The Book (closed for silvertongue217)

[TheQueenofCups]

It had been the first building she had seen in hours. It was just a simple barn surrounded by well-tended fields, and orchards full of blossoming fruit trees, but she praised the gods for the relief. Cerid wiped the rain out of her eyes for what felt like the thousandth time since her escape, and moved as silently as her shivering legs would allow, towards its shelter.

Once inside, she took a moment to catch her breath and observe. There was a horse at the far end of the barn, quiet in its stall, but otherwise, it felt quite empty. The only noise beyond the occasional sound of hoofs against the pounded earth was the torrential rain that had not seemed to lessen from the moment she left the castle. Cold, starving, and wet to her bones, the young elf had no care as to the name of the horse, or its owner. Cerid noticed a stall full of dry hay and stumbled inside.

She peeled off the drenched longcoat that had been slapping at the back of her ankles for miles, and the equally soggy coat she'd worn beneath it, and threw them aside. She checked the sheathed daggers at her belt and in her boot before removing them as well. In her damp cotton chemise and breeches soaked with rainwater well up her thighs, she knelt down in the hay with a sigh. It was useless. Entirely useless. All of that work and effort, not to mention that vile mage's touch on her arm, and for half a book. A sodden pile of smeary pages that would bring no comfort to any elf alive. Meanwhile, King Mandarus, human pile of excrement, had only one half left to him as well. That had to be something, right? She'd at least pissed him off, ruined one day for all the dead he'd left on the field. Wasn't that worthy of a cheer?

Her sarcasm had no warmth in it.

Cerid unbraided her wet hair and ran her fingers through its auburn lengths before pulling open her pack. As she did so, she saw the bruise that mage had left on her wrist when he...ignoring that, she dug into the pack's contents. There was the serving girl's clothes she'd used for her disguise in the castle, a ruse that was clever, but not clever enough in the end. They wrapped around the half of the book she'd gotten away with. Oddly enough, the book itself had not been touched by a single drop of water.

Cerid was sensible enough to question it, but outright exhausted enough not to question it far. She wrapped the book back up, made a pile of loose hay to serve as a pillow and shivering wildly, laid down. A dream of diving into a warm spring had just begun to dance in her mind when the half-failed thief was startled awake.

 

[silvertongue217]

A crash of thunder woke him up

The large man shot up his eyes wide with fear and worry. His massive frame easily brushed the bearskin blanket down causing it to pool at his hips as he twisted his head from left to right. His eyes sharp and piercing blue scanned his simple bedroom several times. For a man who had been asleep moments later he looked alert and awake. Their was a flash of silver as he pulled a large knife out from under his blanket and gripped it firmly. He stayed like that for several moments cocking his head slightly to the side as he focused all of his efforts on listening.

Some thing wasnt right

He had all but given up on figuring out what that some thing was when he heard it. Movement! In his barn! It was light so light he had almost mistaken it for the wind but not quite. There was some one in his barn some one doing their best to keep quite. His mind flashed running through the manner of enemy he was about to face as he rose out of his bed.

The bearskin rug dropped revealing a pale white body hardened by farm work. He had the looks of a Northern man with hard rough features. He had a thing boot strap beard colored brown just like the short hair on the top of his head. He was large with broad shoulders and trunks for arms. The way he carried himself as he crossed to his clothing was sure and quick as if he didnt move with out deliberating and thinking about his steps carefully.

He pulled on his simple linen pants and shirt and turned grabbing his boots and his large Ax. He detested the weapon detested it even after all these years but if they had finally came for him he had to be prepared to defend his home and his life. He pushed the thought out of his mind however and instead focused on the positives. More than likely it was some one seeking shelter from the storm. If that was the case and they proved honest he would invite them in for shelter and leave it at that.

"Better is the hand with honey than with the ax" He murmured to himself going to the door and wrenching it open. A wave of cold water slammed into him almost forcing him back as the wind howled.

"Dogs of hell" He growled shielding his eyes as his clothes quickly soaked through. He did his best to ignore it and instead jumped out pumping his arms as he raced to the barn house. He reached it in a matter of moments and slammed his shoulder into the door hard enough to force it open.

By now the man was soaked and more than a little angry. The barn was dark and so he couldnt see who it was inside just yet. He did however see a slight form rustling in a few barrels of hay. He growled and pulled his ax out gripped it as he locked eyes with the form.

"You were a fool to come into Maude's barn whoever you are!" Maude said his blue eyes shinning with anger "On a blasted night like this as well!"

 

[TheQueenofCups]

Cerid let her feminine voice rise out of the darkness. “I might well be a fool. But I had no other choice. Nearly drowned on the roads out there.” She rose with it, her hand on the dagger sheathed at her hip. Her vision, improved by several degrees as an elf, made out the rough outline of a man who could not easily be overcome. A man who, reasonably enough, was wielding an axe.

She knew she couldn't spend another hour out in the cold rain. Was it worth her life to dance for the warmth of that hay? Cerid found herself brazenly stepping forward, into the shaft of moonlight the open door provided so that he could see an elf had invaded his barn. She was still shaking, her skin still clammy as her clothing clung to her.

Many of the humans, to the pleasure of their hateful king, had been sent to the war with Atalon. At least most of the men who looked to be of this man's age and ability. Atalon, a country that could feed all of Emarin's mouths without a single of their own people going hungry. It was curious that he was still here and not amongst the soldiers. She'd spent little enough time in the company of humans, male or otherwise, until she'd undertook this mission.

The axe blade looked sharp, cared for. Perhaps this meant he'd take care before embedding it in her skull. She took another step forward and said simply, "Please."

 

[silvertongue217]

The figure took another step forward revealing the slim outline of a woman. His eyes widened as he took her in almost missing her words as he gazed at her openly. She was pretty... Well the word pretty did not do her justice. She was stunning breath taking in her own way. It didnt help that her clothing hung to her and her wet form in a way that left little to the imagination. As such he had to tear his eyes away from her body and focus on her eyes as she stepped closer to him.

"That will be far enough" He growled his hand gripping his ax "While I like to think a woman wouldn't dare lead me astray I am not that much of a fool hands where I can see them and we can discuss some better accommodations for you"

He turned noting the storm was still going on hard out side. Even inside the safety of the barn he could feel the chill. His hay would be piss poor when it came to keeping her warm and dry.

"Your liable to catch a chill if you stay in here" He said going back to the barn doors "You give me any weapons you have on your bodice and swear on no funny buisness and you can sleep inside tonight I have a spare bed and whats more a farm for you to warm up with and even dry clothes make no mistake that I give you my word and honor that nothing bad will happen to you"

He turned pushing the door open again and turning to her. He crossed his large arms over his large chest and rose an eyebrow waiting to see what she would decide.

 

[TheQueenofCups]

A man's word and honor. She halfway believed him even as she felt his eyes roaming over her body.

She was not unaware that her body had an appeal to men, that slight as she was, she had been gifted in ways she had often tried to ignore. She had endured such looks before, had seen them in the reddened eyes of the mage before they turned into something else entirely. But tonight, instead of grumbling, she found herself making her own appraisals. Rough, but not cruel. Strong, but not battleworn. Even if this human carried the same blood as that bastard King and his insidious mage, as her people so often said, a man who knew the land could never be all bad.

The offer of a warm, dry bed and a fire was dizzying. Truly, to turn it down would be madness, even if she might draw the wrath of the Royal Guard down upon his home, even if his honor was worthless and he would exact some price from her.

She leaned down in front of him, certain that the moonlight would put her...gifts...in full view as she drew the dagger from her boot. As she bent at her waist, her eyes strayed to look down his muscled frame, so large in comparison to any elven one. Rising back up slowly she added the third blade to the obvious pair that sat at her hips. She offered them to him, her expression neutral as she tasted the human phrasing. “Take me to this room, then. I have no interest in leading you...astray.”

 

[silvertongue217]

She moved over coming to rest in front of him. The pale moon light cut across her body making her features all the more defining as he openly starred at her. When she dropped down and drew her daggers out it took every thing in him not to look down and eye her breast. It had been a long time since he had any female company and he felt his cock stir as he did his best to look away. Two daggers came out followed by a third less obvious one. Now that she was semi unarmed he relaxed slightly taking the weapons and bundling them up in his spare hand.

"Come the storm is lessening if we are going to make our escape now is the time" He said judging the water and pushing the door open wider. He didnt waste time seeing if she was following instead he ran full pelt for his small two bedroom hut. He had luckily kept the door open and so he ran straight into his house and then turned to close the door once she came in.

"Well thats much better" He said to her closing the door behind them and locking it.

"Now if your okay with it I can spare you some clothes" He told her leading her into a small cozy living room that boasted a simple fire place.

"Are you hungry?" He asked her turning and raising an eyebrow "I dont have a lot of food but I have enough to spare"

 

[TheQueenofCups]

Cerid's green eyes narrowed warily. Given her last encounter with a human had involved screaming, fireballs, and a fair amount of blood, the kindness felt just as dangerous, if not moreso. She could feel the warmth of the hut already beginning to wrap around her. Her mind cast back to the barn where she'd left her pack and the slab of book that has caused so much trouble. She would have to fetch it once the rain stopped, once, perhaps, she'd slept and eaten.

“I would eat. But first, I had better get out of all...” Her teeth chattered as she gestured idly to the wet breeches grabbing at her thighs, even though his gaze was already there. He blinked and blushed when she repeated, “...the clothes?”

He ushered her into the small bedroom and told her to take what she would from the chest while he gathered up what they would eat. Alone in the room for a moment, she began to unlace the wet ties on her bodice before squatting down in front of the unlocked chest. As she untied, her fingers ran across the edge of a slip blade that had been nearly sewn into the binding of the bodice, an old trick she'd learned from a Marlen pickpocket. A blade, the woman had told her, of last resort. She left it where it lay and opened the chest.

She wondered if they were the clothes of his woman, though there seemed no sign of one of those as she scoped the room. Upon opening, there was a dress, simple, dyed a faded green. She finished untying and untethering the bodice, feeling a deep sense of relief as she pulled it off of her.

For a moment, she let her hands graze over her breasts, free from all bindings. She uncinched the belt and slid the breeches down over her hips and pulled them off along with her boots. She felt the warm air swirl around her and she sighed at the unexpected rush of comfort before pulling the dress over her head. Take care, her mind said, take care, but her body said something else entirely.

The dress had not been designed for an elf's shorter form, she took back up her belt and cinched it back around her waist, however, this only left the neckline to fall halfway down her shoulders. The only other garment that seemed suitable was a long, gray cloak.

The cloak, meant for someone at least a foot taller than she, pooled at her bare feet as she hung it over her shoulders. She wrapped the fabric around her and re-opened the door.