The Girl from the Golden Isle" (closed to Aussie_Wolf)

[CutiePie1997]

"The Girl from the Golden Isles"

(closed to Aussie_Wolf)

An adventure from the universe of
"Queen of the Known World"​

"Adee!" an angry female voice called. When no response came to the call, the woman hollered again, "Adee! Make your presence known ... or your back side will know the open palm of my hand!"

Lady Adeline of Westrock attempted to ignore the calls for her. For hours, she'd sat silently in a window of the southwest tower of the keep which had been her home since she was a toddler, or essentially as long as she could remember. Adee loved this alcove as it had a full view of the port below. For hours she would watch the boats entering and exiting the small port, yearning to simply sneak down to and board one in the dark of night, to stowaway, and disappear into the Great Circle Sea.

And while Adee had always known -- or had always thought -- that such imaginings were little more than fantasy, now there was indeed a craft anchored in the harbor waiting to take her away to a distant land. And Adee was anything but excited.

Her reverie was broken as the voice called out again, "A-de-e-e-e-e...!"

Rolling her eyes and sighing, the teenaged Noble girl left the window and descended to the passage off which was located her mother's bed chamber. Standing outside the thick, closed oak door was the woman who had been yelling for her. Moll, an ancient looking beast of a woman, had been the Chamber Maid for Adee's mother, the Lady Quinn, since long before the family relocated to the Golden Isles. The old, ugly woman chastised, "Your mother is in her last moments of life,. You should be at her side."

"I have been at her side during her last moments," Adee snapped back, "I have been at her side for more than a full year's worth of last moments. Face it! The old bat is never going to die!"

Adee didn't see the slap coming until her ears filled with the sound of the hand on her cheek and the flesh of that check was soon stinging in pain. Moll growled, "Respect! She is your mother ... and she is still the Lady of this House. You will respect her."

Adee's eyes glazed over, threatening yet did not producing tears. She refused to cry over any issue concerning her mother. For almost as long as she'd called the Keep home, Adee's relationship had been strained, strained to the point that three times she'd actually stowed away on a boat in the harbor, only to be caught and returned before anchor was weighed.

And despite her mother's now three moon long, near-catatonic state, that relationship had only continued to worsen due to the arrival of the boat in the port.

(Map)

Adee's father had once been the Baron of Lux, the western most walled city in the Meretheni Federation; and her mother, Lady Quinn, had once been the most admired woman in the Western lands even far beyond the reaches of the Barony. But Adee's father had died without a surviving son, and unlike some of the more progressive lands, the Barony of Lux had never and wouldnever be ruled by a lowly female. Adee's uncle became the new Baron of Lux, and the new Baron's wife -- who had long been jealous of the love, admiration, and loyalty the people showed Lady Quinn -- didn't hesitate to create a vacuum which she hoped to fill.

Adee, her mother and four older sisters, and all their closely aligned advisors and servants were sent away to Westrock, which lived up to its name. It wasn't much more than a rock surrounded by sea, the most westerly of the Golden Isles. The House of Lux had had title to Westrock for generations yet had shown it little attention; and after a decade or so of the Falling Wars, most of the small ports and surrounding waters had fallen under the control of pirates and other criminal elements.

Lady Quinn had been sent to Westrock with six ships transporting a contingent of 300 soldiers from the Army of the Lux. The Baron of Lux's command to Lady Quinn and her troops was to reclaim control of the Golden Isles and bring them back into the fold. It was a celebrated operation, with a grand ball prior to Lady Quinn's departure and a parade along the route to the harbor the day of departure. There were music and banners and cheers and flower petals filling the air.

But those in the know were well aware that Lady Quinn's departure wasn't about reconquering a lost land. It was about shipping her off to live in -- and likely die in -- quiet exile. The ships that would take Lady Quinn away from Lux, out into The Marthneck and then the Mad Sea, were the oldest, slowest, and least sea worthy of the Lux fleet. Of the 6 that departed, only 3 reached Westrock. And the 300 soldiers were the most worthless of men, including green recruits, elderly veterans, disciplinary rejects, and outright criminal types who had agreed to go to Westrock simply to avoid the gallows.

With an inadequate protection force and minimal financial assistance from her brother-in-law, Lady Quinn had to look outside Westrock for assistance. She set about forging new alliances by marrying her daughters off to rich and powerful men. Unfortunately, by the time Adee's turn to become a future bride arrived, there were few eligible men left residing in the Western lands who were willing to anger the Baron of Lux, who had built and trained the most powerful army in the former Meretheni.

Just before she'd lost the ability to reasonably convey her wishes, Lady Quinn finally found a husband for her Adee, the Baron of Nurva. The man literally lived on the far side of the Known World, in the Frenkish Empire. Adee's betrothal came at age ten, and her departure was to have occurred after her first Moon Bleeding. But fortunate delays had kept her on Westrock, and then her mother began to get ill. The boat with the Envoy from Nurva had arrived six moons ago, but the teen had refused to leave until her mother's health improved. It didn't, and Lady Quinn's state of catatonia only sealed Adee's reasons for insisting she remain.

The Nurvan envoy had agreed to postpone departure, not realizing that the old bat would hold out so long, and now Adee found herself in a predicament: if her mother died, Adee would find herself on a boat heading for the East to marry a man from a foreign land whom she didn't know; but if her mother lived on in this state, Adee would find herself sitting in this room day after day until she finally made the decision to slash her own wrists and end the madness.

Moll turned and headed into Lady Quinn's bed chamber, and Adeline followed, stopping just short of her mother's bed to look down at the wide eyed yet totally unobservant woman.

"Good morning, mother, you look well today" she said politely, knowing that her words were wasted. "Moll tells me that you were able to swallow some soup today ... to keep up your strength. You'll be up and around and feeling all new in no time at all."

She sat with her mother, continuing a one sided conversation for a dozen or more minutes before saying, "The envoy from Nurva came to the Keep this morning. A second boat arrived from Nurva in the night. The Envoy says that like his own, it is of the fastest type of boat in the Known World."

That wasn't precisely true, but Adee didn't know that. The relatively smaller Eastern Junk the Frenkish Envoy had used to reach the Golden Isles could reach a speed of 21 km/hr with a good wind, which made it the fastest craft used upon the Great Circle Sea by the people of the Northeastern shores. Even so, the boat couldn't attain the 27 km/hr speed of the smaller Longboats used by the Yallan people of the Southeastern shores. (OOC: More about boats.)

"He says if we sail without stop," she continued telling her inattentive mother, "we can be in Nurva in half a moon." The volume of her voice dropped as she murmured to herself, "Not that I am in a hurry."

 

[CutiePie1997]

21 Days later:
(For the fun of it, check out the Calendar of the Known World)


Not that I am in a hurry...

Adee recalled the last words she'd spoken to her mother. As if committing one last violation against her rebellious daughter, Lady Quinn had stopped breathing during the dark hours of that very night. Her frail body was cleaned and made pretty for a three day long viewing in the Keep before being taken to Funeral Rock, the plateau at the island's north end that ended at a high cliff overlooking the sea. The people of Westrock had come to love Lady Quinn as much if not more than the citizenry of Lux, and they showed that love by bringing wagon, cart, and arm loads of burnable material for the funeral pyre. The flames rose so high and bright that the illuminated night sky could be seen by fishers on boats beyond the western horizon and even villagers on the shores of the mainland.

Though she never imagined it would happen, Adee stood there that night and cried. How could the people of Westrock have loved Lady Quinn so much and yet she had wanted nothing less than the woman's death? Then, when the funeral became old news and her plight returned to her, Adee remembered, Oh, yeah, that's why!

The frantic activity that always followed the death of a land's Titled Noble had finally died down. Adee had temporarily been the Lady of the Golden Isles. For three weeks, just 21 short days, she'd ruled the isles and had been able to tell the others what to do and where to go. And her orders had all been of one general direction: leave ... me ... alone!

She'd met occasionally with her mother's Advisors and essentially directed them to do what they thought needed to be done to keep the House and its affairs in order. She'd known from even before her mother's ashes blew off into the Great Circle Sea that she wasn't going to be Lady of Westrock for long, so ... why bother acting like she was in charge?

Adee was walking the upper, outer wall looking out between the crenellations toward the port. The Nurvan envoy's boat was still tied to the dock, where it had been for moons, waiting to take Adee to her new husband. Adee had been tempted to order the Envoy to hit the silk -- raise sail and head east -- but she knew she'd be overridden.

And she had.

This morning, a boat dropped anchor farther out in the bay, and a short time later Adee's sister, Paula -- the eldest of Lady Quinn's surviving children -- presented herself to the Captain of the Guard as the new Lady of Westrock. Also on the boat had been Paula's husband, the son of the Baron of Kinth, in the eastern reaches of what had once been the Meretheni Federation. Paula had exchanged greetings with her sister and then almost immediately told her how things were going to progress ... whether Adee liked it or not!

Little had the youngest sister known but the Barons of Nurva and Kinth had been negotiating a number of treaties during Lady Quinn's sickness. It was time for Adee to fulfill her part by sailing to the Frenkish Empire, spreading her legs to receive the Baron's seed, and giving him an heir who, in turn, would someday be wed to an heir of Kinth.

"M'lady...?"

Adee flinched out of her daydreaming, turning from the crenellations to find her Protector, Wurvin, bowing respectfully to her. "What is it, Captain?"

"We have an issue that requires your attention, m'lady," he said with a reluctant tone.



Adee looked through the barred door of a cell in the Port Sheriff's Keep at a man whose eyes were swollen shut, whose lower lip was swollen and cut, and whose ankle was shackled to a ring anchored in the wall. He wore the uniform of the Castle Guard, which would have been bad enough; but even more than that, he had been slated to be one of Adee's Protection Detail for the voyage to Nurva.

"He beat and raped a tavern wench who commented on the size of--" the Sheriff began explaining, stopping suddenly when he realized the inappropriateness of his description. The Sheriff continued his description of what had happened to the woman, "The tavern owner felt slighted by the damage to his property ... and had the man punished."

"Slighted...? Adee asked, snorting in derision. "He should have castrated the man."

Adee had no use for a man who treated a woman in such a way, even a whore. She turned to leave, saying, "Punish him without concern for who his former employer was."

Wurvin was waiting for Adee outside. He knew the girl would do nothing to rehabilitate the Guard's career path. He told her, "I have already assembled several men from whom you can choose to replace him, m'lady."



Back at the castle, six Guardsmen -- all males -- were lined along one side of a passageway, facing five others on the other side. The latter, which included two female archers, had already been chosen to escort Adee on her voyage. Wurvin would have liked to see a thousand men make the transit with the teen. But the Nurvan envoy feared attracting attention from the growing population of pirates operating near the mouths of the Western and Eastern Yall Rivers. The fleet, therefore, would be limited to the envoy's boat and a second Nurvan craft that had recently arrived. Although the boats were fast, they were small. The passenger manifest on the first boat would, therefore, be limited to the envoy, Adee, two Protectors, and two crew; and on the second boat to the other four Protectors and two more crew.

Adee looked over the six Guardsmen standing tall and straight. They varied greatly, in height, build, skin tone ... and aesthetic-ness, meaning some were downright ugly as sin while others looked ... scary.

Trying to be inconspicuous, Adee studied the man at the far end of the row. He was the true definition of scary looking. Big, muscular, fierce. He was obviously not originally of Westrock but likely from one of the other islands beyond the Golden Isles or from the southern reaches of the Mainland. He may have even been from ... oh, the North, what was it called ... the Unnamed Untamed. She really had no idea.

Adee had heard tales of other cultures holding Gladiatorial events in which men battled one another, sometimes for money, other times for glory. She could just imagine this man in such a stadium, swinging a hammer at another man's head, crushing it into bloody mass; or stabbing a heavy sword through the armor covering a man's torso, easily penetrating the steel and flesh alike.

Stadiums aside, it was likely that the man had used his weapons. The Golden Isles had once been the safest place to live in the whole of the Known World. But after the Falling Wars and the collapse of the forces that had once protected them, the isles had suffered greatly at the hands of rebellious Nobles and pirates alike. Lady Quinn had always believed that her exile to the Isles had been an effort by her dead husband's brother to see her meet a violent end. She had prevented that by expending all of her wealth and selling off her daughters in an effort to secure and pay for a Protection Force.

"Introduce me," Adee requested of Wurvin.

She nodded toward the row of men. Despite the Captain beginning with the closest of the men, Adee's attention often went back to the scary man at the end. There was something simply intriguing about him. Her Protector walked slowly down the line, naming each of the men before telling them to describe their history prior to and during their service to the House.

Adee turned to look at the line of Protectors behind her at the mention of one man's name, then again at the mention of another. She met the gaze of one of her female Protectors, Braana, who looked to the floor in embarrassment. Braana had been the only adult with whom Adee could talk about adult things, and during one night of explicit talk that often left a blushing Adee giggling in disbelief, Braana had confessed to having had some interesting sexual relations with these two men, something she'd regretted later.

Adee looked back to the row of wanna-be Protectors and crossed the two of them off as Wurvin continued. When they got to the last man, Adee studied him as he was introduced and asked to tell about himself.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Rollo had been surprised when he had been summoned to appear in full armor in the passageway just outside the barracks. As far as he knew there was no expeditions being sent out and he had heard nothing about pirates being spotted. Still he had donned his leather gear and lined up with another five guardsmen.

Five other guardsmen had appeared and taken their places across from them and his confusion grew. He recognized the two females as ones that were supposed to be accompanying the princess to her new home. So what were they doing here? They should be getting ready to board the ships and sail, not be standing here getting into a staring contest.

However when her highness Adee appeared herself Rollo knew something was definitely up. Especially when her protector Wurvin began to have the men introduce themselves to her. Rollo hated this part, but he waited until the princess was in front of him then bowed to her.

"The name is Rollo M'Lady. I was born on one of the Bitter islands. Some say I have Northern blood in me but my mother was from the south. I grew up learning to fish and hunt, but my village was raided by pirates and my mother killed and I was sold into slavery. For the next ten years I was trained to fight and begging your pardon M'lady you do not want to know what that training included. I then had to fight for my life and food, however as long as I won the life was good."

He looked at the girl and smiled pointing towards his face and the design tattooed there. "The mark of a champion. I have others but they can not be shown to one such as you." He chuckled and then continued. "I won my freedom and tried to settle down. I went home but there was no home. I tried to farm but I am a warrior not a farmer. I decided to hunt pirates and I was told here was a good place to do so." Smiling he looked at her protector, "They were right. So far I have been able to kill my fair share of them and I plan to kill many more."

He stopped talking and looked at her with a puzzled look on his face. "Does M'Lady need to know anything else?"

 

[CutiePie1997]

Adee's fear of such a wild looking man as this Rollo were simultaneously confirmed for their validity and lessened for their aim as he described his past. The teen knew by the time he'd finished that he was not a man to have on your bad side; but -- while he made it clear that it was killing for money that had brought him to Westrock -- she also sensed a loyalty in his eyes and heard the same in his voice. If Adee was ever in trouble, she was sure that this man would come to her rescue. Wouldn't he?

"Does M'Lady need to know anything else?"

She continued to study him for a moment, then -- with a confidence and boldness that would later surprise even herself -- conducted an interview of Rollo that she hadn't with the others.

"The voyage to Nurva will not be a long one," she began, presuming that by now he'd come to realize his reason for being here. "But ... your return to the Golden Isles -- should you choose to return at all -- could be many Moons, even many Years away. Does this give you hesitance to become a member of my Protection Detail?"

She listened to his response, considered his answer, then continued, "I am traveling to the distant Nurva to marry that city's Baron. Upon sharing vows, he will feel that he, then, is my Master ... able by law to rule over me just as he rules over the peasants sowing his fields ... mining his ore. But I will never be ruled by a man ... and if such a man tried ... and I wanted him dead ... if I asked you to cut his throat ... would you do so without question?"

Again, Adee listened to Rollo's response, her lips spreading a bit. She was beginning to really like this man.

She turned away from the prospective Protectors to look at their already confirmed Guardsmen. She caught a curious expression on Braana's face, then crossed to stand close to her. She asked loud enough for most of the others to hear, "What do you think of this man, Rollo?"

Braana looked Rollo's way, ogled him from face to foot and back, then -- also loud enough for the others -- answered, "If you do not wish to keep him, m'lady, may I have him?"

Adee chuckled, unable not to, glancing back toward Rollo for a moment. She tried to imagine Braana on her hands and knees as Rollo pounded his groin against her backside, then had to turn away as her face exploded in a deep blush. Adee took a moment to walk away from the entire group a few steps, waiting for her face to return to its own color before turning and declaring, "Guardsman Rollo will join the expedition."

Wurvin dismissed the five passed-upon candidates, then -- as Adee's urging -- began moving from one prospective Protector to the next, handing each a small purse of coins. Adee told them, "We leave morning after next. Celebrate tonight if you wish, but do not arrive at my boat with your head pounding from drink."

A moment later, Wurvin called out, "Dismissed!"

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

"The voyage to Nurva will not be a long one," she began, presuming that by now he'd come to realize his reason for being here. "But ... your return to the Golden Isles -- should you choose to return at all -- could be many Moons, even many Years away. Does this give you hesitance to become a member of my Protection Detail?"

Rollo looked at the young Princess. So he was to protect her and maybe not just for the voyage to her new home, but during her stay. He thought about his response. She deserved a truthful one and not an off the cuff remark. He was here to fight pirates and get his revenge and where she was going there were none. However it was an honor to guard her and one such as he would have never aspired to.

"Truthfully Princess I have nothing holding me here but my revenge. You are offering me something more than that, Something more than a lowly born man such as myself could have ever dreamed of. I would be honored to become one of your detail."

She listened to his response, considered his answer, then continued, "I am traveling to the distant Nurva to marry that city's Baron. Upon sharing vows, he will feel that he, then, is my Master ... able by law to rule over me just as he rules over the peasants sowing his fields ... mining his ore. But I will never be ruled by a man ... and if such a man tried ... and I wanted him dead ... if I asked you to cut his throat ... would you do so without question?"

This was hard for him to answer. He would be in a strange land surrounded by warriors of a Lord that had the right to demand certain things of his wife. Yet he had grown up knowing the harsh lessons of slavery and he hate it with a vengeance and stamped it out wherever he saw it.

"M'Lady a husband has certain rights as does a lord. However if he ever mistreated you in any way that was not within those rights I do not think you would even need to ask me."

Adee took a moment to walk away from the entire group a few steps, waiting for her face to return to its own color before turning and declaring, "Guardsman Rollo will join the expedition."

Rollo nodded as if the matter had never been in doubt. He straightened up and looked at the young princess. There was something about her that inspired loyalty. he would be sure to keep a close eye on her during the voyage and afterwards. he would not let anything happen to her.

Wurvin dismissed the five passed-upon candidates, then -- as Adee's urging -- began moving from one prospective Protector to the next, handing each a small purse of coins. Adee told them, "We leave morning after next. Celebrate tonight if you wish, but do not arrive at my boat with your head pounding from drink."

A moment later, Wurvin called out, "Dismissed!"

Rollo took the bag and placed it in a inside pocket of his jerkin. He had learned early on in his life to have secret pockets in which to securely hide things that he did not want other people to find or himself to loose. With that he left to begin packing. He did not have much. His armor which he would wear, several set's of clothes, his large cloak, and his weapons and tools to maintain them. It hardly took him more than half an hour to be ready. What he was going to do for the next two days was beyond him.

 

[CutiePie1997]

(Map, should you wish to see it.)


Departure Day:

While Rollo might have had nothing in mind to occupy him for the next two days, Adee's last hours on Westrock were a whirlwind of activity.

She'd had many Moons to pack for Nurva, and yet her trunks and bags had remained virtually empty until this morning. It wasn't until her sister Paula gave her a choice -- pack it or burn it -- that Adee, her Chamber Maid, and a half dozen other servants set about dealing with her possessions. For the most part, Adee simply responded yea, nay, or give it away as the others displayed clothes, jewelry, and what not. Then, after they'd finished, they started all over again! The yea items Adee had wanted to take were so numerous and bulky they would have filled, then sunk both of the Envoy's boats right here in the Westrock harbor.

The previous afternoon had been spent by Adee holding audiences with Nobles, Merchants, and Peasants alike. They'd all wanted something from her, despite the dual facts that her time as Lady of Westrock had been short and was over. But, like her mother, the people of Westrock had had a love and respect for Adee; and knowing that she was about to leave their lives -- likely forever -- many of them wanted to bid their farewells ... or ask for something as they were doing so.

Adee found that most of the pleas were out of her control and/or reach. But she demanded that the Court Scribe document each and every request, and when she herself couldn't promise resolution, Adee made the unlikely-to-be-filled promise that her sister, the new Lady of Westrock, would look into the issue with haste.

When it was finally time to head for the port, Adee took a seat inside an open coach and bid her Chamber Maid and other servants farewell. She expected a quick, quiet, uneventful ride to the docks, but instead found the road lined with hundreds of citizens, cheering and waving. Adee was emotionally unprepared for the show of love and devotion, and as she boarded the boat for departure, she hurried to her stateroom -- essentially, just the sole private cabin on the tiny boat -- to fall onto the thin, uncomfortable mattress and sob herself to sleep.



Many hours later, when she came topside for the first time -- her eyes still poofy from crying -- the Golden Isles had already disappeared from the stern view of the boat. All that remained in their wake now was the slowly setting sun which would, for another couple of hours, put on a spectacular show of colors.

One of the crewman -- a Nurvan, not one of Adee's Protectors -- bowed and greeted her respectfully. She asked, "Where are we?"

"False Bay, m'lady," he answered. He pointed to port, then to starboard, to the bay's northern and southern head rocks, then pointed to some fire light on the shore far ahead. He told her, "We will go ashore there for the night."

"No," Adee said sternly. She waggled a hand forward, telling him, "We continue to Nurva."

The boat's Captain -- also a Nurvan -- overheard the passenger's command and rose from the cabin where he'd been looking at the charts. "M'lord has given orders that we will go ashore each night."

"No," Adee repeated. She was in no hurry to get to her destination and be married off, but Adee didn't want to spend any more time on this boat than was necessary. She commanded, "Get me to Nurva. We sail through the night ... every night."

Adee knew that the boats would have to go ashore for provisions -- fresh water, food, repair materials maybe -- but going ashore at night only meant that the crew and Protectors -- hers and the Envoy's both -- would want to spend time with some of the local talent. And Adee was never going to get to Nurva and get this over with if every morning they had to deal with hung over or sexually exhausted sailing crew.

"But, m'lady," the Captain began hesitantly. "The dangers increase after the sun has--"

"Sail on!" Adee snapped at the man. "That is a command from your Lady."

"With all due respect," the Captain began, bowing slightly to show he knew his station, "The Nurvan Envoy is m'lord ... not you, m'lady. Meaning ... if he tells me to port at sundown, I port."

"And these men and women work for me," Adee said as she looked at the four of six Westrock Protectors who were on this boat. "And when I order them to throw you in the ocean and sail on to Nurva..."

She let the threat end there. After a moment of contemplation, the Captain nodded respectfully again and confirmed, "Then we sail on, m'lady."



Adee had descended to her stateroom again, watching the frantic exchange of lantern signals between the two boats as the captains argued over her orders. Then, the light of the moon entering the cabin shifted, telling Adee that they had indeed changed course. They headed due south, then southeast, ignoring False Bay and heading toward the mouth of Poisonwater Bay. Just after sunrise, the boats landed at one of the villages near the Mouth of the Kokalla River, where they took on water and fresh food.

By the time they were again out to sea, the skies were beginning to darken with a threatening storm. The Captains of the boats traded signals again, then altered course in an attempt to avoid the worst of the weather. They wished to port again, but after Adee again threatened to alter her vessel's command structure, they continued onward.

It would be a mistake, of course.

The midnight moon disappeared for the last time amongst the thick clouds, and soon the Captains found themselves in a dilemma: trying to outrun the storm on open water to the east could see both boats sunk without any chance of survivors reaching the shore; while turning inland but not reaching a safe port before the storm hit could mean striking any number of uncharted shoals with very much the same result of loss of life.

"I thought this was what you did for a living!" Adee chastised when the Captain came to her with the choices at hand. She had been raised on an island that was often racked by storms, but she was no sailor and didn't understand the dangers of being on the sea in a storm. She again demanded, "Get us to Nurva!"

Adee had returned to her tiny quarters without further discussion, not wanting the others to see the deep fear in her eyes. She'd never been out to sea in this sort of danger, and suddenly all she wanted was to be huddled up in a comfortable bed back on Westrock, or even False Bay for that matter. Adee just kept telling herself that it would be over soon, then they could sail east, then north to Nurva and she could get on with the remainder of her miserable life as a stranger's lover and heir producer.

But for three days, the little boat was battered by high waves and harsh winds. The second boat had disappeared from view the day before, never to be seen again; and here on this boat, one each of her and the Envoy's Protectors had gone overboard while attempting to secure the sails and save the mast and rigging.

By the time the storm ended on the fourth day, the Captain had no idea of his boat's position. The only thing to do, of course, was sail north until they found land, then port to provision, do repairs, and continue onward. But, that wasn't to happen.

"Sail!" an excited voice called out. When one of the other crew asked if it was the missing boat, a studying pause was followed by the scariest word ever uttered upon the high seas, "Pirates!"

Adee rushed to the deck at the word, finding the crew rapidly adjusting the sails to achieve the greatest amount of speed on a path away from the quickly closing boat. For almost two hours, as the gap to the land to the north closed, the gap to the pirate craft to the south closed quicker!

"Are we going to make it?" Adee asked Wurvin, who had helped with getting the craft heading away but now -- as with the other Protectors -- was preparing himself for a fight. When the man told her to get below and stay there, Adee begged, "You'll kill me before you'll let them take me, yes?"

"Yes, m'lady," Wurvin said without hesitation, knowing his duty in such an event. He bowed his head to her, then smiled. "But that won't happen ... because I and your escort will give our lives to prevent it."



Adee wasn't sure exactly what happened after that. As feared, the pirate boat had reached her boat before the latter reached the shore. From her stateroom, the teen listened to the shouting of the belligerents and the clashing of steel. At one point, an arrow passed through a gap in the hull and sunk into the wood just two inches from Adee's head, causing her to scream out. Men -- and women -- were dying up on the decks of the two boats, she knew. And suddenly, the fear was simply too overwhelming for her to simply hide in a corner and wait for the worst.

She stripped off her gown -- which, water soaked, would have drowned her -- and in just her undergarments and boots fled through the fight toward the boat's stern. She snatched up an object called an overboard float, which was essentially a net bag filled with pumice stones. The rocks were filled with air pockets that caused the bag to float. If she was lucky, Adee would simply bob upon the ocean until the fight was over, then be rescued by her triumphant Protection Force. She couldn't even contemplate the idea that her side might lose; and she never even considered that there were even greater dangers in the water, including sharks, jelly fish clouds, and -- obviously -- the treacherous seas themselves.

She had intended on leaping overboard to safety, but instead -- just before reaching the boat's rear -- she felt a strike to the back of her head...



...and when she came to, Adee was on the beach of an unknown shore...

...looking up into the face of Protector Rollo of Westrock.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Rollo had not had a good time aboard the princesses ship. Wurvin had told him just before they sailed that he would be placing him on board with him for several reasons. One was his experience. Even at his youngish age he was one of the best fighters if not the best fighter Wurvin had. He wanted Rollo to stick close to the Princess and guard her with his life.

The second reason was his intense hatred of pirates. If they were boarded he knew that Rollo would never back down from them and would continue to fight until every last one was dead or he died himself.

And third he was expendable. He was not a Nurvian or from Westrock so his death would not be seriously mourned.

Rollo nodded. He could not fault the man's judgement and indeed he would have done the same. He did not overtly guard the princess though. After all on a boat the size they were on where exactly could she go? He trailed her at a distance when she walked the deck and made sure he was within earshot when she was within her cabin. He checked her food for poison and discouraged the crew from casually talking to her.

Of course that meant he got to listen to her and get an insight into her character and what he found out about her was that she was not looking forward to what came next. However she did not like boat journey's.

When he first heard her decision to keep sailing at night he was not worried. As long as the captains had good maps, there was not much more danger in sailing at night than there was during the day. They would just have to avoid approaching land during night hours.

However her decision to keep sailing into a storm had him worried. The crew and the Captains did not look experienced enough for that and sure enough they weren't. They lost several crewman and the other boat before they finally sailed clear.

If that wasn't enough, while they made their way towards they hoped would be land a pirate ship spotted them. Rollo had grinned at this. A chance to work off some stress and frustration. He had gauged the distance between the ship and the land and disappeared below to arm himself with his axes. He had put his armor on and was back on deck before anyone else had moved.

Finally Wurvin and the captain came to the conclusion he had and everyone was ordered to arm themselves and the princess was ordered to her quarters. Rollo placed himself in front of her door and waited.

The attack was swift and brutal. They were outnumbered but the protectors made up for that. Their armor and better weapons turned the tide. Still training and equipment only went so far against overwhelming odds. Rollo saw his fellow members cut down one after the other, until just him and Wurvin survived. They were surrounded by bodies and the pirates had formed a respectable circle around them, none willing to face their blades.

Then he saw the princess dash by and place a float on. What was the girl doing? Frustrated he was about to rush over when he saw her struck a blow to the head and she fell overboard. With a scream of pure rage he launched himself at the pirates cutting them down in a fury of blade work. None could stand in front of him and with Wurvin guarding his back they were unstoppable. Until an arrow blossomed in Wurvins throat and the man went down like his strings had been cut.

Rollo looked and spotted the archer, perched in the rigging of the Pirate ship. Quickly he put several pirates in the way of his next shot. Luckily the princess was on the other side of the boat and out of sight of the man. Rollo had only seconds to act. Killing the two men in front of him he sheathed his axes and dived overboard. He swam after the princess and held her head out of the water with his other he started to swim towards the distant shore.

He never knew how long it took. It had felt like weeks, but by the position of the sun it had been closer to five hours. He had finally reached the shore and stumbled up the beach into the shade of the trees. He had collapsed and rested for awhile, then struggled to his feet and collected firewood and stones to make a fire pit, and fresh fruit. It was lucky that there were plants nearby with berries on he recognized. He was about to go and search for water when he heard the princess start to stir.

He let her come to, then leaned over to check her wound. He had rinsed it with sea water and wrapped it with a strip of his pants he had cut off.

"Are you feeling okay Princess...Do you feel like throwing up or is it a bit hard to see?"

 

[CutiePie1997]

(OOC: Keep in mind that the model in the clothing pic below is not Adee. Adee comes in the link prior to it.)



Adee spent a long moment studying the man hovering over her. It was Rollo, the new Protector. She knew that. Yet her mind was filled with panic. Subconsciously, she was recalling him on the little boat, seemingly always within line of sight, even more often within ear shot. Subconsciously, she was recalling asking Wurvin, "Does he have to follow me all the time?", only to get the answer "He's your Protector, and likely the best one you have, m'lady?"

That was all happening subconsciously in her head, while consciously she was recalling her last memory, being on the boat running for what she thought would be safety, the open sea. Later, when Adee's mind was fully rational, she would realize that wanting to jump overboard was one of the stupidest thoughts she'd ever had, but right now her brain was simply overwhelmed.

Rollo asked with obvious concern...

"Are you feeling okay Princess...Do you feel like throwing up or is it a bit hard to see?"

Adee answered him by spending a moment searching around herself, finding the two of them in strange surroundings that -- thankfully -- weren't the boat of Great Circle Sea ... then leaning to one side to puke up a combination of salt water, salted fish, and dried fruit. As the convulsions racked her, Adee's eyes filled with tears, though she was able to hold in the sobs she wanted to release upon this horrific situation.

He was talking again, but Adee didn't honestly hear what he said as she finished emptying her stomach and wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her...

Undergarments...

Adee was suddenly very self conscious that she was dressed in nothing more than her underwear. The thin cloth was stained by dirt, sand, sea foam, but the worst part was that it was plastered to her flesh by the water that the soft linen had absorbed. She looked to her breasts and could see the bumps of her nipples, which she quickly covered with one hand; and glancing down, she could see the shapes of her sleek legs even more on display.

"Don't look at me!" Adee commanded as she curled her legs up tight below her buttocks, which -- unknown to her -- had been well displayed as well. She continued on like the ignorant young thing she was, "You shouldn't be here. You shouldn't see me like this."

Of course, where the hell was Rollo to go? And, yes, he had, of course, saved Adee from drowning in the sea. But at this very moment, the only thing going through the teen's mind was that she was seemingly alone on a seemingly otherwise deserted beach with the man who she had just days earlier tried to picture slamming his cock deep into the now seemingly absent Braana ... and she was seemingly nearly naked!

Oh, sure, she was covered from neck to ankles, but by only one layer of thin linen, not the three, four, or even five layers that her elegant, noble gowns often entailed. This was so inappropriate ... but as she sat there with her gaze diverted from the man, Adee's conscious self fought its way back to the fore...

...and now she did begin to sob, tears streaking down dirty cheeks.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Rollo was surprised at the way Adee behaved. Did she not understand the predicament they were in? Him seeing her in a state of undress was the least of there problems. He had no idea where they were, they seemed to be the only two survivors, at least in this area, the only food he had seen was the fruit he had spotted, and he had not seen or heard any running water.

He averted his eyes from her however and stood up, walking towards the shoreline. He had hung up his shirt and jacket to dry and now only had his pants and boots on. He carried his Axes which had somehow survived the trip to shore for which he was eternally grateful and in his belt was sheathed his dagger. Rollo looked up and down the stretch of coast he could see, searching for any signs of fellow survivors or washed up cargo. Both would be a godsend just now.

He saw what appeared to be a collection of junk further down the beach to his left, while to his right a large trunk had washed ashore. Smiling he walked back to the gently sobbing woman.

"You need to get up Princess, we can't afford for you to act this way. We need food and shelter and fresh water and I can't leave you alone. I have no idea where we are as that storm could have taken us anywhere. Tonight I will try to read the stars but for now you must come with me. I have spotted some debris we can search that might have some things we can use, then we must find water."

He looked at her disheveled state and the look of devastation on her face and then got a sly look on his face as he turned away from her slowly. "Of course if all of this is too much for you I understand. I should have known better than to expect you to be ready to help out. There always were those rumors. You best stay where you are, I am sure you will be rescued soon," he chuckled.

 

[CutiePie1997]

Adee eyed Rollo repeatedly, looking away more often than not when he looked back to her. She'd always been a bit timid around men, particularly those she didn't know well. But as long as she'd had Wurvin standing next to her -- as she had the first time she'd met Rollo -- Adee had been able to put on a confident front.

Now, however, she was feeling like a little girl. And it didn't help when Rollo told her...

"You need to get up Princess, we can't afford for you to act this way."

It was bad enough to feel like a child, but to now have him treat her as one. Oh, he probably didn't mean it as seriously as Adee took it. But, the anger still built up within her as Rollo went on...

"Of course if all of this is too much for you I understand. I should have known better than to expect you to be ready to help out. There always were those rumors. You best stay where you are, I am sure you will be rescued soon," he chuckled.

Adee's jaws were clenched shut so tightly that her teeth hurt. She stood suddenly, a cloud of sand and dust poofing from her body as she snapped, "I can, too, help!"

She looked around herself, for something -- any thing to do -- that would be considered help. She saw the fire pit Rollo had built yet not set to blaze, then stomped her way through the soft, dry sand to the man. She snatched one of his axes, demanding, "Give me that."

Adee returned to the fire pit, found what she hoped would be an appropriate rock, laid his weapon near the lightweight burnable material, then struck the two hard objects together. She'd once watched Wurvin start a fire with a flint and steel, just to show Adee that it could be done. She raised the rock again, struck the weapon with no effect, then repeated. It wasn't working, and the rock hurt her hand. But Adee was determined.

She glanced up at Rollo, but looked away quickly. She didn't really care what he thought about her childish efforts to prove her worth. Actually. She did. She very much did. But, because she was failing, she just couldn't meet his gaze.

She swapped the rock for the ax, then started again. The ax was heavy, but after a half dozen strikes with both hands on the handle, a trio of sparks shot from the rock. Adee's eyes and mouth opened in shock as she called out, "Oh! It worked!"

She was so tickled that for a moment, Adee forgot that she was trying to prove something, to prove herself. She glanced at Rollo again, again looking away quickly. She struck the ax down again, then again, sending off some more sparks. She continued, and soon enough sparks were being sent out with each drop of the steel. At the base of the fire, where Rollo had accumulated some feathery material, smoke began to appear. Adee stopped to watch the wafting gray, and when it ceased, she continued again.

"Oh!" she squeaked again as the first little flame appeared. It went out quickly, replaced by a thick trail of rising smoke. That only spurred Adee on, though, and soon enough she had a growing flame spreading throughout the pile of leaves, twigs, and limbs. As she moved the burnable items around to feed the rising fire, Adee stood and stared at her handy work for a moment, contemplating the smarty pants comment she wanted to make to Rollo. When she couldn't come up with anything really good, she only looked to the man and said, "See?"

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Rollo just nodded and shrugged, not letting the pride he felt in her show. For a princess to actually create a fire was practically unheard of. He was actually surprised she knew how. Later he would show her how to do it a lot quicker, but for now he would let her bask in her achievement.

"Yes very good Adee. Now stand up and follow me, the fire can look after itself for a little while."

He had purposely used her first name, leaving off her title. He was pretty sure they were going to be here for awhile and he was not going to be calling her Princess the entire time.

He led her first towards the chest. He just hoped it contained something useful. It only took them minutes to walk to it but once there he found it locked. However a simple swing of his axe saw that problem solved. Opening the lid his eyes lit up. Inside were several coiled ropes, a small piece of sailcloth, a large bag, several floats, shears, some tools, various bits of wire and other odds and ends. It had probably been the ships maintenance chest and while on board it had not been much use to him it was a god send. Nearly everything inside could be put to good use.

Picking it up, he slung it up onto his shoulder and back and carried it back to the fire. Letting it fall down he gestured for her to follow him and led her to the pile of driftwood he had spotted.

As they got close he saw bottles, and packages wrapped in oil paper. Provisions. Looking at her excitedly he gestured at them. "Gather those up girl while I see if there is anything else of value. Just make a big pile up there above the water mark," he said pointing at the dry sand.

Then he began sifting through the larger pieces of wreckage seeing if there was anything else.

 

[CutiePie1997]

"Yes very good Adee..."

The teen's eyes widened at the inappropriate familiarity with which Rollo addressed her, but she said nothing. It was better than Princess, which he'd been calling her since the first time they'd met. She'd been wanting since that first moment to snap at him in correction, I'm a Lady! Not a Princess! You address my as "My Lady"! But she hadn't then, and now certainly didn't seem like the right time for sure.

They headed down the beach, which was difficult in the soft, deep sand but Adee managed. When he led her to the old chest that had thankfully been buoyant enough to float to shore, Rollo hefted it easily up onto his shoulder. Adee had already known he was a muscular man, but she was suitably impressed with his show of strength here. When he turned back her way, though, she found it necessary to turn her face away as the sight of his shirtless upper torso made her once again recall her fantasy of watching the man fucking the now missing Protector Braana.

They returned to what she presumed was going to become their camp, and set about helping as directed, determined to show her continuing worth. But when Rollo said...

"Gather those up girl while I see if there is anything else of value. Just make a big pile up there above--"

...her anger boiled over.

"I am Lady Adeline...!" she snapped, adding, "--of the House of Westrock! Daughter of Lady Quinn of the House of Lux, betrothed of the Baron of the House of Nurva--!"

But even before she was able to finish what she had wanted to say, Adee felt her heart thumping with anxious excitement for likely having bit off more than she could chew. She was breathing hard, her jaw again clenched so hard her teeth hurt. She softened her fury a little bit, continuing, "You will address me as m'lady!"

She looked Rollo straight in the eyes, desperate not to back down but just as desperate to find a way to finish her tirade. She was in a vulnerable situation here, alone on an isolated shore -- and island shore, though she didn't yet know that -- with a warrior she barely knew, a man who, at this point, could very easily find his pleasures with her repeatedly and unchecked while he waited for the pirates to return ... to purchase her for their turn between her thighs.

Then she came up with what she thought -- hoped! -- would make up for what had been a childish tantrum. She straightened up a bit taller, which had the unwanted but unnoticed effect -- by her, anyway -- of causing her bosom to press out more noticeably, her now excitement-hardened nipples pressing more than obviously against the thin fabric.

"And you ... Rollo..." she said with a firm tone, finishing, "You ... as the new Captain of my Protection Detail ... I will address you as Captain."

She waited with a firm, determined expression on her face to see whether he accepted the promotion and acknowledged it with a respectful bow ... or laughed in her face ... either of which she knew was a distinct possibility at this point.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Rollo looked at the young girl, trying to decide if she was being serious or was playing with him. When he realized she was indeed serious and believed every word she had just said he began to chuckle. "M'lady," he began with an exaggerated bow, "I do not believe you have quite grasped the seriousness or the facts of our predicament." He gestured around them and smiled. "At the moment your title means nothing. What matters more is your ability to help us both to survive. If or when we are rescued, believe me I will be more than welcome to become your new Captain of your protectors M'lady, however for now I suggest you forgot the fact you are a lady and I am supposed to be guarding you and concentrate on surviving."

He looked into her eyes to seeif she understood what he was telling her and then smiled. "Do not worry, I have no intentions of taking advantage of you. I will not go that far. However I will not bow and scrape to you nor will I call you M'lady whenever I address you. We need to work together to survive and so you may call me Rollo and I will be calling you Adee."

He gestured to the bottles and other provisions. "Now if we have that sorted Adee please sort through them and stack them up. They contain food and water that is going to help us survive until we find another source here."

 

[CutiePie1997]

Adee's heart beat had both sped up and strengthened as Rollo responded to her demands. She was certain as he'd begun that the man was, any moment, going to further explain her vulnerable position by ripping her clothes off and violating her in the most personal and horrific ways. But he didn't. Not only that, he vowed he wouldn't. She didn't understand. What she knew -- or thought she knew -- about men had already been telling Adee that her innocence was at an end.

She didn't get her demanded show of respect, but Adee got to retain her purity of body instead. And that, she knew, was a win more important than being called m'lady at every turn.

Adee hesitated getting to work just long enough to show her disapproval of the forced compromise, then set about doing as Rollo had instructed. There wasn't much to sort, but it was better than nothing. Rollo checked on her work twice, once pointing out her misunderstanding of what was and wasn't of worth; and again to answer a question about what some of the unknown objects were.

"How long will this last us?" Adee asked when the food and bottled drink was sorted. She didn't like the answer, and after a moment -- using their new familiarities -- she asked, "Are we going to die here ... Rollo?"

He answered yet again, then gave her some more instructions. They spent a good long time with more chores, and it wasn't long before Adee was tired, hungry, dehydrated ... and scared. She'd been ripped away from her home, shipped across the sea -- well, part of it anyway -- pummeled by a storm, attacked by pirates, and nearly drowned by that afore mentioned sea. And yet, somehow, Adee had only just now begun to fear that her life was coming to a tragic end.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Rollo was pleased with Adee's development. She seemed to grasp the situation they were now in and decide that he was not going to hurt her. Instead as long as she behaved he was going to protect her.

The gathering on the beach went well. They had found not only more food and water, but several useful items."How long will this last us?" Adee asked. Rollo had looked at her and smiled. "With everything here and what we have at camp, if we are careful, we have enough for five or six days. However I am sure we will have found more water by then. More water also means more food." He had gathered everything up in a large bit of sail cloth and returned to camp. For now it might be best to stay here for a bit."Are we going to die here ... Rollo?" She asked as they got back to camp. He had flopped down exhausted and looked at her. "No we won't. Not as long as you do as I say and continue to pull your weight."

As he tried to make a couple of makeshift bags he heard Adee start to quietly sob. He looked up and saw how wide eyed and vacant her face looked. Strolling over he sat beside her and just held her. "Don't worry Adee, everything will look better in the morning." Holding her tight he just whispered to her slightly rocking back and forth.

 

[CutiePie1997]

In response to her asking whether or not they were going to die here, Rollo told her...

"No we won't. Not as long as you do as I say and continue to pull your weight."

In contrast to how he'd disrespected her position over him the previous time, Adee said nothing. He was right. He knew what had to be done here. And she needed to do as he told her if they were going to survive. Oh, he could leave her here and go off on his own and survive just fine. Rollo didn't need Adee's assistance for him to survive. He needed it for her to survive.

And again in contrast to her no-longer-applicable position over him, when Rollo came to the sobbing Adee and took her into his arms, she only cuddled in tight against his masculine form, crying audibly. It was such a strange feeling, being in the arms of a man. She had been but just a child when her father died, and try as she had over the years, she couldn't remember anything about the man. And now, the first man to hold her in all her life was a mere soldier in her House's Guard. And ... it Adee had never felt safer in all her life.



She'd cried herself to sleep in Rollo's arms, waking the next morning to mixed feelings of embarrassment ... and hope.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Rollo had awoken early and finished making the bags. He had looked at the sleeping form of Adee and sighed. With her asleep he had let some of his frustrations show on his face. God's did the girl not know how beautiful she was, and just how dangerous this situation was? He was alone with her and who knew how long it would be until their rescue. If he had to look at her everyday how long until he could no longer control himself? He would do all he could of course, but he was only a man, eventually needs would win out. He just hoped they were rescued before then.

By the time she woke up he had prepared a breakfast of porridge with fresh fruit mixed in. It was not great but it was nutritious and would sustain them for the walk ahead. He had also packed the bags, placing most things in his and placing a lot of the light stuff in hers.

"Good morning Adee. Time to be up. Breakfast is over there and I suggest you eat your fill. We will be walking a fair way today I feel and you will need the energy. As soon as you are done we can get going."

 

[CutiePie1997]

The porridge was actually rather good, though Adee didn't confirm it with a compliment of any sort. Well, she did in a way, even if it wasn't with words. When she'd asked if there was anymore, Rollo had handed her the metal helmet he'd used as a pot; and turning so that he couldn't see her, Adee used a finger tip to wipe up and eat every last bit of it.



The walk was as the man had told her, long. But it was difficult as well. There were no roads or developed trails to follow, nothing but an path dug into the rocks and dirt by some animals that Adee and Rollo occasionally heard but never heard. She was soon spending more time watching for creatures who were going to leap from the bushes to kill and eat her than she was to the trail itself. After she'd lost her footing several times -- once even sliding down twenty feet of incline, badly scraping her leg -- Rollo showed her hoof prints in the mud that reassured her that the creatures should worry more about being eaten by them than the other way around.

They had started walking eastward on what they'd hoped was the shore of the mainland. But after several hours of following a shoreline that continued to curve to the right, it became obvious that they were instead on an island. But, what island? And where was it. What with the storm and the flight from the pirates, they could have been near either the Mouth of the Western Yalla River or the Mouth of the Eastern Yalla River ... or even somewhere else, who knew? Adee wished she had the map the Envoy had shown here back on Westrock, not that she would have known how to use it here and now. But she remembered only one island of significant size near the river mouths. Which river?

"The main land is that way," Adee said with confidence as the sun fell behind the peak in the isle's middle. When Rollo gave her a questioning expression, Adee pointed to the sea birds that were flying high above them, both toward and away from the island. "The fishers on Westrock told me the gulls would fly between the lands, searching for food in one area and taking it back to their rookeries in the other. So--" She pointed. "Land must be that way."

She looked out upon the vast sea, unable to see anything but water. Without looking to Rollo, in fear that he would see her glistening eyes, she asked, "How do we get from here ... to there?"

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Rollo had guided the little royal all day and at first he had been none too impressed. She was slow, easily spooked, looked out for the wrong things and sometimes got lost unless he was right beside or in front of her.

Yet as the day went on he found that she still kept to the rather gentle pace that he set and did not complain overly much at the rations or the small amount of water he gave her. He was very surprised at that. He had been expecting her to demand larger portions and more water, yet she took what was given to her and did not complain.

As night began to fall it became obvious they were not on the mainland but an island, and just where that island might be he had no idea. Without landmarks to see he had no way of knowing just how far the ship had been blown in the storm. The sky was still overcast with clouds, blocking out the stars, but if they cleared up maybe he would get a general idea of where they might be.

He was surprised again when Adee pointed towards the mainland, using the birds as a guide. She was right, but another thing the birds showed was often a source of water. They had found small trickles on their trek, but no streams. They needed a decent source and quickly.

He angled their trek towards the birds flight path and soon came upon another small trickle. This time he headed inland, following it and he lucked out. It met a small stream and following that led to a decent stream. Smiling he guided them beside it until he found a small clearing with a small deep pool of water. It was not too deep, only waist high but it would do.

"We can camp here for the night Adee. Why don't you gather some rocks and form the fire pit, and I will cut the firewood we will need for the night and then set up the tent. You can bathe first while I do that."

He knew she was still not comfortable with him and hoped that by making it look like he would be busy she would bathe without thinking he would be spying on her.

 

[CutiePie1997]

Adee began to feel a bit of pride when Rollo put her to work on the fire pit, recalling how she'd been able to start the earlier fire, albeit with difficulty. But then he told her...

"You can bathe first while I do that."

"I don't need to bathe!" she snapped, even though she so badly wanted to get the filth and stench from her body. She could feel the salt of this sea water surrounded world in every crevice of her body; her hands and feet were turning brown from their exposure to the combination of dirt and sand from volcanic and coral reef sources, respectively. But bathing before this soldier...? Well, it would be before him, but even just in his presence without proper chaperones...? Preposterous! She saw his reaction to her snippet, then finished with let venom, "I'm fine. I'll ... I will wash my hands ... and feet ... and I'll be fine."

She turned away from Rollo, feeling foolish, though unsure of why she felt so. There were so many reasons why this situation was inappropriate. Yet, what was the option? It wasn't like they were going to turn the corner and find a half dozen Chamber Maids waiting for her, to provide the proper female accompaniment. Adee was on an apparently deserted island with a man. That was how it was. And she was going to have to deal with it in the best way possible.



Soon, a fire was blazing and the meat Rollo had hunted down in the rocks was filling the air with a wonderful smell. And Adee's mind was back to the topic of cleaning herself again. Adee glanced Rollo's way often, both during conversation and not; and she found herself thinking about Rollo thinking about her ... as a woman. She'd been trying her best to imagine that the adult male thought of her only as a female child, not a body to be touched in the way men touched women.

But the fact was that despite her relative youth to Rollo, Adee was a woman. She'd begun her Moon Bleeding years ago; she'd been betrothed and scheduled to meet with her future husband now for more than a year; and, if she hadn't been able to so skillfully delay her emigration from the Golden Isles to Nurva so long, she would probably already have a child suckling at swollen breasts.

The only thing keeping Rollo from forcing Adee's thighs apart and having his way with her was his honor...

Which Adee was going to put to the test now before the filth covering her led her to scratch her skin to the point of bleeding in places where a man shouldn't see a woman scratching herself. She'd already filled the soldier's helmet with water from the pool and put it over the fire. She carefully retrieved it with a rag protecting her fingers and stood, warning Rollo, "A gentleman would keep his back to a lady when she bathes."

Without waiting for a response -- though she highly expected one anyway -- Adee made her way to the pool. It was just ten yards from the fire, and with no undergrowth between the pool and fire, Adee knew she would be on full display before Rollo, should he decide to peek. Adee's baths at Westrock had come in two stages: first, she lay in the soapy water, luxuriating at the warmth while washing her own body, save her hair and back; and second, standing in a second pool of clean water, while her Chamber Maid rinsed away the soap that would otherwise leave her itching at her flesh all day.

This was not going to be one of those baths. Adee was almost tempted to forego it entirely, but looking first to find the back of Rollo, then looking down at her feet -- which even in the dark were obviously filthy -- and then sniffing at her own underarms, Adee knew she had to make at least some effort.

She checked Rollo again, then began. It was awkward at first, wetting the rag with the steaming hot water, adding a touch of cold to cool it to comfort, then working it up under her shift to the parts of her that desperately needed attention. Adee wasn't about to take off the filthy garment and stand naked here so close to the future rapist ... but it wasn't long before she became entirely frustrated with the ineffectiveness of what she was doing.

Again Adee checked for Rollo's discretion, then -- as quickly as she could -- she pulled her shift up over her head and pushed the waist slip off her hips, leaving her naked in the dancing light of the fire; then she stepped forward into the pool--

Which caused her to squeak out in shock at the coldness! She didn't look back to see if her exclamation drew Rollo's attention. She honestly preferred not to know if he looked her way than if he did. She continued to work her way into the water, crouching down until the water was to her underarms, hiding her breasts, as she continued to draw quick, sharp breaths at the sudden shock of cold on her warm flesh.

It took a minute or more for her to acclimate to the cold, island mountain water, and when she finally had, she turned to look Rollo's way again. He seemed to have moved a bit, though Adee couldn't be certain. Had his foot been in that spot the whole time? Had he been resting on that rock in that way, or...?

She reminded herself that she preferred not to know whether the man had looked at her and looked back to the helmet full of hot water again. She again checked Rollo, then -- thinking if he was going to peek she'd rather show him as little as possible -- she turned her back to him and rose from the cold pool until she was exposed to mid calf. She wetted the rag again with warm water and set about cleaning her entire body from her head down. She saved the pits to last, of course, then sat on the smoothest of the available rocks -- which wasn't smooth at all -- to lift one foot after the other to scrub away the dirt that had even gotten down below the tops of her short boots.

When she was finished with her soapless, pseudo-bath, Adee stood again and retrieved her shift. She held it up inn the dancing light of the fire and saw how horribly dirty it was as well. She sat again and dunked it into the pool, scrubbing it as best she could against a rock as the servants in Westrock did with the washing boards.

Adee donned the thin shift with difficulty, the now wet cloth sticking to her skin like a leech looking for a dining spot. She cleaned the waist slip but did not put it back on. Then she poured out the helmet and headed back to the fire, slinging the slip over the roasting stand from which Rollo had since removed the roasted creatures, what ever they were. Adee spread out the slip to dry, then jerked at the shift in an attempt to draw it away from the flesh that it was showinng off as if she wore nothing at all. The chill of the night and cold bath was causing her nipples to stand out very noticeably; and the slight wind coming in from the sea kept sticking the shift to her shapely waist and legs so persistently that Adee finally gave up on trying to hide her womanly curves from Rollo.

She just stood there before the fire, eating on the offered meat and hoping the shift would dry before bed time. After a long while, she turned her back to the fire -- and to Rollo -- to let that side dry ... knowing that her firm, young pear shaped ass would be on full display.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Rollo had smiled at the indignity in the girls voice when he had mentioned her bathing. Just how did she imagine she was going to get clean each day? Still he guessed that a woman that had servants bathe her each day would probably not take too kindly to suddenly washing herself in a pool of water.

After she had gotten the fire going and he had set up their tent for the night and cooked their dinner he was surprised that she had not taken advantage of the time he had been busy to take her bath. Perhaps he should have spelt out the situation more for her. Now he had all the time in the world to look at her although he shouldn't. He knew he shouldn't, but if she was going to wait until moments like this is was going to become more and more tempting and he knew if they stayed here for any length of time, he was going to eventually crack.

When she all but ordered him to turn around he had smiled and quickly complied. he had no wish to tempt himself further. He had heard her turn around several times but he had picked a spot in the jungle and was steadily watching it. However when he heard her yelp in surprise he had not been able to stop his natural instincts to turn around. He had thought her in danger but once he had seen she was not he had quickly turned back, but the image of her naked back was burnt into his memory.

He had stiffened a little but gotten himself under control by the time she emerged from the water and he heard her place something by the fire. He dared turn around and his mouth almost gaped open. She was in her shift but she might as well have been naked. It was wet and clung to her like a second skin, showing him exactly how she would look bare. Even her nipples were hard and erect and poking through the material.

He quickly walked past her and headed for the pool. "If you are finished M'Lady, I will have my own bath. I trust you will afford me the same privacy I did you."

He stripped off with no real concern and waded into the pond. It was cool and the shock cured his growing problem, but once in he soon grew acclimatized and began to pull up handfuls of sand from the bottom and scrub himself with it. It was an old trick and one he had not mentioned to the princess thinking she would not be open to the idea. Still it scrubbed the skin well and left it clean, the only downside was you had to make sure to rinse very thoroughly and it was very abrasive.

Still he finished and felt better and then spent a few minutes swimming in the water before getting out and then realizing the same thing she had. His clothes were filthy. His were in better shape than hers were most likely being made of leather, but they were still smelly and covered in muck and dried salt. If he tried to wash them, they would shrink and would not return to their normal shape until well dried and beaten. There was just one thing to do. Re donning his undergarments and his trousers he took his shirt and washed it and then waded into the water and washed his trousers as best he could while wearing them.

They shrunk, hugging his body and making it hard to walk but he managed to make it back to the fire where he noticed that Adee's slip was not as see thru as before. His problem was that his bulge was now visible for her to see and he blushed as he tried to find a way to sit so it was not as noticeable. He wasn't even hard it was just him and he was praying to god she did nothing to cause him to get erect.

 

[CutiePie1997]

Adee caught Rollo's gaze settle upon her breasts for a quick moment, then even lower before hurrying back to the dancing flames. Her first reaction was to become incensed at the servant's ogling of his Lady's body, which led to her tugging outward at the shift again, disengaging it from her flesh. But, a moment later, Adee's second reaction had her suppressing a grin, knowing that Rollo's reaction to her near-nudity hadn't been about servant and Lady but about man and woman. He saw her -- literally and figuratively -- as an adult female worthy of his desire.

And while it shouldn't have, it made her feel ... what ... proud? Maybe even ... excited.

"If you are finished M'Lady, I will have my own bath. I trust you will afford me the same privacy I did you."

"Pffft!" Adee sounded with an exhaled rush of air through tight lips.

She was going to follow up with some kind of comment like Why would I be interested in seeing you? but Adee didn't think she could get the words out of her mouth without stumbling over them. Instead, she turned her back to the fire again, giving Rollo one last look at the curves of her ass before she pulled the thin shift out away from her skin again.

She remained facing away from him as she listened to the sound of leather and buckles behind her. But ... Adee couldn't help herself. The curiosity was too great. Once, from a great distance, she'd seen a trio of naked soldiers bathing under a water fall back on Westrock. But she'd barely been able to see enough of them to honestly say she'd seen a ... well ... one of those.

She leaned down to pick up a piece of firewood, tossing it onto the fire and peeking Rollo's direction. His back was to her ... all of his back. Adee stood tall again, her back to him but her eyes -- wide with shock -- set firmly upon Rollo's naked backside. He was amazing! Shoulders, back, buttocks, legs ... they rippled with muscled highlighted by the flickering light of the fire. And while she was ready to turn away at any moment, she found she didn't have to when Rollo never looked back during the bathing portion of his time in the water.

When he finished and she feared he would look her way, Adee turned away to realize that her heart was pounding with excitement. She stared out into the darkness, her mind's eye still seeing his beauty before her. And she found herself simultaneously chastising herself for having looked ... and for not having seen it. She smiled, then felt her face burning with a blush she was glad Rollo couldn't see.

When she finally heard the man return to the fire, she glanced back to ensure it was clear, then turned to face him ... and she couldn't help but look directly at Rollo's crotch. The shape of his cock was all too obvious inside the tight fitting leather, and while Adee tried to pull her eyes away, she couldn't until he sat down and the view went away.

She sat on a rock and stared into the flames, glancing at Rollo occasionally. When their gazes met, she smiled politely, fearful that the new, strange feelings inside her weren't obvious on her face. They chatted a bit over the next few minutes, but Adee found herself simply unable to hold the conversation.

"I need to lay down," she said, standing to retrieve her waist slip and move to the tent Rollo had erected from the available materials. As she looked at the to bed rolls laying side by side, Adee suddenly forgot that the night before she'd fallen asleep in the man's arms and asked, "You're ... you're not sleeping in here with me ... are you?"

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Rollo looked at the girl in surprise. After last nights sleeping arrangements he was surprised that she had any objections. Still he had made sure the tent was more than big enough for the both of them and that he had given her the best and warmest space inside of it.

"Yes I am Princess," he told her, actually using her title for once. "There is nowhere else for me to sleep and we do bot have enough materials for another shelter. As you can see there is enough room for the both of us and you will still have your privacy."

He stood up and moved over to the shelter and smiling moved a small piece of netting in which he had weaved large fern like leaves. It was attached to a central pole and ran down the center of the structure. "You see, this will block your side from mine and give you all the privacy you desire."

Striding back to the fire he sat with his back to the shelter to give her even more privacy. After all the shelter did not have a front to it, it was more a lean to than a proper tent. Still that allowed the heat from the fire to warm it up and he had built it in such a way that it should stay warm all night.

Rollo banked up the fire, and scooped the coals into a nice pile. It should last till morning if he had not lost his touch. He was already thinking of making this place their base. It had food and water and from what he had seen, it was not that far from here to the peak. Oh if he found some place better they could always relocate but for now this was ideal.

Turning he made his way to bed. He needed rest for tomorrow would be another busy day. However before he slept he checked on Adee one last time. He found her huddled in her blanket shivering. He was surprised as it was not cold but when he heard her cry out he realized it was not because of the cold. Shaking his head he smiled then grabbed his blanket and laid down beside her and carefully put an arm around her. Instantly she cuddled into him and stopped shivering. She sighed and her face relaxed and she started to breathe evenly. Rollo knew he was probably going to be in trouble in the morning but he just laid back and slowly drifted off to sleep.

 

[CutiePie1997]

Adee's change in her view of the sleeping arrangements were, of course, a direct result of having seen the warrior stark naked, if only from behind. Of course, he didn't know that she hadn't been able to take her eyes off him for the first minute or so. How was she to sleep next to a male she barely yet, at the same time, knew all too well, and in ways a young Noble girl shouldn't?

She slipped into her bed roll, pulling the minimal bedding tightly around herself for warmth ... and for security. Adee chastised herself with clenched jaws, reminding herself that Rollo had done nothing that should concern her?

So what was the issue...? Adee knew what the issue was, though she tried to deny it. It was Adee herself. She'd enjoyed ogling the warrior's form. Even more than that ... she wanted to ogle it more ... and more of it, specifically the ... thing in the front.

For the longest time, she just lay there, staring at the low orange and red fire light dancing on the leanto's inside wall, wondering about her future with Rollo. Adee was convinced that the two would be stuck together on the island until nature's horrors took one of them, likely Adee herself. Stuck here with Rollo, she thought. The idea was such a conflict in her young mind, for so many reasons...



Adee was contemplating those reasons when she drifted off. It was an unsettling sleep as her inner core hadn't warmed fully and, even as sleep arrived, she was already shivering noticeably. The discomfort seemed to last hours, yet only a dozen or so minutes had actually passed before Adee returned to full consciousness at the feel of Rollo pulling her into his body.

As concerned as she'd been with her thoughts of their relationship, Adee cuddled right up against the man's warm form. Being against him after he'd just left the fire was the most comforting thing Adee had experienced since arriving on the island...

...and without any concern for propriety, she rolled over to face him, pulled the bedding up that seperated them, wrapped one arm around his trunk, and pulled their front sides firmly together. It was so wrong, laying with a man this way, regardless of their relative stations. It was so wrong...

...and yet, it felt so right.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Rollo awoke first and found Adee still cuddled against him. The warmth from the fire still permeated the lean to and all in all it was a glorious way to wake up. With any other girl he might have been tempted to lean down and kiss her awake and then see if things progressed a little further, but with her things were strictly hands off.

He slowly disengaged himself from her and stood up. Quietly he got the fire going from the still warm coals and then began a quick search of the area. His earlier (Or late night) suspicions proved true. In a little under ten minutes he had found plenty of food and several game trails. This was going to be an ideal spot to set up a base.

First things first though, he made breakfast and waited for Adee to wake up. She deserved a vote in this too. He just had to convince her it was the best thing to do.