The Solitary Arrow Ch. 15

He nodded and took some smoked meat from the cupboard, handing her a large chunk. Quickly, she was ripping through that, as well.

"Hungry?" Asked Harlen, smiling.

Hyandai interrupted her current project. "Dying takes it out of me, apparently." She said with a wry grin.

As the last of the meat disappeared down her gullet, Trevir dragged into the kitchen. "Did everything get sorted out?" He asked.

Harlen nodded. "Yes, it did." He said. "Trevir, I want to thank you for what you did last night."

Hyandai nodded assent. "I agree, you are my hero now." She said, jumping at him and hugging Trevir tightly. "Without you, I would now be dead, and the traitors would have the Ehladrel."

Trevir blinked. "I suppose I did do good." He said, humbly. "Does that mean no chores today?" He asked.

Harlen laughed uproariously at that. "A day?" He said. "You're free of chores for TWO days!"

There was a pause while Trevir digested this. "Neat." He finally said, and bolted for the bathing room door. "I'm going to wash, so no one come in." He slammed the heavy wooden door behind him.

Hyandai giggled at that. "Wonder where he is off to after his bath?" She asked.

Wincing as he shrugged, Harlen said. "I've no clue, perhaps he has a girlfriend."

A long moment passed with Hyandai adopting a considering expression. "He might, at that." She said quietly. "It would explain some of his odder behaviors."

---

Gramma came to Harlen's house about noon, with a basket of fresh-baked muffins. She clucked about the house as she moved through, commenting on the mess that the two 'ruffians' made upstairs.

"I cannot believe such horrid behavior of elves." She said, her voice rich with upset and indignance. "And you're sure you're well, Hyandai?" She asked the elven lady.

Hyandai smiled kindly. "Yes, Lady Maggie." She said, bowing slightly. "I am very well, and thank you for your concern."

Harlen had left shortly after Gramma had arrived, saying he was going to go retain a carpenter and glazier, as well as buy a new feather mattress. The glazier, a scrawny man named Timmerak, showed up even before Harlen had returned.

Gramma imperiously set him to work replacing the windows broken out the night before.

The carpenter arrived just after that, and was put to work finding and fixing damaged woodwork.

Finally, Harlen rode up, sitting upon a wagon. Hyandai bounded out of the house and hugged him fiercely when he dismounted the high perch on the bench.

Three large, strong lads leaped out of the wagon and were ushered upstairs by Gramma. Soon, they were lugging out the huge mattress and the carpet from the bedroom. A new mattress was carried up and installed, including Gramma making it with fresh linen from the wardrobe.

Several buckets of water and strong lye soap were used to remove all the bloodstains from the floors and simply water to wash it out of the grasses in the rear courtyard.

By the time Gramma, the carpenter, the glazier, and the three laborers with their wagon left, the house had been totally put back the way it had been. Not a single trace of the conflict remained, except on the bedpost where the carpenter had been forced to use a slightly blonder piece of wood to fix the notch.

Harlen looked at his slightly reduced coffer of silver. "Adventuring is an expensive hobby." He commented.

Rubbing his shoulders, Hyandai commiserated. "I know, beloved." She said. "I shall repay you for damages, but I find myself short of coin this day."

With a massive grin, Harlen pulled her into his lap. "What is the going payment for wrecking one's home, making one fear for your life, and appropriation of one's apprentice?"

Hyandai tilted her head slightly. "Lifelong devotion?" She asked.

Harlen considered this for a long moment. "Throw in occasional tumbles in the bed, and I'll call it even."

Wriggling in his lap, Hyandai smiled and kissed him. "Agreed." She said, hugging him close to her and nibbling his neck. "Though, I think I should wait on Trevir to come of age." She added, her eyes glinting.

Playfully goosing her, Harlen stood up and walked her toward the bathing room. Trevir had left the house, from the sound of his heavy clomping through the common room. Harlen noted that the lad had started the fire beneath the bath and the water was already warm. "In you go, milady." He said, pointing to the tub.

Hyandai stripped of his mother's old dress and climbed into the steaming water gingerly. She began to bathe in earnest as Harlen stripped, too and slipped into the tub beside her. He helped her wash the blood from her hair and out of her scalp. He then went to cleaning is own wounds, the nasty long cuts the knife had given him.

Hyandai turned as he did this and began healing him, even as he winced at the lye soap against the open wounds. She moved her soft lips over his flesh and gently blew over the wounds, sealing them as she moved across the long, ugly cuts. After the initial pass to heal the wound, she trailed backward, to kiss and nuzzle the recently healed and very sensitive flesh.

He gasped at the sensation of her electric kisses over his pink, new skin. Hyandai felt his manhood stiffen in the water and moved a hand down to it, stroking his thick shaft slowly.

"You will have to settle for lesser pleasures this night, beloved." Hyandai murmured into his chest.

Harlen nodded. "I understand. You're still recovering from the shock." He replied.

Hyandai giggled. "No." She said. "Leave it to say that for a few days, I am 'indisposed.'" She looked up at him with raised eyebrows.

It took the large man a few moments to finally achieve a gleam of realization in his eyes. "Oh." He said. Then kissed her gently. "I had forgotten about such necessities." He quietly said into her ear as he kissed it.

Hyandai's hand still gripped his cock firmly, though. "Do not think that you are free from duty, man of mine." She said, her eyes flashing and he saw that the bronze color had returned.