Akila and Leya

*All characters are 18 years or older*

This is my first piece of erotic fiction I would really appreciate feedback or comments of any kind. Feel free to contact me at [email protected] with any questions or comments. Thank you for reading!

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Deep in the woods outside the village of Til'Amin Akila Solamin crouches silently. Every step she takes is as silent as a cats paw walking across a satin carpet. Her breathing is controlled and deliberate, long and slow. Designed to slow her heart rate and increase her focus and calm. Her eyes narrow, darting at every bit of movement in the otherwise still forest. Every leaf floating down from the canopy, every bird preening its feathers, every sajab scurrying up a tree. She is hunting, stalking her prey.

She is the Heir apparent to the throne of the Empire of Sumanita. Tasked with the honour of ruling by Emperor Asair Mumahete in recognition of her prowess in battle, bravery and legendary feats during the twenty year conflict between Sumanita and Caelyrion. She is what her people call a Sewseti, a person born female in all but genitalia. one in every thousand or so baby girls are born like this. It is considered a great blessing among the Sumanitian people. So it is no surprise to her countryfolk that she has achieved so much and is set to achieve even more.

The woods are still and silent, only the occasional chirping of a blue tipped indivar can be heard. From the distance the twang of a bow release breaks the silence and a whistling arrow pierces through the air. Akila deftly leans to the side and the arrow sings past her ear and sticks into a tree behind her. She quickly shifts her weight to her back foot like a sprinter and then takes off as another arrow sails through the air far behind her. She dashes through the woods like a panther, hurdling over fallen logs and slaloming between trees without breaking her stride once. The arrows cannot find their target, she is too agile, too fast. She slams her back against a tree and sticks her hand out to the left from behind it, plainly in the open. She hears another bow twang and spins around to the right of the tree as the arrow flies past the left of it. She hurls a throwing axe that spins through the air until it cuts through some thick brush and disappears. A dull thud reverberates through the woods followed moments later by another as an arm flops out onto the ground from behind the brush, lifeless and bloody.

Akila never sought after the throne, she never wanted it or even considered it. She's a hero among her people but for being a warrior not a leader. She's led men and women - sure - but into battle. And now with the conflict between Sumanita and Caelyrion ended, her most powerful asset (her knowledge and skill as a fighter) will not help her guide her people through this new era of peace and diplomacy. But it was too lofty an honour to turn down, it would be a great insult, not just to Emperor Asair but to her people. She is their champion, they treat her like an idol. To say no to the crown would be like turning her back to all of them, like they weren't worthy of her leadership. She worries it's her who's unworthy of leading them. Killing for them however....

Akila darts from one tree to another, inching closer and closer to her next target. Her attackers bow nocked and ready to fire, he scans the forest for any sign of her. He hears a rustling in the canopy above him but before he has a chance to look up Akila drops down onto his neck like a guillotine.

Despite the peace accord between the two nations there are still a smattering of skirmishes and conflicts between them. Separatist groups, loyalist factions, old grudges still held, old wounds still aching. After twenty years of war it is to be expected. The path from war to peace is never smooth and so far things are progressing much more agreeably than expected. She should be at the capital Armath in the Silver Palace preparing to take the crown. Reading, listening, memorizing but when the kings aid A'peris informed her a group of Caelyrion separatist terrorists escaped captivity while being transported near Til'Amin and requested she assemble a task of trusted soldiers to deal with it. She decided to meet the challenge herself. It's where she felt she belonged in that moment.

From her peripheral vision she sees movement to the left. She spins to face her third and final assailant. Arrow knocked and bow drawn, his fingers release and the arrow travels through the air, aimed straight for her chest. She slices diagonally up and to the left, spinning on her heel as she does, leaning in the opposite direction. The arrow deflects off the flat edge of her sword just enough so that it grazes past her ribs as she leans away from it. Her prey throws his bow down and unsheathes his sword as she charges at him. Their weapons clash against each other. The sound of steel striking steel rings out into the forest for a time... and then it is quiet again.

Akila wipes the blood from her blade and sheaths it, then raises her arm to inspect the wound the arrow cut into her side. Nothing serious, only a grazing injury. She checks the sky for the position of the sun. She won't get back before nightfall so she'll have to find a place to make camp within the next couple of hours. She hikes in the direction of Til'Amin for a short time before finding a place to make camp. She builds a fire and places her sleeping mat on the ground next to it. While stoking the fire she notices an odd tingling sensation radiating out from her wound and up into her shoulder. She inspects the wound again but it doesn't look infected, it's clean and dry.

'Dammit!' She realizes. 'I didn't check the arrow! How could I be so stupid!' The tingling sensation begins to radiate down her arm and a cold sweat forms on her brow. She considers the situation.

'I'm alone. That arrow was likely poisoned. I don't know the poison so I can't make a remedy. I can't get back to town before night.' Her situation seems to be dire.

'options, options, options.' She considers her options.

'Those prisoners might have had a remedy. If get back there I may find it in time.' She stands up but her left leg nearly gives out from under her and she wobbles in place, barely able to hold up her own weight.

That option seems to be off the table. Staying calm, she slows her breathing and thinks about the next step.

'I'll throw some green brush onto the fire to make smoke, keep it stoked as long as I can and hope I survive long enough for somebody to find me.' She begins to work. Gathering green bushes and branches and throwing them onto the fire. Her mobility reduces at a steady pace. Soon she is crawling across the woodland floor grabbing what she can and dragging herself back to the fire. When she knows she can do no more she flips herself onto her back. her body is numb and nearly paralyzed and her breathing is becoming more laboured.

She tries to stay calm and keep her breaths slow and even. The slower her heart rate the slower the poisons effects will take hold. She begins to meditate, focusing on a mantra;

'Yital'lamil' It means to breath in and breathe out. What seem like hours go by, her breathing is shallow and weak. She can faintly hear a rustling in the distance getting close and closer until a silhouetted figure is standing over her. Her vision is faded and dark, she can't make them out in dim dusk light. Her body is too numb to feel it but the figure touches her neck and her wrist, feeling for a pulse. They put their ear close to her mouth. With what little vision she has left she sees that the shape of their ear is slightly pointed.

'It's a Caelyrion! There were only meant to be three escaped prisoners!'

Momentarily furious at the shoddy information she was given she calms herself down and prepares for . To her total shock her lungs fill with air. Starved for breath, the feeling is like quenching the most thirst imaginable. Then they inflate again, and again. For hours she is left completely baffled by the situation. Laying in the cold dark, paralyzed, blind, helpless and seemingly beset by an enemy. She should be dead but through some miraculous breath continues to fill her lungs and she remains alive. As the night goes on she regains some feeling in her body. Her lips are the first to recover any sensation and she comes to understand what's going on. With every breath that fills her lungs she feels a pair of soft, delicate lips press against hers. The Caelyrion is literally breathing life into her and has been doing so for hours without pause. Soon, the sun rises and she traces it's path across the sky.

'God.' She thinks. 'Twelve hours must have passed. This Caelyrion hasn't stopped for more than a moment.'

The Caelyrion takes another deep breath in and leans over to exhale it into Akilas lungs but is stopped short by the feeling of Akilas hand weakly grasping their wrist. They are taken aback but then notices her chest rising and falling very gently.

"C-can you breathe?" Akila answers them by squeezing their wrist as tightly as she can manage.

"Is that a yes?" She squeezes again.

"Oh! Tha-thats great! Um, I-I wanted to move you onto your, um, your bed roll but I was afraid if I stopped- you know, you'd, well... I'm really glad that you're better."

Akila is undoubtedly relieved at the outcome of events but her confusion only grows greater when she hears them speak. This Caelyrion has no Caelyrion accent, it sounds more like a western Sumanitian accent.

"Is there anything I can do?" Akila is frustrated by the question she couldn't possibly answer, so she doesn't. The Caelyrion looks at her expectancy and then realizes.

"Of course! I'm sorry, I just- I'm a little, uh, unnerved. This whole....situation is- I've never had to do something like this before. I-I don't really know what to do."

Akila let's go of their wrist and moves her hand away. It's her attempt to tell them that they don't need to do anything. The Caelyrion looks down at her hand and understands but decides to move her onto her bedroll regardless. An act that Akila will appreciate once she regains feeling in her back.

A while passes and she can hear the Caelyrion rustling and fiddling with something near the fire. Eventually she gains the strength to roll into her side and lift herself up onto her elbow. This is the first time she has really gotten a good look at her saviour. Squatting next to the fire pit clumsily rubbing two sticks together, thin and petite, Akila wonders how they managed the strength to move her onto her bedroll at all. Their long hair is wild and unkempt, dirt and ash cover their face and they are wearing rags, frayed and filthy.

"What are you doing?" Akila asks weakly. The Caelyrion looks up in surprise.

"You can speak! a-and move."

"You're never going to start a fire like that." She informs the Caelyrion so they can stop wasting their energy. And so she doesn't have to continue to witness their feeble attempt at bushcraft.

"Oh..." They drop the sticks on the ground and look into the cold fire pit, fidgeting with their fingers.

"...I don't really know what I'm doing..."

"I can see that." Akila responds sarcastically

"Is there anything I can do? You could just tell me and I'll try." The Caelyrions voice has a delicate quality to it. It's soft and there's a melodic, lilting tone that comes through when it isn't shaky and nervous.

"If you want to be helpful you can grab my canteen next to the fire and bring it to me."

The Caelyrion obliges and brings the canteen over to her. They uncork the top and tilt it towards her lips. Pouring slowly and with great care until she has had her fill and moves her mouth away. She 'Aaaahs' in satisfaction.

"Thanks." she says amiably.

"You're welcome... Um... can I- that is, would it be okay if, well... may I have some too, please?"

Akila lets out a confused chuckle. "Of course you can."

"Thank you!" The frail Caelyrion greedily swallows several gulps of water then puts the cap back on the canteen and wipes their mouth with their forearm.

Akila stares at the Caelyrion curiously.

"What's your name?" She asks.

"Leya. What's yours?"

"Akila."

"It's nice to meet you Akila."

'Hah' Akila chuckles. "Nice is an understatement. I'd be a cold corpse hours ago if you hadn't come by."

"Well, I just wanted to help... Anybody would have done the same thing."

Akila whistles incredulously. "And that is an overstatement. You have a talent for exaggeration." She jokes. Leya laughs brightly, the sound of it warms the mood of the camp.

"Are you going to be okay, Akila?" Concern apparent in Leyas voice.

"I'll be fine, I just need to rest. When I'm strong enough we can start heading to the village."

"V-village? Y-you mean...Til'Amin?"

"Yes, that's right. What is a young Caelyrion like yourself doing out here anyways, Leya?" Akila asks curiously.

"I, uh- I just, I... I got lost...w-walking. Taking a walk, I mean... What are you doing?"

Leyas tone is nervous, eyes are shifty and considering how eager they are to flip the question back on her it's obvious to Akila they are hiding something but she chooses not to press the issue. This Caelyrion has clearly been through some trauma and there's no reason to poke that wound at the moment.

"I was hunting -" She stops herself from saying 'Caelyrion fugitives' considering the circumstances it's probably better not to reveal that to this one.

"- game. Shival stags and kalain mostly. I got bit by something, I don't know what. How did you find me anyways, Leya?"

"I saw all that black smoke in the sky and started running towards it."

Akila rolls onto her back once more and lets out an exhausted sigh.

"Lucky for me you did."

"Me too. I don't think I would have ever made it out of these woods if you hadn't made that fire. I guess that makes us even."

Akila laughs heartily "That's generous of you."

They sit in silence for a long while until Akila suddenly sits upright.

"Alright!" She exclaims "That's enough lying around for me."

"Are you sure?" Leya asks worryingly.

She pushes herself up with her hand and stands upright. Towering over Leya at well over six feet tall. Sumanitians are a unique race and Akila is unique even among them. The Sumanitian skin tone varies from a deep chocolate to a light tan. They have a great deal of genetic diversity which they embrace with enthusiasm, the Sewseti are a prime example of that. They are known to be wonderful philosophers and poets. Female Sumanitians tend to be the more physically imposing of the genders, making up a majority of their military while the men drift towards more clerical duties. They are a physically imposing race, tall and broad. Akila shines as a outstanding example of the ideal Sumanitian.

Leya is slender and short, at just over five feet tall. Most Caelyrions are typically slender and tall. Leya is an exception to the norm in that regard. Caelyrions skin tone varies from a pale white to a deep grey-blue, they have slightly pointed ears and fine features. Known to be great intellectuals and agile warriors, particularly with bows and on horseback.

"I'm sure." Akila replies imposingly. "There is a shallow river not too far from here and it looks like you could use a wash." Leya falls silent, embarrassed less by the comment than by the truth of it.

"It passes near Til'Amin. We'll hike there and make camp by the river then follow it up to the village in the morning."

Leya nods in agreement and sets off following Akila as they begin their trek to the river bed. Akila is constantly looking back to check on Leya, frequently tripping on roots and stumbling over rocks trying to keep up with her. Leya is clearly not cut out for this and Akila reluctantly slows her pace to a leisurely stroll so that Leya doesn't hurt or exhaust themselves trying to keep up. Huffing and puffing Leya thanks Akila for slowing down and apologies for holding her back.

They reach the river bank as the last of the setting suns light peeks over the horizon. Akila instructs Leya to wash up in the river as she sets up camp, clothes and all.

"You want me to.... take my clothes off?"

"You can't really bathe with your clothes on, can you? Besides, you're not exactly the first girl I've seen naked, Leya." There's a long pause that hangs in the air before Leya replies.

".....I'm a boy....." Akila quickly looks up at Leya, she is genuinely stunned by the comment.

"But Leya is a feminine Caelyrion name, not a masculine one."

"It is?" Leya asks "...Yes." She answers in a pitying tone. Akila begins to put the pieces together regarding this mysterious Caelyrion.

Masters of guerrilla warfare and experts at living off off land, when Caelyrion forces first invaded Sumanita they were able to entrench themselves firmly in the country, splintering its borders terribly. It took years of brutal battle to evict the invaders from even the deepest parts of Sumanita. Many Caelyrion offspring were left behind when they did. These children bore no guilt for being born in stolen land and then abandoned so they were sent to orphanages to be raised Sumanitian. It's never been entirely uncommon to see a Caelyrion living among Sumanitian. Although it's not a life anybody would wish to have.

"Don't worry, We've got the same parts down there, nothing I haven't seen before. It's dark out and I'll be occupied putting the camp together."

"You're a.... Sewseti?"

"Mmhmm"

"I've never met one before."

"Well, now you have." Akila says absently as she focuses on setting up camp.

Leya turns around and tip toes out into the shallow river and begins to undress and wash himself in the cold water. Akila sets up a small canvas tent, hammering stakes into the ground, tying support ropes to nearby trees and draping a heavy waterproof animal skin over the top to provide protection from the rain. After placing her bedroll inside she stands up and wipes the sweat from her brow and surveys her handiwork. Right in her line of sight she sees Leya, no longer filthy and frail looking, bathing in the pale light of the moon. Akila is instantly transfixed.

His body lacks any trace of masculinity. Delicate and petite, he may not resemble the voluptuous visage of Aphrodite but there is nothing androgynous in the graceful, feminine curves of his naked figure. Even his breast seems to have a subtle plumpness to it. His wet hair shines in the moonlight like threads of golden silk. Flowing down his neck and spilling off his shoulders as amber waterfalls down his chest and back. his skin looks as soft as down and as smooth as porcelain. His, nose, cheeks, knees and buttocks faintly glow with a soft pink hue, contrasting against his otherwise pale complexion, made whiter by the glow of the moonlight bouncing off his skin. If it wasn't for his... modest penis - almost feminine in its own, delicate, manner - there would be no mistaking him for a man at all. And even still, there lingers a doubt in one's mind.

Akila decides she has worked up enough of a sweat setting up camp to merit washing it off in the river. Leya can hear the splashing as Akila wades into the gentle stream and he turns around to see her walking slowly towards him.

"A-Akila!" He exclaims.

"I figured I'd join you, the water looks so clear and clean. It's very good for the skin."

Always having been embarrassed, even ashamed, of his diminutive stature - and more so still by his diminutive manhood - Leya covers himself with his arms as best he can. One hand clasped over his groin, easily covering his penis and testicles, the other held across his bare chest. He crosses his legs, hiding one behind the other, as if that makes him somehow less nude.

"I-I t-thought y-y-you-"

"Don't be shy, Leya."

Akila undresses in front of him letting her clothing fall freely into the water below.

"I'm not." She declares.

Her skin is a warm, light brown. She looks as though she were painted in soft pastel hues. If you kissed her neck, it would surely taste of cocoa and cream. Her body is voluptuous but toned. Her shapely figure softens the athletic strength prowling beneath it, but not concealing it. Like steel wrapped is suede. The occasional scar cuts across her skin, flaws that only add to her perfection. The natural waves of her hair cascade down her back like ocean swells. Black as the sea at night it bobs up and down as she walks closer towards him, ebbing and flowing in the wind. Her coffee brown eyes are feline, narrow and focused, sizing her prey, stalking him. They are filled with mischief and cunning. Her phallus is a thing of hushed gossip and whispered rumours that blush cheeks with curiosity and envy. Intimidating and proud, when soft it is a sleeping anaconda. A dangerous serpent that most are mesmerized by but anxious not to wake. When it does rise from its slumber it is like a weapon from the ancient legends. An epic hammer that looms over your head, a mythic sword that pokes at your flesh. It invokes fear and awe in all those who gaze upon it.

Leya sees her nakedness for only a brief moment before he turns his head to the side to avoid staring.

She stands boldly nude in front of him. Legs spread wide with her hands on her hips and her member hanging assertively between her legs. Glancing around at the rocks and fish in the stream, trying not to look at her naked body he (through no fault of his own, of course) accidentally catches a glimpse of her swinging pendulum. The glimpse becomes a glance, which in turn ripens into a gander and then, finally, a gaze. His entire body turns as pink as a peony, he cannot look away. It's as if it has gripped him by the nape and is demanding;

'Look at me'

Akila can see his captivated stare, more than that though, she can feel it. Blood begins to pump into her member and it swells, slowly rising like a leviathan out of the sea. Leyas fixated stare only becomes more entranced as he witnesses it grow. His mouth hangs slightly agape as his own erection begins to take form. Akila, unbothered, stays still. Her legs still spread and her hands still at her side. Allowing it to inflate fully in plain sight of this curious young Caelyrion. Leya cannot believe his eyes once it reaches its bulging pinnacle, he's never seen anything so imposing, so intimidating. He absentmindedly removes his hand from his crotch and brings it up to his chest to clutch at invisible pearls.

Akila is amused at Leyas reaction, and even more amused at his own little exhibition. She sees the astonishment and apprehension in his eyes as her firm domineering erection towers arrogantly over him. She is proud of her cock and it's ability to instill both fear and reverie in him. A tinge of sadism. It twitches and slaps loudly against her stomach. This snaps Leya out of his voyeuristic gaze. He quickly looks up at her and sees the knowing smirk on her face and the devilish, accusing glint in her eye. He then looks down at himself and sees he has left his own painful erection exposed in plain sight. Turning from peony pink to pomegranate red in an instant he gasps audibly and spins on his heel to face the opposite direction.

"I'm sorry!" He spurts out hastily and immediately begins walking away towards the middle of the river, trying to splash cold water on himself to cool down his torrid erection.

Akila laughs to herself. Her stare lingers on him as he walks away, noting his particularly fine features. Her erection becoming unusually hard.

She saunters over to the middle of the river, just slightly behind him. Splashing water on herself casually as she drinks him in visually.

"I bet you're eager to get back to your girlfriend at home." She says.

"G-girlfriend?! N-no, I- um, I don't have a girlfriend."

"Really? A cute little thing like you? Girls must be climbing all over themselves to get at you" she says teasingly.

"N-no, not really."

"Really? Not even one?" She continues to tease.

"No. I've never had a- err I'm not really-...No. Not one...."

She places her hand softly on his back, between his shoulder blades, he arches sharply from her touch. She shuffles slightly closer to him, her cock just barely brushes up against his arm. His own erection stiffens even more, pointing straight up and pressing tightly against his belly.

"So, I suppose that makes me your first kiss then?" She coyly suggests, enjoying his discomfort. His head snaps around to face hers and he begins to plead his case, as if he had done something wrong.

"W-what?! No, I wasn't trying to kiss- I would never take advant-!"

But he quickly recognizes the playful mischief in her eyes and looks down and away once more. He twists his foot absentmindedly in the shallow, clear water.

"I was just trying to help..." He says, pouting slightly.

"And I'm glad for it." She responds sincerely. Then she leans in close to his ear and seductively whispers;

"And I'm glad to have been your first kiss." She leans in even closer

"And your second." Closer still

"And your third."

Leya can feel her warm breath on his ear and the tender crook of his neck. His entire body begins to tingle pleasantly. This is a type of attention he's never experienced, he's never even imagined. He's so overwhelmed by the advances of this breathtaking woman that his breathing (quite appropriately) becomes uneven and short, nearly hyperventilating. It takes all of his concentration not to orgasm right there, right then.

Although Akila can't help but enjoy his... sensitivity, she recognizes his obvious distress and decides he has had enough.

"I'm going to head back to camp, we have a long hike tomorrow we should get some sleep." He responds with a rapid nod and as polite of an 'Mmhmm' as he can muster.

she walks away, reaching the edge of the pool before looking back over her shoulder. She sees his exquisite naked body, shaking slightly, his arms wrapped around his chest and a pearlescent white stream shimmering in the moonlight drifting down the river from in front of his trembling legs.

The sight gives her pause. A rush of lust flows through her body and for a brief moment she imagines herself turning around, walking back to him, grabbing his quivering hips tightly. And then firmly, but slowly, pushing her entire shaft up his dainty buttocks. Slowly thrusting with long deep strides until she blows a load inside his stomach so thick and heavy it never comes out.

She shakes the thought from her mind and quickly continues towards camp. Normally a very collected and controlled person, Akila has never been so taken by lust before as she was in that moment. She wonders concernedly whether she may have ended up teasing herself more than she teased him.

Sitting in the tent, Akila can hear a quiet voice pleading out to her from outside.

"Akila... Akila!...." She peaks her head out the flap and sees Leya leaning out from behind a tree.

"M-m-my clothes! Th-they d-d-drifted down the r-r-river!" He's naked and shivering, his voice is quavering and he's clearly on the verge of tears. Normally Akila might find this situation amusing but she can see that he's seriously distraught.

"It's okay!" She calls out reassuringly and dips her head back into the tent briefly before emerging again jogging out to him with a blanket. She wraps it around his nude, shivering frame and rubs his shoulders comfortingly.

"Those rags you had on were about to fall apart anyways, this is probably warmer."

She guides him along into the tent, climbing in with him and lighting a small lantern. Although Leya doesn't take up much room, it's still a tent made for one and it's a tight fit. He is nearly sitting on Akilas lap. They sit silently, Akila stares at his face, lit in the soft warm glow. It's as effeminate as it is melancholic.

"I apologize for teasing you like that in the river. I got a little carried away."

"I-I-It's f-f-fine, I-I'm n-n-not upset." Shivering, teeth chattering and wet, Akila rubs Leyas arm vigorously to help warm him up.

"And I don't believe I ever really thanked you for saving my life last night. What you did was incredible, Leya."

"That's okay, you don't need to th-" Akila places her thumb on his lips and her index finger under his chin and lifts it up until he is making eye contact with her.

"Thank you." She says firmly, removing her thumb from his lips but keeping her finger under his chin. She stares into his crystal blue eyes intently.

"...Y-you're welcome."

She removes her finger and his gaze lowers again. His eyes are always downcast, always capitulant. They betray a constant pensiveness and apprehension. Like a dog who's been struck too many times by a cruel master. But during the moments of eye contact she manages, she can see a depth in them. A kindhearted intellect, a gentleness that reveals more to his meek nature than simply weakness and fear.

"We need to talk about something." Akila says seriously. Tension fills the small space in the tent and Leya begins to feel a rising anxiety.

"You're a war orphan, right?" Leya nods 'yes'.

"And you live in Til'Amin?" another affirmative nod.

"What were you doing in the woods that night?" She asks sternly. There's a long silence before Leya answers.

"....I told you, I was-"

"-You weren't going for a walk. You were running from something."

"I- N-no... I-I..." He twists his hands together fretfully, panic begins to grip him and his voice gets louder and more agitated.

"I-I wasn't! I'm not! I didn't do anything!"

Akila places her hand on his cheek affectionately, and wipes away a tear with her thumb.

"What are you running from Leya? I can help you if you tell me." She pleads with him. Resting his face in her palm and closing his eyes Leya surrenders to her.

"The orphanage was... It was... I survived it. I learned how to survive there. I had a bed and some food in my stomach and that was enough.... But the workhouse? It's just..."

He looks up at Akila, tears streaking down his cheeks.

"It's impossible!" He yelps desperately. Akila is surprised by the outburst from the normally timid and quiet Leya.

"They hate me! They give me impossible tasks and then beat me when I don't complete them! they make up reasons to dock my pay, they blame me for mistakes other people make! They spit on me! And mock me and laugh! Every day! They make me sleep in the barn. I can't afford clothes, I can't even afford food!" Akila listens with more empathy and care then she ever thought she would be giving to a Caelyrion.

"....I hadn't eaten in three days so I snuck into the kitchen and started eating some bread and cured meat. The lord of the workhouse must have heard something because he burst in and caught me. He started screaming and lunged at me.... His eyes... He was going to kill me. He was going to kill me!" Leya shouts defensively.

"It's okay Leya, it's okay. Calm down." Akila comforts. "Tell me what happened next."

"I picked up a knife and pointed it at him. That made him worse. He chased me around the butchering table. I kept telling him to stay back but he wouldn't, he was mad with anger." Leya begins to sob softly. "I-I cut him. On the hand. When he tried to grab me. I cut him and ran! I just ran into the woods..."

Akila leans in and wraps her arms around him. Rubbing his back tenderly.

"It's okay, Leya. Everything's going to be fine. It sounds like nobody was seriously hurt, just a cut on the hand. It's not that serious."

"You don't understand." Leya pleads. "I might as well have killed him. They are going to lynch me if I go back!"

"I won't let that happen, Leya." Akila reassures. "What was your plan for when we got there?"

"I was going to run away before we arrived..."

"Into the woods? Again? No wonder you were so upset about your clothes."

"I didn't know where else I could go."

Akila chuckles warmly.

"Off to save another damsel in distress, I suppose?" They share a laugh and it eases the tension of the moment.

Akila considers Leya and his story for a moment.

"Do you know where your name comes from, Leya?"

Leya looks up at Akila expectantly.

"...No..."

"It's a flower, Leyantheus Caryophyllus, the Leya flower. Its pedals are soft and white with a touch of pink in the center that is exposed when it blooms." Akila takes her fingers and runs them along Leyas collarbone, up the nape of his neck to his cheek and then flips an errant strand of golden hair behind his ear. His pale cheeks flush pink.

"Not unlike yourself."

When embarrassed Leyas lips purse into something between a smile and a pout, completely oblivious to how alluring his demure expression is.

"It grows on the Eastern provinces of Caelyrion far up in the Whistling Steppes, a sparse and barren place. Not much thrives there. It only requires a little sunlight and water but Its pedals are so fragile even the wind can tear them. And since it's always windy in the Whistling Steppes it grows exclusively in the cracks and crevasses between the rocks. Sheltering from the wind between the jagged, hard rocks, in the cold and the dark it blooms into something beautiful and delicate."

Akila cups Leyas cheeks in her palms and lean in close to his face.

"I think it suits you perfectly."

She leans in closer and kisses him firmly, her full, plump lips completely engulfing his. When she pulls back Leyas eyes remain closed as if he's still caught in the passion of the kiss. Leya opens his eyes and looks up at Akila with complete reverence. In that moment the blanket draped over his shoulders slides down his back leaving him naked and exposed. Akila looks down and sees that Leya isn't trying to cover his erection and when she looks back into Leyas face she knows that she is about to turn this romantic moment into something.... slovenly.

She kisses him again, this time sticking her tongue deep into his mouth down his throat and then wriggling around in his cheeks. Leya let's out a surprised whimper that grows into a slow moan of pleasure. She slides one of her hands from his cheek around the back of his head and holds it there firmly. All the while frantically stripping naked with the other. She sucks hard, pulling his tongue into her mouth forceably. Akilas tongue spirals around Leyas, twisting and curling across his, helpless and yielding. A subconscious expression of what she desires to do with his body. Her lips pucker and suck against his. Wet slurping sounds fill the tent as a multitude of warm strands of saliva drool from their lips and chins glittering in the lantern light like hanging tinsel. Leya has reached his limit. Groaning into Akilas mouth he climaxes intensely, sending salvo after salvo of jism through the air sticking to Akilas stomach and then draping over her thighs and cock in long thin layers. The feeling of Leyas warm cum landing wetly on Akilas cock causes it to swell rapidly. In only moments it is entirely erect and eager to participate.

Akila pulls away from the kiss. Both of them panting loudly from the excitement. She grabs Leya by his shoulders and spins him around tossing him roughly onto the bedroll.

"A-Akila!..." He moans, lust and apprehension mixing together in his voice.

Hovering over him she lowers herself down until her hips are pressed against his tightly. She steadily humps him, her cock sliding wetly up and down his stomach and erection. Smearing his own warm jism that he'd strewn across her dick over his genitals and stomach. Leya immediately begins to orgasm once more. Shooting long flailing strands of cum snaking up his belly and chest hitting the bottom of his chin, clustering up in piles before sloughing down his neck. His teeth gritted and eyes squeezed shut, his toes curled tightly and hands gripping the edges of the bed roll, he tries his best to endure the pleasure Akila is inflicting upon him.

Akila joins him in orgasm, her slimy release completely overshadowing his. As she cums, a tsunami of hot creamy ejaculate propagates in a gelatinous torrent along his stomach and across his chest. As it crashes into the bottom of his chin it splashes up in a sticky wiggling mass looming over his face before falling back down with a wet splat. His face coated in a gooey mask, her cum crawls over the edges of his lips and drains down into his gasping, open mouth. The wreckage of jism slops down the sides of his chest and stomach as he convulses from hyperventilating gasps of pleasure. Akila has not had her fill yet and lets only a moment of respite pass before she goes back for seconds. She grabs him by the ankles and lifts his legs up firmly as they writhe orgasmically in her grasp. She pressing her bulging cock head against his tiny pink virgin hole and pushes solidly against it.

"Ah! Ah!- Ak!- Akil!-" his protests stammering ineffectually from his mouth. Akila thrusts firmly but her jizz-slick cock slips, sliding across Leyas testicles, along his dick and between his thighs.

She moans at the sensation and like re-nocking an arrow she slides her cock back across his body and places it once again against his hole. Leya gains control of his breathless pleasure and pleads;

"Akila! S-Stop! please, I-I'm not ready for that yet..."

Akila manages to temper her lust, but not control it. Her eyes are narrowed and focused, aside from her heavy breathing she is silent and single-minded. She is a savage animal lost in cumlust and feeding on her prey voraciously. She rests his legs against her breasts and places her cock vertically between his thighs. She wraps her arms around his legs and hugs them, squeezing his thighs tightly around her phallus as she thrusts upwards fully enveloping her cock in his svelte, velvet smooth flesh. Leya reaches down and begins to masturbate with Akilas thick gooey cum, cumming in his hand and across his stomach and chest frequently.

Akila pants and groans louder and quicker the closer she comes to climax until her nerve endings explode in pleasure and she shoots off between his thighs. The of her ejaculation pushes her cum up between his tightly squeezed thighs, bursting out from his knees like a volcano then oozing back down his legs. As Akilas eye watering orgasm continues, more and more jism is pumped into Leyas pressed flesh until the pressure is too great and a vertical sheet of jizz erupts from Leyas thighs, covering them both in yet more cum.

Akila unwraps her arms from Leyas legs letting them drop to the ground freely, wide open and limp. Hunched over and panting heavily like a feral animal Akila flips Leya onto his stomach. This going to be a three course meal. Closing his legs together she lays her cock down in the groove between Leyas thighs and once again begins to hump. At the peak of her thrust Akilas glands pushes it's way into Leyas butt cheeks, nuzzling between them tenderly and then sliding back out in the down stroke. Leya begins humping the bedroll under him and they find a rhythm with each other. As he thrusts forward she thrusts back and as he thrusts back she thrusts forward. Akila humps him this way for a while, her pleasure building slowly and stoked by Leyas muffled voice moaning her name into the pillow as he cums repeatedly into the soft bedroll. Eventually she reaches her climax and gives Leyas butt and back the same treatment she gave his stomach and chest.

She collapses onto his back with a wet slap. Completely exhausted from the lurid pleasures that smothered Leyas entire body in her steaming, protoplasmic yolk. Her heavy eyelids slowly close and she falls into a deep slumber, the full weight her heavy frame sprawled out over Leyas petite body. Leya finds the weight of her body slightly overbearing but still comforting, like a heavy quilt and he soon passes out from exhaustion as well.

Akila wakes up late in the morning to the sound of Blue Tipped Indivars chirping in the canopy. Her head is groggy and her vision blurred. It takes her a moment to notice Leya smothered under her breasts. When she pushes herself up off him he rises with her. His sleeping body sticks to her for a moment before his back moistly peels off her abdomen and he falls back onto the bedroll. She sits up on her knees. Wiping the sleep from her eyes she looks down at him, his entire body covered in her damp, tacky cum and her limp cock sleeping lazily between his butt cheeks.

She thinks about waking him but decided against it. He needs the rest more than she does. She leaves the tent to wash up in the river and make breakfast.

Leya wakes up to the smell of cooking pork. He crawls up to the tent flap and peeks out.

"Morning, lazy. Sleep well enough?"

"Y-yeah, I did..."

"Me too." Akila winks coyly. "Go wash up in the river I'll finish cooking breakfast, we don't have too long to stay."

Leya desperately wants to talk about last night but can't seem to find the words to broach the subject. It feels almost like a dream.

He exits the tent and tries to stand up but his legs wobble beneath him and he collapses to his knees.

"Are your legs too weak to stand?"

"Yeah..."

"That's not surprising, you must not have eaten for two or three days now and last night was.... draining."

"....I really liked last night." Leya struggles to find words to truly convey how he feels about what happened but the experience was so wholly unique to him he can't seem to express it properly.

Akila walks over to him and helps him up.

"I liked last night too." She says warmly as she walks him over to the river. She places him in the cool water and helps him bathe himself, washing off the remnants of last nights sexual debauchery.

The water has a restorative effect on him and he regains enough strength to walk on his own. He wraps himself up in a blanket and they sit by the campfire eating the cooked saltpork.

"Hopefully this gives you enough strength to make the hike back to town. Otherwise I might have to carry you."

"I'm really worried about what will happen when we get there. And what I'm going to wear on the hike."

"You have nothing to worry about, Leya. Nothing will happen, I will make sure of it. And I'm going to cut that blanket your wearing into a poncho. It won't be pretty but.... you don't need any extra help being pretty, do you?" Akila teases and Leya blushes. A familiar back and forth.

"Thank you, Akila. You're.... I think you're amazing."

"Are you the one teasing me now?"

"No! I mean it!"

"Good, because if you were I might have to take you back into that tent and teach you a lesson." Leyas cheeks blush brightly and he looks away hiding a beaming smile across his face.

After they eat Akila packs up camp and they head out in the long hike to Til'Amin. During the hike Akila can't help but notice that Leya seems to be in high spirits, almost chipper, even. Every time she looks back to check on him she sees him gazing back at her with an adoring smile on his face.

'All he needed was a little loving and hes as bright as a sunbeam.' Akila shakes her head and laughs to herself.

The mood is high for the majority of the trip but begins to diminish as the surroundings become more and more familiar to Leya. As they get closer to Til'Amin anxiety builds in his chest. Once they reach the outskirts Akila notices his distress.

"Here." she says reaching her hand out towards him.

"Take my hand, we will go in together. I won't let anybody harm you, Leya."

Akila Taps the sword sheathed on her hip

"Even if they try."

Leya grabs Akilas hand and they walk into the village.

As they walk up the main road towards the village center The townsfolk peer out from their windows and doors looking up from their porches and gardens at the pair walking into town.

"Hey! It's the rat! Somebody caught the rat!" A young voice calls out from a window.

Leya squeezes Akilas hand tightly.

People begin to walk towards them and form a crowd. Akila keeps walking towards the center of town.

"It is the rat! Where'd you find it?" A young boy asks, Akila remains silent. The crowd gets tighter around them and begins to taunt Leya.

"The pigs are going to have a feast tonight. Caelyrion stew! Aha-haa-ha-ha!"

"You drown rats but you stick Caelyrions, what are we to do with him?

"We drown him and stick him!"

Akila is not entirely surprised by the violent, inhumane jeers. This part of Sumanita has suffered greatly during the Caelyrion campaigns, being near the border of the two nations. She thinks Leya likely save his own life leaving when he did. This was probably inevitable.

A stocky, rotund man waddles out from the crowd towards Akila. He has a bandage wrapped around his hand. Akila pulls Leya behind her for safety.

"Aaah, fine lady, what a prize you've brought us today! This little rat stole our food and tried to slit my throat then stole away into the dead of night! We are glad to have him back."

"I highly doubt that happened." Akila responds curtly.

"Doubt it all you want, it's the truth. What a fine Caelyrion payment for all the years of hospitality we showed it."

He looks behind Akila at Leya. "I'm going to take my time with you, boy." He threatens.

"That's strange, this town doesn't seem to be very hospitable so far."

"It is to Sumanitians!" A broad shouldered woman shouts from the crowd.

"And not to thieves and cutthroats!" The rotund man agrees "Now, if you'll just hand the lad to me I'm sure we can scrounge up a fair ratcatchers fee for you."

He walks forward and reaches behind Akila to grab Leya. Akila sticks her hand out and shoves him firmly in the chest. He stumbles backwards and is caught by the crowd.

"Nobody is going to lay a finger on him. He is in my care and will remain so."

The crowd erupts in a mixture of laughter and jeering.

W-what?!" The rotund man exclaims incredulously. "He's a thief and an attempted murderer! We have a right to see justice!"

"This is not justice."

"And who are you to tell us what is and what isn't, huh!?"

Akila pulls out a signet ring from her pack and places it on her finger. A twisting combination of Damascus silver and pure gold glitter in the sun. The flat top bears the royal insignia of the Emperor of Sumanita. The rotund man is mesmerized by it.

"I am Akila Solamin, Sewseti, Conqueror of the White Plains, Slayer of Kaeden Ylian, Champion of Sumanita and Heir to the Cracked Throne."

Gasps spread across the crowd and then quickly fall silent. Akira looks back at Leya and sees his face looking up at her in stunned awe. She grins wryly at him before returning her attention to the rotund man staring at her ring.

"You are going to make us some hot stew. Then you are going to bring my companion here some warm, clean clothes. Do you understand?"

"Y-y-y-yes."

"We are going to rest in the tavern. Alone. You will bring us the stew and the clothes there. There will be a horse waiting outside for us when we are finished. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, my Pàtra." He says with respect and fear.

"Where is the inkeeper?"

"Right here, my Pàtra!" A stout older woman rushes up to Akila from the crowd. She takes a small pile of silver coins from her bag and give it to the old woman.

"This will cover the expenses."

"Of course, my Pàtra. Let me show you to the tavern right away." The old woman shoos the crowd away as she walks up the street making room for Akila and Leya to follow.

They sit in the empty, silent tavern. Akila wolfs down her stew hungrily. Leya, in his fresh clothes, stares at her in wonder.

"Akila.....Solamin? You're....Akila Solamin?!"

"So, you've heard of me?" Akila responds smugly, leaning back in her chair with an arrogant swagger.

"But why did you tell me you were a hunter?"

"Well, I was hunting, just not shival stags and kalain. I was tracking three escaped Caelyrion fugitives. Considering you were a Caelyrion fugitive yourself I think I made the right choice keeping it from you. Who knows how you would have reacted."

"You're probably right..." Leya concedes. "You weren't actually bit by anything were you?"

"Only an arrow. With a poisoned tip."

"You're a Sewseti... and your name is Akila... I can't believe I didn't reali-" Akila puts her hand on Leyas.

"Enough talk. Eat up. I don't want to stay here long, Leya." He obliges and soon Akila is pulling Leya up onto the horse that was tied up outside. Leya wraps his arms tightly around Akilas waist and rests his cheek on her back.

"Where are we going?"

"To Armath, hold on tight!"

Akila snaps the reigns and the horse rears up, neighing wildly before galloping off. Leya looks at the shabby town and the people in it as they ride past. The only place he has ever known. He watches it get smaller and smaller in the distance until it disappears from sight entirely. He turns his head to look forward and sees the orange glow of the setting sun highlighting the huge expanse of the horizon. He smiles brightly and a tear falls down his cheek, quickly dried by the wind.