She is irresistable...

"Katyana... I mean no slight to your honor when I say this, but it must be said," you say softly as you reach up to touch her shimmering cheek. "I will offer you asylum here in Elyssia, and protect you from your father's wrath. You do not need to offer me your body in return."

"I offer you my body because I want more than anything to make love to you, Xavier," she whispers. "Because you are the first man who kissed me because he wanted to kiss me, not because he wanted to be next in line to head the Warlord's armies or because he craved the challenge of taking his daughter to bed. Because you offered tenderness rather than ... because you wield such power with a gentle hand, and I would know what it is to be the woman in such a man's arms. Because I am desperately lonely, and though I have known you for less than a day, you are the only person I have ever known who offered me genuine affection." She pauses, and smiles just a bit. "And, if I am to be completely honest with you, I love to think of how it will drive my father mad when he hears that I let you of all people touch me as a lover!"

"Well," you say with a shrug (which you suddenly wish you hadn't done, as it send a sharp splinter of pain into your shoulder), "if I am also to be honest, there is a certain thrill in the idea of taking such a... dangerous woman to bed. But you are also a lovely woman, Katyana... a woman of strength and grace, of courage and beauty, and I would not have imagined before we met that you could inspire such feelings in me as you have."

She closes her eyes and stretches up to kiss you...

Katyana must stand on her toes to reach you, and if only you could you would sweep her up in your arms. But, the wound is still there, and even the pressure she puts on your shoulders with her slim hands makes it twinge with warning. "I want this even as you do, my dear Katyana," you whisper to her, "but please understand, I will not be at my best this night... the wound is still fresh."

"I would not forget the wound you took to save my life," she whispers back, nuzzling at your neck. "We will be careful, then... and look forward to the day when we may give into our passions without holding back!"

Her fingers unlace your tunic and then your trousers, and both drop to the floor. The conservatory's thick stone interior wall retains the heat from the day, releasing it slowly throughout the night to keep the room warm, and so the usual chill of the mountain air is held at bay. As you had forgone your smallclothes this evening, your manhood emerges at once and rises at Katyana's touch.

"Mmm... you feel as one ready to take me now," she sighs.

"I would make you ready, lovely one."

She draws in her breath in a gasp... you are not entirely sure why, as you did not touch her anywhere new in that moment. Whatever the cause, she reveals a new excitement, kissing at your chest where her lips reach when she does not stretch to reach higher, and rubbing at her own breasts to both soothe and enhance the tingling she feels there. "What... what will you do to me?" she asks.

"Lie down here," you say, indicating the drapery-covered floor; it is hard marble but the thick velvety curtains offer some comfort. You lower yourself to your knees and discover that it brings your face level with her breasts, and you cannot resist kissing one of her hardened nipples. She shivers and softly moans.

"Again... please!" she breathes.

This time, you draw the nipple between your lips and suck gently, then slightly harder. Katyana's body stiffens for a moment and then relaxes, as she draws in deep breaths and lets them out in panting sighs. With your tongue and your lips, you offer pleasure to her, moving to the other breast to stimulate her anew, and nuzzling at the slight valley between. Your hands rub up and down the backs of her legs, and as you take hold of her firm and tightly-toned bottom, her knees begin to buckle and she stumbles back slightly into the wall behind.

"More, please, I need more!" she whispers in your ear as she slides down to the floor. Once she is all the way down, her legs open and her hand slips between them to open her lower lips, stroking between.

You take her hand and gently move it aside as you carefully lower yourself down as well. Katyana looks down at you with curious eyes as you move your head between her thighs.

"What are you - Ooohhh..."

Your tongue strokes between her wet, glistening labia, and Katyana croons with delight. Her tiny pink clitoris emerges from beneath its hood, and when your tongue touches it her back arches high, thrusting her hips up to meet you. Each breath she takes is a gasp, each exhalation a moan of pure pleasure.

"Oh, God... you're making me burn, Xavier!"

Her hands reach down to pull her own labia further apart, giving you access to her center, and as you lick deeper you can sense that she nears the edge of climax... and then it happens, and a new wetness surges forth from her, her sweet nectar coating your lips as she peaks with pleasure.

"Kiss me... kiss me now!" she demands, and she pulls you up into her embrace with a strength you would not have expected from such a petite and slight body. The pain in your shoulder feels distant and dulled, as if her secretions had been laced with the healer's tonic. Her kisses are hungry and , as if she craves the taste of herself, licking it eagerly from your lips.

The head of your fully-hardened member brushes against her hot, wet cunt, and she shudders.

"Go into me," she hisses between her teeth. "Fuck me now, and fill me with your essence!"

Her lower lips part easily... her passage feels impossibly tight, but so wet that you slide all the way in at the first stroke. Her cry is muffled by your deep kiss, and the way she rises to meet you shows the overwhelming pleasure she feels at the penetration. You draw out and thrust into her again, some part of your mind which is still capable of thought surprised at how deeply she is able to take you.

Then, she reaches the moment of ecstasy again, and as she does so do you, shooting your cream deep inside of her.

You emerge from the conservatory some time later, with Katyana holding your arm. The guard at the door comes to attention, sees her there, then looks again and almost drops his pike with shock.

"Sire!" he exclaims. "Where did... how... Sire, I must have been inexcusably absent from my duties! I swear to you I saw no one else enter the conservatory, least of all the Lady Katyana!"

"There is a perfectly reasonable explanation, and it is due to no neglect on your part," you assure him. "Rest at ease, guardsman, you have not failed in your duty this night."

"I... thank you, Sire," he says, still looking bewildered.

"Your name is Marcus, is it not?"

"Yes, Sire."

"I have a task of great importance for you, Marcus," you tell him. "Lady Katyana must be escorted at once to the guest chamber in the tower. You will take her back into the conservatory where she will show you a hidden passage to the kitchens." The guard's eyes go wide. "I did not know of it before this night either," you assure him. "From the kitchen, take her past the servants' quarters and then to the tower. Recruit other castle guards to join the escort, up to four - but remain as quiet as you possibly can. If you encounter Lady Katyana's own guards, they are not to be allowed to come near her; defend her from them as if she were myself, with naked steel if you must. Do you understand?"

"I do, Sire."

"Once she is safely in the tower room, Lady Katyana will lock the door from the inside; you and those who have accompanied you will then stand guard at the door. Send one of the other guards to my parlor, to inform me that she is safe. Let me be clear that she is not a prisoner; she is a noble guest. I will send one of the Kingsguard later to take your place at Katyana's door, and you may return to your duties here at the conservatory at that time. For this task, you will bear the Iron Ring, Guardsman Marcus." You remove from your neck a silver chain which holds a small ring, with a blue sapphire stone set in a crown.

"Yes, Sire." He bows his head so that you may slip the chain around his neck. The ring is a sign that he has been given orders directly from you which may not be countermanded by anyone, so that he may show it to his superiors if they question him. The ring itself is made from the same iron as your sword hilt, taken from a stone that fell from the sky, and the natural markings on it are unique and impossible to forge. You will need to personally retrieve it from him later, as even the Captain of the Guard cannot relieve him of the Iron Ring. It is not something you hand out lightly, as the Ringbearer effectively wields power second only to your own. An unscrupulous man who wore it could say that the King's orders were just about anything, and he would be believed - and of course, anyone who took it from him by could do the same. Marcus looks down at the ring on his armored chest almost with reverence, and then steps into the conservatory to wait for Katyana.

"Try to sleep well tonight," you tell her. "The tower room is most secure."

"I have no fear this night," she says with a smile, and steps close to embrace you. For a moment, you can't help but wonder if it is a good idea to show this sort of affection toward her in front of Marcus. However, it not only a dishonor to Katyana to try and keep it secret, it is also pointless; interesting news flows through the castle like twigs floating on a stream, and everyone from Lord Duncan to the scullery maids will know soon enough, whether you would want them to or not.

"Farewell, lovely one," you whisper into her ear, and she sighs softly at the endearment, taking a moment to hold you closer before she goes to join Marcus. The door closes and you hear the bolt slide into the lock on the inside; of course, you know now that this does not truly secure the room, but in the absence of a guard it will do for a few hours.

Your shoulder had ceased its hurt during your interlude with Katyana, as all other sensation drove out the pain, but now it burns with a deep and throbbing fire. You find that you actually look forward to tasting Master Sanjay's bitter medicine as you make your way back to your bedchamber. It has been an exceedingly long and eventful day, and you are utterly spent.