(The usual disclaimer: This story contains details of explicit sexual acts between females and females, and females and males. If you're under eighteen, or are turned off by explicit sexual contact, stop reading here. Otherwise, enjoy!
This is based in a world roughly taken from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time novels. In an interview I read at www.wotmania.com, he said that he didn't mind if people wrote stories in his world, as long as they didn't use his characters. Keep in mind that I've altered many details to make the story more in line with what I really think would be and not be. Knowledge of The Wheel of Time is not necessary, but it might let you understand things that I don't take the time to explain.
Feel free to email me with questions, comments or suggestions about my story and the upcoming chapters. I hope to be a professional writer someday, so I'd love to hear from you!)
Chapter 3 -
The next morning, I awoke with Amanda wrapped in my arms. Though I had no view of the sun to determine the time of day, I judged it was about midday when the door opened. The door opened, and Amanda started awake, shrieked and leapt away from me, dragging most of the sheets with her as she fell from the bed entirely to the opposite side of the room as the door. Willow Sedai entered the room, her face a mask of blandness. Amanda stood, her face blushing nearly as much as it had when we first began to explore each other's bodies. She wore a hastily donned shirt and nothing else, though she tried to conceal her nakedness with the bed by leaning down and resting on her elbows. She made a painfully cheerful smile. "Hello, Willow Sedai. To what do we owe the honor?"
The small amount of the sheets left on the bed still covered me from the knees up, and I lay tranquilly upon the bed, my mind still thick with sleep. Though there could be no missing it, Willow made no signs of seeing Amanda's partial nakedness. "We are to begin your training." Willow said matter-of-factly. Before I could open my mouth, she turned to me as well. "Rena Sedai will be along for you shortly, Tara." I sat back in the bed. Amanda seized the moment to conspicuously put britches on, lace them, then walk out. Willow Sedai gave me a polite yet impersonal nod, then left as well, closing the door.
I rolled out of bed, my lack of clothes not a factor to be dealt with yet, and started eating fruits and cheeses. I was physically tired, yet mentally I was awake and thinking over my situation carefully. Many days without even a rinse of my hair, plus all of my exertions (even thinking of it still made me blush) must have left me looking like wreck. The door began to open again. "No wait! Don't come in, I'm..." The door stopped, only open a little way. I threw on my gown, straitening it carefully, then ran my fingers through my mussed hair to no avail. "Alright..." I sighed.
The door opened slowly, and a young man stepped through the threshold. He wore a shirt and pants of green so deep they were nearly black, with armor of studded leather over his chest. He had a large sword strapped to his back, and he smiled kindly. Though my knees were already weak, I felt them slacken more and I sank down into my chair. I felt very self conscious in front of him, wanting to make a good first impression, but only able to nod in greeting. He carried a white dress in his hands, made of rough cotton, and he set it on the table in front of me with a low bow. "Rena Sedai sent me to bring you to her. Your lessons are to begin now."
I drew in a breath. He was acting strangely subservient to me. "Are you a Warder here?"
He shook his head. "No, though one day, I hope to become one. I am a student here, like yourself... taking classes and training." He paused. "What is your name, if I may be so bold?"
"Tara, of Fredonia Meadows in Arafel. Yourself?"
"Darien, of Little Wreath in Shienar." There was a pause in the conversation. "We have a while before Rena requires our presence."
There was along pause in the conversation. I wanted to break the ice between us, but my mind had frozen up. "Please, take a seat."
He sat, apparently the same intent on his mind. "Do you... have you given thought your choice in Ajah?" he asked by way of breaking the long silence.
I raised my eyebrows, taking a deep breath and gathering my wits. "Well, a little. But being raised to Aes Sedai seems along way off." He nodded, motioning for me to continue. "Well... no matter what I won't be a Red."
He grins. "Well, that bodes well for me."
I rolled my eyes. "The Reds seem to live in their own world. To imagine living life without love..." I cleared my throat. "Well... I guess maybe Green, but that's just because I know Rena so well. Yellows seem kind... I don't know too much about the rest."
"Well... the Blues are often away on missions, trying to make the world a better place, I guess. The Grays are always away too, arranging treaties and playing politics. Browns study ancient tomes and artifacts, and the Whites debate logic and assume leadership roles." He shrugs. "Its a crude but quick summery."
"Green still sounds good."
He grinned slyly. "Who knows, maybe you could bond me."
I was proud my composure stayed in place, affecting the composed grace of an Aes Sedai passably. "Maybe. I might consider it." I returned his knowing smile. Though my heart still fluttered while I looked at his face, I had myself under control now, and wasn't going to embarrass myself by stuttering or staring at him wordless like I was afraid of.
He coughed. "Well, perhaps you would like to bathe?"
I struggled to contain my embarrassment. He said it in an inoffensive and kind manner, but I still felt a small part of me die when he mentioned it. I brushed it off, struggling to maintain my expression. "Well, eleven some odd days on the road with no breaks for hygiene will do that to you." We shared a laugh, and he picked up the dress.
"Alright, I'll show you to the bathhouses on this level."
"Bathhouses?" I had always bathed in the river a few miles from my town. He explained how the Tower contained rooms stacked vertically on every level. On the very top of the Tower was a pair of massive tanks that contained water, filled continually by servants. Through the One Power, the water of one tank was always hot. Gravity pulled the water down through a system of pipes to each room below the next. We walked down a long corridor, past dozens of empty rooms, then came upon the room. He followed me in, now also holding a towel that he must have picked up off a cart. The room was uncomfortably warm, steam fed from copper piping in the room hanging in the air. I felt nervous, a jittery feeling that I tried to suppress, or at least prevent from being visible. He showed me how the valve worked, and I filled the marble pool in just a minute with blessedly warm water. The time was passed in silence, and for my part I spent it contemplating my new friend Darien. Back home, I prided myself on not being the type of girl who saw a man's pretty face and fell in love. It was childish, and also pointless. I struggled internally, trying not to emulate the behavior that I had so disliked in my formulative years. But whether an artifact of my recent experiences (I blushed, but concealed it well), or something about Darien himself, there was no denying my feelings. I desired him, and what was more, there was no Women's Council or parents for five hundred miles to prevent me from acting on those instincts. I felt dizzy, though from the steam or perhaps my newfound freedom, I didn't know. The bath stopped filling, and I closed the valve. Darien, for his part, had been pacing, absorbed in his own thoughts. I cleared my throat, giving him an eye flutter and a grin, then twirled my finger, indicating he should turn around. His eyes suggested he just came out of deep thought, but he shook himself to awareness and grinned, then complied dutifully with a bow and a graceful turn. Stripping out of my gown, I got into the bath tenderly, slowly settling down to my neck, keeping my body close to the closest wall of the tub. The water was a little too hot for my tastes, but it would cool. "Alright, you may turn back around now." He had used the time when his back was turned to get a bar of soap and some liquid in a bowl. He set them down on the side of the marble, then knelt to bring his head to my level, his expression indicating internal debate. I dipped my head under entirely, massaging my hair under the water, then came up for air and flipped my hair back out of my eyes. His eyes still told of a bitter internal monolog, one of conservatism versus desire, and being no stranger to the same, I decided to help him along towards a resolution. I turned my back to him. "Would you soap me up?"
Wordlessly, he lathered his hands up with the bar of soap in the water, then began to massage my sore back and shoulders. I could feel the sweat and grime melt away, and the tension too under his soothing, strong touch. I moaned slightly, my eyes closed as I reveled this treatment, and I felt his hands quaver a tad. Could it be... nervousness? I'm not sure why, but that sealed the decision for me. Darien was full of confidence, and that's good, but his cute embarrassment over what he felt for me was too much. I would make him mine.
His hands traveled down my back, and I rose out of the water to a raised kneeling position to give him access to more of my skin, with both his hands and eyes. I got up on one knee, giving his kneading hands more of my body to work with. He reached my waist and started to pull away, but I reached around and snagged his retreating hand. I pulled it back to my skin, massaging my stomach with his soaped up palm. His other hand came back around, nearly shaking, and joined its partner in moving up me. Still securely grabbing his wrist, I worked his hands up my chest, finally clasping them around my breasts. His hands continued their work, though the supposed purpose of cleansing, tenuous at best before, was now gone. My nipples were pointed, a clear sign of my arousal, and the distinction was not missed by Darien, who began to lose his inhibitions. He moved his head to my neck, leaving small kisses down my recently cleaned skin. His fingers continued to do something wonderful to my breasts, and I twitched in pleasure. I spun, confronting his confused visage with an expression of demanding lust. "Want to come in?" I said breathily.
He looked torn. "The Code expressly prohibits Warders-In-Training from having sex with..."
I flicked his ear. "Who said anything about sex, Darien?"
He looked mortified, then remembering how I had initiated this all, lapsed into merely confused. "But I thought..."
I sighed theatrically, unstrapping his armor. "You men, its all about sex... sex... sex." His armor and sword fell to the tile, and I dragged his half willing self into the water, sloshing a goodly portion of it onto the floor. He sputtered as he came up, and I kissed him full out. His resistance stopped as our mouths met, his tongue seeking mine. Our bodies pressed together, and I broke off this kiss, leaving our lips the barest of spaces apart. "There is plenty you can do without sex, you know." With that, I tugged on his shirt, and the last of his resistance melted away.
His shirt was waterlogged, and plastered to his body, but he managed to pull it off and throw it to the tile. His boots came off next, one unlaced by each of us. He turned back from dropping the boot out of the tub to find me pressing against him again, another strong kiss. He kissed very differently than Amanda... a sort of harsh and demanding, strong kiss. In my current mind set, it fit well, though I'd have to work with him if this were to continue beyond today. He was up against the wall of the tub, running his hands through my hair, and I hooked my thumbs in the waistband of his pants, pulling them down. Or at least trying to. He fumbled with his belt, looking up from the task to beam a smile at me, then the pants were off and out of the tub. I kneeled on his seated form, keeping myself far enough back to avoid his member. My kisses were planted down his well toned chest, and he whispered my name. My hand clasped around his shaft, stroking him gently. His closed eyes and slightly open mouth told me I was doing something right, but herein I realized a slight flaw in my plan. I had only the vaguest idea of how to do this, of even how a man's body worked. I wanted to show him how I felt, make him feel great... but my exposure to male anatomy was limited to hushed and giggle filled conversations while sewing with my girlfriends in the back room of Helen's Fabrics Emporium. I was determined though. Straddling his legs, I redoubled my efforts, gently using two hands. He cracked an eye open, sucking in air at an especially pleasurable movement. "Wait." he intoned.
I didn't even pause in my rhythm, but my expression creased with worry. "What's wrong? Am I doing it wrong?"
"No no no. What you're doing is... oh so right. I just mean... I feel bad. I should be doing something for you, not the other way around."
I chuckled, circling his head with my thumb, rewarded with another gasp. "Not today, Darien. Next time, definitely, but today you're mine." I felt my chest tense up, worried for rejection, but his expansive smile put my fears to rest.
My hand motions became more frantic, and I wasn't sure how to proceed. A slight memory tickled my mind... Mariana explaining what she thought guys liked the best... I hesitated. It was strange, no doubt about it, but I wasn't sure how to up the ante with my hands more than I already had. I stood, guiding him up as well, then pushed him down to sit on the edge of the marble. I knelt in front of him, extending my tongue forward and licking a small circle around his head. My efforts brought out a moan from him, so I continued, taking the whole head into my mouth and bobbing up and down. I ensured my lips brushed the ridge of his head each time. I reached up with a hand, encircling him, stroking up and down as my tongue continued its work from within my mouth. His hands were tangled within my hair, one moment clenched to fists, the next trying to restrain from pushing my head down farther onto him. A crescendo of moans were building from him, and I knew he was reaching the end of his rope. He pulled my head back, and with a final gasp, spent himself upon my breasts. My hand never stopped its work, until at last he slumped down into the water with me. I politely washed myself, then curled up in his lap with a content sigh.
"That was... amazing." he whispered. He started to get up, his feeling of duty kicking back in. "I've got to return the favor."
I pushed him back down, and quieted him with a shush. "Another time. We need to get going anyway, soon, and I want to spend what time left like this."
He seemed confused, but relented. "Alright."
I giggled. "I'm definitely thinking Green."