A Warrior Born

A/N: Okay, this is NOT the chapter two that was here two days ago. When I came back and read that later, I decided that I needed to do it better. My apologies to those of you who already read the old Chapter. I’ve been reading a lot of Stephen King and so am feeling arrogant as an author. Please forgive me.

CHAPTER TWO: Compensation
(Revised and Expanded Edition.)

Reesa stood in front of her small mirror, checking her appearance one final time. David had been put to bed half an hour ago. He had asked her again what was going to happen to them. She had told him that the man who had come to the inn that afternoon was going to stay and protect them. She said that he was a man from the capital who had been sent to get rid of the bandits. With a child’s trust, David had accepted her lie. It broke her heart to deceive him, but he was too young to understand the truth.

Now she was preparing for her night with the mercenary. The only name he had given her was “Karanikus.” Reesa knew a tiny bit of the old tongue from conversing with the scholars that had passed through on their way to the capital’s universities. That word meant “Killer.” Obviously it was not his real name, but it certainly seemed to suit him, so she did not question it. Besides, for what they were doing tonight, names didn’t really matter.

Reesa’s husband had never been rich, so she didn’t have any nice clothes. She had never required them of him. Now she was wearing a simple robe. There was nothing on underneath. Her hair was pulled up in a simple knot that her husband had always found attractive. She had bathed carefully and put a bit of perfume on her skin. She had also carefully shaved her womanly parts. How much he enjoyed tonight would doubtless determine how safe he kept her, so she was expending maximum effort.

His room was two doors away from hers. It was close enough to David’s that she could go to him if he needed something, but far enough away that they need not worry about being overheard. Reesa walked down the hall, feeling excited despite herself. She thought she would enjoy this.

Taking a breath, she knocked softly on his door. A moment later, it opened and she stepped inside. Karanikus was waiting, clad only in a deerskin loincloth. She marveled at the amount of scars that covered his huge form. He had obviously been fighting for a living for many, many years. Fortunately, the scars did nothing to detract from his pleasing musculature. His stomach was flat and defined, his chest was solid and well-proportioned, and his arms and shoulders were perfectly chiseled.

“Are you ready?” he asked, moving closer to her.

“I am,” she replied, letting the robe fall open. He slid his hands inside it, running them lightly up her sides and then over her breasts. Her breath quickened. His hands were rough and sword-callused, but also very gentle. Karanikus rubbed his palms over her nipples and she gasped softly. He moved his hands down and wrapped his arms around her waist. Lifting her up to compensate for the great difference in their heights, he kissed her. At first his kiss was soft, gentle. That wasn’t what she wanted. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in his long hair, and pulled him in. He responded in kind, stroking her tongue with his. When they broke the kiss they were both breathing hard. Karanikus set her back on the floor and pushed the robe from her shoulders. She pressed her naked body against him, feeling the hard bulge of his manhood beneath his loincloth.

Reesa grazed her nails across his chest and stomach and then undid the strings of his undergarment, letting it fall. She made a soft noise of appreciation when she saw his manhood. She ran a hand over it experimentally. His breathing quickened slightly and she grinned. Kneeling down, she placed his organ in her mouth and sucked hard, running her hand over his shaft. He grunted and she tasted arousal. Grinning, she flicked her tongue across his head and moved her fingers faster. Karanikus put his massive hand on her small one, stopping her. She looked up into his eyes and he picked her up for another kiss. She melted against him, rubbing her thigh gently against his manhood. He picked her up and laid her on the bed. The bearskin cloak had been reversed and spread over the corn-shuck mattress. It had a very soft, silky layer of fur on the inside, and she loved what it felt like on her skin.

Karanikus settled down beside her on the bed and kissed her again. She responded hungrily. He pulled back and then bent his lips to her neck. She shivered as he laid tantalizing kisses on the sensitive skin. He moved down her neck and back up, across her jawline, and down the other side. Chills ran up and down her spine and she gasped helplessly. His tongue found her collarbone and moved along it in small circles. He grazed his nails across her arms and shoulders, down her sides, and up to her breasts. Taking them in his hands, he brought his mouth to her nipple. She arched her back, pressing her breasts against his face and moaning softly. Karanikus suckled her nipples gently, switching between them. His fingertips moved in slow, teasing circles across her breasts. He flicked her nipples with his tongue and she cried out. Then he buried his face between her breasts, licking a slow line between them. She dug her fingers into his hair and held on tightly.

Karanikus propped himself up on his elbows and slid off the end of the bed. He ran his hands across her stomach, tracing small circles with his nails. He looked into her eyes for a moment, and she felt a thrill go through at the heat she saw in his dark orbs. He settled his face between her legs and began to gently lick her womanhood. She moaned loudly as he swirled his tongue over her center of pleasure, varying the rhythm and speed of his movements, driving her wild. He slid one finger into her and stroked it at just the right spot. Reesa moaned long and loud, taking handfuls of the bearskin and holding on tightly. Karanikus moved his fingers and tongue faster. She arched her back off of the bed and came explosively, drenching his mouth with her juices.

Karanikus gently cleaned her off. She lay against the bed, breasts heaving. The orgasm had been wonderful, but she still wanted more, and the tiny touches he was giving her now were igniting her again. She took his hand and pulled him urgently onto the bed, begging to have him inside her.

He moved up and entered her, powerfully but not painfully. She cried out as he filled her completely. He began to thrust into her, moving his entire length in and out with each one. She moved her hips to meet him each time, moaning over and over. He rolled over suddenly, placing her on top. She rested her hands on his shoulders and rolled her hips in small circles with his length fully inside her, enjoying the delicious friction. They both felt the pleasure build as she began to move again. It rose higher and higher and finally exploded over them both. Reesa screamed in joy, her wetness clamping tightly onto him. She felt a surge of heat as his essence spilled into her. The orgasm stretched on and on and she felt another jet of delicious warmth inside her. Finally, it ended and she collapsed against him, exhausted and totally satisfied. He wrapped his arms around her and cradled her against his chest.

For quite a while they both just lay there, dozing, surrounded by the warm haze that excellent lovemaking leaves. He stroked her hair and she grazed her nails over his biceps lazily. Then she looked up at him and said,

“Was your payment satisfactory?”

He gave her a small smile and stroked the back of his hand across her cheek.

“Completely. Those bandits will never harm you again.”

She beamed at him and kissed his chest softly. He continued to hold her and she slowly drifted off to sleep, feeling safe as a little child in his arms. After several minutes, he did likewise.


* * *

When the morning came, Reesa awoke in her own bed. She dimly remembered being carried there in the middle of the night. She stretched luxuriously, feeling happy and carefree. Every sensation seemed more intense this morning. It was like the morning after her wedding night had been. Even better, in fact. She had loved her husband immensely, and very much enjoyed making love to him, but he had never been as good as last night had been. Mathias had loved her greatly, and his sex reflected that, but he simply had not been as skilled as the man she had bedded last night. She was overjoyed that she had chosen such a wonderful lover to pay with her body.

That thought brought her up short. Would he stay now that he had been paid? She leapt out of bed and dressed hurriedly. When she came to the common room, he was gone. She ran down the hall and knocked on his door before shoving it open. The room was empty. All his things were gone.

Reesa bent her head and sighed sadly. So he had lied. At least she had gotten her night of pleasure, truly amazing pleasure. It was likely the last she would ever get. She turned to go and start the kitchen fire and almost ran into David.

“David!” she said, kneeling to hug him. “You’re up early.”

“That big man woke me up,” he said. “He said you’d been up late last night and needed your sleep. He said to tell you that he’d gone do what he said he was going to do.” He stared at her imploringly. “Mommy, is he going to help us? Is he really going to help us?” The hopelessness in his voice was heartbreaking. He had seen too many men of cowardly character come and go in the last three years.

Reesa pulled him close. She didn’t know whether her warrior would keep his word or not. But it was not yet time to give up hope.

“Yes, David,” she said, kissing his forehead. “Yes he will.”


* * *

It was cold and wet in the woods where the bandits where camped out. All of the men were grumbling and unhappy. There had been no merchants for days now, no one to rob, and they were hungry and miserable. There was talk of moving on, but some of the leaders were adamant that they would stay where they were. Tog, especially, did not want to leave. The woman at the inn had defied him. There was no food or drink here. His fragile ego could not accept such a turn of events.

The leaders argued and bickered and fought for hours. Those among them who had some simple intelligence said that they must leave, for there was no profit here anymore. They had become too well known. The others said that they could not allow the townsfolk to lose respect for them. If they left, it would be seen as cowardice. Instead, they must push the elderly and the children left in the town harder. There was more to take from them.

The group of bandits was perhaps fifty strong, and they were secluded in the deepest part of the trees. Moreover, they were arrogant and lazy, complacent in their successes, so they had only five sentries posted. One of those sentries was watching a bird flit through the trees, thinking about a young girl in the town that he had decided was going to be his. He had no idea something was wrong until huge hands settled on his head. By then, it was too late. The hands jerked sharply and his neck broke with a sickening crunch.

The second sentry was relieving himself against a tree when he heard a soft footstep behind him. He had no time to react before a blade was rammed through his head from behind, pinning him to the trunk. His limp body was left soaking in a pool of urine, a fitting death indeed.

Number three had actually gone to sleep, and he therefore felt no pain at all. Four had just finished sharpening his sword. He was holding it close to his eye to examine the edge when powerful hands grips his wrists and pulled straight back. The sword had definitely been sharpened properly, for it cut the top of his head off.

The fifth was actually alert, a true rarity. He was holding a repeating crossbow and watching the trees around him. He did not, however, look up, and was therefore unable to do a thing about the sword that came swinging down from the thick leaves above him and severed his head.

Karanikus dropped down from the thick oak branch and landed lightly on his feet. Despite his huge size, he moved with the silence of a big cat stalking its prey. He lifted the dead sentry’s bow and slung it over his shoulder. The outlaws were spaced around an area perhaps two hundred feet in diameter, three or four of them to a campfire. At one fire the men were all still asleep. It was obvious that they had drunk the last of the wine the night before. He slunk into the camp and slit all their throats before vanishing up another giant oak.

From this perch he fired the crossbow a dozen times, each shot striking true. Twelve men fell, pierced through the eyes or throats by poisonous darts. There was a moment of stunned silence, and then the camp came to life. Men shouted and grabbed their weapons. Karanikus drew his sword and gave voice to a mighty roar. It was like the scream of some demon of the night, come to take their souls. The men drew together in clumps with weapons drawn, staring around wildly. Unsheathing his sword, Karanikus leapt into their midst with the black blade flashing. Five men died before the group had a chance to react.

The others turned and came upon him as one. More than twenty men assailed him, all of them skilled in the use of the blade, but they could do nothing. His sword moved with the speed of a flash of lightning across a midnight sky. Time and again their attacks were turned aside and their limbs rent from their bodies. Blood flew through the air, staining blades and clothes and ground. A pile of crumpled bodies grew around the giant. Over a dozen men died before at last the bandits realized the futility of their actions. This was not a man they fought, it was a monster. They threw down their blades and ran. The giant followed. His gargantuan blade struck again and again, cutting them down from behind as they fled. None were able to escape his terrible speed and skill.

Karanikus turned toward the tent at the clearing’s center. Inside, the leaders clustered together, terrified at the sounds of death and carnage that came from outside the canvas walls. He strode forward and felled the tent with one swing of his blade. The men inside were caught in it’s folds and stood no chance. Wherever there was movement it was met with a swift thrust of the blade. Blood stained the tent’s folds. Only Tog managed to free himself. He looked into the giant’s eyes and screamed. Karanikus savagely cut off his legs when he turned to run. Tog scrabbled at the ground, sobbing. The mercenary rolled him over and brought his terrified face close.

“You gave the innkeeper a choice. She chose me,” he said. Tog’s eyes widened and the sword cut his head off with one backhanded swing.

Karanikus stood for several minutes in the clearing, surveying the scene. None of the bandits had escaped. Their desiccated bodies littered the ground. Satisfied, he wiped his blade on the grass and left. Reesa was waiting.

END CHAPTER TWO

There. I can sleep better at night with this chapter fixed. R&R and tell me if you like the new stuff. Thanks in advance!