The Warrior

As I felt the man behind me start to move, I grabbed his arm that had his sword against my neck, put my back to his legs as firmly as I could, and wrestled with him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aloisa dive for the sword of the dead mercenary who had fallen off his horse. The look in her eyes was enough to even terrify me.

In a split second, the man I was wrestling with fell over me, and I jumped on him to shove the sword he was holding into his belly. I struggled and feared the worst might happen, but as I heard another man scream behind me, I knew I couldn't risk losing this fight. I hit the man in the face, yelled, and made the blade go in. It was horrible, just like she'd said.

I crawled back into the dirt and let the man lie there, choking on his own blood. In a matter of seconds, he was dead. Just as the shock started to wear off, though, I saw a vision enter my field of view. A woman clad only in boots, walking casually over to her attacker, sword in hand. I felt like if it had been me alone, I would've probably met my end after killing the first one. Here she was, triumphantly going to finish the job.

The man begged for his life. He offered her money. Apologized in extraordinary fashion. And then he screamed his last breath at the end of her blade. When the deed was done, she spit on his body.

At this moment, I was thanking the Allmaker to be alive. I was practically ready to kiss the ground Aloisa walked upon. So when she whirled around and stormed towards me, sword held out to my neck, I was taken completely off guard. I crawled backwards in the dirt and must have squealed at the sight, believing she would kill me next.

"You stupid little shit!" she yelled. "You nearly got both of us killed! This is exactly why I told you to go home! But you didn't fucking listen, did you? Now look at what you did! You are so unbelievably lucky to be alive. Though I don't think you deserve to be!"

"I can't go home!" I yelled back, sitting up towards her. It was not the smartest thing to do, but I was hardly in a calm spirit after what had just happened.

"You're just a spoiled little brat," she growled through her teeth. "You don't know what you're saying."

She lowered her sword and then tossed it on the ground. Quietly, she went into the woods. For a few seconds, I wondered if that was that, if she was just leaving me there. Then she returned, carrying her own sword in its sheath, which she placed near her bed.

"I-I'm sorry," I finally said softly. "I am. I should've listened to you. I--"

"Why can't you go home?" she interrupted, standing with her back to me and staring into the fire, burning on its last dying embers.

"I... can't... I won't... go home... where my uncle..."

Her head lowered at my words, although I myself wasn't sure of what exactly I was saying. Aloisa turned around and came closer.

"Then why do you want to be here?"

"You," I said, hanging my head at the admission.

"You want to die at my side, is that it?" she asked dispassionately.

"No," I murmured. "I didn't die. I... didn't feel alone, either. You..."

"You keep saying that and I'll kick you in the crotch, too."

"No, I mean... you're... different. Strong. Safe."

The warrior woman rarely looked like she was in deep thought. I say this not as an insult, but as admiration. When she acts, she acts on instinct, with confidence, and she speaks her mind. Yet this time she appeared to be really thinking, looking at the horses nearby.

"We need to get moving soon," she said. "We need to be gone in case anyone stumbles upon things here. This won't be the last party of mercenaries that try such a stunt."

Hearing her, I scrambled to my feet in a rush, almost tripping over myself. The threat of danger is always good incentive, especially after what we had just been through. But I have always suspected she knew the real reason for my reaction was not that. It was because she was allowing me to come with her.

She walked over to where her clothing lay and picked up the pieces, folding them and taking them over with the rest of her belongings. I went over to her and helped her pack. When I had the chance, I turned to her and thanked her.

"Don't thank me yet, boy," she cautioned. "If you join me, you join on my terms."

"What terms are those?"

Aloisa stopped what she was doing and faced me. "Undress," she ordered me.

"W-what?"

"Should I be standing here naked while you're clothed? Undress."

Hesitantly, I slipped my shirt and pants off. I was told to toss them on the ground, which I did. Standing there in my undergarments, she commanded me to turn around next. I could hear her footsteps as she came near. Then came the call for the undergarments to be removed. I pulled them off slowly, trembling a little, which I'm sure must have been noticeable to her.

I did wonder what she would do to me then, in such a vulnerable state. Her next move was simply to speak.

"Good. There is one other thing for now."

"Yes?"

"I'm taking you as my captive," she said. "Men don't travel with me until I can trust them. And I don't trust you yet. You will earn my trust over time."

"Okay."

I felt her cold blue eyes move across my body. I could hear her breathing behind me.

"Do you understand?" she questioned me. "I'm not taking you as my companion, nor my lover. If you come with me... I'd be taking you as my slave. Until I decide what to do with you."

"I understand," I said after a brief pause.

What a stupid boy she must think I am, I thought to myself. What a sad, desperate, lonely boy. What kind of weakling agrees to such a thing? Clearly, she was just testing me. Now she'll be sending me off to go home again.

"Hands behind your back," she commanded.

As I slowly extended my hands back towards her, she grabbed my wrists, forced them together, and tied them tight. I would not be getting out of this binding like I got out of the other one. Yet there was a confusing sense of comfort in this, as if I was now hers to look after.

"Riding horseback like this won't be comfortable," she said, "but we're not going far."

The tone of her voice changed as she said this, taking me by my restraints and leading me to the horses. If I had not known any better, I might have imagined she was glad about this development. Although I could not tell you if she was glad to be taking me along or simply glad she wouldn't have to leave me for dead.

Suddenly, I felt my legs depart the ground as we came to the horse she'd chosen for us to ride. I knew this woman was strong from the sight of her alone, but it was a surprise nonetheless when she lifted me up and slung me over the horse on my stomach. To say this brewed an intense feeling of helplessness in me is to understate the facts. Draped across the horse's back in such a manner, watching her gather her things and tie them to the animal, I was becoming more and more aware of what mercy this warrior was showing me.

Aloisa mounted our horse and pulled me into her lap, steadying my body with her left hand placed directly on my buttocks, and her right hand pressing down on my back. She checked the restraints, put her feet in the stirrups, took the reins, and we were off.

All the way to our destination, my mind was restless. It explored every rumor, every whisper I had heard of this woman back home. It pictured every scenario, no matter how horrid, that could transpire henceforth. It spoke in teasing, tormenting ways to me about all of it. How it had excited me seeing her undressed by those awful men. How I had to make myself stop staring. And now, how I was bent over her horse, unable to even glimpse anything but her leg, while so much of me was at her lap.

It was not long before the blood rushed to my head and I started feeling dizzy. When we finally stopped and she pulled me down from the horse, setting me on my feet, I quickly lost balance and tumbled over onto the dirt. With a laugh, she reached down, took me by the waist, and put me over her shoulder.

I, a twenty year old man - though slim in stature, I should confess - was taken over the shoulder of this woman, as if it were nothing. The only thing more embarrassing than this would surely have to be the growing erection she doubtlessly felt pressing into her shoulder. If the blood had not left my head a ways back, my cheeks would have been the brightest shade of red.

One thing I was able to notice in the midst of it all was that we had not traveled to some village or town where she lived. For whatever reason, she had taken us to a very secluded spot in what appeared to be a small valley. Around it was nothing but woods, so thick the light of the moon barely came through. We had entered by a trail big enough for only one horse, and at the end of the path was her tent.

Taking me off her shoulder, she laid me down gently on the bed. It was little more than blankets and straw stuffed into casing, but compared to the horse it was comfortable. After this, she left again to retrieve what goods and items were still on the horse.

Glancing around the tent, I saw precious little that would tell a person more about the one residing there. There were makeshift racks and hooks on wood beams from which she hung a variety of weapons. In one corner was an old, decrepit looking armor stand that held an outfit quite similar to the one she had worn before. A small chair in another corner. At the other end of the bed was a cooking pot, and on the side of it were several sacks. What my eyes were drawn to most, however, was a chain hanging slightly from the crossbeam in the center of the room.

"How is your head?" Aloisa asked me after returning to the tent.

"Better," I answered.

She threw the bags in the corner and placed her sword and sheath into one of the racks. Examining her clothing, she tossed it under the armor stand and sighed.

"Good bikini armor is so hard to come by," she remarked. "I've been repairing the same pairs for so long that it's a wonder they stay on at all. It beats those heavy bastard armors all the soldiers wear, though. I've never understood how anyone can move in those things."

Next, she pulled the chair near to me, sat down, and took off her boots. She leaned forward on her knees and looked me over. Lying on my side, hands still tied behind me, more nervous than I had ever been, I could do nothing but listen.

"I've never had a slave before," she told me with a grin as my heart began beating faster. "I've freed slaves. Killed slave-owners. But never had a slave myself. What do you make of that?"

My eyes widened on her, still not sure what to think.

"I'm not fond of taking captives," Aloisa went on. "It makes for messier business. But the world is not all rainbows, is it? There are those who say, 'Let the priests and the court debate what's right.' I've often thought that perhaps they would learn more from being on the other end of the leash."

She got up and grabbed two rocks by the cooking pot, striking them against each other until sparks flew and ignited the wood in the small pit beneath. Carefully, she reached in and took one burning stick, using it to light three candles nearby before sticking it back into the pit and snuffing out the fire. After placing the candles a fair distance apart to light the room, I watched as she walked over and closed the tent flap.

"I'm not planning to abuse you," she said, much to my relief, before coming to sit by me again. "You'll be fed. Have a place to rest. And if things go well, you might travel with me eventually. But you're young, naive, and undisciplined. You need to be taught."

"Yes," I finally spoke up anxiously.

"Quiet, boy," she swiftly corrected me. "I'm not asking you these things, I'm telling you. You left home to follow me. Even after I told you to shoo, you disobeyed. We were both almost killed because of you. I gave you your choice if you wanted to come with me. You've made your choice."

Yes, it had been courting danger to follow her. I was as young, naive, and undisciplined as she said, but I was not dumb. I could not have known the full extent of what she'd have in mind for me, though this hardly mattered. I had accepted the risk more than once. I had made my choice and this was where it led me. Acknowledging this the best I could, I closed my mouth and looked patiently at her.

"Good. Don't trust your instincts. Trust that I'll tell you what I want. So many males are led astray by their instincts. I want you to hear me. Obey me. My instincts will govern both of us."

She could not have been more than nine or ten years older than myself, but I could not help feeling like a cub to Aloisa. I knew I had truly demonstrated my ignorance in how I'd already acted, yet her demeanor and behavior were constant reminders I was out of my depth here. I would have to trust her for both our sakes.

With one hand, she lifted my legs and sat on the bed, lowering me back down. Turning me over until my bare ass was facing up, she placed her left hand on it and pushed on my hands to move them out of the way. Immediately, I was breathing harder, my penis growing against her thigh. As much as I had protested before about being a man, I could not be in this position to her and lie.

"Do they spank children in Greywall?" she asked me in a tone of voice that could either have been teasing or curious.

"Y-yes," I stammered.

"Hmm. It doesn't seem to have done you much good. Where I come from, the most disobedient children are sent to the priestesses to be disciplined. It teaches them to respect those that help raise them in the community. But I never understood why this should be the job of priestesses. A warrior knows discipline better."

A sensation of sharp pain filled my backside next. I grunted and growled at her. This was not what I remembered from childhood. Her hand had collided with my bottom with all the force of someone trying their best to break the skin. I inhaled quietly and convinced myself I could endure this and remain composed.

Then another sensation burst across the other cheek, rippling outward. I jerked forward, as if attempting to escape, but she had me by the rope around my wrists. My legs began to shake a little. I turned to look at her, my eyes pleading for pity. She met my gaze with something stern and pitiless.

"Does it hurt?" she mocked me. "Remember that then before you decide to disobey me again like you did tonight. This first time will be very painful. It's how you'll learn."

I growled again and kicked my feet on the bed as she delivered another blow. Quickly, she shoved my feet down and held them there until I stopped kicking. She warned me I would be in even worse trouble if I got violent or fought my way free.

My composure was beginning to crack as well. The next strike against my ass stung so much I know my voice broke. I dug my fingers into her hand holding my wrists. To my shock, she completely let go, only to place her entire muscular arm against my back, the elbow touching my head, and then she pressed down hard. My face mashed into the blanket while she dealt five rapid smacks to my behind that burned like fire afterwards.

I fell limp in her lap and she resumed her position, holding me by the wrists with one hand and the other holding down my legs right below the buttocks. I began to twitch and my voice broke more with every gasp and moan.

"When you fall asleep tonight with your ass bruised and aching," she growled to me, "I want you to be thankful you get to sleep here at all. And I want you to tell yourself, 'Never again. I will never disrespect her wishes again.'"

I would like to say I toughened up and earned her respect then and there. As noted, though, I was in no position to lie. She spanked me over her lap like a rebellious child, and I could not hold back tears. I lost count of how many times her hand struck me, but I did not fail to notice that she did not stop once I started crying. It was as if she'd been waiting for just the right moment, and I suspect that moment came when I was marked enough to her satisfaction, which was not long after I began repeating to myself exactly what she had said.

For a while, I nearly forgot where I was. Then it started coming back to me, like I was emerging out of a haze. My body jumped and I gasped softly when her hand touched my bare bottom again. This time it was not to beat me, only to feel me. I had questioned if the warrior woman felt any attraction to me before now. It was difficult to tell even when taken over her lap to be spanked, but this told me there was something there. And even more amazingly, it made me realize just how much attraction I felt to her.

Her hand cupped my left buttock, squeezing gently. I whimpered at the pain and curled my body slightly around hers as she put her other hand on my head. Slowly, she spread my legs apart with her left hand and reached between them. She closed her palm and fingers around my balls with firm pressure. As I raised my butt up to give more space for her hand, the sound I let out was delicate enough to make me blush.

"I like you, boy," she stated plainly. "You're not afraid to be soft. To come crawling even when you don't quite know why."

She caressed me with her fingers, teasing, squeezing, and pulling. Even though my ass hurt significantly and all I wanted was to put something comfortable against it, I resolved to ignore the pain and please her.

"I know what people say of me," she went on. "I'm sure you do, too. I've had men go searching for me before, either planning to fight me or domesticate me. But not you. You came to me as if you were already waiting for the leash."

Thinking on what she was saying, the idea terrified and excited me immensely at the same time. I imagined rising up on the bed, struggling to break free of the restraints on me. No sooner had this picture formed in my head than I imagined another: shoved back down with the weight of her body against mine as she'd climb on top of me. And the thrill of this fantasy would linger.

Aloisa let go of me, picked up my legs, and got off the bed. She grabbed me by the wrists and lowered me down to my knees on the floor. For the first time, I was given a good view of her. A chance to look upon her with no interruptions, no dangers, and no obstructions. She caught my jaw between her thumb and finger as it dropped open.

The light flickering from the candles cast her perfect naked figure in a beautiful golden glow, while shadows obscured the rest, giving her the proper image of the frightening warrior that she was. Earlier, I had witnessed her kill several men. I had felt her lift me onto her shoulder like I was nothing. Now, all that occupied my mind was a yearning to be at her feet, to bathe her taut form in a shower of affection.

"You don't need to say anything, soft boy," she spoke to me. "Show me."

Aggressively, she thrust her hand into the back of my hair and pulled me towards her. I had but a split second to shed my insecurities and fears, then my lips were pressed to her abdomen. Inside me, something exploded. I began kissing and licking her body frantically. Above me, I heard laughter. A moment later, the laughter transitioned into the wonderful sounds of Aloisa's ecstatic sighs and moans.

I had not even noticed when she removed her hand from my head. I continued kissing and licking down her stomach, her hips, her thighs, and her legs. All the way until I wound up at her feet. Listening to her make noise above, I had every motivation I needed to keep going, back up her legs, thighs, and hips. When I came too close to where I was not yet allowed, she grabbed me by the hair and set me back on my knees.

"You'll have to really earn that privilege. I do think you've earned something, though. You'd like your collar, wouldn't you?"