Last Strathulian Standing

by Daisy Dexter Dobbs

  Four days and nights had passed since Jia-Nian first experienced the rapture of double penetration with her beloved guardians. After hot, gritty, demanding days of skirmishes, some light and some more rigorous, they spent their nights wrapped in each other’s arms. Between snatches of sleep the threesome engaged in lusty rounds of sex, Aydon and Danior taking turns with her front and back.

  Each morning Jia-Nian made a point to awaken before dawn to have a few precious last words and share a few tender kisses with Danior before he shifted. It broke her heart to watch the transformation from man to stallion. He was such a brave soul. And he had a truly good heart.

  This morning was different. Once Danior had transformed, Jia-Nian peeled off her garment and stood naked next to the glossy brown stallion, clapping his muscular flanks, whispering soothing words into his ear.

  “Take me for a wild ride as the world awakens, Danior,” she said. Grabbing a hank of his mane she hauled herself up on his bare back. “Show me the world as you see it each morning. I want to feel the wind whipping through my hair. Let me hear the sound of your hooves pounding the earth. Let me feel the vibration through my body as you gallop.”

  Before signaling Danior forward, Jia-Nian looked to the side where Aydon now leaned against a tree, arms crossed over his chest as he watched her. She offered a smile that silently spoke the words of her heart. His expression solemn, he gazed at her for a long moment and then nodded his understanding and approval.

  In the next instant she and her stallion were off. Leaning forward, Jia-Nian clung to Danior’s mane as he picked up speed and his hooves kicked up clods of dirt. Never had she felt so free, so wild. It was indeed the ride of a lifetime.

  With each bounce of her buttocks against Danior’s strong back her clit stirred. She thrilled in the feel of her nakedness slapping against his hide, at the sight of her breasts springing rhythmically with his gait. The cool morning wind chilled her, tightening her nipples to aching points. She longed to grasp them, pinch them, roll them to ease the erotic sting, but held fiercely to his mane for fear of falling hard to the ground.

  It was on the return from their feral ride that Danior slowed his pace. The more leisurely cadence brought with it a new awareness of vibration. Jia-Nian felt the warm current of nectar emerging from her cunt, pooling on Danior’s back. She leaned down against him, brushing her nipples against the coarse hair of his hide, abrading them, increasing the twinges of desire that coursed from her tits to her cunt.

  Her hips began an involuntary writhing. Soft moans escaped her throat, caught on the wind and scattered, mingling with birdcalls and the sounds of the world coming alive. The pulsing in her clit intensified and Jia-Nian braced herself for a shuddering climax.

  “Faster now, my love,” she cried into Danior’s ear. “Ride like the wind. Deliver me to a place where my spirit communes with the earth and sky and all of nature.” Nudging him with her heels, she hung on as he broke into a furious gallop.

  Her magnificent stallion didn’t disappoint. As potent convulsions gripped her, Jia-Nian’s impassioned cry rent the air.

  With the last of her trembling, Danior again adopted an unhurried pace. Nearing the spot where they’d spent the night, the place where Aydon waited, Jia-Nian clapped his neck and stroked his mane.

  “For the rest of the day, Danior, remember that you and I shared this extraordinary time together. That your spirit, your speed and agility, delivered me to grand new heights. What an extraordinary man you are, my beloved.”

  Truer words she’d never spoken. Both of her men, her lovers, were extraordinary. Good, bold, true and brave.

  But while their hearts were pure and their hands and words often gentle, there was nothing faint or meager about them. No indeed, these two were distinctly men through and through. Aydon and Danior were fierce, bold, strong and infuriatingly obstinate. They seemed to thrive on battle, the exhilaration of victory and hot, hard sex.

  Though often beset by a frightful assortment of gashes, bruises and abrasions, their colossal carnal appetites never faltered. And neither did Jia-Nian’s. She couldn’t get enough of their mouths, their tongues, their cocks.

  As soon as she’d ministered to their wounds with her healing herbal poultices, Aydon and Danior were on her, in her, thrusting into her passion-drenched flesh. Into the wee hours each night, her body hummed with vibrations of one dazzling orgasm after another.

  Arriving back at the site after her fervent morning ride, Jia-Nian allowed Aydon to help her from Danior’s back. Threading his fingers through her hair, he gazed so deeply, so lovingly into her eyes that she felt the heat of his passion clear to her soul. Aydon fisted her locks, dragging her hard to his chest before claiming her mouth.

  She wanted the kiss to go on forever and whimpered when Aydon’s lips left hers. But, like his brother guardian, Aydon didn’t disappoint. He got to his knees and forced her thighs apart, burying his head at her cunt, sniffing her sex, licking the remnants of her wild orgasm, nipping at her clit.

  Just when she felt sure she couldn’t take another moment of sweet, tingling pleasure-pain, Aydon slammed her against the tree and shoved his cock in her cunt high and hard. His expression was fierce, feral as he fucked her, growled at her, set her inner world afire.

  Without mercy, he pinched her rigid nipples, dug his fingers into her hips, slammed into her repeatedly. The ride he provided was every bit as rough, wild and untamed as that she’d shared with Danior. And the climax was just as monumental.

  ———

  Jia-Nian looked down at her hand clasped around Aydon’s as they rode and she smiled. Her men insisted her hands possessed powerful healing magic and were all they needed to recover from their injuries enough to happily focus on their carnal mission.

  Ah…if only it were so. If she possessed such power, Jia-Nian would have used it to soothe her own aching heart, to shield it from the pain of loss that soon would come. Merely a day or two’s ride, Zalvanus loomed ever closer, the approach bringing with it mixed feelings of elation and sorrow.

  Aydon and Danior had been honest and forthcoming. They’d treated her with respect and care but they’d never sought to deceive her with fanciful promises of love everlasting. Many times they spoke to her of their arrival in Zalvanus, where they would see to the business of the Zalvaneans they were sworn to protect.

  And where they would part ways with her.

  They’d send her on her way so she could continue studying the healing arts or otherwise occupy her time.

  Before getting to know and love her dear men, Jia-Nian would have been thrilled at the prospect of living among the Zalvaneans. She had some distant family there, after all, with her departed grandfather being pure Zalvanean. There was so much she could learn among their people, so much she hoped to offer them in return for their years of kindness and generosity to the Strathulians.

  But now…

  Now arrival in Zalvanus held anguish for her.

  While she’d managed to live all her life with one heart beating in her breast, how in the name of Ko’Loran could she go on living without her other two hearts now? Each time Jia-Nian thought of it the pain weighed heavier on her chest, clawing at her soul.

  The feel of Aydon’s fingers in her hair, sifting through her windblown locks, distracted her from her cheerless contemplations. With a pull on the reins, he slowed Danior’s swift gallop to a leisurely pace, giving the stallion well-deserved rest and allowing for conversation. When Aydon leaned close, sweeping her hair from her neck and brushing a kiss beneath her ear, she sagged against him and sighed.

  “I never noticed this until now,” he breathed into her ear as he fingered a spot on Jia-Nian’s neck, just below and behind her ear.

  Her hand went to her neck, fluttering at the small red stain there. “My birthmark,” she said, having almost forgotten about it.

  “A most unusual birthmark for a most unusual woman.”

  She felt his finger lightly tracing the round shape which en
ded in a zigzag tail at the bottom.

  “It’s familiar,” Aydon told her. “I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

  “Perhaps you’ve glimpsed it atop my future throne,” she said in jest.

  “Ahhh, so all this time you’ve been royalty in hiding, hmm? Remind me to bow when next we dismount, my queen.”

  “I shall do just that.” Jia-Nian glanced back to find the teasing smile she knew would be across Aydon’s lips. “My grandfather used to tell me I bore the mark of the long awaited Zalvanean queen,” she said, laughing softly at the sweet memory of the dear, gentle man. “Such fanciful, far-fetched tales he wove. His boundless stories held me captivated as a child.”

  “Of course! That’s where I’ve seen it, emblazoned over the gates of Zalvanus,” Aydon said. “It’s the sacred symbol of their people.”

  “You scoff at me, Aydon. For shame,” she chastised with mock indignation. All the while her grandfather’s words swirled inside her head. Hadn’t he told her the very same thing?

  “I speak the truth.” Aydon outlined the mark again with the tip of his finger. “The symbol is the same.”

  Jia-Nian laughed again. “If I deem you worthy, Aydon the Bold, when we dismount I shall allow you to kneel at my feet and kiss my toes. Danior the True may have a lick too if he behaves.”

  “You jest, Jia-Nian, but what if it is so?”

  “Have you lost your senses, Aydon?” Jia-Nian clucked her tongue in derision. “Over the years I’ve scooped animal dung from outside our home. I’ve scrubbed the family’s well-soiled clothes as well as our dinner bowls. I’ve butchered goats and fowl for our meals. I’ve—well, I could go on and on. Believe me, Aydon, I’m neither highborn nor queenly by any measure.”

  “As I’ve known a few queens in my time,” Aydon noted, “allow me to differ. You’re quarrelsome, stubborn, commanding, defiant, annoying as hell…and you’re the best wench I’ve ever fucked. I’d say you’re most decidedly queenly, Jia-Nian.”

  “You’re just as inventive as my grandfather.”

  “Perhaps, but as young guardian apprentices, Danior and I were taught the chronicle of the anticipated queen by our Zalvanean trainers. That woman is destined to lead the Zalvaneans to victory against all foes—to bring peace to mankind for a thousand years.”

  “My grandfather filled my head with the same story. My mother, however, did not hold the same conviction. I remember once when she set me to the task of plucking the feathers from a fat fowl for dinner, I informed her that future queens didn’t stoop to such mediocre chores. After she took a switch to my bottom I couldn’t sit down for days.”

  “I find the image of your naked striped bottom most appealing.” Aydon slipped his hand from her waist and slid it beneath her ass. “The woods are full of switches…”

  “Ha! I’d like to see you try to take a switch to me.”

  “You make my loins tighten with your invitation.”

  “That was not an invitation, Aydon. It was a warning. I suggest you heed it if you value your precious loins.”

  Aydon laughed. “I would imagine the Queen of Zalvanus to be lively and spirited like you, Jia-Nian. It is said that she will possess amazing powers.”

  A dark cloud of sorrow intruded on her thoughts. “If that were so, Aydon, and I were this supposed queen, wouldn’t I have slaughtered all of Tordanuk’s vermin before they went about defiling and butchering my people? Wouldn’t I have known that I’m the legendary Queen of Zalvanus and do something, anything, instead of watching my beloved people die all around me?”

  “And yet you survived,” Aydon said softly, stroking her cheek, wiping away the tear that trickled from her eye. “A woman alone amid all that carnage. How, Jia-Nian? Why?”

  “You torment me, Aydon!” Jia-Nian cried, the guilt at not being able to prevent the death of her family, much less the rest of her tribe, stabbing at her thoughts. “I should have died with the others. I have no business, no right, no possible purpose to be the last Strathulian standing.”

  “Great Ko’Loran,” Aydon muttered.

  “What is it?” Jia-Nian looked left and right, wondering what he’d seen to bring such alarm to his tone.

  “Anguish and sorrows untold she suffers in a land distant from Zalvanus,” Aydon said, the familiar words from the prophecy barely audible. Despite the warm air, a chill clutched at her spine. “Soon a pair of guardians her secrets unlock,” Aydon went on, “so that she may know her true self and her mission…”

  “And by her side, bold and true her beloved princes rule,” Jia-Nian continued the prophecy of old taught by her grandfather. “Giving life to the promise of a thousand years of banished fears.” She sucked in a deep breath, suddenly finding herself so lightheaded she feared toppling from Danior’s back.

  “Bold and true…great Ko’Loran,” Aydon repeated.

  “Oh, Aydon, Could it be?” All of her grandfather’s romantic tales of a beautiful, fair and powerful queen and the two handsome princes she loved, ruling by her side, flooded her thoughts. “That would make you and Danior—”

  “I know,” he said, the sound of his hard swallow clearly audible.

  Was it truly possible that she was the foretold Queen of Zalvanus?

  You bear the sacred mark, her grandfather had told her. That’s why I gave you the name Jia-Nian when first I set eyes upon you, fresh from your mother’s womb. Leader of men it means. And then he would tap her temple with his fingertip. All you need to know is safely locked away here until your time comes to journey to Zalvanus, to support your subjects and lead them to victory…

  “Look, Jia-Nian, there’s a small village up ahead,” Aydon said.

  Still dazed from the dubious prospects, she gazed forward. The day’s light was waning and soon night would fall. The thought of resting her weary bones on a nice straw mat for the night was so appealing it nearly displaced the newfound wonder of her improbable fate.

  Sniffing the air, she found the tantalizing thought of fresh food even more appealing. The images her mind conjured had her salivating. A bit of cheese, some juicy fruit, a crust of onion cake, perhaps a small glass of wine or ale. It had been so long.

  Danior shook his head and snorted.

  “It seems Danior senses the same forewarning that grips at my gut,” Aydon noted. “While all seems quiet upon our approach, I fear it is too calm. Be wary as we draw near, Jia-Nian.”

  “Look, Aydon, over there.” She pointed to the large, distinct prints in the dirt. “I’ve only seen Tordanuk’s guards ride qubuji. They’ve either been here or are still present.”

  Spotting the beasts’ four-toed prints sent a shiver through her. The shaggy qubuji were bulkier than horses and had small tusks on either side of their mouths. She’d witnessed many of her tribe gored by the vicious animals when the Pushgans invaded Strathul.

  “We’ll dismount here,” Aydon said after leading Danior to the edge of the woods. “You stay here with Danior while I check the area.”

  Jia-Nian slipped from Danior’s back, ensuring that her sword was properly affixed. Next she made certain the assortment of knives and small spears she’d collected from Pushgan bodies were strapped and tucked so she could reach them quickly.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Aydon asked, giving her an incredulous look.

  “The same as always,” she answered, slipping the last weapon into the leather ties that crisscrossed her breasts. “Arming myself for battle.”

  Aydon grabbed her arm, yanking Jia-Nian against his chest hard enough to rob her of breath. Gritting his teeth as he spoke, he said, “Have you lost your senses as well as your hearing, woman? Jia-Nian, there’s a strong possibility of finding an encampment of Tordanuk’s guards in that village. You will remain here as I said.”

  Hands fisted on hips, she stared up into Aydon’s scowling face, connecting with his narrowed gaze.

  “I will not.”

  With that, Danior gave Jia-Nian a mighty shove with his nose, causing her to falter
and tumble to the ground.

  “There, you see?” Aydon said. “Danior is in agreement with me. For once you will set your stubborn will aside and obey me.”

  Jia-Nian grumbled as she rose to her feet, brushing dirt and leaves from her bottom. “No matter how fierce and mighty you may be, Aydon the Bold, you are one man alone. You need someone to watch your backside.”

  This time Aydon grabbed both of Jia-Nian’s arms, pulling her flush against him. She saw something in his eyes then, something she hadn’t noticed there before. In the blink of an eye, Aydon’s mouth came down hard on hers in a scorching kiss.

  “I will not risk losing you, sweet one,” he said once their lips parted. “I cannot. Let me do what I was trained to do. You have my word I’ll be back for you if it is safe.”

  “And if it is not safe?” Jia-Nian asked, trembling from fear and the aftereffects of Aydon’s potent kiss. “If you are mortally wounded?”

  Cupping her chin, Aydon gave her a tender smile. “Then my brother guardian,” he patted Danior’s hide, “will carry you to safety and into the gates of Zalvanus.”

  “But Aydon—”

  The conspicuous sound of a qubuji’s ferocious bellow silenced Jia-Nian’s retort. Her blood ran cold with the realization that Tordanuk’s guard was present and this would be no ordinary battle.

  “Please, just this once be docile for me, Jia-Nian. Don’t you understand? I could not live with myself if anything happened to you.” He patted Danior’s flanks. “And I know Danior feels the same way.” Danior responded with a nod and quiet snort.

  Jia-Nian clutched onto Aydon’s battle-torn tunic. “But I can help you, Aydon. I’ve proven myself to you in battle already, haven’t I? You know I can hold my own against the Pushgans.”

  “Not their elite. Not Tordanuk’s guard. No matter how fine a warrior you may be, Jia-Nian, a woman is no match for those bloodthirsty monsters. It’s said they attain their great strength from Shivrane’s sorcery.”

  “Oh, Aydon, don’t you understand that my life would be over should anything happen to you or Danior? What good is my safety if I must live the rest of my years mourning your loss? I have no one left in all the world, Aydon, save for you and Danior. If you must die in battle, then let me be at your side fighting with you to the bloody end.”