Twilight nodded slowly. “Interesting observation, my mistress. Its beauty has been chillingly perfect, void of the mortal flaws and imperfections one would notice in a more… mundane realm of existence, closer to our own in nature.”
Jess shrugged. “Who can say? Yet if they seek to greet us by means graceful and diplomatic, blades sheathed, I’d be a fool to pass up the opportunity to turn a potential enemy into a future ally. Especially if food, drink, and merriment shall be our paths to diplomatic harmony, as Father would say!”
Twilight gazed at the knights watching them so respectfully with a considering tilt of his head. “It's as good a theory as anything, my Jess. It is best we have a care, however. For though they may have our measure far quicker than I would like, from them I can read nothing at all.”
Jess laughed with a sudden sense of exhilaration, instantly making connections. Sensing how, from a certain angle, it all made sense. “It is like we are in a faerie tale! A living, breathing, adventure of idealized form. Do not be surprised if trials and tests await us, my friends!”
It was then that the pristinely beautiful knight who had first spoken dipped his head in approval. “It is indeed our hope that you will find your journey as majestic and beautiful as any journey of discovery could ultimately be. As for trials, rest assured, brave maidens of the blade, you shall only face hardships if you choose to do so.” The knight’s sensual lips curved upward into a gentle grin, his companions nodding their heads simultaneously in perfect synchronicity.
The most youthful looking knight spoke then, though they all looked in their prime, skin so flawless they appeared nearly ageless. “And now, fair ladies, we would love to the opportunity to savor your company, and would invite you to break your fast with us, on this most perfect of days!”
Twilight gazed skeptically at the exquisitely coiffed quartet of knights, flawless beauty and effortless grace as natural to them as breathing was to more mundane creatures. “Be careful, my Jess. We know nothing about what laws or customs may be used to bind or compromise us.”
Jess nodded her understanding, locking gazes with the fae knight who had just spoken. “And do we have your word, freely given, that the food and drink before us is free of any disease or impurity, and that no oaths will be broken or covenants unwillingly engaged which would prevent us from leaving this realm, or otherwise impairing our freedom of choice, should we partake of your admittedly delicious smelling feast?”
The young looking knight's laughter was as melodic as it was gentle. "Indeed, fair and noble Lady of the Blade, let us reassure you. No harm will befall you from supping with us upon this day, or any day under our banner. Indeed, you have our word that no fare that passes your lips, nor drink that quenches your thirst shall enslave your body or your spirit while you journey through our lands. Nourishment from our table shall instead leave your body in as pristine and perfect a state as would divine fare. Come. Partake of comestibles fit to send the specters of death and decrepitude fleeing from your form, as will all the gustatory delights you shall taste and savor in all their perfection within our pavilions and feasting halls!"
The ebony haired knight nodded solemnly. “Thus it is so. We formally invoke the rights of host and guest as per ancient covenant, and invite you to sup with us. Come, allow us to fete you in a manner befitting royal personages. We shall eat and drink and sing the day away, regaling each other with adventures and tales from realms of history and legend. And when we break camp, we shall allow you to accompany us to our pristine white palace, where you may be awed by its wonders while our bards entice you with stories and tales from bygone eras, providing for your comfort the most luxurious of accommodations, should you but wish it.”
Jess gave a considered nod, even as Rulia gazed down at her feet, looking intensely uncomfortable. “I don’t know, Jess. I feel troubled.”
"Well then, we can sup with these fine knights and hear what they have to say. Perhaps ask some questions of our own. Then we shall decide our next step from there." Jess turned to the guardians awaiting her response. "Is such acceptable to you, sir knights? We would enjoy breaking our fast, but what we choose to do once our appetites have been sated may or may not include visiting anyone's castle.”
The youngest knight gave a rich chuckle bordering on the sensual, his knowing gaze causing Jess to flush of a sudden. “Quite acceptable to me, brave adventurer. There are many appetites I would love to sate in the company of one so vital as yourself.”
Jess couldn’t help it, she grinned.
“Some kind of vampire, I’m sure of it,” Twilight quipped pettily, which caused the young vision of fae beauty before them to laugh.
“I am hardly a vampire, sir cat,” the exotic knight assured, “but I do enjoy feasting on succulent fruit.”
Even Rulia grinned at that, and Jess couldn't help giving a throaty chuckle. "You are a most mischievous knight, I see. Just my type of drinking companion! Come then, Rulia, Twilight. Let us partake of the feast at the pavilion put up even as we have conversed. We shall discuss the state of affairs with these fine gentlemen, and decide our next course of action from there."
Rulia acquiesced with a thoughtful nod, Twilight remaining silent, tail flicking in mild agitation, though he made no move to leave his favorite perch upon his master's shoulder as they made their way to the grand pavilion and feasting table within.
37
The exquisitely clad knights kept a respectful distance, courteous almost to a fault, allowing their guests to approach them. Yet for all her initial misgivings, Jess was happy to see her paramour smiling and carefree, chuckling at a particularly humorous story told by the youngest of their companions, once Jess and Rulia had passed the fork in the road without incident, all of them now proceeding to the grand pavilion with laughter and good cheer.
Jess found herself the slightest bit troubled, but couldn't quite put her finger on why. The knights by their side were consummate hosts, and when the exquisitely roasted duck caressed her lips, succulent and sweet like nothing she had ever tasted before, she near swooned with gustatory pleasure. Indeed, the merest sip of honeyed wine was a sparkling delight upon her tongue, light and refreshing, the world soon taking on a rosy glow as she was swiftly transported to that wonderful state of just enough wine to relax and savor the sweetness of life, yet not so much as to regret it upon the morrow with headaches and awkward memories both.
Jess sensed no ill will from the patient, quiet servitors who always assured their plates were full and crystal goblets expertly topped with wine to assure they never thirsted. Rulia herself was soon completely at ease, laughing and jesting, as comfortable as Jess had ever seen her, mail gauntlets folded over her belt, helmet to her side. Jess found herself entranced by Rulia's beauty. How adorable she looked, her green eyes twinkling, cheeks flush, elegantly braided locks tumbling down her back. Without even thinking of the ramifications, Jess gently stroked Rulia's honey blond hair, sharing for a moment a most intimate smile with her exquisitely beautiful paramour.
The ebony haired knight flashed a knowing smile, somehow disarming in its tenderness. “I see you fair ladies appreciate the beauty of men and women both. How utterly liberating.”
Rulia giggled. Jess simply grinned.
“How utterly predictable,” Twilight sighed as he curled up on the table, one sapphire eye closed in rest, the other keeping a careful watch upon his mistress.
Though it had seemed like they had been fully armored in pristinely polished plate but a jest and laugh before, somehow, the four beautiful knights, exquisite in build and features both, were now unarmored, wearing little more than tight hosiery and silken tunics that accentuated their tightly muscled torsos. Their chests were powerful and strong, their hips and thighs sleek and well defined. No doubt the men were powerful runners. Jess wondered what else they could do with those exotic bodies, even as she scratched her head in bemusement, deciding that this wonderful summer wine was perhaps a bit more potent that she had first
thought.
“Excellent fare, brave knights!” Jess happily declared, receiving approving grins in turn.
With a caress so gentle as to cause Jess to shiver, flushed with sudden heat as thoughts carnal fluttered across her mind's eye, the lithe, dark-haired warrior beside her gently whispered into Jess's ear delightful possibilities that quite took her breath away, even as the youngest caused Rulia to lift her head in laughter as she sunk into the comfort of his soothing grip, he massaging her shoulders. Shoulders that somehow wore nothing but the barest silken dress, her armaments in a well-organized pile by her helm. Jess blinked, not recalling when the transformation from armored warrior to sensually dressed damsel had occurred, yet she sensed no malice from any source. Indeed, distracted as she was by the sensual feel of her admirer gently caressing her own shoulders, whispering of even sweeter pleasures to come, Jess found herself slipping gently into a state of bliss, no longer worrying about such trifling details.
Still, when the idea was put forth that she had already divested herself of her armaments and was wearing naught but a silken undergarment herself, Jess laughed at the image and shook her head. For but a moment she found herself clear-eyed and level-headed, still delighting in the wondrous, sensual dream of it all, but wise enough to maintain control. With but a single fierce act of will, she pulled her mithril armaments deeper within the realm of dream. Safe and secure, she knew she could summon them forth effortlessly to protect and defend herself as needed, much as one could draw a knife safely secured in a belt scabbard.
“Very impressive, my warrior queen,” the dark-haired knight whispered approvingly into her ear, and Jess shuddered with delight, even as his captivating gaze locked upon her own. Gently, he took her unresisting hand. “A loyal and true friend such as yourself is no doubt wondering where her companion has gone to, no? Come. I would be a poor host were I not to assure you of her… comfort.”
Smiling, Jess nodded, allowing him to lead her deeper into the multiroomed pavilion, somehow not at all surprised to hear Rulia moaning with pleasure, catching sight of the golden-haired knight kissing her with fervent desire, both their naked forms, utterly pristine in their beauty and carnal passion, gently rocking together upon the silk covered bed in the heart of the room.
The cheerful tunes played by the musicians in the eating hall carried perfectly through the thin tent fabric, and Jess felt all inhibition washed away by both the dark knight's sensual touch, the entrancing music, and Rulia's inviting gaze, as if asking Jess to hold her close, so they could all partake of the delights of youth, together.
"You are a most naughty knight, I think," Jess teased the man now caressing her. His responding kiss was both fierce and gentle. Jess felt herself melting in his arms, her loins tingling with an exquisite ache, even as his hunger pressed against her.
Before she knew it, Jessica found herself gently laid upon the bed, her admirer's knowing touch sending waves of pleasure coursing through her so intensely she began to shudder. And her beautiful Rulia held Jess close; stroking her, kissing her, both of them laughing in shared delight as the exotic knights they lay with gently caressed their most private treasures. Together Rulia and Jessica cried out with sharp delight in each other's arms as their passionate admirers gently opened their blushing petals to suckle their honey and, with infinite grace, sharp aches quickly melted into to a heady release unlike anything they had ever experienced before, their fae lovers expertly tilling rich fertile fields. Slowly, gently at first, then with ever growing fervor, all four soon lost themselves in an orgy of passion and sensual desire.
“Jessica?” Rulia’s words a soft whisper, and Jess gazed into her lover’s face, so flushed with sensual heat, an impish smile upon her lips.
Smiling, Jess kissed Rulia gently in answer, her graceful hands so tenderly fluttering across Rulia's breasts, each stroking and caressing the other while their knightly lovers rocked them from behind to stormy heights of ecstasy, in a night of sybaritic pleasures that seemed without end.
"Do you think this is real, or a dream?" Rulia wondered softly an endless time later, their inhumanly handsome paramours sleeping so peacefully beside them, Jess feeling utterly replete and deliciously content, halfway slipping into a daze, even as she stroked Rulia's cheek.
“Does it matter?” Jess asked, smiling tenderly at her lover.
Rulia laughed softly. “Perhaps not. But it is a sweet dream if so, no? As perfect as an adventure could ever be.”
"I love you," Jess whispered contentedly, her heart warmed by the gaze of wonder in her paramour's eyes before she grinned.
“And I you, my beautiful Jess. Who knows? Perhaps our future husbands will be as understanding as these fine knights, and we can all get ourselves a single large bed.”
Jess chuckled throatily. “'Tis a sweet fantasy, my peach. Come, kiss me goodnight, for I feel a sudden weariness claiming me.”
And with Rulia's gentle kiss sweet upon her lips, Jess drifted once more into the gentle fog of sleep.
38
It was deep in that night of utter darkness, save for brilliant stars Jess could make out through pavilion windows twinkling merrily above, so perfect and pristine in that strange wondrous land, a land straight out of faerie tale that Jess found her mind going over the day's events, trying to determine what note had rung so dissonant to her that day. Even as she strove to understand, the cry of songbirds began to pull her out of her daze. Three birds, sapphire eyes, a rainbow riot of colors, all of them trilling as one. Yet with no set pattern. They had been mostly quiet at dinner, when the general noise and revelry had drowned out all else, and Jess had hardly noticed the songbirds during their after-dinner adventures, the very thought bringing a flush to far more sober cheeks as Jess oh so gently removed the encompassing arm of the knight holding her close, even in sleep.
Fully awake yet ready to doze off as soon as her thoughts wandered, Jess found her gaze fixated upon the songbirds. And there was another burst of musical trilling. Odd. But no more or less than anything else in this wondrous, beautiful realm. Her familiar was curled up at the foot of the bed, ears instinctively tilted toward the gilded cage, One eye closed, the other fastened upon his mistress.
“What is it, Jess?”
“I don’t know,” Jess sleepily murmured. “I’m glad you’re here, though. Anything untoward happens, I know you have my back.”
Twilight’s grin was fierce. “Should your new paramours reveal their fangs of a sudden, I shall be more than happy to show them mine. It has been ages since you fed me a proper fish, and this kitty’s belly is growling.”
Jess blinked. “But dear Twilight, there were fish a plenty upon the table of our feasting hall! Fish as tasty and succulent, as light and flaky, as any I had ever savored.”
Her familiar sighed. “They were the idea of fish, my Jess. Every scale perfectly formed, not a trace of river bed in any gullet, meat perfectly filleted. Fish in their most pristine, perfect form. They were hardly the real thing, and hardly satisfying. Perhaps your hunger has been sated, but I crave far less existential fare.”
Jess grinned. “Be that as it may. My belly is sated, and my other hungers as well.”
Twilight smirked. "Well, if you end up whelping a fae eared infant nine months from now, you will certainly have an interesting story to tell her when she eventually asks about her father."
Jess felt her cheeks flush bright red. “Oh. That. Hmm… I wasn’t really thinking that clearly about, well, you know, consequences.”
Twilight’s toothy grin was positively catlike. “That much I gathered.”
“Besides,” Jess pontificated. “I’m not sure if this even counts, me being in Regio, practically the land of dreams, right? I guess one could say this is a dream of sorts, and no one begrudges a girl passionate dreams.”
Her familiar shrugged. “That’s a conversation between you and your belly. What I’m interested in is what has you so preoccupied, besides the obvious.”
Jess managed a
grin despite her flush. "It's just, think about it! We're not only in the Realm of Dreams, but we've landed in a Regio so beautiful, so pristine, it's like a faerie tale in truth. From the carefully ordered forests and valleys, all of such pristine beauty, to the majestic castles off in the distance... even knights to greet us, who seem to instantly fall for our charms. If this isn't a faerie tale, what could possibly be?"
Twilight nodded. “A fair point, my Jess. Perhaps we are in a faerie tale of sorts. Explains why the food was hardly filling, to me at least. What is your concern?”
"Well, so much of it is symbolic, you know? Dealing with truth, beauty, hidden nature, choice. By and large, though, the players and the choices are direct, which suits me fine. Very forthright even if clever, like a riddle. There is no subterfuge, save at the heart of the tale, like an evil queen disguised as a fair maiden, but all the bit players are always forthright. Nothing like the rather petty and vain lives of intrigue and backstabbing we saw so much of at that bloody academy."
Twilight nodded. “And of course, you favor the direct approach, which is why you smashed a great big hole in the Headmistress's chamber wall and stuffed her through it, kicking and screaming, threatening to drop her if she dared act against you, thus giving you carte blanche to dress as you choose, cut any class that annoyed you which was all of them, and basically do whatever you wished. A far better system than dresses and petty intrigues, by far.”
Jess's lips firmed. "You might think I overreacted, but they were holding my family hostage to my good behavior, and that damned Grimsly had actually arranged for my execution! The headmistress may not have intended that, but she was willfully complicit, and one look in her eyes and I could tell she didn't give a rotten fig what happened to me or mine.”
Faerie's Champion Page 36