Desert Djinn (Closed for Apollo Wilde and LucianDevine)

The two words that came out of Anat's mouth were probably the last two words Lucian expected to hear. His gaze turned to find her, wondering if she was joking. Anat's silence after her words though, spoke volumes. He did turn to her though when she approached his pallet with the small bowl.

Lucian watched and observed, ignoring for now the single word command and the potential meanings behind it. The sound the pestle made was certainly unique, and her word explained a bit of why. The way she added the words at the end of her statement did not pass his notice, but he again ignored both them, and their meanings. He simply nodded in understanding and took the pestle from her when she offered it to him.

When Anat rose and turned to walk back to her bed, he let his light blue gaze appreciate the sight of her naked body. He set the pestle down and followed her lead, slipping carefully beneath the blankets on the pallet. He sighed softly once more as he felt the warmth surround him. His eyes slipped closed, he only hoped that sleep would come to him quickly.
 
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Sleep came easily to Anat. As easily as it could come to a seasoned warrior. Every time she felt doubt tangle its claws into her dreams, she had to remind herself that her charge was wounded. But even a wounded man would not be above a desperate move....As much as she may have wanted to keep wrestling with her thoughts, she could not.
______

When he awoke, he would find himself alone in the tent. He would not be alone for too much longer, though. Pushing the flap back from the entrance, she walked back in, fully dressed in a loose white tunic. Her blue head wrap was in place, but it was pulled away from her face. The dark fabric settled in luminescent folds around her throat and cheeks.

“So you’re awake. I should probably feed you. How do you feel?”
 
Sleep was not easy for Lucian to come by. His mind was constantly reminding him of something. He hated the reality of it, but he was bound his his code and his honor. When sleep did finally come, it was a restless sleep filled with dreams that showed his likely future in this place.

Lucian found himself relieved when he woke up. His gaze moved immediately to Anat's bed though, wondering if she was awake and watching him. He wasn't overly disappointed to find her bed empty though. He made to shift so that he could sit upright, but a flash of pain from his side reminded him of why he was in this predicament in the first place. Despite the pain though, he did eventually manage to pull himself into a sitting position. No sooner did he manage it, than Anat walked in.

"I wouldn't say no to some food." Lucian said, breathless from the effort it had taken him even to do that simple task. One hand moved subconsciously to cover the wound on his side. Lucian turned his gaze to Anat, wondering what she thought of him in this condition, wondering if she was enjoying his pain. Despite his feelings though, he spoke once more.

"My code dictates that I inform you that I owe you my life. It is that fact alone that will keep me here after I heal. I do promise you though, that once my debt is repaid, I will be gone from this place, and you would be wise not try and stop me." Lucian's light blue gaze was steady as he looked at Anat, wondering now what she would think of him and his words.
 
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“Well, that’s good. I would hate the thought of having to force feed you. Not very pleasant.” Her full lips curved upwards in a grin that danced along teasing and patronizing. Though it was true that she had bluntly said that she had no need for a man, she could not help but to be intrigued to look at him in the morning light. Things were always different after a raid. Now that there was no adrenaline rushing through her system, it became much easier for her to really take a look and measure up what she had in front of her. And what struck her the most was how clear his eyes were. Fierce. Strong.

She could respect that. Not admire, but respect.

She knelt beside him, checking the dressings on his wounds. Of course he’d still be sore. Tentatively leaning in, she sniffed carefully at his dressings. Gangrene was a serious problem. Though the heat of the desert afforded a certain sense of sterility, it could be difficult to keep wounds clean unless water was plentiful. “The good news and bad news is that today should be the worst as far as your pain goes. I’ll change your dressings after you eat.”

Listening to him speak, her eyes slowly hooded over and she looked at him like a cat eyeing a mouse squirming under her paws. Her lip curled, then dropped to it a neutral position. It was clear that she was looking for the right words to say, but just wasn’t....sure what should be said. She had never had a life debt sworn to her, and it showed by the quizzical way she lifted her eyebrows. Finally, after a long sigh, she closed her eyes.

“You would...owe me something if I knew why I kept you from being killed. The truth is I know not why I saved you. I suppose something about unwarranted cruelty.” A long sigh slipped past her lips as she leaned back next to him. “Save your vow, Light Eyes. As far as the tribe is concerned, you might as well be dead. Technically, you’re not even my property.” She stood up now, looking down at him. “Leila was the one that saved you to begin with and brought you here; you belong to her. So the details are between you and her.”

Slipping out of the tent again, she left him to ponder her words. It would only be a brief respite, though. Soon enough, she returned with various platters of food within her hands. The entire tribe knew that she was caring for the injured man, so nothing was said about her dining alone. The platters held various flat breads, dried fruits, honey. Precariously balanced on another platter (and perhaps a testament to her dexterity) was an ornately carved silver kettle. Setting the platters down in front of him, she poured fragrant mint tea from the kettle into a dark red glass. “Before you can escape, I suggest you eat heartily.”
 
Lucian heard Anat speak, and though her words would make sense to some, he knew differently. Lelia hadn't truly spared him, so much as taken him captive. Anat was the one who had stopped Tuona from killing him when he'd been too weak to defend himself. She was right though, some details would be hashed out between him and whomever dared to purchase him later.

The time that Lucian had to himself was rather brief, but it was well worth it when he saw what Anat had balanced on her hands when she reentered her tent. His eyes were scanning the bounty of flat bread and dried fruits even before she had set it in front of him. Anat's final words pulled a chuckle from Lucian, and he lifted his gaze to meet hers once more. He didn't say anything though, for nothing needed saying. He was confident enough that he would indeed escape once he'd taken care of the reason he was still here.

Once Lucian's hand brought the first piece of dried fruit to his lips, all thoughts of anything but the food in front of him was gone. Only in the desert could one truly appreciate food and drink, especially the slightly exotic scent of the fragrant tea she poured to him. His eyes did take a moment to admire the dark red glass she'd given him to drink from. It was as colorful as the rest of Anat's things, a fact he still found surprising. She seemed the type who would focus only on the necessities, but her tent was littered with colorful extravagances.

Only after he'd taken his fill, taking care not to overeat, did Lucian finally lean back, bracing his weight mostly on his good arm as he looked up, regarding Anat with curiosity once more. "And how did a slave rise to the position of Honorable Anat?" He asked, getting straight back to where they'd left off the night before.
 
For all of her ferocity (and one could even assume heartlessness), Anat had a soft spot for pretty things. Far from being a craftsman herself, she admired the long hours of work and vision that went into crafting metal or glass. Even the fairly “basic” art of fabric dyeing was a wonder to her. She paid fairly, generously, for well crafted items. If she gave quarter to anyone within a raid, it was usually the artisans. Women and children she generally spared without a second thought.

The rules that bound the tribe together seemed arbitrary at best. Why they killed some and spared others would appear some strange mystery to anyone looking from the outside. Even she was confused as to why she had spared him. It would be all too easy to settle a debt by handing him to Tuona - one slave for another. And perhaps it would be where he would ultimately end up. However, all she could focus on was getting him well. And wondering if it was even her place to do so.

At his question, she started. “That is none of your concern,” and whatever friendliness was gone from her voice. She quickly retrieved the plates that he had eaten from. Whatever he had left over, she ate quietly. There was no shame in sharing a plate with him; they were within her tent and free from all prying eyes. Long moments passed in silence. Once she was finished, she let out a soft sigh and took a long drink of the still warm tea. Since last night had been a festival, the village would be slow to rise. From the outside, voices rose, peppered with laughter and the hint of gossip. Tilting her head towards the noise outside, she stood.

“I need to change your dressings. If infection sets in, you’ll truly be worthless.”
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“Lelia, I have no idea what to do with him. He wants to escape. I believe by all means I should let him.”

“Why don’t you keep him?” Lelia murmured around her cup of tea. Her children lay in piles, still sleeping, on various pallets within the tent. Four of her men were doing the same. The other two sat with the two women, quietly eating a light breakfast and making sure that the tea stayed warm.

“Because I have no need for a man, let alone a defiant one. He knows not his place.” Anat sighed heavily, leaning over the small table that the group sat at. “It would have been better that I let him die.”

“Don’t say that, Honorable Anat. Your act of mercy, I’m sure, has touched him. He might be of use to you.”

“Hardly.”

“Well, he’s yours now. I didn’t lift a finger to save him when Tuona charged. So I defect my ownership to you.” Lelia’s eyes held her ever present good humor. “So you can set him free if you wish.”
“I might as well.” Anat stood, shouldering a small bag underneath her shoulder. “Thank you for the tea, Lelia. It was pleasant as always.” And with a small smile that tiptoed around being an annoyed scowl, she left.

Lelia sat back, comfortably nestled between her two men. “Do you think she suspects anything?” she asked, looking at a man with bright green eyes.

“I doubt it,” he said.
________

Her trip to Lelia’s to talk and to gather medicine and hot water took about half an hour. She had kept it short purposefully. Not that she suspected him of escaping when he was so weak, but...old habits died hard. Entering her tent again, she set down her various packages and vessels.

“Well,” she said, “Lelia has given you to me. And since you are a burden to me with your silly defiant nature and I never wished to own you, you’re free. I’ll dress your wounds a last time and you are more than welcome to go your way.”
 
Though Lucian found himself saddened a bit by Anat's refusal to answer his question about how she'd come to her station, he couldn't truly be surprised. He did watch on curiously though, when she picked up his plates and ate what he'd been unable to finish. It seemed a truly strange thing for her to do, given their respective stations.

The moments following Anat finishing his meal were brief, yet somehow comforting. Even as Lucian heard the sounds of gossip from outside, his gaze found itself lingering on the woman before him. He'd never been more curious about anything or anyone in his life. Anat was the one to break the silence between them, and though the end of her statement was less than respectful, he couldn't doubt his own need of her, for now at least.

Sadly, there wasn't much for Lucian to do in Anat's absence. He was comfortable at least, as comfortable as could be expected. He continued to cast his gaze back and forth around Anat's tent, taking in every colorful detail that he saw.

Almost before Lucian knew it, Anat was walking back into the tent, her arms filled with necessary medical supplies. His blue gaze turned to watch her, and he listened as she spoke, and though her words should have made him feel better, they did not. Lucian swallowed hard before speaking, considering his words carefully before speaking. "As much as I would like to leave Anat, I cannot, not yet. May I inquire what would happen to me if I wanted to stay, just long enough for me to pay back the debt that I owe?" Lucian's blue gaze hadn't wavered from Anat's as he spoke. He'd spoken clearly and truthfully, but he intended to keep his word, and stay as long as he needed to.
 
“I am not sure. I suppose I would have to find some use for you. If you are not clearly owned by someone, it could lead to problems. If Lelia makes it public that she has transferred her ownership to me and you are seen clearly not in my possession, I could lose face.” She clenched her fingers. “I am not sure if Lelia would do something like that, but it is possible. She can be unreasonably cunning and stubborn when it comes to getting what she wants. Right before we left for the raid, she was talking about how I needed a man. I wouldn’t be surprised if she did this on purpose.”

So much for Lelia’s grand plans. Part of being the second in command of such a group was that Anat simply could not afford not to think several steps ahead of anyone - friends included. But deep down, she could be hardly be angry at Lelia. The two were as close as sisters, and Lelia had shown so much happiness with her large family. “....More than likely, Lelia just wanted me to be happy like her,” she said, and her voice was nearly a whisper. “Normally,” and her voice was its normal tone, “I could severely punish Lelia for her plotting. Could even have her killed under the Old Law,” and she rubbed her chin, as if she were plotting. “But it’s Lelia, and I know she means well. She thinks that even though we are warriors, we are still to be mothers. And I cannot fault her for that. It has brought her much joy to be a mother so many times over.”

And then something even stranger than her talking freely happened - she sighed. It wasn’t a sigh of frustration or of anger. It was a sigh of sorrow. Drawing her lower lip between her teeth, she passed a hand across her forehead. Lelia was truly the one she was closest to in the camp, and it had not fully registered to her how she had just spoken to easily to Lucian, almost as if she were speaking to herself. As the rough skin of her palms caressed her forehead, she narrowed her eyes.

“So,” and her voice was its usual hard tone towards him, “I suppose I need to find something for you to do until I can truly be rid of you. I am under the impression that under your code, even if I were to grant you your freedom right here, right now, on the spot, you would still stick around to be a thorn in my side until you imagined that you have repaid your debt. Am I correct in assuming that this is a life debt of sorts?”
As she spoke now, she went about undoing and opening the bundles that she had brought in. The acrid smell of powdered medicinal herbs wafted through the tent.
 
Lucian couldn't help but be surprised at the words that streamed steadily from Anat's mouth. Until this point, she'd either ignored his questions, or answered them as simply as she could get away with. This time though, she spoke freely of things that she could easily have omitted. There could be no doubt in Lucian's mind that he was seeing and hearing the real Anat. It didn't even seem to him that she was hiding anything, or holding anything back. She was simply speaking what was coming to her mind as she tried to work out the reasoning behind Lelia's actions and what had happened thus far.

Even stranger than the words though, was the sigh that her words pulled from her. His blue eyes watched as she pulled her lower lip between her teeth and passed a hand over her forehead.

As quickly as that slight bit of weakness appeared though, it vanished even quicker. Her dark brown eyes narrowed, and almost seemed to turn black as her Honorable Anat appeared once more.

Lucian opened his mouth to respond to her assumption, but the acrid smell of the medicinal herbs in the bundles she'd opened forced him to pause. "Yes, you are correct. Physical freedom means less to me than my honor, because when everything else falls apart around you, at least your honor can remain intact. If you grant me freedom, I would remain, tolerating what I must from those around me, until such time as I, and I alone, feel my debt has been repaid." Lucian spoke with a certain softness when he talked about his honor and the life debt he owed, and inwardly, he wondered if Anat would catch it, or even understand why it was so.
 
“Honor is a funny thing. Everyone defines it differently, you know. And perhaps once you are well, we can come to a suitable arrangement to have you gone that will preserve your ‘honor.’”

Dipping fresh bandages in a bowl of water, she added the herbs to form a sort of mud. Sitting close to him again, she wrapped his wounds with the “muddy” bandages.

So she cared for him, fed him, bathed him when he was unable to move. She performed all of these duties without much of a second thought; caring for him much like she would livestock. When the morning came that he was fit and able to move around without her help, it seemed like any other morning. She awoke first, and rather than rising from her pallet, she laid and watched him with curious and slightly amused dark brown eyes. Waiting to see what he would do, she snuggled deeper into her blankets.

In the time that passed, she had not once asked for his name, usually referring to him as “Sir Knight” or any other mockeries that she could think of. None of it was too particularly cruel -she did not raise a hand to him or threaten him with violence-, but it was a constant reminder of his lower status. She relished in it only in the sense that she was testing him. She did not hate him, but found his constant presence something...strange to deal with. Despite living in such a close knit society, Anat had long been a loner, and now having someone live with her constantly brought its new challenges.

"....Do you even have a name....?" she asked, not bothering to slid from her bed.
 
Lucian took a slow and deep breath as he slowly came out of a deep sleep. He was relieved when he didn't feel any pain from the wound he'd suffered to his abdomen. He then made to stretch first his good arm straight up, and then his bad arm, this time smiling when the full stretch yielded only a little tension in the muscles, but no pain. He took in another long breath and let it out in an audible sigh. The wounds hadn't been particularly bad, but he was very glad to be rid of them.

Anat's words, when they came, actually startled Lucian. It wasn't so much that she spoke, but the words themselves. He chuckled after he recovered from the brief startle and pushed himself into a sitting position so he could see Anat's face peeking out from the blankets.

"After all these days, you finally ask?" Lucian inquired rhetorically, following his question up quickly with a statement. "I'm surprised you didn't just ask Lelia. I told her my name the day we met."

Lucian hesitated after his words, bowing his head briefly. When his head lifted, there was a curious smile on his lips. "Then again, you do seem to take some level of enjoyment from my predicament. I'm in a sporting mood though, and I'll answer your question if you answer one of mine."

Though he'd offered somewhat of a deal, Lucian didn't take much time after his statement to speak once more. "My name is Lucian, and all I want to know really, is what will be expected of me in your home. I don't know how long I'm going to be here, but I need to know what my role is in this village of yours."
 
“I think I would delight in seeing you clean up after houses and the privies.” Her voice floated over to him, tucked and folded among a hint of laughter. “You are quite the horseman. I think that working with them shall get you out of my hair and not so much moping around my tent. And it will give you a purpose. You’re too dangerous to allow around weapons,” she stretched lazily as she sat up in her makeshift bed, “and this will keep you tired. Raking shit will do wonders for your pride. Besides, I ask no more of you than I would for anyone else. The children would be glad for the company as well.”

True - children did share in some of the fouler duties of the camp. Everyone did, really. There was no real division or a “shameful” labor among the camp; it was well known and understood that everyone did their part. “If you prove yourself to be trustworthy, I suppose we can get you out in the dunes with the shepherds. There’s a greenbelt not far from here that we go to graze the animals. It will help with your escape route.”

She wasn’t expecting him to stay any longer than he had to - and short of her being injured in battle, she had a hard time imagining how he would pay off the foolhardy debt he had sworn to her. “I suppose I’d use you as a squire if another battle arises,” and she said this with a lazy shrug of her shoulders. She really was at a loss at what to do with him. Since he had been injured for so long, she hadn’t expected him to show any interest in a “man’s duty”, persay. Not that she had given him the opportunity.

No harm in testing that.

Slipping from her blankets, she stood boldly in front of him. Reaching up, she undid her turban for the first time. Her hair spilled loose in dark brown dreadlocks, reaching nearly to her mid-back. They were lustrous, and obviously painstakingly cared for. Reaching down, she grasped the edges of her loose sleeping robe, and pulled it over her body. Standing nude in front of him, her body shone from the oils she carefully rubbed into her skin before she slept. Placing her hands on her hips, she looked down at him, waiting for his reaction.

Abrupt, yes. Would she expect him to do anything? Who knows.

"...Unless you would service me in this manner?"

Her dark brows rose and her lips held good humor.
 
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Though Lucian listened to every one of the duties that Anat listed off to him, he would have been lying if he'd said he lied the sound of many of them. He had turned towards her bed, even though he couldn't see her, and his gaze lifted when he saw her sit up in bed/ He took in a long and deep breath, even as he admired her from where he slept on the floor.

Even as he watched her though, Lucian did at least hear the couple of duties that he wouldn't detest with every fiber of his being. All thoughts about the duties that might be expected of him though, faded when Anat rose from her bed and loosed the turban that held her hair in place for the first time. Though it cascaded down her back, and he didn't get the best look at them, he could tell, even from where he laid, that the dark brown dreadlocks were well cared for.

Even the sight of Anat's hair was quickly forgotten though, when Anat's hands moved to the bottom of her loose sleeping robe and pulled it up and off. In any other circumstance, Lucian would have schooled his gaze to meet that of the woman undressing herself so. Anat though, knew exactly what she was doing, and seemed to be enjoying doing it, not that he could blame her.

Anat's body was lithe and strong. Her mahogany skin shone with the oils he'd watched her rub into it every night, and he truly couldn't resist the desire to let his blue gaze moved down the full length of her body, admiring the swell of her breasts, the way her hands poised on her hips, waiting for him expectantly.

Lucian was so busy admiring Anat's form, that he almost missed her final statement. When his blue gaze lifted once more though, he found her dark brown gaze and held it steadily.

"And in what manner would a warrior like yourself want a man to service you? I figured it's best to ask now, lest I assume the wrong thing and end up on the wrong end of a sword for a second time in two moons time." Lucian's voice was cold and confident, but inside, his heart was pounding.
 
Her grin grew more wicked.

“How would a man, such as yourself, service a woman such as myself?” She wouldn’t give him any more clues, no suggestions. She wanted to see how he would react. Surely he had to have had a lover or two in the past?

“You knights....are always unpredictable,” she murmured, looking down at him. She had bested many a male in her day, but to have one here, almost at her feet, well, that was something new. “Perhaps I should take advantage of the situation and merely order you to do what might bring me pleasure.” Her tone said more than she intended to. The very thought of having him at her very beck and call bored her. “The other women do so seem to enjoy it; perhaps I’m missing out on something.”

Letting her arms slip from her waist, she let them hang idly by her sides as she continued to study him. Her nudity, at first meant to be a show for him, slipped into something quieter, something much more comfortable. She was no longer the fearsome warrior; now she was someone younger, almost inquisitive and child-like. “I suppose someone like you likes a wager. I suppose if you prove your worth in here as much as you have on the battlefield, I’ll have to let you go. Will that work as your debt being repaid?”
 
Lucian actually looked rather amused as he listened to Anat try and decide what she was going to do with him. He'd even chuckled when she mentioned what the other women in the tribe enjoyed doing with their men. In the end though, it was her shift in posture and the final statement and question that forced him into action.

With only the slightest bit of hesitation, Lucian pushed his blanket aside and slowly rose to his face. Though he wasn't naked, the dark red loin cloth he wore did little to hide his muscular body from her gaze, much less the sizable length of his member.

"You are a puzzle Anat." Lucian said softly as he stepped towards her. "You simultaneously think of the things I would hate to do, the things you would love me to do, and what the fastest route to getting me out of your camp would be." As he spoke, Lucian circled Anat once, admiring her beauty. He was taller than her, but only just barely. Eventually, he dared to lift one hand to brush across her shoulder as he circled her, speaking as his hand slide over the top of her breastbone before moving to her other shoulder. "If you were any normal woman, and we in any normal town, I would know exactly what to do. I find myself wary though, wary of consequences for faults I might be ignorant of."

Lucian finally stopped moving when he was behind Anat. He took a dreadlock in each of his hands, feeling the softness as he spoke once more. "I do not seek a fast way to be rid of you or this place. I only seek to repay what I owe, and I will only be satisfied if I save your life in combat, regardless of how long it takes." Even as he spoke,, Lucian let his hands slide up and down the full length of the dreadlocks he toyed with before speaking once more. "And What have I done to not be trustworthy? It is true that I killed your warrior, but that was in the heat of combat, and since then I haven't lifted so much as a hand against you or anybody else."

Despite his better judgement, Lucian let his hands slide near the top of the dreadlocks, just far enough up to let the backs of his fingers slide against the back of Anat's neck. He made no move to harm her though, but rather remained still behind her, running his fingers through the dreadlocks as he teased at the back of her neck, waiting for her to speak once more.
 
“I am but only trying to facilitate your desire - which is to leave here. Or did I misunderstand you?”

When he stood, she did not back up, nor did she tense. She was vulnerable, naked to him like this, but she was not entirely defenseless. A question dangled from the tip of her tongue, tried to escape every time she opened her mouth. She fought with herself not to ask it. But it was strange; this man here, with his life so clearly in her hands, walking, speaking to her like they were equals. Normally, she would chastise; even punish. As he circled her, it took her far too long to realize that she was holding her breath in anticipation.

“I suppose, then, I am not a normal woman.” He would have to listen carefully for it. There was a different tone there, something close to...contemplation. “But what is a normal woman?” she asked. She didn’t turn as he circled behind her. It was only the slight stiffening of her shoulders as he fondled a lock of her hair to show that she was slightly at ill ease with him behind her. “But if you want to save my life in combat, then I suppose I have no choice but to keep you as a squire, since you hold no interest in anything else. I have already told you that there is no debt to repay; that you would be a burden rather than a benefit to me. And yet you stay, more for yourself than for my desires. What shall I do with such a selfish man?”

She turned to face him now, and ran a hand brazenly down his bare chest. Her eyes followed her hand down the ridge of his stomach, the defined pectorals, and her finger stopped under his chin. Not that she would have to force him to look at her; he obviously had no problem with holding her gaze. The distance between them closed as she moved closer, her nipples lightly grazing his chest. “That is your problem. You think of yourself as some noble knight, yet you are selfish and do not understand the desires of others. At the time, I did not want to see a wounded man that had fought so well come to an untimely end. So I saved you. As someone who has your life in her hands, you have declared a debt to me. I have nursed you back to health, offered ways to repay me, and none are good enough for you, and you have no desire to serve me as men often serve women - you have not even the courage to attempt it. Perhaps I am too strange, after all. So what use of you are you to me? I have no need, nor do I desire, false kisses or affection."
 
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"No Anat. You are anything but a normal woman. I am used to ladies of the court, and you are anything but similar to them, though that is not a bad thing." Lucian said, even before Anat turned to face him. He still did not back down before her though, but rather stood his ground and met her gaze.

It was with true sadness that Lucian listened to Anat's words, both before and after she turned towards him. Though the words after she turned were a little harder for him to focus on, given the hand that moved brazenly over his muscular chest and his toned abs before lifting to his chin, ensuring that he met her gaze. Things became especially difficult though, when she stepped forward, and he felt the light brush of her nipples against his chest. Despite these distractions though, Lucian did hear and understand Anat's words. He even noted a subtle shift in her tone, though it both came and went as quick as the wind.

"I do not think that I am some noble knight Anat." Lucian replied indignantly after he was sure she'd finished. "I am a noble knight, one who finds himself in a very difficult situation. I hear your offers and desires of what would would serve as repayment in your mind, but it is not your mind that matters in this case, or even mine. My honor and code do not bend to my desires. I bend to theirs. It is for that reason that I simply cannot, and will not accept anything less than a life for a life. It is for that reason that I will remain here until that debt is repaid."

Lucian let his words linger in the tent for a long time before speaking again. "And as for your last statement, nothing I do is false. I try hard in anything and everything I do, and if you would have me serve you as a man serves a woman, then it would be my honor and pleasure to do so." After he'd spoken, Lucian took a bold step forward, his blue gaze still holding Anat's brown one as he closed the distance between them, shivering briefly with anticipation at the feel of her firm breasts against his bare chest.
 
“I am a normal woman here. Actually,” and a small smug smile tickled the corners of her full lips, “I am an exceptional woman here. Many men would envy you and your position. Of course, I would end up being saddled with one that would have nothing to do with me.” She kept the distance between them close, nearly uncomfortably close. She didn’t back away as he closed the gap, either. Instead, she looked defiantly into his vivid blue eyes.

“It is not as if you wear your honor. If you are mine, are you not to submit to my will?” Her hand snaked between them, gently trailing down his chest. “I suppose I’ll have to put myself in danger so you can ‘save’ my life and then be out of my sight.” She withdrew now, backing away. It wasn’t a backing away in a retreat; it was more that she had her fill of him and was now going to focus on bigger and better things. She was. She pulled her tunic on again - her people didn’t wear much by way of undergarments-, and settled into the fabric.

“Get dressed,” she tossed the remark over her shoulder. “You’ll need to be reporting to the stables here soon - and learn how to work with the shepherd boys. That’s the deal, for the time being.”

And so the time went. She largely let him come and go as he pleased. If anything, she was back to her aloof treatment of him. She made sure that he was fed, clean, had clothes to wear and a place to sleep. If he was looking for some way to save her life, he would have a long time to wait. She passed in and out of the tent from her own errands. It was well known what she was up to - possibly planning more raids, training, spending time with her family and her horse -, but she did not do much to include him.

One evening, he may have had his chance. She was rubbing her shoulders when she came in, still smelling of fragrant oils from the bath. With a soft grunt, she kneaded into the muscles of her neck. Her usual lethal grace was marred by a stiffness that lead from her neck to her shoulders. She sat down heavily on her bed roll, and sighed, looking up at the high tent poles.
 
"I have no doubt of that Honorable Anat." Lucian offered up, knowing full well that most any other man in this camp would literally kill for the chance to share Anat's tent. He rather enjoyed the battle of wills between them, the way they stood so close, bodies touching, gazes locked, daring the other to either make a move or back down.

"Under normal circumstances I would not be bound to your will, simply to this place. It is the dynamic of your village that binds me to your will." Lucian said, even as he felt the hand that trailed down his bare chest. He found himself wanting Anat then, but didn't dare make the first move. Such a brazen move, more brazen even than his fondling of one of her dreadlocks, could prove fatal.

A low chuckle slipped from Lucian's lips a t Anat's words. "You probably won't have to try to hard. Danger is likely to find you sooner or later if you and your people continue to do as they have." His words followed her as she stepped back, but her next statement, or order as it were, ensured that he didn't think she was backing down from him. "As you wish." He responded confidently.

The next several weeks proceeded similarly to how the previous ones had. The only difference now, was that Lucian had duties to attend to. they were far from what he was used to, but he did not argue, and neither did he slack in anything he did. He worked with the shepherd boys, learning from them and adapting to assist them, and even do the things that they couldn't, be it for size or strength reasons.

Things with Anat, were equally similar to how they'd been before. She cared for his needs, ensuring he was fed, clean, and clothed, but made little effort to include him in anything that she did. Lucian didn't have to be a scholar to know that it would likely take a very long time before the opportunity to save Anat's life presented itself.

Things progressed normally for an untold number of days and moons, nothing ever really out of the ordinary until one night. All the duties of the camp were tended to, and Lucian stepped into Anat's tent, ensuring that the flaps made noise as he did. He did not want Anat to think he was trying to hide or sneak up on her. The sight before him though, was one he wasn't used to. Normally Anat would either be eating, getting ready for bed, or already in bed. Tonight though, she was sitting on the corner of her bed staring up at nothing as one hand rubbed her shoulders, likely a futile attempt to ease some tension there by herself.

Lucian went to take a step towards Anat, but hesitated. He knew what he would do for any other woman, but because it was Anat, he found himself hesitating. She was so strong and proud, that he found himself fearing what she would do to him if he dared do what he was thinking. Several long moments passed before Lucian finally dared to finish the step forward he'd started earlier. When he finally did move forward, it was with the same confidence that he kept about him always. He stepped up behind Anat, and before she had time to react to him or turn, he lifted his hands to her shoulders brushing her hand aside with one of his. He still didn't give her time to protest before he started to rub her neck and shoulders, kneading at the muscles that were like rocks beneath even his strong fingers.

"Do I dare ask how long this tension has been building Honorable Anat" Lucian asked softly as his strong fingers pressed into the tight muscles, trying to be careful of the pressure he used, while still trying to actually get them to loosen up. He still found himself wondering what Anat would do, but it he couldn't turn back now.
 
She tensed the moment he was behind her. He moved as swiftly and as quietly as a desert cat. It was...admirable and both...scintillating.

Try as she might, Anat was not entirely immune to the charms of a good-looking man. Lucian was definitely that; exotic by her people’s standards. She would never admit it out loud, but she had grown used to his presence. They had fallen into a soft routine; not that she ever really spoke to him, but just having someone there, just to hear the soft sound of his breathing...it did something to her. Perhaps “calm” was a word close to it. But she would treat him with the same careful indifference. After all, why grow attached to someone that was so eager to leave?

His fingers digging into the tangled knots of muscle, she let out a sound that was both a hiss and a appreciative moan. She sat in silence - or near silence - as he worked, the occasional hiss or sigh slipping from her lips. “...I do not know of what you speak,” and there was no anger or sarcasm in her voice. “We do not practice such arts here.” While there was ample water for bathing and incredibly advanced medicines available, things such as massages were unknown to her people. If you were sore after a work out, then you went to soak. Or perhaps had heat applied - but that was it. She took advantage of these treatments, but it was not enough to completely relief her; just enough to buy her a respite.

For long moments, she submitted to his hands, her head tilting downwards. She was at ease, yes, but was still attentive. After these months, she had given him the barest bit of trust. She trusted him enough not for him to kill her in her sleep, and in turn, she had scaled back her physical threats to him. So, there was some sort of mutual understanding between the two. It was stronger than she may have given it credit for. Her body began to dissolve under his fingertips. She had never been touched in such a fashion, and she was only the merest bit surprised to feel that it had reactions...elsewhere in her body.

Her face grew slightly flushed as his strong hands slid across her shoulders, down the back of her neck, and her skin grew hot. Her clothing, loose as it was, felt constricting. Stifling. But, she would make no move to shrug off her robe. At least, not outwardly. She shifted her shoulders under his grasp, her robe sliding from her shoulders.
 
"I would be lying if I said that surprised me Anat." Lucian said as he continued to rub and massage her shoulders and neck. It would have been impossible for him to hide the small smile of contentment that was on his face as he felt and saw Anat's reactions to his bold touch. The fact that she didn't stop him right away told him that she probably wasn't, and he was surprised to find that he was truly glad for that.

Any doubts that might have lingered in Lucian's mind faded away when Anat's head slipped downwards. It was a small signal of trust, but a signal none the less. Lucian took full advantage of it, letting his fingers move to the sides of her neck as his thumbs pressed up and down on the back of it.

As intimate as both the moment and massage were, Lucian actually didn't think anything of it until he felt her shift her shoulders in such a way as to make the robe slip down. He swallowed hard at that small motion, feeling a stirring within him, something he had never actually felt for Anat until now. She was beautiful to be sure, but also strong and dangerous. He'd done his best to be respectful and keep a safe distance, but in one false swoop, he'd pushed significantly closer than what most would deem safe.

The sight of Anat's robe slipping down her form only prompted Lucian's hands to move slowly from her neck, his thumbs pressing into every bit of tight flesh as they moved down her neck and spin before pushing upwards once more, putting the slightest bit of pressure into the motion as his thumbs slid up either side of her spine. When he reached the top of her back he let his hands slip towards the outsides of her body before sliding down once more, his fingers brushing against the sides of her breasts as his hands moved down her body once more.

Time and again, Lucian repeated this motion, moving hist thumbs up along her spine, and then out and down as he teased against the sides of her breasts, his breathing growing deeper as he felt the continued stirrings of arousal within him from the intensely intimate moment he was sharing with Anat.
 
She smirked at his words, and let out a slight huff to let him know that she knew that he was jesting with her. In their time together, they had had their fair share of verbal barbs back and forth. And over time, the venom has slowly slipped from their attacks. Indeed, she had left him largely to his own devices, but she would check in with him, with the others in the tribe to see how he was doing. He had taken to his tasks with humility, and the young boys that worked with him all looked up to him. All in all, he was shaping out to be quite the positive investment.

And, well, what he was doing now...

“I am beginning to think that my mercy has paid off,” she murmured low in her throat, the hint of a smile coloring her words. “Perhaps you have much more to show me that I have not seen before.” She was teasing, but there was a bit of an epiphany in her words. It hadn’t occurred to her that, well, he might have something new to show her. She had spent so much time just thinking of him as a burden, little more than a pet, that the thought of him as a person hadn’t really crossed her mind. She hadn’t understood how Lelia managed to love her men as equals.

His thumbs pressing into his flesh, trailing down her sides, brushing against her breasts, and slowly...but surely, she began to squirm under his touch. Rather than trying to get away from his touch, was it...? It was. She was trying to press her body in his touch, within in his grasp to manipulate as he so wished. His breath was hot against the back of her neck, and she caught her lower lip between her teeth. She didn’t ask him to stop, nor did she tense. No - she was struggling to figure out what was happening to her. Why did her flesh feel like it was burning from the inside out? What was it that was spurring her lower body to wakefulness? The latter was what really confused her - like stars falling, sparks flickered across lower lips.

Long moments passed. She didn’t speak. Her breathing grew heavier and lighter at the same time. Her brows knit, a slow bead of sweat trailed from her temple down the column of her neck. Odd. The nights in the desert was cold, and this one was no different. Inside of the tent, it was warm enough, but not enough so that anyone would be sweating.

She licked her lips, wanting to say something, but not finding the words.
 
Lucian's hands never ceased in what they were doing, even as he felt the slight huff that Anat made at his slight joke. "Her first statement that followed it was common enough for the two of them, her reminding him at least once a day about his position. It was the second statement that caught his attention though.

The feel of Anat slowly undulating against his touch, pressing herself into his hands told Lucian that he was indeed right to do what he'd done when he took that first chance. He knew, that whether Anat truly wanted, or even understood it, her body was responding to his touch.

"There is so much more to us knights than you know Anat. I could show you so very many things."

Even as he spoke, Lucian could hear Anat's breathing starting to quicken. Inside, he wondered what more he could do for her, or more specifically, what she would allow him to do. He leaned forward a little bit more as he let his hands drop a bit, giving the sides of her breasts one last brief caress before moving his thumbs to press against the base of her spine. His fingers massaged and kneaded at the flesh of her lower back, edging slowly down and outwards, daring to rub and massage her lower back and hips, even as he leaned forward the slightest bit more to press a single risky kiss to the side of her exposed neck.

Though he wondered how Anat would react, Lucian was no longer truly fearful of what she would do. He was more hoping that she would enjoy what he was doing to her.
 
She paused, her tongue lingering on her lower lip. Another set of tingles trailed through her body, lazily pooling at her lower lips. Her legs closed together neatly, pressing firmly at the knee.

“Are these things that you can show me as a knight, or as a man...?” It was a genuine question. Healthy curiosity, maybe. Or maybe a challenge. More like curiosity - her tone, if it was not so quiet, may have even been amusing. She was raw and exposed to him now; a young girl trying to figure out what her body was trying to tell him. Under the ministrations of his hands, he had managed to gently work the warrior free, running the risk of exposing the very real woman.

There.

That did it.

His lips soft but firm on the back of her neck, and she let out a little crying whimper. Hardly more than a kitten’s mewl. Her brows knit further, the dark fringe of her eyelashes trembled as she drew in a great gasping breath. The legs she struggled to keep pressed together fell open, ever so slightly. Her head tilted upward, exposing her throat further to him. Was it an overraction? Perhaps, compared to what he has seen before. But for her, it felt like she had been lashed by the whip of the goddess herself. Her nipples formed hard peaks under the loose fabric of her robe.

“...Why...” She managed out. It wasn’t accusing; it wasn’t hostile. It begged.
 
Lucian recognized every single reaction he pulled from Anat's body, even if she didn't, from the fidgeting, to how she'd pressed against him. Her deep breathing and bowing of her head were simply icing on the cake. He kept going though, taking his time with it and her, wanting her to be as pliable as possible before he dared take things one step further.

Anat's words, part challenge and part curiosity, brought a smile to Lucian's lips. "Both really, but here and now, simply as a man." Lucian whispered to her, pressing another heated kiss to her neck, this time to the side of it that she'd exposed by tilting her head.

Anat's final and single word caused Lucian to lift his lips from her neck and actually shift positions, moving off of her bed roll so he could stand before her. He'd let a single hand trace along her stomach as he'd moved, not wanting to deny her the contact he knew she needed just then. His hand lowered beneath her chin and lifted her head to meet his blue gaze, darkened a bit with his own need.

"Because I suspect it has been a long time since you've succumbed to your bodies desires Anat." Lucian said simply, leaning a bit closer. "I ask you to submit, not to me, but to your body. Let me show you what you've never experienced, what so many other women around you, particularly your friend Lelia, already know." Even as he spoke, Lucian dared to let his hands slip beneath the robe Anat barely wore, for the shoulders had already slipped down, and it was only just supported on her breasts. He brazenly moved his hands to her hips, tracing slow circles with his thumbs on her abdomen before slowly lifting his hands, moving slow as he massaged up her stomach to trace slowly along the undersides of her young, firm, but still prominent breasts. "Will you let me give you what your body desires Anat?" Lucian finished, leaning closer once more, letting his breath tease over Anat's lips as he waited for her response.
 
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