Forever Again Ch. 03

Author's Note: This story depicts graphic lesbian sex and mind control. If these topics do not interest you or are prohibited in your area please back out now.

This is the third installment of a long story. Those that have read my other stories will know that I tend to have some story behind the sex so if you're looking for a quickie this may not be the place for you.

For those of you that haven't backed out, I hope you enjoy my words.

~CD

The River Gypsy

The next morning Vala Strauss sat in the back of a wagon, wrapped in a cloak of misery. Her father and the blacksmith sat on the front seat, both of them uncharacteristically somber and quiet.

Raising her head, she looked over the wooden sides and watched the green countryside slowly roll past as they headed away from town. She looked back down the road and could still just see the buildings of the town center through the clearings. The town she had spent her entire life in, the town she might never see again.

After the events of yesterday and her torrid dreams of last night, Vala had known that when the dawn arrived it would bring great changes with it, but that foreknowledge didn't make dealing with the change any easier when the dawn finally broke.

"I'm sorry Vala." Her father had said as they packed up some of her belongings into a bag earlier that morning. "I'm afraid this isn't going to go away. If you stay here, sooner or later they will come to get you. I can't protect you by myself forever."

"But Papa!" She had wailed, "I can... I'll... I... I will..." But there her words had stopped. She couldn't think of anything and in her heart she knew that her father was right. In the end her decision was made not to save herself, but to protect her family. Most of all she worried about what might happen to her sisters if she stayed. Would they be singled out as well? What if someone decided to try to burn their house down while they all slept? No, her father was right, she had to leave.

It was late in the afternoon when, after many wretched miles of slow, bumpy travel on decrepit roads, the wagon rolled through the center of another small town and down to the river. Broad, glassy smooth and glowing with a reddish orange from the reflected light of the setting sun, the river here was easily the largest Vala had ever seen.

The wagon rolled to a stop in front of a short, broad dock that jutted out into the calm water. Tied to the dock was a flat bottomed river barge. Most of the boat was simply an open deck that was covered with what appeared to be piles of roughly cut lumber. At the stern was a small, low roofed cabin. A thin wisp of smoke trailed from a small iron stovepipe.

The blacksmith stopped the wagon and Vala's father climbed out. "Wait here." He said simply and walked down the dock to the barge. There was a man standing on the deck and he appeared to greet Vala's father kindly enough though Vala couldn't hear what was said. Vala's father stepped onto the barge and both men disappeared into the small cabin.

"You needn't be worrying your pretty little head now girl. Your father's going to set you up good and proper." Said the blacksmith kindly.

Vala could only nod as her throat started to choke up.

A few minutes later her father reappeared followed by the man from the barge. He was a tall, rail thin man with virtually no hair and skin that looked as wrinkled and tough as old leather. His face split into an easy smile showing several missing teeth.

Her father sighed heavily and said, "This is Jorgan. He is the owner of this boat. I've just arranged passage for you down river. He'll take you to the town of Ulm. When you get there, you remember what I told you. Look for my brother. He owns a warehouse there and he'll take you in I'm sure."

Vala nodded, "I remember Papa. I'll find him."

"You can take the cabin Miss." Said the lanky Jorgan, his words whistling slightly through the gaps in his teeth. "Me and my helper always sleep on the shore at night to tend to the horses. The only one on the barge will be my daughter Inga. You can share the cabin with her. I'm sure she'll welcome the company of a fine young woman like yourself as she gets tired of just us men folk I think." He smiled and bobbed his head. The shipmaster picked up Vala's single bag and nodding to her father and the blacksmith, headed back down the dock.

"You take care of yourself now Vala. I've raised you the best I could and now it's time for you to go out on your own I suppose." He started to choke, but forced himself to go on, "And you don't forget to write to me as soon as you get safely there so I'm not worrying. Understand? My brother will know how to get the message through to me."

The time had finally come and Vala couldn't find any words to say to the man that had shown her so much kindness over the years. Crying again, Vala only nodded and said, "Yes Papa."

He looked down at her and Vala could see tears in his eyes as well. "And remember whose daughter you are. You do me and your dear mother proud."

"I will Papa." Vala said, her lips quivering.

"Good, now head on down that dock and climb aboard. It's getting late and you'll be needing your sleep. Heavens know you didn't get any last night."

"Yes Papa." She murmured. After a few seconds she flung her arms around the big man and burst into tears. "I... I love you Papa."

He smiled and patted her head. "I love you too my dear. Now don't worry. I'll be down to see you before you know it. I promise."

Vala could only nod against him.

Finally she released him and backed up a step. Wiping her tears with the sleeve of her blouse she smiled. "Take care of Adeline and Odila for me."

He smiled, "They'll be fine."

Vala forced a smile. "I know. Take care Papa." With that she turned and forced herself to walk steadily down the dock, over the boarding ramp and onto the deck.

Jorgan was there waiting for her. "Your bags in the cabin miss. My daughter is waiting for you."

"Thank you." Vala said thickly and walked into the cabin. The cabin proved to be even smaller on the inside that it looked on the outside. Only a couple of paces across and slightly wider, it was taken up almost entirely by a small cookstove in one corner, a cabinet next to the stove, a small table on the back wall and a narrow bed against the side wall. Sitting on the edge of the bed was a petite young woman.

"You must be Vala." said the woman, hopping to her feet. She had a distinct accent that Vala was sure she had heard before but couldn't place at the moment. It was similar to her father, Jorgan's accent but a little different. "I'm Inga." Her voice was surprisingly deep and throaty for a woman of her size.

Vala looked her over with eyes that were blurry with tears. She was a slim girl, probably about Vala's age but almost a half a head shorter with dusky skin and a mass of luxurious, curly back hair that was tied back with a red kerchief. She had a broad, welcoming smile and dark eyes that seemed to sparkle with some inner humor. Vala managed a smile. "Yes, I'm Vala. Nice to meet you."

The girl could easily see Vala was upset and smiled sympathetically, "Here, why don't you lie down for a bit." She patted the small bed.

Vala nodded dumbly and sat down. The girl made her way to the door. "If you need anything, just call me."

Lying back, Vala tried to clear everything from her mind but couldn't and she started crying again. Eventually she fell asleep.

When Vala awoke the cabin was darker. She looked out the one small window and could see only blackness. The only light in the cabin came from the fire showing through the grating of the stove and a small oil lamp on the table. The girl, Inga, was sitting on the floor, wrapped in a blanket in front of the stove reading a small, battered old book. Vala sat up slowly so as not to disturb her but the crackling of the straw mattress gave her away.

Inga turned. "Oh, you're up."

"Yes." Vala said thickly. "What time is it?"

"About three, maybe four hours to daybreak I should think." Said he girl, closing her book.

"You should have woken me. I took you bed." Vala said blinking and rubbing her eyes.

Inga smiled warmly, "You looked like you needed the rest. Besides, I don't sleep much anyway. My father says I'm like a bat." She giggled.

Looking over the girl's dark skin and black hair Vala said curiously, "You don't look much like your father." As soon as the word left her lips Vala felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment. Quickly she added, "I'm sorry, that was rude of me to say. My manners must still be asleep."

Inga brushed Vala's concern away. "Oh, it's ok. I don't mind." Her smile faded a little and she continued, "I look like my mother. She was..." She paused just the slightest bit, "My mother was Roma."

"A Gypsy?" Vala blurted, again without thinking. What is wrong with me? Where are my manners? she thought, irritated with herself.

Inga's smile dipped a little more. "Yes, a Gypsy. That's why I have to say on the boat most of the time, especially in towns. People in these parts... well... most people don't trust Gypsies much." She gave a mirthless chuckle. "Actually they don't trust us at all." She looked down. "So I try to stay out of sight in the towns we pass." She waved her hand around. "That's why my Dadda built me this little cabin. Since I have to stay on the barge so often he wanted me to have someplace to sleep besides just on the open deck. . Most barge crews just sleep in the open or maybe under a tarp if they're lucky." She laughed, "This is luxury on a river barge."

Looking around at the tiny room Vala murmured. "I'm sure it is."

Inga looked around the small cabin as well for a moment but she appeared to looking beyond its confining walls. "It's just as well anyway. I don't usually feel all that comfortable in most towns. Having people constantly scowl at you just for looking like you do gets tiresome pretty quickly."

Vala nodded then, on an impulse, walked over and sat down next to the girl. "Believe it or not, I know how you feel."

Vala could see Inga's eyebrows pinch slightly in doubt but before she could say anything Vala changed the subject. "I wouldn't have expected to see many books on a river barge." Vala pointed at the bookshelf mounted to the wall over the bed. The small shelf held perhaps a dozen books of various sizes and in various conditions. Nodding at the book in Inga's lap she asked, "Do you read well?"

Allowing Vala to change the subject without protest, Inga held up the book almost reverently and smiled, "Yes, my mother taught me." She gestured to the shelf, "Most of those were all my mother's books. I'm not sure where she got them all. Probably picked them up in her travels. A couple of the newer one I picked up when I could."

Vala reached out a finger and traced the lettering on the cover of the book Inga held. It was a compilation of fairy tales. "My mother taught me to read a little, but she died before I could learn much. My Papa taught me more but he is not all that good at reading himself." Vala smiled at the bittersweet memories of her father trying to remember long forgotten lessons to pass on to his daughters.

Inga's bright smile returned, "Well then I'll teach you some more."

The following day was a new experience for Vala. She helped Inga prepare breakfast for themselves, Inga's father and the one other member of the crew, a big silent man who went by the name Bok. As soon as the meal was over, the boat was cast off the dock and the long, heavy tow lines were run out. The ropes were tied off to teams of horses, four on each bank of the river and they set off slowly down river.

Inga and Vala stayed on the boat and the two men each drove one of the of horse teams.

Inga explained to Vala that on this trip they were going downstream so the river did most of the work. The horses were mostly just there to guide the boat and slow it down through a few narrow sections of the river. Inga occasionally went to the large stern rudder to help guide the barge along in tight corners and sometimes used a long pole to help guide the barge away from rocks in the current.

The way Inga moved along the deck and the way she always seemed to know exactly where the boat would drift gave Vala the feeling that she had been doing this for a long time.

Eventually Vala asked, "So how long have you been on the river?"

Holding the long pole, ready to guide the barge should it drift, Inga laughed, "I've spent all my life on the river. I was born on a barge just like this one. You can probably count the total number of months I've spent on dry land with a single hand."

"It seems like you enjoy being on the river."

"I love the water." Looking down the river, Inga smiled wistfully. "It was my only real friend when I was growing up."

"It must have been hard, having no other friends." Vala said softly.

"It was, but I made do." She set the long pole in the water and gave a push, easing the barge slowly towards the left bank. Vala caught herself admiring the way the slender girl carried herself, so confident and assured. Vala was a bit worried to admit to herself that she found it very attractive. Several times during the day she realized she was standing at the boat's rail just as an excuse to be closer to Inga.

Memories of what she had done with Else at the pond came back to her. Had it only been two days ago? When she thought back the memory seemed almost hazy, like some kind of dream. Had it even happened? The heat she felt building inside her and the tightness in her chest told her that it had. As her heat built she found herself looking at the firm curve of Inga's hips and the dusky skin on her bare arms, wondering if it was a smooth as it looked.

Images from her dreams crept into her mind as well, especially her last dream, the one she had the night after she had seduced Else. The memories of that particular dream had faded as dreams often do, and while she couldn't recall everything, she did remember one thing. She vividly recalled begging to make love to her Mistress. To kiss her... to taste her... she remembered her Mistress whispering in her ear... she shivered and her nipples stiffened at the thought but try as she might, she couldn't remember what it was her Mistress has said to her.

As she looked at Inga, Vala could feel that strange audacity creeping back into her. It slipped up her spine, seducing her with its promise of wanton lust and debauchery. It again struck her as something foreign, like it was imposed upon her from the outside. She wasn't sure why she felt that but the more times she experienced the strange, compelling influence, the more certain she became it was from the outside.

It had to be connected to her Mistress she knew, but the question became, was her Mistress the source of the influence, or was her Mistress only a dream resulting from the influence? In short, was her Mistress real? Vala didn't know. She certainly seemed real in her dreams but then again, dreams always seemed real when you were in them.

The dreams, the strange, compelling influence and her Mistress... how did they all fit together?

Real or not, Vala had now begun to irrecoverably associate the strange influence with the power of her Mistress and that simple association made her somehow more real. Vala shuddered and almost moaned from the flush of hot need that coursed through her at the thought of the woman from her dreams influencing her yet again. Yet who was her Mistress really?

At times, especially at night after the dreams everything felt so perfectly clear to Vala, but when the sun rose, the clarity she felt at night seemed to evaporate, leaving her confused, conflicted and doubting her own sanity.

Shaking her head, Vala walked to the far side of the boat and resolutely changed her thoughts. After a few minutes the feelings receded and she felt more or less normal.

Thankfully for Vala, the rest of the day passed quickly. She helped make the meals and clean up while Inga continued her work with the pole and rudder, occasionally stopping to scoop a few buckets of water from under the floor boards and dump it over the side.

As the sun started settling behind the trees Inga called to her father on the left bank. "Shadows are getting long Dadda! Time to find a camp!"

"Aye!" He called back, "We'll clear the next bend and tie off near the oak stand there."

"Alright!" She called back then turned to Vala. "There's a big stand of oaks trees that come down to the river road right around the bend ahead. There's a nice beach where we can tie off the barge for the night."

Four hours later Vala was sitting on the edge of the small bed with Inga looking at one of her books. She was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on what Inga was saying because with each passing minute she was becoming progressively more distracted by the nearness of the young woman. When she leaned in close to point to a word Vala could feel the warmth of her body. The thought of how close her firm, young body was made Vala's pulse quicken. With a growing worry, Vala could sense, almost feel that strange foreign influence, the influence of her Mistress, creeping back into her. It tickled its way up her spine like a cold, wet spider. She shivered and tried to push it down. It resisted at first but it eventually receded, albeit reluctantly. It seemed, somehow more insistent tonight than it had been during the day. It felt stronger, more... hungry.

Inga gave a yawn. "Well, it's quite late. Perhaps we should be getting some rest. I know I for one didn't get much sleep last night." She chuckled.

"I know. My apologies for that." Vala felt herself blush a little for taking Inga's bed last night. But the bloom of heat in her face was nothing compared to the rush of fire in her chest as she saw Inga pull her long dress up over her head, revealing her white undergarments. Vala bit her lip in consternation as she watched the beautiful young woman stand there dressed only in knee length white underpants and an immodest, sleeveless chemise as she carefully folded her dress and placed it on a chair.

The young woman climbed into the bed and lay down. Vala had an unexpectedly keen sense of disappointment when Inga pulled up the blanket, obstructing her view.

A bit self consciously, Vala pulled her own dress off showing her own, slightly less revealing undergarments. Taking the extra blanket, she moved over to lie in front of the stove where Inga had slept last night.

"What are you doing?" Inga asked.

Vala looked over, confused. "I thought we were going to sleep."

"Yes, but not on the floor." Inga patted the mattress next to her. "Come lie next to me. It's a tight fit for two, but I'll make room." She pointed at something beyond the window. "Going to be a chill in the air tonight for sure, I can taste it. That floor is too cold and damp. Now come over here, we'll keep each other warm."

Vala felt her pulse thundering in her ears as she made her way slowly, almost mechanically, over to the narrow bed. She was shaking with an inner battle to control the burning lust that was just starting to rage inside of her.

"Gracious!" Inga said she Vala finally lay down on her back. "You're already shivering." She grabbed Vala's hand.

Vala almost moaned at how warm her strong hand felt.

"Your hands are like ice." She pulled Vala in close. "Here, you'll be warm in no time with me." Inga snuggled up beside Vala and wrapped her arms around her, resting her chin on Vala's shoulder.

Vala was very glad at that moment Inga believed she was cold because her nipples were almost painfully stiff with her growing excitement. The feel of Inga's firm, strong body, even through their undergarments, was driving Vala mad with lust. Her breathing was becoming more and more labored and she could feel the growing wetness between her thighs. She hoped the rich, smokey smell of the fire in the small stove would cover up the very womanly sent of her arousal.