The Solitary Arrow Ch. 03
Her first reaction was to return the volley he had just delivered unto her. But then she realized that his anger was just. She had known her own course, and he had not. He truly was innocent, and she had toyed with his emotions. She rolled over again, and wept until sleep took her.
In the morning she heard Harlen moving about in the cave. The light stone was out again, and the room was full of harsh shadows. She turned to see him packing pelts and such into a backpack frame. He noticed her wakefulness. "We leave in half an hour." He said, his voice was cold and empty.
She sat up. "I will be ready, Harlen." She said, almost ready to begin crying again. She slipped out of the cot and began picking up the few items that were now 'hers.' It was a paltry assortment of goods, but she clutched them to her chest and looked about, lost.
A small leather sack flopped down on the cot beside her. "You can put your stuff in that." He said, his voice was also becoming uncouth. She wondered when he would begin cursing. She could feel the hostility emanating from him. It was almost solid, like a shield. She looked up at him, her eyes almost leaking tears. When he turned to regard her, the anger and hurt in his eyes terrified her. Were he not a good man, he would hurt me, she thought.
She packed her goods away, then belted on her rapier and slung her quiver. Holding her bow in one hand and her sack in the other. "I am ready." She said.
He picked up the heavy backpack frame. "Good, then we leave now." Said Harlen. He crouched and held the pack before him as he left the cave, grabbing the light stone and waiting for her. "Keep up."
She followed him closely and he exited the narrow entrance. He stooped and slung the pack on his back. Then put the stone in it's pouch. She was just standing. He turned, and without even looking at her, set off north.
He set a rapid pace, but not too fast. She kept up easily, and only had a few small cramps. His eyes watched all about them as they moved, and he stopped them short as a handful of orcs crossed a ravine a few hundred yards away. Soon, they were under the dappled canopy of the forest, and she felt slightly better.
He spoke little, other than to point out possible obstacles or pitfalls. There were clouds gathering overhead, and the possibility of rain became very likely.
Lightning flashed overhead a few times, then the sky fell on them. Harlen did not stop. The rain fell in heavy sheets, soaking the ground almost instantly, then running over it. Within a quarter hour, they were dragging their feet through mud up to their ankles. "Harlen, we should stop." She said quietly.
She stumbled in the mud, falling onto her hands and knees. Harlen stopped and watched her impassively, rain running down his face. He stood there a long moment, as she gathered herself up and stood again. She trudged through the mud toward him. Her face was burning from her tears now, but the rain hid them, and she cared not anymore if he saw.
Onward they plodded, and she fell again. When Harlen turned he saw thin blood running down one thigh. His eyes instantly lost their hardness, and his bland expression changed into one of immense concern. "By the One, You're bleeding!" He said, running to her and dropping his bow.
Hyandai tried to wave him back. "No, I will mend." She said, looking up at him. "We should get to your village before resting."
His hands were on her sides, lifting her from the mud, and they kept lifting until she was cradled in his arms, almost as a child. "No, Hyandai." He said. "We will find shelter now." He was weeping as well now. He stooped and she picked up his bow from the mud. She had the two weapons clutched to her chest, along with her bag of possessions. He walked through the mud sinking almost to his knees with her added weight, and he pressed on. Finally, they came to a tree with very heavy leaves, and a dense canopy. It was also on a slight rise, and was reasonably dry underneath. He sat her on the ground at its base, with her back against it. "I am sorry, Rapier." He said. "I don't know what to do or say about your leaving." His face was sad and worried. He fished out a cloth from his pack. "Here, for your hurt." He said. He rose and walked around the tree. She heard him take off his pack as she put the cloth into place.
"I do not know what to do either, Harlen." She said around the tree. "You think I wish to leave you?" Her voice was breaking, all the crying was taking a toll on her. "My desire is to stay, you know." She answered her own question. He walked back around and sat before her. "Very much." She said to him. Her golden eyes were full of desire, and of hurt, and of love. "If I could, I would stay with you, right here, under this tree."
He said. "I know that you have a duty to your people. I would feel the same, I think." He smiled half-heartedly. "Given all your other good traits, I should have expected loyalty to be among them."
She returned the smile. "My loyalty is divided now." She said. "And the division is a very close one." Her smile soured. "But the needs of my people outweigh my own happiness, and sadly, yours, which is more dear to me than my own."
He nodded. "When the time comes, I will try to not to be bitter again." Harlen said, taking her hand and kissing it gently. "I want to enjoy what time with you that I am blessed with." His smile took on a sad beauty. "If you left me now, I would still have been luckier than most men."
She leaned forward and clung to his neck, and kissed it. "I am the lucky one. To have stumbled through the woods and run into, quite literally, a hero." She said into his hair. He grabbed her to him, and lifted her onto his lap. She nestled into his arms and onto his legs, then felt his lips on her neck, and tilted her head back to allow him freedom with it. He kissed and nibbled on her throat and under her ear. Her breath became short, and the sensations from her neck were traveling all over her body. He worked up to her slim, pointed ear, then began to gently lick it, and kiss the lobe. She moaned at that touch, and felt the sparks of pleasure fire down her spine this time, and come to rest at the root of her spine.
She pushed gently from his lips. "Harlen, much more of that, and I may do something injurious to myself." She giggled. "But, here, let me do something." She said and leaned over to his neck and began to plant tiny kisses and bites over its thick surface. He reveled in her kisses, and thrilled to her little bites. She smiled inwardly as he became fully erect under her leg, he was quite easy to arouse, she thought. But then again, her own arousal had been no chore, either. One of her hands was in his hair, knotting itself into the strands, an the other hand was on his chest, sliding downward. Occasional little drops of water would strike them, but they heeded them not. Her hand came to rest over his heart, and she could feel his raw power through it. His heart was pounding like a signal drum, pulsing with enough force to feel even with her own chest were she to press against him. She pulled her legs up to her chest and turned in his lap, facing him directly, and unfolded her legs around his waist. His powerful arms pulled her to him, pressing her against him from groin to chin. The heartbeat felt massive against her own chest, and her heart beat more stoutly in sympathy. He was so much taller than she, that even sitting he had almost half a head of height on her. She clung to him, as well, kissing his neck and collar, and loving the feel of the huge, powerful hands on her back.
She leaned up and pulled his head down with the hand still in his hair. "Harlen," She whispered into his ear. "Were I not injured, I would ask you now to take me." She felt his manhood now pressed against her womanhood and up to her navel. He was hard now, like that part of him was carven of wood.
He whispered a reply into her ear. "I may hold you to that before we take you home."
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