Damsel of Vicene (Closed)

[Elayne]

(Closed for Chris and I)

The door creaked slightly as Cecilia pressed on it, sending a shiver of fear through her. Peeking out into the hallway of the ship beyond revealed nothing. Perhaps no one had noticed the sound of the rotted door opening amidst the normal sounds of the ship rocking at harbor.

She crept out of the room and down the hall. Most of the sailors had left the ship to carouse in the city. The few that were left were mostly drunk or asleep at this hour.

Soon Cecilia was up at the leeward rail of the boat. She measured the distance to the docks of the city, grateful she had learned how to swim in the waters around Vicene. With a quick hop, Cecilia went over the side and into the water with a splash, swimming quickly for the docks.

Soon, she was hauling herself out of the water, coughing as she strained water out of her thick dark hair and shaking her ragged burlap sailor's clothes, all she had managed to commandeer in her flight from the ship. She had been forced to leave her gowns and jewelry behind to the devious captain.

Appearances shouldn't matter to a true knight, Cecilia thought to herself as she set off into the city, hoping to appeal for justice to the local lord.

 

[chris2c4u]

The city slept, wrapped within its walls, its gates shut fast to strangers. The night had taken away the stench from the streets and perfume from the aromatic trees on the hills slowly wove itself into the mouths of the sleeping inhabitants.

At the Rivergate, the guard sat nodding in front of a slowly withering fire in a brazier at his sandals, the spear lolling from his hand as a dark shadow emerged from the water, in soaking clothes. Cecilia stood quiet for a moment as she wondered where to go. In the watchtower a log cracked and sparks rose into the air, making Clarence the guard stir in his sleep. He looked around and frowned at the shadow against the night.

He sniffed and stood up, padding outside, the spear held loosely in his hands. As he moved closer he could make out in the starlight and the distant beam of his latern back in the guard house the figure of a sailor and he laughed.

"Too late for you to be out boy, did you get too drunk for the whores?" The figure backed away coming perilously close to the dock.

"Hey - watch yourself or you'll be swimming for your ship. C'mon in here with me - I'm not going to lock you up son, just stay till the morning when you're free to wander again."

Still the figure made no sound and Clarence wondered if the sailor did not have the language of the Venetians. He reached out and took the figure's arm; again Clarence laughed feeling the water. "Already had a dunking?"

There was a strangely high pitched squeak from the figure and Clarence became suspicious. He held tighter to the burlap and dragged the now reisisting sailor into the guard house.

"Stop your damn jabbering," he hissed, "if you wake up have the neighbourhood you'll get locked up." Clarence had decided this must be some cabin boy whose voice had not broken. He changed his mind when they reached the light of the guard house.

"Sweet Mary - " he looked at Cecilia's face, surrounded by her dark hair, some strands still damp clinging to her cheeks. He sighed and scratched his head.

"Now what am I to do. Do you speak my tongue?" He tried another Italian dialect but was surprised when she finally spoke, a courtly tongue he had heard rarely on the dockfront, reminding him of Vicine. They managed a melange of languages - at first surprised she knew some Latin and a dialect of Byzantium but he knew what she now wanted. He pieced together the story and her quest for justice - and that she needed to see someone - anyone - in authority who could help her.

 

[Elayne]

Cecilia stood, shaking the hem of her improvised tunic, water spilled down her slender legs as she did. She gave a small start as a voice called out to her, backing away slightly.

Soon, a dock guard was pulling her into the local guardhouse. She squirmed, unused to such rough treatment.

The man had ruddy cheeks and an bent nose, likely broken at some point and never properly set. His accent was suitable for the docks, speaking quickly and slurring his words in a way that was all but indecipherable.

"Slow down," Cecilia said as she pulled her arm free of the guard's grip. "My name is Cecilia Della Scalla, from Vicine. I must have words with the Governor of this city or his duely appointed Magistrate."

She had to repeat herself twice to be sure the guard understood her. The guard seemed confused by her insistence on seeing the local authorities despite her bedraggled appearance, but after a few minutes, he finally acquiesced, escorting her through the streets towards the manor of the Count who governed the city.

The guard went around the side of the building, knocking on the servant's door. After a few minutes of knocking, a butler appeared, wearing a long night gown and carrying a candle.

"Good evening, good man. Convey my compliments and apologies to the Count, and inform him that Cecilia Della Scalla requires his aid in a matter of justice and hospitality," Cecilia began...

 

[chris2c4u]

The servant fell from his pallet sleepily, scratching flea bites from the straw he lay on. He lit a tallow candle from the guttering light of the kitchen hearth and headed towards the outer door of the home of the Count. Another few knocks preceeded his arrival. Rubbing his eyes sleepily he first pulled back the small square of wood that gave a view out onto the street. He peered around and saw the face and attire of one of the dock guards.

"What's up? Riot?"

"No," the guard hissed back, "here, this - this - person - wants to see some high-up..."

The servant of the Count's household snarled. "You come here, waking me up with some jumped up little sod who can't wait till the morning..."

"Look, she's high born -"

"She? She? For pity's sake, it's some woman?" The servant craned his neck to try and see through the small opening before realising it was safe to open the door. He unbolted it and held his own taper high and looked at the bedraggled fgure Clarence had brought for his delectation. He shook his head and sighed heavily.

"Well? What is it?" he grunted at her.

She understood enough to reply, formally, "good evening, good man. Convey my compliments and apologies to the Count, and inform him that Cecilia Della Scalla requires his aid in a matter of justice and hospitality,"

The servant wheezed out a laugh and shook his head. "She'll have to wait until morning," he said over her head to the guard and was closing the door when Clarence put out a hand to stop him.

"You take her then. She can't stop with me till morning."

Swearing an oath the servant muttered, "then she'll have to sleep on the doorstep - I can't be letting strangers in my Master's house at this time."

So it was that the high born Cecilia Della Scalla of Vicene sat on the rough stone step watching the city come to life as she waited to plead for justice from strangers.

****

It was still early when the servant returned and unbolted the door ready for the day's business. He spoke to Cecilia but she frowned and he made gestures mimicking eating and she nodded, following him to the kitchens where she had bread and beer and while no one looked the cook gave her some old cheese. After this she was taken into the Great Hall where a thin man in a blue tunic spoke to the servant and came over to her after a few words, addressing her in Latin. She breathed out, eager to ask for help.

After a few words the man looked down his bony nose at her and stopped her speaking.

"We can't help you."

He eyes grew round and before she could ask why he said, "you need someone to act for you." Cecilia immediately thought he meant someone knowledgable in law and began to shake her head.

The man nodded equally forcefully. "You need to speak to the Templars."

She breathed again at the mention of the chivalric order. "Here - " she breathed, "there are Templars?"

The man shrugged. "They have a House, yes, though how helpful they can be I'm not sure - but we could not become involved in matters that, from your few words sound as if they involve statecraft - and as we have no alliance with your land nor do I know if you are who you claim to be, you will need to put your case to those for whom such matters are not so difficult to overcome. Put your case to those who seek quests and to protect -" he looked her up and down, "the weak."

He clicked his fingers and a boy came over, who was instructed to take Cecilia to the House of the Templars.

****

It wasn't a castle. The House was reasonably maintained and built of good stone many years before - but the shutters were closed and their wood cracked. The heavy front door also showed signs of warping and age. The boy, having delivered her, ran back into the maze of streets that led to the heart of the city. Cecilia set her jaw and knocked on the wood; her strike sounded feeble and she was preparing to hit harder when the door opened.

He was tall and his skin still held something of the paleness of his northern homelands. He wore no armour but instead a dirty white robe and cowl reminiscent of a priest, though across the white from neck to hem and across his chest were streaks of red in the cross of St George. He flicked back his thick blond hair from his blue eyes and looked at her steadily.

"M'lady. How may I help you?" He spoke in the language of the city but she understood him, eager to tell him her story and put her quest to him.

 

[Elayne]

Cecilia hissed in sharp disapproval as the butler, a mere servant, closed the door on her. She considered pounding on the door, but decided that would ultimately harm her dignity more.

She waited patiently, rubbing her arms, still wet and quite cold in the evening as she waited till sunrise when the butler returned to readmit her. She ate the spare breakfast quickly as she awaited her audience with the count.

The Count seemed to be an educated man, despite his staff's lack of etiquette. At least he spoke Latin, like a true nobleman. Cecilia explained her situation to him, but he seemed reluctant to extend an offer to help, instead directing her to implore herself to the chapterhouse of the Templars.

Soon, Cecilia was hurrying through the streets, following a young page. She considered insisting that he redirect her to the merchant's quarters, where she might find one of her House's factors, or at least a trading partner, who might extend to her some much needed hospitality.

However, they came upon the Chapterhouse more quickly than she had expected. It was more of a manor in the town, which didn't seem to suit the tastes of the Templars that she had heard about in the stories, but she appreciated none the less. In Vicene, most nobles prefered manors and manses in the City to remote keeps surrounded by peasants and farmers. On the other hand, no one who wished to be taken seriously in her home City would have let their house fall into such a state of negligent decay.

The man who answered the door was nearly as unlikely as the house itself. He wore a simple white robe that was not all that much finer than her own garments, which were near to rags. She looked him over carefully, her dark green eyes intent as she tried to take his measure.

"My name is Cecilia Della Scalla. I wish to speak to the Preceptor of this Chapterhouse, that I might present my case to his attention," Cecilia said to the man, speaking slowly, then repeating herself in Latin, unsure if the northerner would understand her. The ship captains who were employed by her house told her that Northern Knights often placed little emphasis on matters of education and propriety.

The man admitted her into the chapterhouse and took her to a waiting room, stepping out for a moment.

Cecilia paused, looking around the waiting room. It wasn't especially grand and the furniture was primarily older pieces, though solidly crafted. She noticed a mirror in a heavy oak frame on the wall and padded over to it.

She looked a fright, still disshevelled from her trials on the ship, but at least she was dry. Cecilia carefully shook out her dark hair, smoothing it as best she could without a brush, trying to shift it into a style that was more ladlylike. She adjusted her voluminous sailor's tunic, straightening the too long arms of it. She was a tall woman, but the cuffs of the tunic still fell to cover her hands. She brushed off the simple, rough burlap trousers. A lady simply couldn't look noble in trousers, she decided after a moment, but at least she was presentable.

Once she was content with her appearance, she headed over to a long table and took a chair. She seated herself in a careful pose, ankles and knees together, hands folded demurely in her lap and back straight as a wall.

After a moment, the door to the study opened...

 

[chris2c4u]

The Templar's house in the Venetian Republic had stood many years, protecting pilgrims and travellers on there way to the shrines in the east. Like all their houses it also changed money for the travellers - at a suitable commission.

The Preceptor had looked after the house for many years. His large belly and languid ways were testament to the easy life. Now - that might be a little disrupted by this woman. He smiled at her as he entered the room; his old eyes were those of a chivalric man of God but he still appreciated feminine beauty and, despite her dishevelled state, he could see she had great beauty - and poise, sitting as demurely as she could in the circumstances.

"M'lady, before we begin - though we don't generally keep women's clothing we do have something that might enable you to be more - modest..." His eyes ran up her legs rather slowly, knowing he was right that she should be covered but still regretting they would be. She smiled and a servant led her to a room where one of the Templar's robes was laid out for her.

On her return she saw the tall knight who had admitted her waiting outside the room where the interview she was involved in was to take place. He smiled at her and nodded.

Joseph had taken the Templar orders five years before and had been sent to the Republic from England three years since. He had a good grasp of Latin but was not tested in battle since the Crusades had ended. He had spent his time more as a clerk dealing with the money the pilgrims needed but, technically, he was still a knight and as such bound to protect Christian travellers. Now he had been asked by the Preceptor to wait outside the office - he might have need of him. Did this mean at last he would be able to venture out, prove himself?

He was sitting in the hallway, his long legs outstretched, dreaming of grails and dragons and quests when the young woman he had admitted walked past in a robe that was somewhat too large for her. She had tried to sort out the tangles in her hair and like his Master he felt her beauty as she again walked into the office, to explain her problem to the Preceptor.

 

[Elayne]

The Preceptor of the Templars in the city was a heavyset, rather jowly man. Certainly, he didn't look like any kind of warrior... or at least one who's fighting days were well behind him. Still he was polite and courteous, despite a lengthy glance at the shape of her long legs, no doubt shocked by her commandered clothes.

Cecilia followed the servant to the small guest room, where a plain white robe had been set out for her. After shooing the servant out, Cecilia stripped off her sailor's tunic and trousers, blushing slightly as her nudity reminded her of her disasterous sea voyage. In her home city she had worn the finest lace delicates, but the rogues hadn't simply robbed her, they had quite literally stripped her bare, two thugs holding her fast as the captain had made a sport of tearing off her unmentionables and stealing her stockings, laughing oafishly all the while.

The templar robe went on over her head, nearly voluminous enough to be a dress. She settled it on her shoulders, the hem falling to her ankles. Designed to be worn by a man and fitted over armour, it was still quite loose on her, but after the coarse wool itched against her fair skin, she decided that was for the best. She looked almost demure as she fixed her hair once more, then turned and emerged from the room, following the servant back to the state room. The tall Knight of the Door was waiting near the office and they exchanged nods as Cecilia stepped inside.

Cecilia smoothed her robe as she retook her seat, carefully handling the rather itchy fabric as she settled in the chair. "Thank you for your generosity, Preceptor," she murmured to him. The robe enfolded her enough for her to cross her legs comfortably beneath it without being immodest, sliding one knee over the other.

"My name is Cecilia Della Scalla, of the House Della Scalla of Viceine," she introduced herself formally with a polite nod. "I'm sure you've heard of my house, which has ruled Viceine for a century."

That was most likely true; the Della Scallas had been merchant princes who had risen in the trade oriented City-States to prominence over the canaled city of Viceine, a center for the sea trade.

"Preceptor, about two months ago, my father Andreo heard tell of a Turkish Sultan marching his army into Italy, and one of his Pashas was near to our own city. My father put out the call to begin raising levies, as well as recruiting several notable mercenary companys to help defend our walls... The Pasha came onwards, yet chose not to press siege on us, camping some distance away and my father hoped they meant to bypass our city," Cecilia informed him, tossing her head as she explained the situation to the Preceptor. "Then we saw two ships adrift, bearing the plague flag and the colours of Spain. Our captains advised wariness, but our bishop suggested the only Christian thing to do would be to offer them aid and comfort in their sickness, so we took the ships into port, though none wished to board the plague ridden ships."

Cecilia's eyes grew hot with anger as she recounted how they'd offered mercy to the stray ships. "But we were deceived and in the night, mercenaries came out of the ships, and sped to our walls. By betrayal, they had gained access to the city and they opened the gates for the Turks. My father was slain in the fighting."

She lowered her face slightly, cheeks flushed with anger at the betrayal. "As you know, the Princes and Generals rallied and defeated the Sultan and his army withdrew... but the Pasha remains ensconed in Viceine, with his mixture of mamelukes, mercenaries and pirates."

"Now, this Pasha, a dissolute man, hopes to carve out his own fief and has seized my older sister and intends to force marriage on her to claim Viceine through her," Cecilia paused for breath as she recounted her quest to the Preceptor. "I fled Viceine on a ship to search for bold knights to rescue my city from the claws of the Pasha and save my sister from him."

"I pray you, Good Templar, can you aid me?"

 

[chris2c4u]

The Preceptor listened to the young woman’s tale without interruption and when she finished he pursed his lips. Clearing his throat he replied, “your story is certainly one where we would be able to help,” he said. Seeing her face brighten he lifted a hand.

“However.”

She sighed and bit back any hasty words to hear him out.

“This is a matter of national importance – we could not act without the sanction of some head of state or the Holy Office. There are many matters of – diplomacy – involved.”

“Diplomacy?” She could hardly restrain her words any longer but somehow managed to cut short the tirade she wanted to unleash reminding him of the attack on her family.

“Your country of Vicene is – strategically placed; many are already interested in its fate and – unfortunately – that means they will wait to see what becomes of your sister without – overtly interfering in the matter.”

Her face dropped into a mask of disappointment and the Preceptor said quietly, “that doesn’t mean we will do nothing.”

She glanced up through her eyelashes and awaited what he was to say.

“We are a small house, just a way station for pilgrims and a place to assist them with everyday matters. There is but one knight here in residence.” The Preceptor stood and asked Joseph to come in. The tall knight entered the small chamber and bowed formally to their guest who, despite her borrowed attire still had a noble bearing.

The Preceptor and Cecilia between them explained the predicament she and her family were in.

“Your vow as a Templar is to help souls in distress who come to you – would you accompany Mistress Della Scalla? My official suggestion would be that you go, perhaps, to seek out an audience with some greater leader than this small city of the Republic has. Perhaps the Doge himself – the Venetian navy would be a formidable weapon.” He stopped and again cleared his throat.

“Unofficially, I fear, as I say, they would wait and see what transpired; they have long been associated with the civilizations of the east and may well think they can do business with a new regime at Vicene. So…”

Both knight and maiden listened as the Preceptor made his suggestion.

“Perhaps – you could return to your land - with Joseph...together you might be able to infiltrate the place where she is being held. The main force was defeated, it may be possible," he said as if speaking to himself. He looked at Joseph - untried though he was he had a good heart and a desire to be tested. He continued, "you might effect an escape with her before the marriage. Then - as she would be the official head of state - she might be able to garner sufficient support to oust the usurpers."

Thepractically minded Joseph put a telling point. "Master - how can we travel there? The lady Della Scalla - she has lost everything."

The Preceptor nodded and looked at her. "We are a small house of a larger Order. We cound I'm sure find a way to finance such a trip, should M'Lady Della Scalla wish it - a loan, for a Christian cousin. Repayable on the success of your venture. Any gift you might wish to bestow upon our house in addition would go to the help of the pilgrims passing through."

Cecilia smiled at their words as Joseph again put a practical point.

"But - under what pretext should we travel?"

All three furrowed their brows and there were several suggestions. Mistress and servant - perhaps not enough to keep her honour protected. Brother and sister? Likewise, she might be preyed upon by dishonourable men. "Or those who see her beauty and wish her for their bride," said the Preceptor. His face cracked into a grin and he nodded and pointed at them both.

"Joseph, you should accompany Cecilia Della Scalla into the city and show her where the fabric stalls and shops are. You wouldn't want the young wife of a trader such as yourself to look uncomely on your trip eastwards."

 

[Elayne]

Cecilia looked over the knight Joseph carefully as they discussed how to go about freeing her sister and her home. The Knight was tall enough and northerners were known for their martial skills. Also for their crude and rough tempers, but fortunately, Joseph seemed to have a good head as well.

Cecilia bit her lower lip as the Preceptor pointed out the problems of approaching the rest of the city-states. She knew well the nature of politics. However, she agreed with the Preceptor's plan in the main. "I agree, if we can my sister, the people will rally to her, and the Padishah is cut off from his lines of support."

Cecilia gave a bit of an internal wince as the Templar Preceptor offered to make the excursion a loan; The Templars could be fierce hagglers and merchants when they wished to be and she wasn't sure if it was wise to be in their debt. Still, Vicene could repay the Order once the Padishah was driven out, she had no doubt.

"Joseph, you should accompany Cecilia Della Scalla into the city and show her where the fabric stalls and shops are. You wouldn't want the young wife of a trader such as yourself to look uncomely on your trip eastwards," the Preceptor finally suggested for their cover.

Cecilia's eyebrow shot up as she weighed the proposal, turning it over in her mind. She turned slightly to shoot a discrete look at Joseph, giving him a more careful look. "A...alright," Cecilia finally agreed a bit nervously.

Shortly after, the Preceptor ushered them out of the Chapter House, sending them to the bustling market square. Cecilia looked over some of the fabric sellers, pursing her full lips slightly as she appraised the bolts of cloth. After a moment, she turned to Joseph. "You should probably buy something as well, if you're to pose as a trader, Sir Joseph," she commented in a carefully neutral tone of voice.

Then, she swept over to a small seamstress shop, opening the door and slipping inside to talk to the seamstress and begin placing an order for some travelling garments.

 

[chris2c4u]

Joseph changed before he left the house, to avoid being seen as a Templar with her; none of them were sure that she wasn't being sought by either the ship's captain who had robbed her and wanted no witness going to the authorities or agents of the invaders of her land.

The streets were alive with people, even at the early hour and on the way Joseph bought them both fresh bread and honey from street vendors he knew to be clean. They moved on to where the clothiers plied their trade and early purchasers were eyeing the latest silks in gaudy colours to tempt the peacock men and women of the city. Nearby were the traders in second hand clothes, some unpicking garments they had recently bought, to adorn new buyers.

There stood a couple, the portly man loudly talking about buying his young wife the finest cloth, letting everyone know she was the clothes horse for his family's wealth.

Joseph smiled; unsurprisingly Cecilia was an expert in fine clothing. She chose the cloth and he enjoyed watching her expertise and wondered about her previous life and her dedication to her sister. He was roused from his reverie by her voice, "You should probably buy something as well, if you're to pose as a trader, Sir Joseph."

He nodded as she hurried away to a seamstress and he paid the first of his "wife's" bills. He wandered over to the shop of a clothier who displayed men's hose and jackets and idly felt the material. A small bird like man appeared from the shadows of the awning keeping off the sun from his fabrics to preserve their colour.

"May I help you?" twittered the bird man, rubbing his hands together nervously.

"Yes. Yes, I'm looking for several items before I leave for the east."

The bird chirruped happily and began showing Joseph brais and the "very fashionable sir," short doublet. "Of course I would make it to your order sir. May I measure you? Come into the recess here -" The bird man looked around and scowled as two dirty street children sidled up to his stall. "Be off, you - and don't touch the cloth!" The children made rude gestures but scuttled away towards the food to try and steal some fruit.

After quite some time, Joseph was measured and he had made his choices. Part way through, Cecilia returned and smiled at the Knight who was obviously enjoying himself, never having the chance to wear fine clothes.

He looked around and smiled. "All done? You have placed your order?" She nodded and showed him the bill to be paid on completetion of the clothing. Likewise he took his own receipt from the tailor and said he would return as soon as possible and that the clothing should be ready.

They moved on, buying shoes and ordering a travelling chest for their new found clothing before taking a seat in the shade of a small indoor bazaar. The scent of spices rose from somewhere nearby and Joseph leaned forward conspiratorially and said, "shall we have some tea? It's years since I had any - it's so expensive - if you don't mind it going on your bill." He grinned at her and pushed back his blonde hair from his eyes. For a moment she could see past his chivalric facade to the man within while he gazed into her eyes forgetting her high birth and seeing the young woman intent on saving her sister. And seeing her beauty.

He drew a breath, retreating again and murmuring about booking their passage as soon as possible on the next ship going towards Vicene. The voyage would be up to a week and he wondered about the sensibilities of sharing a cabin with her, for appearances sake. He blushed at the thought and met her gaze again as the tea arrived.

 

[Elayne]

Cecilia looked over some of the seamstress' dummies in the shoppe, picking out a few acceptable dresses tht would only need some minor modifications before she could wear them. Most were too short for her height, and those that were long enough tended to be too loose.

Cecilia stood on a small step and the seamstress measured her carefully, wrapping a length of string around her waist and knotting it, then doing the same for her bust and hips, and the length of her legs.

Afterwards, Cecilia left the shoppe to find Joseph. They made a quick circuit of the market square, purchasing various sundries and then headed for a small tea shop to hold a quiet discussion.

Cecilia shifted slightly on the chair. The rough wool of her borrowed robe was scratchy against her skin as she picked up her cup of tea, sipping it. It was quite good. "You'll forgive me, Joseph, but I'm not eager to board a ship again. Thieving sailors and stormy seas are a risky way to travel," she murmured to him wryly, her expression carefully neutral. "Why not join a caravan heading there overland instead?"

They mulled over their travel options as they finished their cups of tea. Cecilia fiddled with her long, raven hair as she thought, twisting it around her finger, then sniffing and crinkling her nose. "I smell like a harbour," she complained to Joseph. "I'd like to find a bath house, so I can wash off before we head out. Besides, we should have enough time while the seamstress finishes her work."

 

[chris2c4u]

Joseph considered Cecilia's suggestion regarding the travel and her understandable fears of another assault upon her honour. He did not press the point and thought that, even though slower, the caravan might be a way they could slip more easily into the territory around Vicene.

She asked about the baths and he nodded and smiling took her through the bazaar further into the city.

The building was ornate, its low sloping red roof topped by chimmney pots that, even in the building heat of the late spring day, a white smoke curled up from into the blue sky, the fire heating some of the waters within.

"I'm sure that you are used to bathing royally," he said, realising he had to take her to the public baths. "Perhaps with servants?" They approached the entrance. "I can pay for you to have the best service they have," he said a little apologetic that someone of royal birth should be so deprived - and that she would have to use one of the large barrel like tubs, though he knew this house did good food to accompany bathing for those who could afford to pay.

He smiled and said a little more loudly, "Well, it's the least a husband can do for his wife in a strange land!"

From within the entrance his voice echoed off white and blue glazed tiles and a woman stepped forward.

"You are married?" she asked, smiling from a round, brown skinned face which tilted to and fro as her dark eyes glancd from one to the other. Cecilia and Joseph also looked from one to the other; now would not be the time to deny their story, they both thought and Joseph nodded.

The small young woman grinned broadly and gestured for them to follow her inside.

"We have a special service for "married" couples." She said the word to suggest that the marriage need be only for a few hours and one of convenient fiction. Thinking that this meaning was so obvious to Cecilia and that she would be insulted to be thought a common adulterer or worse, Joseph hurriedly concocted a story he felt sounded plausible, concerning their loss of their clothes in a storm at sea and how they would be travelling on soon. The small dark woman nodded and "Hmmm'd" her agreement and by the time he had finished they had been led into an inner chamber.

They could hear the sound of bathers nearby on the other side of the wall. The room they were in was cool and painted a sea green, with a white cotton curtain flapping lazily over an open window. Two large tables with fresh towels on them stood in the middle of the room and a smaller table with aromatic oils stood nearby.

They both realised she was explaining to them that here they could be private and each could apply the cleansing oils to the others body and when they were ready servants would be sent in to scrape off the excess before they would go into the baths - together.

"The servants will show you the way to the baths when you are finished with the oils," the woman said, her bright aquamarine sari-like dress contrasting with her broad smile and the walls. She gave a little bow and pointed out the bell on the table that they could ring if they required assistance or to let the servants know they were ready.

Joseph didn't meet Cecilia's gaze for a little while after the woman left.

 

[Elayne]

Cecilia watched the woman go, keeping her heart shaped face diplomatically smooth and expressionless. After the woman had left, Cecilia looked around the bathing room. It wasn't entirely what she was used to.

Cecilia was hardly shy - she had been bathed by servants for years after all - but the bath had a certain Turkish feeling to it that made her a bit uneasy, entirely apart from the suggestion that she and her 'husband' should bath each other.

"I must say," she murmured to the knight in her low, pleasant voice. "I've never done this with a gentleman before."

She flashed him a winsome smile, tucking a strand of her long dark hair back behind her ear as she padded over to the small table of vials and oils, running her finger tips across the tops of them. Those at least seemed to be of excellent quality.

After a moment, Cecilia sighed slightly. "Well, I suppose we have to maintain our cover, but I think I'd like to know you a bit better before letting you wash my back," she commented. "I trust you to be a true knight?"

Having said that, Cecilia turned her back, bending to begin rolling up the hem of her long templar's robe, sliding it up her slender legs, well shaped as any dancer's. She blushed slightly, wondering if he was peeking, but decided she didn't want to know. Instead, she resolutely continued, pulling the robe up over her rounded, firm buttocks and the small of her back, up over her head, and off.

She turned and hopped up to sit on the edge of one of the low tables, crossing her ankles demurely as she did. She picked up one of the bottles of oil and worked out the stopper, then began rubbing the aromatic liquid on her feet, and up her ankles and calves, building a sheen on her skin as she massaged her thighs.

A small cough made her whirl. The serving woman had returned, with a small bottle of wine and two goblets. Cecilia popped up on her feet, feeling a bit oddly guilty, then quickly covered her sex with her hands as the other woman set down the bottle and the glasses on the end table.

"Is there anything else I can do?" the serving woman asked playfully as she eyed the young 'couple'.

"Yes," Cecilia replied, still a bit flushed. "I'd appreciate it if you'd send a runner to the seamstress at the market square. I'd like to wear my new clothes out of here..."

"I shall see to it, m'lady," the servant said, bobbing a curtsy and slipping out discretely.

Cecilia turned slightly to Joseph, about to comment on the servant's likelihood of gossiping. Instead, she found Joseph starting and looking away.

Well, I suppose it's a 'husband's' right to look on his 'wife', Cecilia thought a bit peckishly, though she was at least gratefully that the Templar wasn't lewd or crude if he had been discretely ogling her.

"Joseph," she murmured to him, her voice just enough to be heard over the sounds of the water and the other bathers in nearby rooms. "I'd appreciate a glass of wine, I think."

As he went to the table to pour, Cecilia returned to rubbing the oil into her skin, working up her sides and navel. As he turned with the goblet in hand, she gave a little half twisted, to conceal her breasts slightly, crossing her legs as she sat back on the table. She took the goblet with a murmured thanks, sipping it.

The wine was quite good. Cecilia finished her glass quickly. Afterwards, feeling a bit of a feyness on herself in the wine flush, she looked over her 'husband'. He really was quite handsome in his own right, she thought.

Why not? she thought to herself mischieviously. Cecilia slid her hands back behind her on the table, balancing herself slightly. She discretely arched her supple back, emphasizing her pert, full breasts as they rose with her movement.

"Thank you, Joseph," she murmured, fiddling with the wine goblet, letting him get an eyeful.

After a moment, she tossed her head back, picking up the vial of oils again, this time spilling some across her bosoms. She slowly began to knead the skin, rubbing the scented oil into her cleavage and her breasts till they glistened wetly, then working her way up her arms and neck.

She paused briefly, then smiled slowly at Joseph, with just a hint of invitation and a good amount of enigma. Then she reached over and lightly touched the bell, summoning another young woman.

"I believe I'm done with the oils," Cecilia told the bathhouse girl, hopping off the lip of the table and following the other woman out with another mischevious glance at Joseph.

 

[Elayne]

Cecilia let the other woman lead her to a small side room with another low table and two high mirrors.

"Here, m'lady," the blonde haired bathhouse girl murmured, and Cecilia stretched out, laying face down on the table.

She heard the whisper of linen as the slender, blonde haired bathgirl slipped out of her own robe, and then the small shift of the table, the sense of a body over her as the girl straddled Cecilia's buttocks. Cecilia could feel bare skin against her own bare skin.

After a moment, the blonde began to scrape the excess oil off Cecilia's skin. She used a small piece of sharp stone, gathering the excess from Cecilia's shoulders and along the curve of her back. Cecilia moaned lightly, then relaxed, feeling that she was in the hands of an expert.

The bathgirl quickly scraped Cecilia's sides and flanks, then scooted down to scrape the curve of the damsel's buttocks and the backs of her thighs and calves.

The bathgirl flicked off the scraper, then began to massage Cecilia's feet, working up her legs and along her spine. Cecilia groaned in relaxation, feeling better than she did since before the Padishah had come to Viceine.

The blonde raised her hips slightly, pressing her hands on the small of Cecilia's back, encouraging the lady to flip over and lay face up. The two women faced each other for a long moment, both breathing a bit quicker. Then the bathgirl picked up the scraper again and began to scrape off the excess oils from Cecilia's shoulders and neck, working her way down.

Cecilia gave another moan, arching her back as the bathhouse girl scraped and then massaged Cecilia's breasts, the sensation more than pleasant. Soon, Cecilia's entire skin was tingling, pink and flushed from the scraper and the kneading fingers.

After a moment, the blonde hopped off the table, tugging Cecilia towards the lip of the table and tugging her legs apart. Cecilia gasped slightly as the blonde exposed her sex, kneeling. Cecilia could hear the scrape of steel on leather and then the sharp press of a razor.

Before the Padishah, Cecilia would never have dreamed of baring her most intimate parts so, but after the fall of Viceine, the Padishah had had all the captives denuded to be prepared for whatever harems he assigned them. Cecilia had escaped just after. The blonde worked methodically, assuming that Cecilia's state was voluntary, and soon, Cecilia's sex was completely stripped, the razor shaving off ever bit of hair.

The blonde then began to rub an oily, viscous material between Cecilia's legs, around the lips of her sex. "Raise your arms, lady," the blonde asked.

Cecilia complied, letting the bathgirl begin shaving her underarms. "What is that?" she queried.

"It's a herbal mix that will stop the hair from growing back for months, lady," the bathgirl replied. "I use it myself."

Soon, Cecilia's underarms were shaved and rubbed with the goo. Then the bathgirl moved on to pluck her eyebrows. Cecilia stared up at the mirror for a moment as the bathgirl worked. "That mirror..." she began.

"A husband likes to know his wife isn't being mishandled," the blonde replied with a small smile.

Cecilia flushed. Some bathhouses had such mirrors to allow a husband to look in on a wife's treatment discretely, to assure she was not being adulterous. Cecilia wondered if Joseph was behind that mirror.

Finally, the blonde picked up a vial of perfume. She dabbed on the swab and quickly lined Cecilia's wrists and her neck with the fragrance. After a moment, Cecilia's breasts and cleavage, her navel and her inner thighs all got wide streaks of the scent.

Cecilia inhaled the scent. "Wood lillies," she murmured softly, puzzled. It was a strong scent, more suitable for a whore than the delicate scent of a lady, however the lilly scent implied dignity and reserve as well. It was the scent for a dancer, or a well to do courtesan, a woman of secret lusts and discrete appetites. Cecilia flushed slightly. "I didn't pick this..."

The blonde smiled as she dipped her finger into the perfume bottle. Cecilia gasped as the finger then slid into her sex, worming around her entrance, applying the perfurme around her and inside of her. "Of course not, lady. We asked your ... 'husband' his favorite," the blonde replied as she worked her finger about.

Cecilia flushed brightly. She had no doubt that the woman thought Joseph was not her husband, which was true. She also suspected the woman thought she was company for hire, which made Cecilia's cheeks brighten.

As soon as she was done, the blonde helped Cecilia up with a giggle and exclaimed, "Come on!" She reached around Cecilia to give her bottom a playful swat, chivvying her from the room. Cecilia flushed again. The gesture was hardly appropriate from a bathgirl to a lady of the court, but from a bathgirl to a lady of the night it would not have drawn a comment.

As soon as they were outside, Cecilia looked around. She saw a flash down the hall, a man leaving. She thought she saw...

The blonde leaned in, giving Cecilia a tight hug, their bare breasts rubbing. The woman's hands were behind Cecilia's shoulders, twining in her hair. Cecilia gasped slightly, and then stepped away.

The blonde smiled then turned and began padding down the hall. Cecilia blinked, realizing that the other woman had tied a red silk ribbon in a bow in her long, dark hair.

"What...?" Cecilia demanded, hustling down the hall to catch up with the other woman. She noticed the blonde had the small tattoo of a rose on her behind.

"It's to show that you're new in town and not allowed to take custom," the blonde replied calmly, "not until you meet an Elder Sister and pay a guild due."

Cecilia flushed and gasped, "But I'm not...!"

"Don't worry, sister," the blonde smiled warmly. "We welcome new girls and new talent here. If you can't pay the initial due, the Elder Sisters will find you a spot in a house and you can work it off. You might even get the baths here with me, if you can swim," the blonde giggled.

Cecilia gaped in astonishment, unable to formulate words for a moment.

"Now, don't worry. I'll finish off your hire tonight, so no harm done, but remember, no more custom till you pay your dues!"

Cecilia was mortified as the passed a door, then headed through a curtain to a private bath where Joseph was waiting.

"But I'm telling you..." Cecilia paused, suddenly remembering the man she saw in the hall, and the door they just passed. The room had had two mirrors.

"Was there another... room?" Cecilia gasped in horror.

"Yes," the blonde replied calmly. "Sometimes, we take a coin or two from someone lonely who just wants to look in," she continued. "We didn't think you'd mind."

Cecilia gaped, her mind swirling. She realized she knew the man she had noticed in the hall. He was a sailor on the Sea Flower, the ship that had brought her here. She had seen him. And now, he had seen her...

 

[chris2c4u]

The masuesse called himself Abdul and claimed to be from Anatolia. He had a weatherbeaten face and a large, elegant grey mustache that he occasionally stroked in between seemingly trying to tie Joeseph's limbs in knots. His talk moved easily between trade, his wishes to visit his homeland and girls. There was a lot about girls and he ended by slappping Joeseph's ass at the conclusion of a dirty joke.

"Now let's get you oiled up for the pretty lady you're with today," the big Anatolian said with a broad grin. He crossed his muscular arms over his bare chest.

"My wife," said Joseph, a comment Abdul thought the height of amusement. "You want me to oil you or have one of our ladies do it? I won't tell the wife," he said leaning forward with a stage whisper and a finger to the side of his prominent nose.

Joseph smiled; he liked Abdul's sense of fun but asked for one of the girls.

The big man left with a laugh and in a little while a small dark haired young woman came into Joseph's room. She grinned but didn't speak as she went to bottles of oils on a small table. She wore a diaphanous material over her nakedness; as it came down to just over her firm ass it hardly disguised her body beneath.

With hands that were experienced beyond her appearance she smoothed the aromatic oils into Joseph's arms and shoulders, kneeling behind him on the table as she did so. Still she didn't speak. He felt her lean close and the brush of the thin fabric against his skin as her hands slid down his back to the tapering of his body towards his hips. He sighed as she reached around and her palms pressed against his belly and up to his nipples, her fingertips massaging the oils into his skin.

She slid lithely from the table and stood before him, her small grin increasing in a satisfied manner when she saw her touch was obviously exciting him. Her hands slide over his powerful thighs with a steady regularity and a surprisingly strong grip. She then knelt between his legs, concentrating on his calves and all the way down to the ends of his toes.

She stood slowly her gaze on his engorged sex and then flicking quickly to his eyes.

With a practiced expertise she began to scrape the excess oil from his body before taking his hand and leading him through to the large private bath. At the steps into it she quickly disappeared and Joseph sank gratefully into the warm water, hiding his arousal in case Cecilia appeared.

Soon, she was brought in and Joseph gasped as he saw her as she was led to the bath. He noticed her flushed skin with a sheen from the oils, the slow roll of her hips as she walked with as much dignity naked as she did even in the rags she had worn when he first saw her. He also noted that she had been shaved and wondered if she was before the bathing - he was not unaccustomed to the women of the town, despite his religious calling and knew women's bodies well. He mentally shrugged and considered that perhaps it was a custom of her country.

He reached out to take her hand, helping her into the water. She slowly lowered herself into it until she used it like a robe to cover her. The swell of her firm breasts and the upper edge of her nipples still showed as the water rippled around her, her dark hair fanning out on its surface.

Joseph smiled and inhaled the scent her body had been covered in explaining haltingly that he had been asked what perfume he would like to be used on her before he was taken in to Abdul. She echoed the bathhouse girl who had explained it was one of his favourites. He nodded, thinking that the others who had worn it for him were not mysterious princesses and great beauties.

He drew out an arm from under the water and reached out; she seemed surprised by his gesture and almost flinched but he put his hand gently onto her hair, tugging at the ribbon that had been placed their until the loose knot opened and it fell away.

"It's very pretty but - "

Cecilia smiled and nodded, saying that she had already been informed of its meaning by the girl who had attended her. When he saw that the high born young woman smiled a little at this case of mistaken "occupation," he too grinned.

"Perhaps we should - wash away the oils..." he said, "as a man and wife would."

There was a noise from another chamber, the obvious sounds of male excitement and the more controlled voice of a woman, urging him on. At the sound of a hand striking the water vigorously and a lot of splashing, Joseph could not stop a knowing grin, which he transmitted to Cecilia's own face. He picked up a sponge as if this behaviour elsewhere had relaxed him and let the water run off Cecilia's neck and shoulders.

He moved closer, running the sponge over her body above the water and then, with a slightly nervous swallow, he let his hands roam beneath the surface against her ribs, her back. He was moving around her, half swimming half walking, his fingers trailing the sponge now over her belly and up - as his eyes met hers, over her breasts. He handed her the sponge then to continue her own ablutions and clean the oil from his body.

He realised that she had begun to tell him a tale; a story of the watcher who had observed her with the girl a little while before and that she was sure that he was from the ship she had escaped not so long before. He listened and he nodded; the Templar's visage returned.

"Then - we must find a way to make sure you're safe until we get away from here," he said simply.

 

[Elayne]

Cecilia is a bit perturbed by the directness of the bathhouse girl, shivering slightly, but forced to hurry up to meet with Joseph and inform him of what has happened.

The bathgirl leads her to a small bathing room, where Joseph awaits in a tub. Cecilia pads around the edge of the pool, sitting on the marble lip and slipping inside, letting the water lap around her protectively.

She had noticed Joseph's eyes roaming over her. Cecilia knew it was improper, but she was far from Vicene and further from propriety than she had ever been before. It was a touch frightening, but also a heady rush of freedom that she had never experienced before.

Cecilia flushed slightly as Joseph nobly tried to warn her about the red ribbon, but she couldn't help but smile along with him as well. She had enough of a sense of humor to appreciate the oddity of her situation.

Cecilia shivered as Joseph approached her, spilling water down the arch of her slender neck and beginning to sponge her supple back. She drew her thick dark hair forward over her left shoulder, looking back at him as he rubbed her with the sponge. That was definitely improper, but the feeling was wonderful.

She turned to him and met his gaze with her own green eyes as he slowly ran the sponge across the fullness of her breasts, purring softly in pleasure. She thought he might have done more, but she deflected him, telling him about the sailor that had spied on her.

That ended the aroused mood of their shared bath, which was bittersweet. She thought it was for the best, but she couldn't deny that she had been enjoying being a woman instead of a lady for a time.

After their bath was over, they both clambered out of the tub. The blonde haired bath girl stepped into the bath chamber, taking Joseph's hand. "I'm Lisette," she purred to him vixenishly. "Let me take you to the room to dry off," she said, leading him away.

Cecilia watched them go, feeling a spike of heat in her belly. She had no doubt what Lisette intended to do with the knight.

"And I'm Abdul," Cecilia heard a voice repeat. "Since you seemed distracted the first time."

Cecilia flushed and turned to the man. He had an impressive grey moustache over his tunic and breeches. "Come," he said, motioning for her to follow.

Cecilia padded after the fellow, to her own drying room. Abdul was waiting for her with a towel. "I'm the day manager of the baths here," he told her as he reached out with the towel.

Instead of wrapping it around her though, he began to directly rub the towel across her shoulders and down her arms. Cecilia blinked her deep green eyes in surprise, but Abdul chuckled. "So, have you ever heard the one about the maid and the knight-errant?"

Cecilia shook her head, dark mane swaying. Abdul laughed and then told her a rather lewd joke, that made her blush, but chuckle as well. "Turn," he said.

Cecilia turned and he began to rub the towel down her back. He gave it a light snap, smacking her buttocks with it. Cecilia yelped, but he chuckled. She couldn't help but giggle as well. Then, he reached down and cupped her rear, giving her a playful squeeze. "Spread your legs," he murmured, "so I can towel your thighs... Can you swim?"

"Yes," she replied. Cecilia had used to swim in the canals of Vicene with her sister and was quite a strong swimmer. Abdul didn't respond. Instead, he continued to tell her ribald jokes as he toweled off her legs. She was blushed pink. In between jokes, he would reach out to squeeze and fondle. He cupped her breasts, squeezing them and then bouncing them up and down. "You have a nice jiggle," he joked.

"Jiggle?!" Cecilia gasped, flustered, but he laughed.

Finally, he set the towel down. "So, that will be four silvers, six if you wish to have your hair done as well."

Cecilia blinked. She was naked of course. Joseph was holding the purse the Templars had loaned her. "Just let me get the coin..."

Abdul laughed. "What did Lisette tell you, silly girl? You can't take money from that poor boy for the bath you've had with him, not till you pay your dues least aways."

"Well then, how do you mean for me to pay you...?" Cecilia began, then flushed and trailed off, realizing exactly what he had in mind.

She was shocked to find, however, that his playfulness and the titilatting bath with Joseph had left her aroused enough to be willing as he unlaced his breeches slightly, revealing an stiff member. He stepped into her, pressing her round behind against the wall, leaning her back. And then he was inside of her.

He began to thrust in and out. She could hear the slap of her own skin against the marble wall as he took her. Abdul was clearly experienced with women, going quickly but not so hard as to be painful. He squeezed her thighs as he hefted her up, then cupped her behind as she was hiked up onto his manhood, her breasts rubbing his chest.

Suddenly, he pulled out. "Turn," he said. Cecilia moaned slightly, but he tugged her shoulder and she turned. He pressed her legs apart with her foot, and then slid into her sex again, standing behind her. She quickly put her hands on the wall for balance.

He reached under her to cup her breasts, rubbing them in circles as he began to thrust harder, pounding into her from behind. Cecilia cried out as he continued, pumping her till her cheek and breasts were against the wall. Then he slipped his hands down, and gave her a sharp smack on the behind that made her yelp. He chuckled.

It was an awakening for Cecilia. She had been with men before, but never with a man who was unaware of her rank. All had treated her differently because of it. Suddenly, she was just a woman.

Finally, Abdul made a long groan, and she could feel him tense and stiffen. After a moment, he let himself slide out of her, his sticky seed on her thighs as he did.

He was panting. So was Cecilia. Abdul gave her another spank on the rump and then laughed. Cecilia shocked herself by giggling as well, still flushed with excitement.

"Well," he said, still chuckling. "That was good."

Cecilia smiled coquettishly. "Was that worth the four silver."

Abdul laughed again. "Yes, and I'll even throw in the hairdresser," he commented, then reached out to squeeze the sides of her hips. "You do rest too much on being beautiful though."

"What?" Cecilia blinked in surprise.

"I told you, I'm the manager here. I tried out all the girls before I'd ever hire them. You're beautiful and that's wonderful, but you could do more. Once you pay your dues, the Sisterhood will teach you how to use these... and these..." he commented, squeezing her hips again and then reaching up to squeeze her breasts, "to give true pleasure to a man or a woman."

Cecilia flushed. The other men she had been with had never had any complaints before. But after a moment, Cecilia paused and then murmured, "But you think I'm beautiful?"

Abdul grinned. "Silly girl."

Cecilia couldn't help but giggle. Previously, men had compared her to her more voluptous, lascivious sister. Many men had commented on her sister's beauty, but the compliments she got were generally on how much she looked like her sister, except taller, smaller breasted, and green eyed instead of dark.

After a moment, Cecilia went over to a wash stand, dipping a cloth in and wiping off the sweat. Then she let Abdul lead her to another room.

She sat on a small bench and a dark haired girl entered. The dark haired girl smiled as she moved around behind Cecilia, beginning to brush her thick, midnight hair. After a long moment, Cecilia relaxed, reveling in the luxuriousness of the feeling of the comb and brush moving through her locks.

Finally, the girl refreshed Cecilia's perfume and Cecilia stood, looking at herself in the mirror. She had to admitted that the bath had left her refreshed and she looked much better, cleaned and perfumed, with her hair arranged in an artful sweep.

At the end, Cecilia slipped out of the room, padding down the marble halls towards the entrance of the baths. She saw Joseph there, already dressed. He certainly looked pleased with himself, but after her own encounter with Abdul, Cecilia couldn't bring herself to feel jealousy.

She heard a chuckle behind her as Abdul slipped up behind her, fiddling with her hair. "There, silly girl. Don't lose that ribbon again, the Sisterhood looks unkindly on those who treat their tokens lightly."

Cecilia blushed as she reached up to touch the red silk ribbon tied in her hair once more. Abdul then slipped his arm around her waist. "Let's go see your... husband..." he said lightly, pushing her forward to Joseph.

"Hello! I hope you enjoyed your time in the baths!" he called.

Joseph turned and blinked. "Yes, thank you..." he began.

Abdul chuckled. Cecilia felt his hand on her shoulder, tugging slightly, setting her squarely infront of Joseph. Abdul tickled her shoulderblades slightly, making her roll her arms back. Then his hand slid down to the small of her back, pressing lightly. Cecilia reflexively arched her back a touch in response to the casual touch.

With a small blush, she realized that Abdul was discretely arranging her to present herself to Joseph. She stood there before him, naked as the day born, her thick hair spilling around her heart shaped face, shoulders thrown back and breasts thrust out, rising and falling with her breathing.

"She's a good girl," Abdul commented, giving her a friendly pat on the bottom. "Once the Sisterhood teaches her some tricks, I've no doubt you'll have plenty of other opportunities."

Cecilia flushed, tossing her head and fixing Joseph with a defiant stare, daring him to laugh or comment... but she didn't cover herself, either.

 

[chris2c4u]

Lisette's small hand grasped Joseph's fingers and she scampered a little ahead of him down the corridor. He notice her rear was adorned with a small tattoo of a rose and he grinned.

"Now," she said, a little breathlessly as she pulled a large towel off a stand and let it drape in front of her. She walked forward slowly and wiped it across Joseph's broad chest her fingers playing through the fabric on his nipples and she grinned at him. He noticed her dimpled cheeks and let her hands roam down his belly.

She expertly held his member in the towel, pouting a little as he ws still soft. She slowly rubbed and when she felt him beginning to thicken her smile returned more broadly. Her hands slid to his thighs and she to her knees, running the towel over his legs, exposing him and watching as he grew stiff before her. She slolwy stood up, her mouth passing close to the head of his cock so he felt her breathe on it before she stood and their blue eyes met for a moment.

She slowly walked around him to his back and let the towel slide over him. She stood up and let her hands run the cotton over his backside before she let the towel fall and left her hands on the strong muscles of his ass. She moved closer and kissed the back of his neck.

Joseph knew the ways of the bathgirls and had enjoyed her touch. Now, he turned to her and took her chin in his hand, elevating her face so he could bend to her mouth and kiss her lips as his other hand slid around to the small of her back. She instantly arched her back as she had been trained to do and he felt her hardened nipples against his chest as he kissed her more deeply and moved her towards the cool stone of the wall.

She slid backwards until she felt the wall behind her and her hands went to his hips eager to please her customer but she sighed softly in pleasure as she felt his mouth dip to her neck and her breasts; he suckled her nipples leaving a wet trail between her soft flesh and then slid lower until she felt his tongue in her navel.

Joseph listened to her sighs; he enjoyed bringing the bath house women pleasure and his mouth now lapped softly at the lips of her shaved pussy, probing and flicking her clit. He grinned inwardly when she ran her hands into his hair and her hips moved back and forth. She groaned and he probed her, his tongue inside her then lapping her clit until she squealed and fell down onto his mouth and he stood quickly and buried his erection deep in her still spasming pussy.

She opened her mouth but there was silence except the sound of their bodies moving as he thrust hard and fast and deep. She clawed his buttocks as he rammed hard lifting her onto her toes before he was grunting and shooting his seed deep inside her.

****

It took a while but Lisette eventually recovered her professional composure and poured aromatic oils into his hair and combed them through his locks before dressing him. She kissed him softly before leaving him in the corridor - not forgetting to take her fee.

"Hello! I hope you enjoyed your time in the baths!" Abdul's voice made him look round.

Joseph turned and blinked. "Yes, thank you..." he began his eyes not on the man but on Cecilia's naked form. He swallowed. He watched as she pulled her arms back presenting her breasts to his eager gaze. The arch of the back reminded Joseph of the bathgirl's trained response. He looked into Cecilia's deep green eyes then to her lustrous black hair and the ribbon that was again in place.

"I would like to speak with..." Joseph could no longer keep up the pretense of "his wife."

"She's a good girl," Abdul commented, giving her a friendly pat on the bottom. "Once the Sisterhood teaches her some tricks, I've no doubt you'll have plenty of other opportunities."

He looked back to the noblewoman, to the defiant glance. Clearly she had decided something.

Abdul left them calling out lewdly that they must not fuck.

Their eyes left each others faces at that comment and Joseph knew that Abdul had taken her.

"It is the best," she said, haltingly in the language that was unfamiliar. "I will hide here until we have clothes, have a caravan to travel with. They protect the girls."

He nodded. "Yes. As Abdul says, I will come and see what you have learned. To protect your cover, of course." He grinned. "They will expect me to be intrigued." He left her enough coin to pay her dues, kissing her cheek bfore he left.

 

[Elayne]

Cecilia flushed as Joseph neither laughed nor comment. Instead, he stared hungrily at her unclad figure. With Abdul's comment, she had no doubt he realized she had been seduced and used, though he was polite enough not to remark on it.

After a quick private discussion, Joseph convinced her that it would be wise for her to hide out with the Sisterhood while he found passage. She agreed that it would be for the best, to avoid the crew of the Sea Flower.

With a quick kiss on the cheek, Joseph left her at the bath house.

After he was gone, Lisette appeared. Her honey blonde hair had been pulled up into a soft knot at the back of her head, and she had switched to a reasonable green linen dress, one that would not have drawn comment anywhere in the city. She held a cloak out for Cecilia to wrap herself in, then murmured, "Come."

Cecilia followed the other woman out of the Bathhouse, flushing and shivering as she held the cloak closed around her body. It was getting later in the day, but there were still enough people about that Cecilia imagined that she could feel eyes on her, watching as each step threatened her modesty.

Finally, Lisette led her to a modest townhouse. It wasn't quite large enough to be a manor, but certainly respectable. Lisette tapped on the door and a sultry eyed maid opened it, admitting the pair.

The maid turn and slipped out as Cecilia looked about, adjusting to the light. The front hall was tastefully decorated, with a rather nice painting of the harbour and several vases of roses.

Soon, the maid returned and Cecilia gasped softly as she got her first good look at the woman. The maid was pretty, but her outfit was outrageous. She wore a black dress that was little more than a slip, low cut through the front and back, with a hem that stopped short of her mid thighs. A white lace apron and black stockings completed the outfit, but the maid wasn't fit to be seen outside.

"You may go," the maid said to Lisette. "The Lady will see her now."

Cecilia gave a start. She was used to being the lady. As Lisette left, the maid ushered her in to a sitting room, where a dark haired and dark eyed woman in a deep red dress waited, watching Cecilia enter hawkishly.

"Good evening," Cecilia began shyly.

"Strip," the other woman cut her off briskly.

Cecilia paused for a moment, stared at the woman, unsure. The woman returned her gaze evenly. Slowly, Cecilia slid back her cloak, letting it fall to the ground.

"Leave us," the other woman said to the maid. The maid picked up Cecilia's cloak and purse and turned, slipping out and closing the door.

"What is your name?" the Madam asked.

"Cecilia," she replied, returning the Madam's gaze unflinchingly.

"You have good bones and a fit body," the Madam said after looking Cecilia over critical. "A noble?"

Cecilia flushed, wondering how to conceal her past, but the madam shook her head. "You're not the first who's had to flee her troubles and came to the Sisterhood. Better than a life as a farmwife, yes? You can do well, here."

Cecilia was taken aback, looking the other woman over curiously. She had a certain bearing and demeanor that made Cecilia wonder if she too had been displaced from her ancestral home by war or turmoil.

The Madam continued, "The coins you got from the young sir are ill gotten, as you have no right to work in this town. But we are not thieves. We will return your purse to you once you have earned the right."

"How am I to pay my guild dues then?" Cecilia said snippily, annoyed.

The Madam raised and eyebrow and then smiled amusedly. "How else? Through labour. Your room and board will be provided, but your wage will be retained until your fee is paid. Once you have done that, you will recieve one of these..."

The Madam raised her hand, showing her wrist. Cecilia leaned in. There was a tattoo on the Madam's wrist, a red rose, the same design as was on Lisette's rump.

"With it, you will be a Free Sister and may work as you please," the Madam said with a smile. "Until then, you are mine."

 

[chris2c4u]

On his return to the Templar's house the Preceptor looked at Joseph quizically. He knew that he was a young man and that he had visited the baths before and that, undoubtably he would also have partaken of the women on offer there. He did manage a shake of his head as Joseph tried to explain.

"We - thought it would be the safest thing. She will be protected there - until the ship she was attacked on leaves port..."

The older man shook his head again and gave a wry smile. Joseph had not only taken a high born noble who had come to them for help to the baths he had even made her into a trainee courtesan!

"Joseph, collect the clothing and see if you can manage to find a caravan heading out the way you require." The Preceptor sighed and looked to retire to his rooms but before he did he turned.

"Oh - and it probably wouldn't do any harm to go to confession. Soon."

Joseph blushed and nodded contritely, remembering the way the young woman had massaged the aromatic oils into her skin as she drank wine, the gleam in her eyes, the way she had responded to Abdul's hands - hands, he was sure had done more than just cleansed her body - hands he envied...He hurried away towards the nearest church.

****

The clothing they had ordered was ready by the following day and the Templar paid for it and returned it to the house before heading into the markets. Here amid the merchants, slaves, freemen and factors he sought out a face that he knew.

The corner of the market place by the city wall was draped over with a somewhat threadbare canopy under which lay bolts of cloth, some of them fine coloured silks. The small black boy watching over it grinned when he say Joseph and ran over to hug the Templar round the waist. He dug in a small pouch at his waist to fish out the latest tooth he had lost and solemnly Joeseph offered him a copper coin for it. The boy haggled and Joseph inspected the tooth carefully.

"Very well, it is quite a good tooth."

They both laughed when two coins were handed over for the incisor.

"Ben, where is Abraham?" The Templar looked arund for the stall holder. There was a loud braying of a donkey and cursing in Hebrew and Joseph laughed, looking around to find the answer to his question trying to pull or cajole the animal through the gate of the city, its back laden with further cloth for the stall. Already some of the haberdashers had gathered and were trying to inspect the new shipment; he enlisted their help and eventually the animal was herded in to the stall and the wares unloaded by two employees - Abraham kept no slaves.

He saw Joseph and the large, rotund Jew hugged the Christian and invited him over to talk as the new shipment was checked and displayed and he began to take orders immediately.

"You're a popular man, Abe," Joseph said with a laugh.

When things calmed down Joseph spoke in a low voice to his friend, explaining what he needed.

Abraham nodded and scratched his ear then turned his finger in his beard; it seemed to Joseph as if the trader would be unable to think without his large bushy facial hair that his fingers curled in when he became pensive.

"There is a trading caravan leaving the city in about a week that I should think you would be safe on," he said. "They do business with me and I could introduce you to them."

Joseph smiled and shook hands with his friend, who then winked.

"So, is she beautiful?"

Joseph grinned and looked away a moment before nodding.

"Oh oh! She has caught your eye then, young fighting monk?"

****

Joespeh returned to the baths after his successful day and asked to speak with Cecilia. He was told that they must ask Madam Salome; it was a name he knew as one of the madams of the baths. She often kept new girls under her wing. He hoped that he would let him speak with the young noble woman as he remembered her figure, her response to Abdul's fingers as she displayed herself for him. He hoped he could stay a while...

 

[Elayne]

After her conversation with Madam Salome was done, the maid returned, taking Cecilia by the hand and leading her downstairs, to where the servants would have been quartered in Cecilia's own home.

"Where are we going?" Cecilia demanded imperiously to the other woman.

"To the maid's quarters. You'll begin your service here in the house. And my name is Anne, by the way," the sultry eyed, dark haired woman replied with a bit of a smirk.

"Cecilia," the damsel replied with a bit of a flush, stung by the subtle barb about her lack of manners in failing to introduce herself. "I'm to be a maid?" Cecilia said, a bit shocked.

"To begin with," Anne replied coolly. She had a brisk, almost brusque manner. "The Madam keeps between four and eight girls in service, teaching them personally."

Soon, they were stepping inside a small room with two large beds. Anne looked at the beds and then smiled, "You should be thankful. There are only two maid rooms. When there's only four girls, things are comfortable. When there's eight, we need to sleep two to a bed."

Cecilia nodded slightly, then after murmured her courtesies, slipped into bed.

The beds in the small servant's quarters of Madam Salome's house were quite comfortable. Cecilia was awoken just after dawn, far earlier then would be considered a reasonable hour in Vicene.

Anne, her new roommate, the sultry eyed and dark haired maid who had greeted her at the door yesterday handed her a small package. "Come, we need to get dressed for the morning."

Cecilia opened the package, finding inside the same black slip and black stockings that Anne already wore. With a quick hop, Cecilia pulled the thin linen stockings onto her long legs, then pulled the short dress on over her head. The hem barely covered her hips, making walking a perilous endeavor and bending or sitting out of the question. The white, frilled apron doubled as a belt, accentuating the slenderness of her waist. Cecilia tied the red ribbon off in her hair, at the nape of her neck.

When they were dressed, Anne lead her down to the kitchen, where two other girls dressed in the same nearly scandalous outfit awaited. One was fair haired and blue eyed, the other a doe eyed girl with chestnut hair. Both wore red ribbons in their hair. Anne smiled and point to the blonde, "This is Sarah..." she said, then switched to the brunette, "...and Christina."

Cecilia nodded politely. "Hello," she murmured.

After the introductions were done, the girls split up to the chores of the house. Cecilia found herself watering plants, dusting furniture, and helping with dishes. By the time the church bell rung the ninth hour of the day, she was already exhausted.

Once the chores were done, the girls moved to the gardens, where Madam Salome awaited. "Let's begin, shall we?" the Madam said in her cool, crisp tones.

The four girls embarked on an odd routine of movements, almost balletic. Cecilia spread her arms, bent her waist to the left and then the right, dipped and stretched. The exercises left her feeling stretched and aching. Sarah, on the other hand, seemed as supple as a thin leather glove, following the contortions with an ease and grace that Cecilia found herself envying.

As the noon bell rang, Cecilia's next task was to hustle out of the house and over to the Baths. There, Lisette greeted her with perfumes and a comb. For the next three hours, they went over how to apply cosmetics and scents and how to arrange someone's hair, while still being flirtatious and seductive.

Finally, Cecilia was sent back to the Madam's house, for afternoon tea. The four maids paired off, sitting at tea. Cecilia found herself sitting across from the slender Christina. Madame Salome circled around the two tables, offering comments like, "Remember to fix her eyes with yours... Lightly touch her arm... Sip your tea thusly..."

Finally, the evening bell rang, for six past noon. The Madam smiled and clapped her hands. "That's enough. Prepare dinner, ladies. Cecilia, a moment."

The other three maids left to the kitchens and Cecilia rose, a bit nervously. Salome padded offer, cupping Cecilia's cheek with her palm for a moment and smiling. "You already have much of the manners I would expect, and Lisette says you have a knack for attending and service. With a little work, you might become a concubine for one of the city's nobles."

Cecilia flushed, wondering what to make of that. Salome smiled coolly. "That is an easy life, dear, better then the bordellos."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Cecilia stammer in replied, then scooted off to the kitchens, joining Anne and Christina in preparing food. "Where's Sarah?" she asked Anne.

"She's answering the door tonight," Anne replied. "We take turns you see. Tomorrow will be Christina's turn, then the day after yours."

"Oh... Are we expecting company?" Cecilia asked.

Anne laughed briskly and Christina giggled softly into her hand. "The Madam always has company. On any given night, she holds dinners for six to eight guests. Nobles, aldermen, the wealthier merchants. Sometimes, even knight-errants, if they have a good reputation. Ladies as well, but less often."

Cecilia blushed. She supposed that made sense, "I see. How many are we having tonight?"

"Six," Christina replied. Her accent was very soft, but Cecilia could hear a light touch of the farm still on the girl's voice, despite her assumed elegance.

Suddenly Sarah breezed into the kitchen, bouncing happily. "Oh, the Mistress says to set another place!"

"Who's come?" Anne asked curiously.

Sarah giggled quickly. "A knight... A northern knight. He's very tall and very handsome. The Madame spoke with him briefly and invited him to stay for dinner!"

With that, the girl darted back out of the kitchen.

Joseph, Cecilia thought to herself. "She seems very happy," Cecilia said distractedly.

"She likes bedding knights," Christina offered demurely.

Cecilia blinked, looking over at Anne and Christina. Anne laughed brusquely again. "You didn't think it was all tea and dancing? Most of our training is in bedplay, and the Madam says we should learn by doing. Every night, the Madam chooses a guest, or even two, for her own bed, but the rest, well, we are responsible for...entertaining them."

 

[chris2c4u]

Joseph smiled as Sarah invited him in, admiring her body scarcely covered by the skimpy clothing. He followed her swaying hips down a corridor into the presence of Madam Salome. She smiled at the young knight and not only said that he might see Cecilia but that he could stay for the dinner that was being given for the rich and influential of the city and the nearby province.

He mingled with a physician from the court and a local landowner. Also there were petty officials and a minor noble who was visiting the city and the fame of the Madam's women had reached his land. Salome smiled in pride and ordered more wine for everyone.

"And you, Knight, Joseph," said the landowner with a glint of mischief in his eye. "Are you not to be chivalrous? You're surely not here to partake of the pleasures of the flesh?"

Joseph smiled. "Even Knights must practise the art of lovemaking - and as maidens are forbidden us and married women are protected by the laws of God and man - we must take to the courtesans to - perfect our - "art."" The men laughed and Joseph was allowed as an equal at the table, where the women served them with courses of fine food and wine, as more and more they were groped and pulled onto laps and kissed.

Most were accustomed to this and played with the men as much as the men debauched themselves. One, however, was more nervous. Cecilia had never been used in such a way before and she blushed and tried to look pleased as hands slid over her stockings, over her scarcely concealed body, as she was made to kiss the landowner, feeling his tongue force its way into her mouth, tasting the wine on his breath.

Joseph knew that he must not interfere but he did try and rescue her, calling her over for his own lap, his arm slipping around her waist and feeding her honey from his fingers, feeling her tongue lap it from his skin his other hand in the small of her back.

As more wine flowed one of the minor officials called out, "since we have a Knight in our company let us joust!"

He suggested that the men should be the horses and the courtesans should ride them and try and unseat an opponent. Joseph laughed and fell to the floor, stamping his "foreleg" and whinneying at Cecilia, who quickly mounted her steed. They were faced by Anne on the back of the landowner. The two pairs came close and the women reached out for one another and wrestled, laughing until with squeals they both fell to the floor, Cecilia beneath Anne, who was well versed in what would please the assembled drunken revellers. She bent down and kissed Cecilia on the mouth, a long lingering kiss.

There were "ooohhhhs" and "ahhhhs" and a little dirty chuckling and applause as Anne began to open Cecilia's maid's uniform and expose her to the gaze of the men and then bent to kiss her nipples, her long hair trailing over Cecilia's body as her mouth dipped lower, lower onto the shaved mound between her legs.

There was a cheer as Anne sat up on her haunches and looked down with a grin at the new girl, whose surprised look and blush made the men laugh. Jospeph moved closer and helped Cecilia up and the other men began to fall on the girls like vultures, pulling them aside into different corners of the room.

The wine made Joseph flushed and the warm young woman in his arms aroused him. He forgot he was her protector - of sorts - and took her close to his chest and kissed her. His clothing partly covered her nudity and she took his hand pulling him through a doorway until they stood against a whitewashed wall and he kissed her mouth again, pressing her against the cool stone.

She urged him around and he say the bed that awaited them. He was filled with desire now and wanted the noble born woman's body for himself. He led her to the bed and the sounds of the orgy faded a little behind them as she lay on the top of the bed, her legs still half off it, her feet on the floor as she watched him undress. As she had seen herself and as Sarah had said, he was handsome. She smiled as he slid onto the bed beside her, his hands caressing her cool skin, raising her breasts to his mouth as he murmured her name.

"Cecilia," he whispered.

 

[Elayne]

Cecilia was nervous as the dinner began, wondering what it would entail. Soon, Anne was thrusting a trencher of roast beef into her hands and the four maids were slipping out of the kitchen and into the dining room.

There were an odd assortment of men there, for a number of different walks of life, and at the head of the table sat Madame Salome. The four maids moved about the board, setting down their plates of food for the men. One of the men, a local physician reached over to pinch Cecilia's rear rather sharply. Cecilia whirled, considering slapping his hand away, when suddenly she saw Joseph, standing beside the physician. She swallowed her angry response, remembering to act her part out and instead retreated.

Anne tugged her away and they returned to the kitchen, where jugs of wine awaited them. Soon, the maids returned to the dining hall to fill the goblets the men extended. Cecilia poured wine for the lady, then for the minor noble seized her waist, pulling her into his lap. He picked up a slice of the thin beef and held it to her lips, letting Cecilia eat it. As she looked down the table, she saw Sarah, with her dress have unlaced, sitting in the lap of an Alderman who was pouring warm honey across the inner slopes of her cleavage. On the other side, Anne was being fed a pastry by a merchant.

Suddenly, Cecilia realized why the maids hadn't dined before hand, as would have happened in an ordinary house. They were being first to flirt and seduce to eat.

The noble let her up and a few minutes later, a landholder of some rank tugged her into his lap. He lifted his wine goblet to her lips, then slid his hand up her skirt, bold as brass, tugging her garters lustily. She opened her mouth to say something, but he leaned in and kissed her hard and deep, his tongue pressing hers down. His hand left her skirt, only to begin to travel up and down her side, then across her breasts.

It was a relief when he let her up and Joseph lifted his goblet to her. Soon, she was in her knight protector's lap. Joseph dipped his fingers into a jar of honey, lifting them to her lips and Cecilia slowly began to lick his fingers, as she had seen Sarah do earlier. She flushed as she realized she was rather enjoying it. Cecilia thought to herself that a good wife might allow herself to be fed off her husband's plate, by her husband's hands even, without shame. But the giggles and squeals from the other girls made it clear this was much more wanton.

At a raucous suggestion that they joust, Cecilia climbed aboard Joseph's back to face Anne, who was straddling the landowner. They came together and with a twist, tumbled to the floor, Anne landing on top of her. Supple as a minx, Anne straddled Cecilia, pinning her wrists as she began to tug off the maid's outfit. Cecilia moaned and blushed as the more experienced woman began to kiss her way down Cecilia's body, her tongue flitting across Cecilia's sex in a way that made the damsel squeal and writhe to rival Sarah. The guests approved of the spectacle and Anne relentlessly continue to flay her tongue across Cecilia's pink entrance to the cheers and laughter of the functionaries.

Finally, Anne let her up and a strong arm pulled her to her feed. Cecilia found herself blushing as she once more found herself standing nude before Joseph.

She flushed as she tugged him aside and he lead her down the halls to the comfortable servants quarter. He tossed her down on the bed and Cecilia splayed out across her covers, head spinning with the mix of wine, honey, adreline and arousal. Joseph began undressing and it was clear he wasn't viewing her as his charge or a lady tonight.

Joseph climbed onto the bed next to her, running his hands along her soft, pale skin, lowering his mouth to her breasts. He murmured her name, and she murmured his in return, "Joseph..."

With a strong hand, he grabbed the maid's apron around her waist, pulling it off with a sharp tug. Cecilia moaned softly as his fevered hands took her hips, lifting her up till only her head and shoulders were still on the bed. With a pull, he yanked what was left of her slip down to her hips.

Cecilia gasped as her breasts bounced freely beneath him. He gave another tug on her dress as it bunched around her hips. Cecilia responded with a little wiggle, rolling her hips to allow him to pull her dress utterly off and discard it, dropping her back on the bed, her round behind bouncing on the soft satin sheets.

Now naked except for her black stockings, Cecilia's hands bunched in the sheets as Joseph stood at the edge of the bed. He ran his hands down her flanks to her hips, stroking her thighs. Cecilia straightened her legs and he seized her stockinged ankles.

With a strong pull, he split her legs apart, spreading her utterly open. Cecilia moaned frantically squirming her hips, but his strong hands kept her from closing her legs. She whimpered as he paused, looking at her pink entrance.

He tugged on her ankles again, making Cecilia worm her hips across her blankets to the edge of the bed. Then he stepped forward, thrusting his manhood into her like a sword being thrust into a scabbard. Cecilia gave a gasping cry as he penetrated her so fully in one thrust.

Joseph moaned as well, but in triumph and pleasure. He settled her ankles on his broad shoulders, running his hands down the length of her slender legs to cup her buttocks. Then, he began to slowly pump in and out of her.

Cecilia gasped again, spreading her arms wide as he took her, strong and hard as a knight. His hands squeezed her buttocks as he began thrusting harder and faster, pressing down on her from above. The weight of him above her sent ripples of heat through her womanhood and belly as he continued to hammer away at her, as determined as a smith at a forge.

Finally, Cecilia succumbed, moaning in time with him as he continued to take her. She rose her hips slightly when he thrusted, letting him split her deeper and deeper. It made her ache, but the ache wasn't unpleasant. She locked her ankles behind his neck and he leaned forward over her, folding her nearly in half as he pressed into her. Cecilia surprised herself by rolling her hips in time with his rocking, encouraging him to use her, deeper and more fully.

Finally, he cried out and stiffened. At the same time, Cecilia gasped, feeling her own soft body tense, and then erupt. Her sex spasmed so hard that spots exploded before her eyes.

When her vision cleared, Cecilia was panting, exhausted and spent. Joseph was lying on the bed next to her, with a blissful expression on his face. He pulled out of her, and Cecilia saw his seed glistening on her entrance and thighs.

Cecilia found her cheeks wet with tears. She realized she hadn't made love to him as a lady or a damsel. She had fucked him like a whore.

And as she realized that, she realized something else, that made part of her horrified, and part of her delighted.

She had loved it.

 

[chris2c4u]

Joseph moved against Cecilia's body, feeling her moving in time with his thrusts, feeling her legs over his shoulders. He clutched the flesh of her ass holding her as he thrust deep and grunted, climaxing inside her as he watched her face and felt her own muscles contract on him.

He panted and slowly they disentangled themselves from one another only to be startled by a voice.

"That was good, for a new girl." Against the door stood Madam Salome a smile on her lips as she contemplated Cecilia and the knight. Joseph thought of protesting at her voyeurism but she just went on.

"Come, you are needed," she said to Cecilia and walked away slowly calling back, "don't bother to get dressed."

Cecilia looked at Joseph and bit her lip.

"I think I should take you from here - I don't seem to be doing a good job of protecting you," said the knight.

She shook her head and looked at him through her dark lashes. "No...I'm - eager to learn," she smiled coquettishly and slid from the bed. He watched her walking slowly to the door, her hips swaying, a walk of confidence, borne of someone who knew her status but was now revelling in playing a role, another type of person altogether. Joseph swallowed as the words came to his mind. Playing the whore.

****

Joseph dressed and made his way back to the dining room, where, it seemed, the others hadn't been as modest as he and Cecilia; they had stayed in the room and the orgy still continued.

"You don't mind a new girl," Salome was saying to the reclining middle aged naked merchant who laughed.

"Not at all." He spread his legs and Salome spoke briefly to Cecilia who nodded a bit hesitantly and then kneeled between the merchant's hairy thighs. She took his cock in her hand; it was flaccid, he'd already had Anne and now wanted a girl to suck him.

"I see the knight was busy with you," he said pointing to the drying fluids on her own thigh and Salome clicked her fingers. Sarah excused herself from the rest and Salome told her to clean Cecilia with her mouth while the new girl pleasured the merchant.

He growled and sat up a little to watch as Sarah slid under Cecilia's kneeling body, between her legs and licked her right thigh clean before moving on to lap at Cecilia's pussy.

Cecilia closed her eyes and moaned and then kissed the merchant's rapidy inflating cock. She could taste the fluid he had recently spilt along with the traces of Anne's musky scent. She moaned again as her lips closed on the head of the cock she gently squeezed in her fingers.

As she lapped him with her tongue she sucked harder and heard him grunt with pleasure. His fingers laced in her dark hair, partly in pleasure from her mouth, partly to push the locks aside to see Anne lapping at Cecilia's sex, watching the girl's hips moving as she felt the heated tongue on her pussy's lips, as Sarah feasted on her juices and the knight's seed.

Cecilia took more of the cock in her mouth and felt the man trying to thrust. She laid her delicate fingers on his thighs then up to his hips to slow his movements, as she moved her mouth now on his shaft.

Joseph watched the scene, his own passions again aroused but slowly tearing himself free. He told Salome that he would call again the following day and made for the exit, leaving the coins, his payment for Cecilia's body, by the door.

****

Joseph did not explain to the Preceptor his late return and the master of the Templar's house did not bother to lecture his young charge. There was no point - soon the two of them would be travelling together and out of his control; he hoped that the knight would at least pray for guidance.

Joseph did pray and while there was guilt at the back of his mind, he also knew they as they had slaked their lust they felt for each other in the house, that she had found something in her that could not have been expressed in Vicene. He also thought, more dispassionately, that she was learning a useful skill, one that might well help them find a way into the occupied court of her homeland. He blushed at the thought of a noblewoamn stooping to be a prostitute - albeit a high class one - but then wondered if by doing so, she would save her sister and perhaps her land.

 

[Elayne]

Cecilia lay limply besides Joseph, reclining until the Madame's voice interrupted their shared reverie. Cecilia lifted her head of the bed, midnight hair pooling beneath her.

She could tell Joseph was considering protesting, but Cecilia shook her head discretely, urging him not to expose their charade. She rose out of the bed, following the Madame back to the dining hall, where the merchant await her.

Cecilia moaned softly as she knelt, lowering her full lips to the merchant's manhood, beginning to kiss the head of it, then slowly take it into her mouth. Sarah, nimble as a minx, contorted herself, sliding underneath Cecilia to run her tongue across Cecilia's thighs and up into her sex.

Cecilia moaned in pleasure and the vibration brought a similar moan from the merchant. She began to suck up and down, licking and slurping at him. The merchant clearly approved, twining his hands into her dark hair, pressing her head down.

Cecilia groaned, almost gagging as he slid deeper into her throat. Sarah increased tempo beneath her, entering Cecilia with her tongue. Cecilia moaned again. With no further warning, the merchant spurted slightly and Cecilia coughed. He was too deep for her to refuse and his seed slid down her throat. Cecilia gulped, swallowing it all.

The merchant sighed happily, pulling back. Sarah tugged Cecilia up to her feet, pressing her back to the table and laying her out across it. Cecilia whimpered as Sarah hopped up on the table as well, straddling the damsel. With a thrill of surprise, Cecilia realized that Sarah meant to have sex with her. The blonde haired girl spread Cecilia's shapely legs to the grunts of approval from the guests that remained. Cecilia's eyes rolled wildly, looking about. She couldn't see Joseph anywhere. The only men that were left were watching her and Sarah couple like writhing animals for their pleasure on the table. Cecilia raised her head slightly, opening her mouth, thinking to see if Joseph was still there, but Sarah pressed her back down with a deep, lingering kiss.

When they were done, Sarah and Cecilia fell apart, gasping for breath. Christina, dressed in her maid's uniform once more, was chivvying out the last of the guests. The hour had grown late.

Madame Salome clapped her hands together. On the table before her were four large jars. Cecilia saw the first jar was three quarters of the way full with coins. The second and the third hovered at around half way full, yet the fourth was empty.

Salome opened the fourth, pouring in a small pile of coins. "Cecilia," she purred, "you took the knight, the merchant, and a little extra for the show with Sarah."

Cecilia flushed, looking at the coins, realizing that Joseph had paid for her. That made her embarrassed somehow. The madame continued, enumerating what each of the girls had done and adding coins to their respective jars.

"Well done," the Madame said, after she had finished Anne's jar, which was the closest to full. "You can go to bed now."

The four maids began to file out, when Salome called out, "Cecilia!"

Cecilia paused, turning. "Yes Madam?"

"Cecilia, tomorrow morning, you will be excused from chores. The physician needs to examine you and make sure your healthy to work. Oh, and you don't need etiquette classes. I'll think of something else for you to do," the Madame said slyly.

Cecilia was curious, but nodded, slipping out and going to the room she shared with Anne.

The two girls undressed, dumping their soiled clothes in the laundry hamper. Cecilia then blew out her candle, slipping into her bed with a sigh. She was exhausted.

Soon, she could hear Anne's even breathing from the other side of the room. Cecilia tried to sleep, but she was feeling too much turmoil. Then, the floor boards outside her room creaked, and the door whispered open.

Cecilia's sheets rustled softly, her bed shifting. A soft hand cupped her bottom from behind, squeezing it. Cecilia was about to yelp when another hand covered her mouth gently. Cecilia could feel breasts, fuller than her own, pressing into her shoulder blades, then soft kisses along her neck.

Cecilia moaned, softly. The hand at her mouth slid down to fondle her breasts. The hand on her rear wrapped around her waist, then dipped low. Skilled fingers massaged her sex, splitting her open. One delicate digit penetrated her up to the second knuckle.

"Sarah?" Cecilia whispered, softly.

"Shhh," the blonde whispered back, careful not to wake Anne.

"What are you doing?" Cecilia said with a blush as Sarah wormed her finger around inside Cecilia's sex.

"Cecilia, I need your help with something," Sarah purred softly into Cecilia's ear.

"What?" Cecilia moaned.

"I'm going to sneak out and go visit someone," Sarah murmured. "I need some directions."

"Visit someone?" Cecilia demanded.

"We're allowed to have lovers, Cecilia. We can do it for free too, you know," Sarah teased. "There's a man I want to spend the night making love to. I want him tonight."

Cecilia moaned softly, hearing the passion in Sarah's voice. "So, what do you need me to help you with?"

Sarah nibbled the back of Cecilia's ear, then whispered in it softly, "I... owe some money to a gambling house. The madame is making me repay them..."

"In trade," Cecilia finished. "You want me to go and bed the man you're supposed to be with while you sneak out."

Sarah breathed in Cecilia's ear, "Oh, please, oh please..." she whined, even as her fingers teased Cecilia's nipples and sex. Cecilia moaned softly, then Sarah offered, "I'll cover a contract for you to make it up..."

Cecilia sighed and then agreed, "Alright, I'll do it."

Sarah squealed in delight, then hopped out of bed. "Oh, wonderful!" she whispered, helping Cecilia up out of bed. "Then you need to go to the Black Lion and meet Don Rudolpho... and I'll go to the Templar's House."

"The Templar's House?" Cecilia hissed in surprise.

Sarah nodded enthuiastically. "I'm going to sneak in and give that handsome knight who visited us tonight the bedding of his life," she enthused. "I'll bet I'm his favorite by the next time he visits us!"

Cecilia groaned, staring, wondering what she'd agreed to.

 

[chris2c4u]

The Preceptor slept when a faint knocking came at the door of the Templar's that night. Joseph went to the door, taking a dagger with him and opened it to see a slight form wrapped in a dark cloak. He smiled, recognising the eyes of Sarah before she let the cape fall fully from her face and she grinned at him and stood close, her hands sliding around his waist.

"I didn't get chance to get to know you," she whispered, pressing close.

He stood still and bent his head to smell the perfume in her hair. "You can't come in here," he said firmly and she looked up, disappointed, biting her lip.

"We must go to the Inn," he said and she grinned. He went for some money and locked the door behind them as they went down the winding streets towards the near deserted market. At the inn there they took a room and a flagon of red wine. She removed her cloak revealing a thin dress of burgundy silk; Joseph sucked in a breath through his nostrils as he looked at the way it revealed the curves of her body. He knew there would be nothing beneath it as she walked over and took one of the cups of wine he had poured out and drank, her dark eyes on his face as she did so.

"Did you enjoy this evening?" she purred, standing close as he too drank, his other hand pushing her shoulder length blonde hair back from her face. He nodded in answer to her question.

"I hope you come back...for me." She stood closer and he felt the warmth of her body. "I enjoy the embraces of strong...fighting men," she said, blushing a little as she revealed a little of her particular reason for coming to him. She swallowed and moved closer standing on tip toe to offer her mouth to his.

He smiled and bent to her lips, his arm sliding around her back as he broke the kiss and he leaned down to lift her into her arms, listenening to her gasp in delight; one of her shoes fell to the floor and she put her arms round his neck.

"Tell me of a battle you've been in," she said with a grin and she wriggled in his arms, kicking off the other shoe. He kissed her as he slowly walked towards the bed, not telling her of his lack of actual knight-like combat but instead inventing a lurid tale. He placed her on the bed and her eyes widened as he told of his daring deeds.

"And then," he said, "I had him!" She nodded wrapt, intently listening her hands running over the fabric of her dress as the story excited her.

"He was unhorsed..."

She swallowed pressing her thighs together.

"At my mercy. I thought no more of it and stood over him."

"Yes," she breathed hard and fast. "Yes."

"He saw my dagger through his visor and I sought out his neck below the helmet..."

She closed her eyes and whimpered.

"I plunged it in to the hilt!"

"Ohhhh..." she moaned and sat up drawing him over her body.

"Touch me, quickly..." she guided his hand under the fabric of the dress to her wetness. He ran his fingers across her shaved pussy feeling her lips part, playing with her clit as she writhed against his hand. Her nails dug into his shoulder as she quickly climaxed, with a laugh. Exhaling, her mouth open, she looked far from satisfied by that one orgasm. He grinned pulling his hand free and lifting it to her mouth; she licked her own fluid from him as she pulled at his clothes. He felt for the ties that held her dress and they loosened, the top falling from her shoulders, like wine running off her olive skin revealing her to his eyes and mouth.

Eagerly they stripped and she was still ravenous for him, her arms strong, pushing him on his back on the bed. She ran her eyes over his body and her hand slid between his legs. Without looking she trailed her fingers up his erection and then squeezed him. She moved, kneeling between his parted legs and bent to his balls, lapping them and sucking one into her mouth.

He sat up on his forearms but let his head fall back as she suckled him then ran her tongue up his shaft slowly, reaching the head where her lips slid over it as she slowly pulled down his foreskin, her warm mouth replacing it. He moaned her name and she looked up to his face through her dark lashes as she sucked him a little more before slowly releasing his cock and watching it glisten, a tiny strand of saliva running from her lips to the head for a moment before it broke.

She moved forward, straddling him, watching him grin as she again took his hardness and ran it over her slick, warm pussy, runing it against her clit and sighing to herself.

"Yes..." she said, her hips rocking a little as he held them before she looked down at him her hair spilling forward over her shoulders as she grinned wickedly.

"You plunged it in..." she moaned throatily.

"To the hilt!" He lifted his hips as she rammed down on him and he arched his back to raise her up and bury himself inside her. She squealed and reached back to caress his balls before moving slowly, her hips rolling on top of him.

She reached for the cup of wine, letting the liquid fall on her breasts, making her skin glisten; she trailed a ruby river over his body too watching it pool in his navel before he sat up and lifted her breasts lapping the droplets that hung from them and from her nipples, into his mouth. She pulled his head to them as he did so and then pushed him away so she could lean down and lap the wine from his chest as his hands surrounded the cheeks of her ass and he moved deep inside her body.

She kissed his neck as she lay over him her pussy squeezing his cock.

"You ride to battle?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yes, a steed bedecked with armour himself."

"I should like to see that," she moaned, moving quicker against him.

Joseph had a fleeting glimpse of the elderly donkey which was actually the equine inhabitant of the Templar House stables but made up the story of the fine chestnut animal with it's leather saddle proudly on its back, a noble creature.

"Oh yes, I want you...want to see you..."

He pushed her shoulders back so he could feast his eyes on her nakedness.

"For now - you ride me," he said with a grin and she complied, her hands on his chest her hips rising and falling, her pussy squeezing him. She moved faster and he slid fingers down to her clit as she moved.

"Yes...Sarah...yes...don't stop," he moaned and she quicked her pace. His hand moved against her wetness in time with her riding, his other hand pawed her breast, tugging her nipple. He heard her suck in a breath and grunt as she drove down on his cock, feeling him throb, feeling him come.

He lifted her again with the thrust and continued his playing with her sex until he heard her grunt and saw her fall forward a little from her abdomen, feeling the insistent squeezing of her pussy as she came again, as she milked his sex.

She fell forward over him in the light of the oil lamp in the room their mouths meeting his hand running over her ass and back as she covered him and they drifted off to sleep.