You are an adventurer, a sword-for-hire, a mercenary, and a former soldier in the Queen’s army.
Drawing your thick cloak tighter around you, you look along the sides of the road as you enter the Great Forest. You nudge your horse to keep walking along with the rest of the caravan.
You were hired to provide protection to a caravan of merchants going from Craftown to the Winter festival in the Valley on the other side of the Great Forest. If you really had your choice, you would have spent this cold season in a warm tavern working as peace keeper. Most people don’t expect a female to keep the peace, but then again, they don’t expect a female sword-for-hire either.
You gently rock back and forth in the saddle, watching for signs of bandits or traps.
The road is well traveled and it is rare for bandit attacks, but the merchants are paying you well to guard and protect them. Paying almost double what you would earn at a tavern. The only thing that is a little frustrating is that you sleep alone at night.
As you slowly ride your horse, you sometimes feel your pussy rub against the inside of your thick leather pants as you move back and forth in the saddle. When you focus on protecting the caravan, it isn’t bad, but when things are quiet, you wish you were riding a hard cock. What makes it worse, is you don’t have a partner on this mission.
In the army, you had a couple of partners who, especially when you returned from guard duty or long patrols, you could use for both warmth and pleasure. Never while on duty, but you enjoyed taking advantage of off duty hours.
You could try to find some companionship within the merchant caravan, but there are already those who think that female sword-for-hires are just armed prostitutes.
Having sex with clients is bad for business. “I guess, I will just have to take care of myself, before I sleep. Maybe I can find some companionship during the festival?” you think and smile to yourself. The Winter festival lasts a week. There will be drinking, dancing, and sex to be had, as it is a celebration that the darkest and coldest days are behind you.
During the past few hours, you and your horse moved to different positions in the caravan. You rode in the front for a while, then slowly dropped back and rode at the rear for a bit. The carts and wagons of the caravan make a fair amount of noise, with squeaking wheels, jangling chains, and voices of the teamsters. These noises keep wild animals just out of sight. You were tempted to unsling your bow, but nothing seems to be amiss so you keep it secured but readily available.
Mid-day, many of the riders get off of their wagons or horses and walk them for a bit.
You dismount too and talk with the Elder who hired you. “Master Tanner, are you planning on traveling during the night, or are we going to stop at the Way Point Well and rest for the night?” Even though the weather is cold, he wipes sweat from his brown with a thin chamois, from the exertion of the day’s travel, “Madam Swordlady, I prefer to travel until I reach my destination, but we have clear weather and are making very good time. I had planned on poor conditions on the road, but we have been lucky. What would you recommend?” he asks as he takes a sip of water from his waterskin.
“I have been looking at both your teamsters and your animals. I think that the meadow at the Way Point Well would be a good place to water and rest your animals. It also has some protected areas where we can mount a good defense if we are attacked by bandits. I haven’t seen any sign of bandits. There might be some Rangers or Elves deeper into the woods on the other paths, but nothing that I have seen that pose a danger or threat to you. I recommend that everyone rest at Way Point Well for the night.” You explain and also take a sip of water.
“Thank you, Madam Swordlady, I will talk with the others and tell them what you advise.” He says and walks up the lead wagon.
“ ‘Madam Swordlady’ I hate when they call me that,” you think for a moment then mount your horse. “But that is probably better than ‘Guard Bitch’ or ‘Whore with a sword’ or some of the other derogatory terms you have been called over the years.”
The shadows in the trees are growing as the day slowly ends. When you are near the well, you ride ahead to ensure that the road is safe and clear.
You dismount just out of sight of the well and tether your horse. With your bow in hand and a small quiver of arrows, you slowly check the ground around the road. Looking for signs of disturbance and maybe ambush. The ground is cold and hard.
You don’t see any obvious signs, so you move closer. The area around the stone well looks to be clear. No animals tied or in the public lean-tos. You move quietly and slowly. You notice birds and squirrels in the trees. Signs of natural activity, so you get up and carefully walk to the well. The small public shelters are empty and the firepits are long cold. No one has been here recently.
You check the well. Dropping a small rock, you hear it hit ice. You see a larger rock and throw it down. An echoing crack and splash as you break the ice open. After dropping the bucket down, you pull it up, filled with icy cold water. It tastes cold and good.
Slinging your bow on your back, you walk back to your horse, then tell the caravan what you found.
Once everyone arrives, canvas buckets and troughs are set up for the animals, then they are brushed and fed. Cook fires are set up in the firepits and the teamsters are discussing who sleeps and who has to watch the wagons during the night.
Once the sun is down, the winter sky is dark and cold. Stars are seen in the sky between the branches of the bare trees. The meadow area is wide enough to park all of the wagons and still have room if other travelers arrive.
After a light meal of travel stew, you want to do a quick security check outside of the meadow.
You can hear some of the merchants singing and playing music, so you try to move quietly in the darkness. You follow a deer path that leads away from the well. You wish you had done this earlier, because the smell of smoke and food from the campsite makes it hard to tell if there is anything out of the ordinary.
The deer path connects to a wider forest trail and you stop. You can still hear the noises from the camp. You shake your head.
“Yes, people can be very noisy sometimes.” You hear a soft voice say. You look around and by a tree there’s an elf in a dark cloak. “I take it that you are the scout and protection for these men?” he says in his accented voice. You raise up to full height and put your hand on your sword hilt. If you had your bow with an arrow nocked you might have drawn it, but in the dark that probably would have made you a target for the elf.
He extends his open hands. “We mean you no harm. We were going to get some water at the well and rest for the night too.”
“What do you mean ‘we’?” you ask not relaxing the grip on your hilt.
Another elf, steps from a tree much closer to you. “We are a small group of elves heading to the Winter Festival in the Valley. We needed to ensure who you were before we revealed ourselves.” She says in a voice, similarly accented to his.
“Can all of you please step onto the path, so I can see you. It is hard enough to see in the dark, but you are all so silent, and …..”
One of them uncovers a glowing orb. It provides a dim but visible light. “This might help you, Scout.” Says a third one, who is a little farther back on the path.
With the glowing light you are able to count 5 elves in total, apparently 3 males and 2 females, but with elves sometimes it is hard to tell.
“May we have permission to use the well and spend the night at the camp?” The elf with the orb asks. You relax your grip on your sword hilt and exhale.
“Yes, let us all go together. In your travels, have you had any trouble with bandits or thieves?” You ask as the elves form a line behind you.
“Our journey has been uneventful, but then we are a small group and can travel silently. Anyone who is unfriendly to us, we can avoid.”
After a few minutes, the music and noises of the camp are loud and clear. You yell, “I am coming back into the camp, and I brought guests.”
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