handsome boy ¨C she really hadn¡¯t been introduced to know his name yet ¨C Elissa drew back and slightly thumped him across his forearm.  ¡°You¡¯re the idiot,¡± she told David squarely, ¡°if you think Stone¡¯s an idiot.¡±


    ¡°What the hell?¡±  Blinking, David ran his hands through his hair several times in confusion.  ¡°Lady,¡± he turned to address Elissa directly, ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are¡­¡±


    ¡°Elissa.  Elissa Silverstar,¡± Elissa informed him regally, crossing her arms around her chest, while maintaining her icy glare.


    ¡°Well... Um¡­¡±  David shuffled left and right from one foot to the other, obviously uncomfortable with learning her family name ¨C after all, they were some of the richest and most influential merchants in the kingdom, with their hands into dozens of different businesses and enterprises.


    ¡°Look,¡± David coughed slightly, slowly taking a step back and holding up both hands to indicate that he meant no harm.  ¡°Lady Silverstar, trust me,¡± David told her, ¡°when I say Stone¡¯s an idiot.  It¡¯s not his fault, he was just born¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Elissa snorted, interrupting him, as she wrapped her right  arm around Stone¡¯s massive left one.  ¡°It¡¯s not his fault.  It¡¯s yours.¡±  Tugging ever so slightly, she pulled Stone gently to the side and started walking down the road.  Laughing lightly, determined not to let anything ruin her good mood, she asked, ¡°Is it this way?¡±


    Nodding once, Stone simply grunted in assurance, as he allowed himself to be led off slowly and steadily down the road.  Never once did he look back to check on his brother, who was still standing at the edge of the road, blinking stupidly.


    ¡°Wait a damn minute!¡±  David yelled after the two, who simply kept walking without showing any indication either of them heard him as they walked arm-in-arm; two lovers on a lazy afternoon stroll down the lane.


    ¡°Gods dammit!¡±  Cussing, David rushed over and starting kicking dirt on the small campfire he¡¯d had made for cooking.  Hurrying to do up his sleeping bag and tent, he yelled down the road at Stone¡¯s and Elissa¡¯s ever retreating backs, ¡°Wait on me one damn minute!¡±


    Striding on, Elissa leaned her head over and rested it against Stone¡¯s arm, without either slowing their pace.


    Panting and out of breath, David rushed to catch up to Stone and Elissa, after quickly taking a few moments to pack up all his traveling gear and stomp out his small campfire.  Running after them, as fast as he possibly could, seemed to be an exercise in futility for many long minutes, until David finally spotted the two casually strolling down the road, arm in arm, at a pace which he was finding almost impossible to match.


    ¡°Dammit Stone!  Stop!¡±  Yelling ahead, David gasped to catch his breath and slowed his pace when Stone and Elissa finally stopped and turned around to look back at him.  Elissa was giggling lightly at something, and Stone was staring back at David with one eyebrow raised slightly, questioningly.


    ¡°The damn forest is doing it again,¡± David explained, still panting slightly, as he finally caught up to them and plopped on the ground.  Sitting his packs down beside him, David opened his canteen and then poured a small stream of water over his head and shoulders to help him cool down, before turning up the canister to finish off the remainder.


    ¡°Doing what, again?¡±  Elissa asked, still smiling brightly as she leaned up tight against Stone¡¯s arm.


    ¡°It¡¯s this damnable forest,¡± David explained, slowly packing his canteen back into his pack.  ¡°Have you ever seen a map of the kingdom,¡± he asked Elissa, as he pulled out a second canteen and hung it on the side of his belt.


    ¡°Several times,¡± she assured him, laughing lightly.  Her father had a large map of not just this kingdom, but also several of the adjoining lands and ocean, hanging up as a tapestry in his office which she used to stare at and imagine all the different places and peoples as a child.


    ¡°Ever seen two maps of the kingdom, side by side?¡±  Fastening his pack, David stretched and slowly got up, beaming a brilliant, beautiful smile to Elissa, before running his hands through his vibrant golden hair.


    Elissa half snorted to herself under her breath, but warmly returned the smile.  She¡¯d met plenty of ¡°pretty boys¡± like this one, who¡¯d showed up at her father¡¯s businesses and tried to use looks and charms to get their way in both business and pleasure.  Normally, Elissa would have a cool reception for someone like David, who relied on their looks to sway others, but she was doing her best to be polite since this was Stone¡¯s brother after all.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen several maps of the land before,¡± Elissa assured David once again, as she unconsciously repeated his gesture and brushed a strand of her own hair out of her face.


    ¡°Then you know they¡¯re different,¡± David laughed, once again beaming a brilliant smile oozing warmth and confidence.


    ¡°Well all maps are a little different,¡± Elissa assured him, smiling slightly in return to his infectious warmth, even though she didn¡¯t intend to.  ¡°Different scales, different symbols.  Different features.¡±  Laughing lightly, Elissa snuggled herself up a little tighter against Stone¡¯s massive, unmoving side, as if trying to draw strength from his support to help resist the dazzling brightness in front of her.


    ¡°Ha!¡±  David half barked a laugh, then lightly leaned over and tussled his hands through Elissa¡¯s hair briskly.  ¡°You¡¯re right, but you¡¯re wrong,¡± he told her, merrily.  Grabbing up his pack, he slung it back across his shoulders and then graciously offered his arm out to Elissa so she could take it.  ¡°Walk with me?¡±  Even though he was asking, it sounded as if David was talking it for granted that she¡¯d choose his arm over Stone¡¯s.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°No thanks.¡±  Snorting a little more loudly now, Elissa let go of Stone¡¯s massive arm and slid behind him.  Emerging from his shadow out onto the other side of his massive frame, Elissa wrapped her arms around Stone¡¯s other wrist, placing him squarely between her and David.  ¡°I¡¯m fine here,¡± she assured him, coolly, before asking, ¡°and just what do you mean ¡®I¡¯m wrong¡¯?¡±


    Laughing, David winked conspiratorially at Stone and then lightly punched him on the forearm.  ¡°Let¡¯s go, dufus.  We got to get the lady back home before there¡¯s trouble.¡±  Slowly leading the way down the road, David¡¯s blazing smile never faltered a bit.  If he was the least bit troubled by Elissa¡¯s none-too-subtle rejection, he didn¡¯t show any sign of it.


    Walking obediently a few steps behind David, Stone never said a word, while Elissa bit her cheek lightly to hold back the words she was on the edge of releasing.  ¡®It¡¯s Stone¡¯s brother.  It¡¯s Stone¡¯s brother,¡¯ she repeated to herself mentally, over and over, to help resist saying something which might offend David or cause a rift between him and Stone.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± David explained, laughing lightly as he slowly led the way down the path.  ¡°Every map is slightly different, with different scales, symbols, and features.  No two mapmakers are every exactly the same,¡± he agreed, merrily nodding his head up and down slightly.


    ¡°Where you¡¯re right,¡± David chuckled, ¡°is in regards to The Direwood Forest; which is what we¡¯re presently enjoying a peaceful stroll through.¡±


    ¡°The Direwood?¡±  Elissa frowned slightly, forcing herself to ignore David¡¯s contagious warmth.   ¡°I¡¯ve heard something about it before,¡± she muttered, slightly under her breath, ¡°though I¡¯m not entirely certain what I¡¯d heard.  Something about it being dangerous, with wild bears and boars, and other beasts, I think?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± David laughed gaily, ¡°I suppose it can be.  There are some creatures around here which could be dangerous to people.¡±  Stopping, he spun around suddenly and flourished a deep bow towards Elissa.  ¡°Fear not though, fair lady,¡± David laughed, reaching up to take her hand gently in his, ¡°I¡¯ll keep you safe from any dangers around here.  You have my word on it.¡±


    Yanking her hand back out of his, Elissa half snorted.  ¡°Seems to me that you might be the most dangerous thing around here,¡± she told him coolly. ¡°And you still haven¡¯t managed to tell me how I was ¡®wrong¡¯, either.¡±


    Laughing lightly, as if her rejection was of absolutely no consequence to him, David spun back around and slowly started walking again.  Pointing left and right to the forest on both sides, he chuckled slightly to himself.  ¡°It¡¯s this damn forest which makes you wrong,¡± he informed Elissa, still laughing merrily.  Even annoyed at him as she was, Elissa had to admit that his smile and laughter was somewhat contagious, as she found the corners of her own mouth slowly turning up in a smile in response.


    Clearing his throat, David coughed slightly and then tried to take on a more serious, lecturing tone, like his father used to use when teaching things about hunting in the forest for him.  ¡°The first thing you have to know, my child,¡± he repeated his father¡¯s words verbatim, as best as he could remember them, ¡°is that the forest sometimes moves.¡±


    ¡°Not everyday,¡± David coughed lightly, sounding a little embarrassed at his poor impression of his father, ¡°but it can, and sometimes will move, all on its own.  Trails you learn today may be gone tomorrow.  Trees you mark, or places you camp may disappear completely; or they may end up appearing some place utterly different from where they were the last time you were in the forest.¡±


    ¡°The forest moves,¡± David repeated again, solemnly.  ¡°Every time you walk under its branches, you have to treat the forest as if it¡¯s the first time you¡¯ve ever walked it.  Expect treasure and treachery with every step you take, and be prepared for anything.¡±


    Stopping again, David turned to stare directly into Elissa¡¯s eyes.  ¡°There¡¯s those who walk into the forest and are never seen or heard from again,¡± he told her, dead serious.  ¡°You have to understand just how dangerous The Direwood is, and always respect it, if you¡¯re ever going to walk in the shadows of the forest.¡±


    Elissa nodded slightly in response to David¡¯s seriousness. ¡°I believe you,¡± she told him, honestly.  ¡°After some of the things I¡¯ve seen in this forest, I¡¯d believe you if you told me there wasn¡¯t any place more dangerous in the whole kingdom.¡±  Subconsciously nervous, Elissa snuggled a little tighter against Stone¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Not dangerous,¡± Stone snorted, slowly shaking his massive head from side to side, before insisting, ¡°Home.¡±


    Blinking a few times, David looked up at Stone¡¯s face and then laughed merrily again.  ¡°You¡¯d say that, dufus!¡±  Leaning over, he whispered conspiratorially to Elissa, ¡°See, I warned you.  He¡¯s not right in the head.  He just can¡¯t comprehend how dangerous the forest actually is.  You can¡¯t pay any attention to his ramblings.¡±


    ¡°Hmmmfft!¡±  Snorting, Elissa let go of Stone¡¯s arm and then moved around his back to take his other one, once again placing Stone squarely between herself and David.  ¡°If Stone says it¡¯s not dangerous,¡± she glared at David, ¡°then it¡¯s not dangerous.¡±


    ¡°No bad,¡± Stone agreed, slowly wrapping his massive arm around her shoulder, comfortingly.  ¡°Forest no bad,¡± he assured her.


    ¡°See!¡±  Elissa stuck her tongue out at David, realizing that she was somehow acting more childish and spiteful towards him than she normally would.  Perhaps just because he was Stone¡¯s brother and was looking down on him as much as he was?  Frowning, uncertain where he own emotions were coming from, Elissa glared harshly at David, as if it was his fault.  ¡°Stone says the forest is safe, so it¡¯s safe,¡± she insisted, stubbornly.


    Frowning, David shrugged slightly.  ¡°It¡¯s your funeral,¡± he muttered sullenly, as he turned back around and started walking once again, a slight hint of concern obvious in his voice.  ¡°All I can do is warn you.  The forest is dangerous, and not just from the beasts in it.  The damn thing is unpredictable.  It moves.  Changes.  You never know what to expect when you walk inside it.¡±


    Shaking his head slightly from side to side, as if to clear his thoughts, David continued on down the road in silence for several long moments.  Stone, naturally quiet by nature, did nothing to break the awkward silence, and Elissa squirmed uncomfortably as she tried to sort out why her feelings were so erratic this afternoon.  One moment she was giddy happy, then annoyed, then angry.  Then she felt like laughing, followed by feeling like strangling David.  It truly wasn¡¯t like her, and she was starting to wonder if it was perhaps some odd influence from the forest itself affecting her.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± David suddenly said, jerking Elissa out of her introspection, ¡°the stupid road here is just as unpredictable as the forest itself.  Some merchants travel it time and time again, and they claim the length of the Direwood only takes a few days to travel.  A few others claim that the forest is massive and that it takes a month or more to walk the road through it.  No two merchants will ever agree on how large the forest is, or how long it takes to travel it,¡± David informed her, once again imitating his father¡¯s lecturing tone.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you and David were happily enjoying a stroll earlier, and I had to run my ass off to try and catch up to you, even though you only had a few minutes head start on me,¡± David explained, snorting slightly in irritation.  ¡°From what father taught us, the road moves in the forest, just as much as the forest itself moves.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d never really believed it myself before,¡± David laughed, ¡°but I certainly believe it now.  ¡°Father wasn¡¯t telling us some set of wild tales to scare young children to keep us out of the forest.  For the past several days, the damn woods wouldn¡¯t even let me in them ¨C whether you believe that or not!¡±  Turning, David shook his fist left and then right at the trees on either side of the road.  ¡°Stupid forest,¡± he muttered softly under his breath.


    The branches of the trees on either side of the road swayed and shook in gentle response, as the soft wind drifted through them, almost as if they understood David and were returning his sentiment back to him.  Stone, who was normally so quiet and stoic, chuckled slightly under his breath, causing Elissa to look up and raise an eyebrow at him questioningly.


    ¡°Stupid David,¡± was Stone¡¯s only reply to Elissa¡¯s unspoken question, as he half shrugged his massive shoulders as a massive grin slowly spread across his face.


    Staring up into Stone¡¯s brilliant blue eyes as they sparked like brilliant gems in the moonlight, Elissa laughed happily and nodded.  ¡°Stupid David,¡± she agreed, smiling brightly herself once again.


    The trees on both sides of the road swayed and shook gently in the wind, as if agreeing and approving of her sentiment.

 NAC: Author Update

    I must apologize to all you guys.  I never intended to let all my work end up and go dormant, but I did.  I''m sorry for that, and I wanted to take a moment to explain:


    Last year, the doctor told me that I had an aneurysm bulging on the side of the main artery coming out my my heart.  When I visited the surgeon, he informed me that the size of the aneurysm was such that it only had a 6% chance of rupturing every year.  Of course, if it does rupture, that''s a case of almost instant death as it''s the main artery right at the heart itself...


    I was advised that with my weight (over 300 pounds), the risk of performing "the most dangerous surgery in the world"  (the surgeon''s exact words), was greater than the risk of the aneurysm rupturing and killing me.  He refused to do the surgery...


    So, I''d basically been advised, "You have a timebomb at your heart that can explode and kill you at any moment, and there''s nothing we can do about it."  Needless to say, the worry and depression that caused, basically destroyed any motivation I had to do much of anything -- much less write...


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    BUT...


    We all pass sometime, and time helps one come to terms with anything.  Excessive boredom while doing nothing is a great motivator too, so I eventually decided to sit back down and write again to help pass the time as I struggle to lose weight so I can have the surgery (the surgeon said he''d want me to drop to below 200 pounds), or I simply meet my expiration date.


    I''ve completely lost track of my old stories, and since I''m wanting to write now, without having to catch back up to where I was previously, I decided to start and share a new work, which you can find here, if you''re interested: Two Times Perfect</a>


    Best of wishes, and I''ve got to admit, it''s nice to know that I still have some fans around who might remember my work.  </img>">