Winter changes to Spring, and you are comfortable with what you are doing.
You kept warm and dry for the worst parts of the year. Annie appreciates having you around, helping and teaching the kids. You even managed to save a few coins and to care for your horse, which you keep in the town stables.
But in the back of your mind you kept feeling “We need to be doing something else.”
On a warm afternoon, while you were practicing your archery, Master Tanner approached you. “Madam Swordlady,” You fire your arrow and hit the center of the target, then you turn to him, bow still in hand.
“Master Tanner. I have not seen you for a number of weeks.”
“Months is more accurate.” he responds. “The other Craftown merchants have decided it is time to return home. The weather is good, we have made a tidy profit, and the roads through the Great Forest are clear. Can we hire you for the trip home?”
“According to what travelers have been saying in Annie’s, there has been little bandit activity. I think if you travel as a group, you will be safe. Craftown is not my home, so I have no reason to return there.”
With that, you draw another arrow and shoot it next to the first.
He takes off his cap and bows a bit. “Thank you for your time, Madam Swordlady.” then turns and leaves.
You continued target practice, then do a few sword drills. But in the back of your mind you keep thinking “Why shouldn’t I leave? But who will protect Annie and the kids? This is a quiet town, do they really need protecting? Am I lazy? Is this too easy of a job to leave?”
The late Spring sun was warm on your skin as you finish. Sweat streams down your body as you unstring your bow and sheathe your sword. You reach into your tunic and pull out the small star. Gripping it you think. “I wish you were here. We only were together for a short time but I felt more alive with you.” Tucking it back in your tunic. “And if wishes were fishes, I would never go hungry.” you say aloud. You head for the stables to care and feed your horse. “Maybe we should just ride around the edge of the valley, from time to time.” you say as you brush him.
That night you dream of being with the elves. Moving through the Great Forest, then stopping and resting. As you rest in the dream, Aladan’s hand caresses your skin. You reach under his cod piece and play with his hardening shaft. “Ride me Milady Scout.” he whispers and kisses you. You feel his hardness as you lower yourself on him. Rocking back and forth, taking him deeper and harder. He reaches up and grips your nipples, pulling them firmly. You can feel him thrusting under you. The wave of pleasure moves through you, and you wake alone in your small bed. The star on your chest is warm and glowing in the dim morning light. “Thank you Milady Scout” echoes through your mind. Your nipples are still hard, and you feel wet and raw between your legs. Taking a wash rag and the basin near your bed you slowly clean yourself. Annie’s Public House has a large bathing tub, but it takes time to heat and fill, so for now you just want to wash away the night.
During the day, as you help you, you feel a little distracted. “Has it really been months since you came here? The last time you enjoyed the pleasure of another was when you were with the elves. Is that what caused the strange dream?” you think to yourself.
Lee helps you carry in the day’s firewood. “Mistress Peacekeeper. are you okay?” he asks.
“I am. Though a little distracted.” you answer truthfully.
“Why is that?” His eyes look so innocent and curious.
“Just a dream I had. I keep thinking about it.”
“Was it a bad dream?”
You smile softly and shake your head. “No it was a very good dream. Do you feel like sparing a bit? Maybe that will help me focus?”
He smiles and goes to get the wooden practice swords. When the children showed an interest, you had a local wood carver make a few practice swords. They are a little thicker and heavier than most swords, but you know that will help build and maintain the muscles needed when using a metal blade. That, and if the kids need to defend themselves, these could hit hard enough to cause blunt wounds or even break bones.
Both Mary and Lee showed respect and enthusiasm when learning the basic blade forms. They are good. Not as good as professionals, but better than most their age.
Lee hands you yours, and you both start off with the warmup exercises.
He focuses on trying to match your moves. The first series is done slowly, then you do a second one faster, with a third one done at dueling speed. He is sweating harder than you showing you how hard he is working.
“Good. Are you ready to spar?” you ask as you wipe sweat away with the sleeve of your shirt. He does the same thing. “Ya, I’m ready.” he says and takes a two-handed defensive stance.
You do a light one-handed thrust which he parries, then you continue the movement around to strike on his other side. He quickly blocks it. You step in to strike with the pommel but he moves his blade almost hitting your hand.
“Good job,” you compliment as you step back.
He then tries a low strike, towards your leg, but you block it, pushing it away and thrusting at his middle. He tries to move back but you score a light tap.
“Good try. Keep going.” He backs up and takes a defensive pose again.
The two of you continue this for a while, working up a sweat again.
You stop and drink from a waterskin then hand it to him.
“You are improving. You almost struck me a couple of times, and all of my strikes on you, you either almost blocked or dodged. At this pace, by the time you are an adult, you will be able to protect yourself and your family from most bandits and troublemakers.”
He gasps as he takes a deep drink of water. “But won’t you be here to save us?”
Taking the skin back from him and drinking again, you shake your head. “Maybe not. I like your family but I think I need to travel again. I spent years as a soldier and scout, and I feel a little restless.”
He sets down his practice sword and hugs you. “I don’t want ya’ to leave. An’ Ma likes you too.”
You place your hand on his damp hair to soothe him. “I will stay for as long as I can.”
The trees and plants in the valley were blooming. The children were excited. “Soon it will be the Blossom Festival.”
In preparation for the festival, the town hung banners and pennants. Cloth flowers decorated doors and windows.
You even had a couple of the men approach you, “Bein’ you is a maiden an’ all, would ya’ be wif me at the festival?” You turn them down but thank them for the offer.
Annie told you that Elves do show up for the festival sometimes, and that you shouldn’t lose hope of seeing your friends again.
As it got closer to time for the festival, and more and more traveling merchants arrive. Parking wagons and setting up stalls at the end of Merchant’s Row. You also notice that your star glows at night. You dream of Aladan, Malwen, and Caranar.
Sometimes the dreams are of just one of them but not always. Tonight you feel them in your room. Aladan is softly kissing your mouth, as Malwen caresses your breasts and sucks your nipples. You feel a mouth and tongue between your legs, which has to belong to Caranar. “You cannot really be here?” you say. “We are always with you, just as you are always with us.” they say together. Warm lips press against yours. Soft hands caress your body all over. You open your mouth and taste Malwen’s warm quaynt as she rides your face. Your legs are spread wider as you feel a hard cock thrust into you. You hear sucking noises, and moans as each one is giving and receiving pleasure.
You are about to orgasm and feel each one withdraw from you. Light, soft lips kiss yours once again. “We will see you again soon, Milady Scout.” They say together.
You wake in your bed, excited and a little frustrated that you had not reached your climax. Still lying on your bed your use your fingers, imagining that they belonged to your elf friends. You thrust into yourself harder, biting your lower lip to stifle your moans, but soon you are moaning openly in pleasure, as you tighten your thigh around your hand and orgasm.
Knock-Knock. “Are you sick?” you hear a small voice at the door.
“Leave her be. She ain’t sick. Give her time, an’ she’ll be out to help.” you hear Annie tell the child.
You must have spent more time enjoying yourself than you thought. The star on your chest was warm and bright in the dark room. You wash and dress. There are cloth flowers on all of the tables and streamers hanging from the ceiling.
The kids had been busy. “Tonight the festival officially starts.” Mary tells you as she puts out more cloth flowers. Her hair is decorated with them too.
You walk into the kitchen and Annie is making breakfast in the big iron pan.“Ya’ sounded like you was busy this morn, so I let ya’ be.” She says with a wink and a smile.
“I apologize for being loud.” you say as you fill your mug from a flagon of cider.
“Ya’ never mind ‘bout that. I understands. Its been a few years since me Bruce died in th’ Forest while hunting. There’s nights when I gets rid of th’ loneliness, once the kids are ‘sleep. Can’t take no man here, or they’d want what’s mine. So I do meself as I needs.”
She puts a fried egg on a plate for you. “You don’t have to get pleasure from a man. Many a woman has given and received from another woman.” you remind her.
She fries a piece of ham for you. “Ooo I knows that. I ain’t found one tha’ I wanted nor wanted me.” You nod at hearing that. The kitchen smells so good as you eat your ham and egg.
“Tell me more about the Blossom Festival.” you say finishing your plate.
“It lasts for th’ week. Tonight will be a bonfire of th’ ol’ dead wood. Couples will dance and sing around it. Those who lost can throw a token on th’ fire t’ remember ‘em.” She points to a dried branch with the name Bruce carved into it. “At th’ rise of ‘morrow’s sun. The youn’ins’ will cheer an’ gather flowers from th’ field. Then march down th’ main street showing what they picked. Merchants can then open their stores an’ stalls an’ th’ celebration has truly begun.” You nod and finish your mug.
You spend the rest of the day, helping prepare the public house.
Later, you walk around the town. There are cloth flowers and ribbon everywhere, though most shops are closed. Continuing on down the Merchant’s Row, you see a few familiar faces. Some of the teamsters and merchants from Craftown. They unpack their wagons and set up their stalls. “When you traveled through the Great Forest, did you have any problems?” you ask.
“Nay, Swordlady. We did not encounter anything.” one of them answered.
“Did you see any sign of Rangers or Elves?”
He shakes his head, “Nay, but we did not have a skilled tracker such as you. We only traveled with men at arms.”
“Thank you kindly.” you say as you continue walking the Row, back towards other end of town where the wood for the bonfire is already stacked. Large barrels of water and buckets are stationed close by. You nod and smile at the wise precaution.
Walking back to Annie’s, you stop and look to the Great Forest Road. “I wish you were here my friends.” you say in a low tone.
Then as if in answer to your call, you see a large group of elves emerge from the forest and onto the road. They had moved so silently, that when they appear on the road, it is almost as if by magic.
Before entering town, they stop, organize, and their leader says something in Elvish that you can’t quite make out. Then the separate into small groups and enter the town. You pull the star from under your tunic and rest it openly on it. The elves who see, nod and give a wave of friendship. You do the same, waiting to see any of your friends.
Then, pulling back the hood of her cloak, Malwen walks directly up to you, hugging you tightly. “Milady Scout. You came to greet us. Hazzah!”
Tears fill your eyes as you feel the joy of seeing her, and hug her fiercely. “I did not know if you were coming. I only hoped…”
“But we said in your dreams, we were coming to see you and join the Festival.” she says in a slightly puzzled tone.
“Did Aladan, not explain how the Elf Star works?”
“No. He said it was the symbol of your people.” you reply.
“I did not know if we would be able to use it, so I neglected to tell her.” He says walking up behind you, with Caranar next to him.
“Scouts.” she says in an irritated tone, then looks deeply into your eyes.
“It is an Elf Star. Yes we all wear them, but they allow us to communicate through dreams. We rarely sleep as you do, but we can alter our habits if we know we want to contact you and enter a dream state of our own. It is a bit of mage craft. Useful when separated by great distances.”
“So that is why it only happened sometimes.” you say with understanding.
The three of them nod. You hug Aladan and Caranar, then the four of you walk back to Annie’s.
They explain that they at first only entered the dreaming one at a time, to see how you responded, and then did more as the connection grew stronger, including your feelings for each other. You spend the afternoon talking, eating, and drinking. Annie and the kids are happy to see you so happy spending time with your friends. They pay for a large room for the entire duration of the Festival. Canadar offers to help Annie in the kitchen, teaching her some elvish recipes. Malwen points out that his skill as a “trail cook” is unsurpassed among her group, which is part of why she stays with him, she jokes.
As the sun descends, the bonfire is lit. Everyone, town folk and travelers, gather around it. The locals start singing a few traditional songs about the end of winter and beginning of spring. Songs of sorrow of passing and joy of new hope. During one song, Annie throws her stick into the fire. You see tears in her eyes reflecting the flames.
After a few moments of silence, the elves start singing. The words are unfamiliar, but the tune is easy to follow. Everyone hums along until the elves switch to common language, and people sing along. It is a song of never dying blossoms and eternal green. The tune is happy but with a serious tone too. When it ends, everyone applauds.
Some of other travelers begin another song about spring and hope. After a while people are dancing too. Holding hands and dancing around the fire, first one way and then the next. You loose track of how long this goes on. Slowly you notice folks leaving. Those with children first and then couples. You and your friends return to Annie’s, walking hand in hand in hand. The Elf Star each of you wears glows faintly in the darkness. You accompany them to their room and do in-person what you have done so many times in your dreams. Feeling them and tasting them is so much more vivid than in your dreams which you thought were already intense. They laid out their bedrolls in the middle of the room and you all hugged, kissed, licked, sucked, thrusted, and rode each other until you were all satisfied and exhausted.
Waking up on the floor in a tangle of arms and legs, you try to get up without disturbing them, only to discover they were lying there, watching you sleep. You kiss each of them “Good Morning. If you were already awake, why didn’t you get up?” you ask quietly.
“We did not want to awaken you.” Aladan says.
Then you understand, “Because elves do not sleep as humans do. Okay. Shall we get up, have breakfast, and enjoy the first day of the Festival?” They all nod, get up, use the wash basins in the room, then dress. It always amazes you how graceful they move, especially since you are feeling a little sore from such an enthusiastic and vigorous night.
Once you are all down the kitchen for breakfast, the children have returned and hand each of you a small bundle of wildflowers. You and Malwen place them in each other’s hair. Annie looks at all of you and smiles. “Tis a gran’ way to start th’ Festival.”
You smile back at her and the children, “Yes it is.”
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