For now; back to Alexia

You watch the mismatched pair move slowly away and send a private prayer to your mother to spare these two young women from the ravages of war. The image of the sassy brunette with her raggedly cropped hair and lithe build being led in chains in front of hundreds of leering men eager to buy and **** the captured maiden is not easily shaken from your mind. With a silent resolution to buy her and Dory yourself no matter what the cost, you turn your attention back to your duties.

Suddenly eager to get back to camp and take Alexia once again in your arms, you find yourself sprinting through the streets of the doomed city and back to where Spook is waiting in the United Armies camp. More than one person stops to stare at the armored man sprinting with the speed of Hermes out of the gates and away from the demolished walls, but it feels good to run and let the events of the day settle.

Not long after that, you are once again on your drake's back and gliding over the river towards the Kalion encampment. Only as you circle lower do you recall that Alexia will not be alone and the kisses you shared with the two sweet noblewomen presented as bribes by the Slaver's guild. Alexia's quick-witted foiling of Reginald's obvious attempt to embarrass you is just another example of how adroit the loyal spymaster is at protecting you, although it did lead to your forceful kissing of the Iraklidis sisters. If you had met these two sisters under other circumstances and if it weren't for how much you want Alexia, you might well consider getting to know either of them a little better... with a shake of your head you steer Spook down towards the drake towers erected in the hill top above your camp.

The last thing you need is more attention from females - especially now that you and Alexia have finally opened up to each other. By the time you reach Alexia's tent you can hear your spymistress inside speaking to the two sisters and pause outside the tent peering in through the crack in the door flap.

"...maidens like you, he will not **** you to serve him as pleasure-slaves." The girls blush prettily and lower their eyes, but honestly you cannot tell if the pair are relieved or disappointed by your Spymaster's declaration.

"Lady Alexia ..." the bolder of the two speaks up again, this time in a hushed whisper. "Is he a demanding lover or is he gentle and caring?" When Alexia is slow to answer the other twin (maybe Sara?) chimes in, "He's so powerful and strong; when he kissed me back in the United Armies' camp, I thought I was going to cream myself right in front of all those men." Unexpectedly, you find yourself smiling at the shy damsel's bold confession, she was the one that hadn't put up even token resistance when your lips claimed hers.

"I'm not sure how much I should say," the normally assured Alexia seems more than a little at a loss for words.

"But you were a virgin the first time he claimed you, right?" Prompts Mara, "Were you much younger," asks the other, "even younger than us?"

"No," Alexia replies slowly, deliberately obfuscating the facts, "I was about your age, maybe even a little older." She might not want to tell the curious pair about it, but you have not forgotten how good it felt to have Alexia squirming on your lap just this morning.

"Did it hurt? He looks so big." The twins speak almost as one and you listen with avid interest to hear what your performance was like for your new lover. To your surprise you see Alexia blushing as nervously as the others.

"Well, Bruce was my first." She rest each of her hands on the arms of the sisters, "and yes, he is larger than most men and so it did hurt at first." You hear the pair moan softly and Alexia is quick to put their minds at ease. "But only in the beginning, it got better as I became more used to his size." You will have to make it up to Alexia, it is clear that you still have a lot to learn about pleasing women. Something in Alexia's eyes must have spoken to the sisters because they climb to their feet and hug your tough-as-nails advisor. Once again Mara is the first to speak.

"We're not going to take him from you, Lady Alexia, we can see how much you love him." And then Sara adds, "He's not going to want us anyways, we're not beautiful like you and we know nothing about men." You are not going to deflower this pair of young noblewomen, but that has little to do with how pretty or inexperienced the two sisters are. Alexia, smiles sadly and hugs the pair one more time before directing them back to their seats.

"Nothing at all about men?" Alexia probes gently. "Really? There aren't any young men you fancy, boyfriends, suitors ... potential lovers?" From your vantage point it is a little hard to see her, but the twins peer up through their thick lashes in surprise, protesting that until that morning they'd never even kissed a man before.

"And did you like being kissed by my King?" Alexia asks with a combination of teasing and genuine curiosity, and you find yourself leaning even closer to the tent to hear their responses as you peek through the gap in the canvas.

"Oh goddess, yes!" The pair reply almost in unison before Mara takes over, "I used to fantasize about a warrior sweeping me into his arms and claiming my lips like he did ... I can see now how even a pure untouched maid like us might react if she found herself purchased by a demanding master." Sara doesn't add anything, but the way her cheeks color and her fists twist on her lap leave little doubt that she too has had similar fantasies.