A Master's Class

Note: this is a one-off that belongs in my continuing Tales of Ralleah series. If you haven't read my previous entry, Archer Prince, or my currently-running serial Stench From the South, you won't understand the setting at all, so maybe consider taking a peek at those first if you're the sort of person who appreciates context. Just a friendly heads-up!

And, of course, everyone involved in this tale is over the age of eighteen. Enjoy!

*****

If there was one thing about Master Abelina that could be said with absolute certainty, it was that she lived for her work in the Braelon Keep Library. She wouldn't have worked to become the youngest Master Librarian in Rallean history otherwise.

By now, everyone in the Keep, along with anyone throughout the entirety of the Western Kingdoms who was invested in the accumulation of knowledge, knew better than to underestimate her expertise. Not that they had ever had cause to do so; her aptitude for and devotion to her profession had become clear to everyone almost as soon as she'd begun her Acolyte training at the age of thirteen. In the years since, she'd more than delivered on her initial potential, working tirelessly to ensure that anyone who sought the Library's resources would receive only the clearest, most up-to-date, and accurate information possible on any given subject. With that sort of determination, she'd shot through the ranks like a crossbow bolt, outperforming her contemporaries to become Master Librarian in an almost unprecedentedly short timespan. In other words, the Library was her domain; it may as well have been a Kingdom of her very own, as her staff, fellow academics, and even the Crown had become fond of saying.

Were anyone to have asked her, however, she would have simply shrugged before claiming that she was merely a servant of all good folk who sought to learn and would go to any lengths to help them understand whatever it was they sought to understand. This directly contradicted the supposition that the uninitiated visitor might have held before meeting Master Abelina, that she might be consumed by the egotism that so often accompanies any position of authority. Nothing could have been further from the truth, however. While her appearance could certainly have been misconstrued as severe-jet-black hair tied up in a tight bun above a pair of bright, piercing eyes that stared knowingly from behind a pair of copper wire-framed spectacles, and a head that was always held high enough to make her seem taller than even the Kingdom's largest knights (even though she was almost diminutive, in a physical sense)-she would, in fact, break out into a smile as warm as the Sun as soon as an inquirer approached her. Her voice was always soft, her tone patient, her words reassuring and free of judgment. She was self-assured but never arrogant or condescending, speaking intelligently without making others feel foolish, and kept to rational, measured responses in response to even the most outlandish or ridiculous claims and questions. Ultimately, any resident of the Western Kingdoms would be hard-pressed to come to any other conclusion upon meeting the Master Librarian that was not along the lines of 'there is no topic that this woman cannot elaborate upon, nor any problem she cannot solve with a book or her mind'-and to think, she was only thirty now!

Lately, however, she'd found herself dealing with a problem of her own-one that went beyond simply reading a few pages of text printed upon the pages of an old tome. It was nothing life-threatening, but it tended to distract her from her work all the same, and she could not have that. Interestingly enough, this 'distraction', as it were, had a name: Acolyte Tillett.

It had been a few years since Tillett had begun his tenure as an Acolyte for the Braelon Keep Library, and he'd proven himself an exemplary pupil every step of the way. Rarely had Abelina-or any of the other Librarians, really-ever found themselves having to correct him; he was one of those people who just seemed to have a knack for the position, throwing himself into whatever task he was assigned without complaint. He'd learned to navigate the Library with ease, absorbing the facets of its' cataloging system with impressive speed and enthusiasm. He'd proven himself to be an apt researcher, as well-almost as meticulous as Abelina had been at his age, if she were honest with herself. On the occasion that something proved to be too much for him to handle on his own, he was never afraid to ask for help-a rare trait in an Acolyte, most of whom were typically chomping at the bit to prove to their superiors that they could handle anything on their lonesome. No, Tillett seemed to understand that it was his job to learn above all else, and that he could only accomplish this through paying attention to the lessons that she and the other Librarians imparted upon him. All of this combined meant that he was well on his way to becoming a Librarian proper, and in Abelina's opinion, he'd have more than earned the title when that day came.

Yet, despite his obvious potential, he still drove Abelina absolutely mad-but for entirely different reasons than an Acolyte typically might.

At twenty years old, standing at exactly six feet tall, sporting a crop of poorly-behaved light brown hair that just begged to be played with, expressive hazel eyes that she felt she could stare into for hours, lips that she desperately needed to be upon her own (as well as...other places), and a shy, sweet demeanor, he was a textbook example of the kind of man who was wholly unaware of his appeal to a woman like her. She had surmised upon meeting him that he'd never been particularly successful with women-primarily due to nerves, she guessed-and had therefore retreated into his work in order to avoid thinking about or confronting that fact. This much had been obvious to Abelina in how he acted toward his female colleagues, whom he rarely made eye contact with and tended to be particularly soft-spoken around. Ultimately, however, Abelina believed that his 'problem' could be easily corrected with nothing more than consistent female attention and (much more importantly) affection. He just needed a woman willing to give those things to him, and little did the sweet young Acolyte know that he worked with one who was chomping at the bit to do so.

For the few years that he'd been a part of the Acolytes, Abelina had kept her desires in check, never making a move on the tender, naïve young man. It had taken more self-control than expected, but like a predator who stalks a prey beast, there comes a time when, eventually, the strike must come. So, on that particular evening, as warm autumn rain pattered softly against the high, ornate stained glass windows of the Library, the Master Librarian of Braelon Keep decided that she could stalk no longer. She had a plan, and it began with Acolyte Miki and Librarian Joqe.

*****

"Miki, there you are!"

The stout, red-haired young woman turned to face Abelina after placing a large, dark green volume onto the shelf she was facing. She smiled at her superior, her eyes giving away her desire to please the Master Librarian.

"Good evening, Master Abelina! Did you need something from me?"

"Good evening! And no, not currently, but I did want to let you know that I've decided to close the Library a little earlier than usual tonight. You're free to go!"

"Oh, lovely! I still have a few selections left to replace," she said, nodding at the half-dozen remaining books in her arms, "but after I-"

"No need, darling," Abelina smiled. "Just set them on the table over there and I'll re-shelve them myself."

"Are you sure, Master? I can-"

Abelina chuckled warmly. "I'm more than capable of finishing up, my dear. I wouldn't be the Master Librarian otherwise. Now run along!"

"I-well, all right then, Master Abelina, thank you very much," the Acolyte said with a shrug. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, then!"

Acolyte Miki turned and strode over to the nearby table, gently setting the tomes she had been holding down upon its' aged surface. She turned, giving Master Abelina a slight bow and another smile.

"Good night, Master Abelina!"

Abelina smiled warmly at her Acolyte in return. "Sleep well, Miki."

The Acolyte hurried down the nearest aisle, her form positively dwarfed by the colossal shelves which towered on either side of her. Abelina smiled to herself, this one a little more wicked and self-satisfied than the one she'd greeted the youngster with. The power of authority, she thought to herself, might not be something to be abused (a lesson which the Kingdom of Ralleah itself had thoroughly learned during the Cruel Years), but sometimes it could be...flaunted, at least if it were done in such a way that didn't cause any real problems. After all, she was hardly harming anyone with this slight 'bending' of the rules-or, rather, she thought not.

Now, it was time to track down Librarian Joqe.

She walked over to the table where Acolyte Miki had set her books down upon and quickly scooped them up. She had one quick stop to make before she found the errant Librarian, however, so she made her way down the main aisle to the front desk, where her dear Acolyte Tillett was currently seated. He was hunched over a massive leather-bound volume that she immediately recognized as the inventory logbook for the entire Library. She'd assigned him the task of going over it an hour or so earlier, just to make sure that her recent numbers and information were correct. They almost certainly were (a mistake on Abelina's part was exceedingly rare, especially concerning something as crucial as the logbook), but the hidden agenda behind the task had, in truth, been simply to keep him busy long enough in order for her to get everyone else out of the Library.

"Tillett?"

The young Acolyte looked up from the logbook, his eyes seeming to sparkle in the candlelight. Abelina's heart seemed to skip a beat as they locked onto hers.

"Yes, Master Abelina?"

"I'm going to need your help in a few minutes; just go over as many of the records as you can manage until I get back, would you? It's perfectly all right if you don't finish all of them-there's always tomorrow, after all. Just," she said, pausing as she heaved the small pile of books onto the counter, "be ready to move when I return, please?"

"Of course, Master Abelina," he replied with a nod, his messy hair bobbing along with the motion. "Whatever you need, I'll do my best!"

I believe you will, darling, she thought to herself as she smiled at him and turned on her heel to travel back down the main aisle. I have the utmost faith in you, my dear, beautiful Tillett. Whatever I need, indeed...

It was time to get Librarian Joqe the ever-loving fuck out of the Library-and, by extension, out of her fucking way. After a few moments of searching, she found him in the enchanting section taking inventory of a large collection of works devoted to weapon enhancements ranging from the ancient to the cutting-edge (Abelina smiled to herself at her own terrible pun). Joqe, upon hearing his Master's soft footfalls, paused his work and turned to face her with a smile, not unlike that which Miki had greeted her with earlier.

"Good evening, Master Abelina!"

"Joqe, good evening!"

"Do you require anything of me?"

"No, no, darling, I only wanted to inform you that we'll be closing up a little earlier than usual tonight. You can go ahead and leave your list up at the front desk with Tillett."

"Oh! Well, I'm not quite finished-"

Abelina waved a dismissive hand at the dark-haired, bespectacled Librarian. "The Library will still be here tomorrow, Joqe, unless doom befalls us all in the span between now and nine A.M. Go on then, lose the list, then go find a pint of mead and a meal!"

The Librarian chuckled softly as he glanced up at the shelf beside him. "I suppose that if doom does befall us before then that these books won't be of any use anyway. Well, all right," he said, lowering his list and straightening his Librarian's robe with his free hand, "I'll be off, then. Should I tell Acolyte Tillett to do the same? I recall you putting him on front desk duty-"

"Oh no, I'm going to have him help me with a few trivial things before I cut him loose. You go on ahead, Joqe."

The Librarian nodded and smiled, perhaps a little too knowingly, at his Master. "I see. Have a wonderful evening then, Master Abelina. I'll see you in the morning!" He gave a slight bow, then gave her a split-second look before striding off down the aisle, his eyes seemed to glimmer just a little in the light of the candles set into the shelves around them. Abelina's heartbeat quickened-had he guessed her true motive? Would he tip off Tillett? There was no time to dwell on it now, she thought with a slight shake of her head. She had a sweet, beautiful, innocent young Acolyte to ensnare.

As she casually made her way back to the front desk, she took a moment to ponder how and what she felt about Acolyte Tillett. At first, she had been convinced that her infatuation with him was the result of nothing more than animal sexual desire: to take him inside of her, to feel his delicious manhood spread her wide, and enjoy what she was sure would be passionate, ardent sex. But lately-and she found herself almost afraid to consider this particular possibility-she had begun to wonder if perhaps there might be something more, something else buried beneath all that. After all, he was exactly her type: sweet, helpful, kind-hearted, and shy. Many women loved a man who took charge and swept them off their feet, and while Abelina certainly saw the appeal of such a fantasy and respected the desire for such a man, that didn't change the fact that she would very nearly go weak at the knees whenever Tillett stammered or became flustered around her. He was constantly prodding at her weak spots in that way, and he was managing it without even trying.

However, in her typical fashion, Abelina had planned for this (she was meticulous almost to a fault). Ultimately, she knew that she needed to dig deeper, to understand what made him tick as a man. If she could do that, then she was certain that she would be able to deduce whether or not it was something more than simple infatuation-and what better way to do that than with an evening of seduction and lovemaking? So, as she passed between the final two shelves before reaching the front desk, she sighed quietly and steeled a few jittery nerves that hadn't yet relaxed. She needed to be cool, calm, and collected to pull this off; he might have been naïve, but he wasn't stupid. He'd deduce that something was off if she were to act nervous or strange. So, with a smile on her face and a burning desire in her heart, she prepared herself for the next phase of the plan.

"Tillett, thank you so much for waiting, I am so very sorry that I've kept you."

"Oh, it's not a problem at all, Master!" The Acolyte looked up from the logbook and smiled warmly as she approached, whereupon she felt herself moisten ever so slightly. "It's why I'm here, after all."

She chuckled, crossing her arms on the counter as she leaned over the aged wooden top. "Well, if we're honest, you're here to hone your skills as a Librarian, not just help me shelve a few tomes. I appreciate your words very much all the same, however."

"Oh-well I-I didn't mean-!" He fumbled, looking for the right words. Her desire and sexual frustration began to mount upon seeing him so flustered.

"Just grab a few of these books, darling," she said as she slid three of the books she'd brought across the polished wood toward him while taking the rest in the crook of her arm, "and we can finish up."

Still looking unsure of himself, he collected the volumes and stood up, hastily making his way around the counter of the front desk.

"These look to be...oh, they're all Kingdom histories," he said, glancing at the spines of the books. "I hadn't taken the time to look at them beforehand."

"Well then, I'm sure you know exactly where they belong, so why don't you lead the way?" Abelina said with a sweet smile.

"Well, all right then," he replied. "In fact...yes, I know exactly which shelves these go on. Let's see-small unit tactics of ancient M'zaera...Eastern Kingdom military conflicts up to last century...great Warchiefs of the Northern Territories..."

He began to stride purposefully down the main aisle, lost in thought as the Master followed. She had intentionally lagged a step or two behind in order to catch a glance at his rear end (it was just so, so alluring, and she had to stop herself from simply reaching out and taking a handful of it), but also because there was something so enormously attractive about seeing him when he was lost in his work, when he was utterly confident and in his element. It was in these moments that she most desired to pull him into a secluded corner and simply take him then and there.

He navigated the shelves with ease until they wound up in the histories section, whereupon he pulled the proper ladder over on its' rolling track and ascended with the volumes tucked under his arm.

"It almost makes me sad, in a way," Abelina called up softly after him. He looked back down at her just as he was about to replace one of the books, his expression puzzled.

"What do you mean, Master?"

"Oh, it's just that you probably won't need my help much longer. Soon the day'll come when you won't need my help anymore! You'll have left the nest, as it were."

"But if that's the case, then it's only because your instruction has been so effective!" He slotted the book in its' proper place with a soft 'thunk'. Using the handrails just above the track, he then pulled the ladder over to the left, the thing sliding silently into place as Tillett slipped another book into its' intended spot. "That said, I am sure that I will always require your guidance to some degree; all of us will, I think!"

"You are very sweet to say so," she replied, glad that he was busy enough so that he could not see the blush that had crept into her cheeks. "So am I to take that to mean that you won't be quitting the Library to pursue a career in the Army?"

He glanced down at her, smiling wryly. "No, I think perhaps I am more useful here than on a battlefield or out tracking brigand chieftains in the Woodlands or the Marshlands."

"I admit, I would miss your presence if you'd decided otherwise," Abelina replied, deciding to start dipping into flirtation. He very nearly dropped the book he was holding in response. "Careful, Tillett, some of these are irreplaceable!"

"I-sorry, I'm sorry!" There he went, getting flustered again. As attractive as it was, perhaps she ought to hold off until he wasn't standing on the ladder...

"It's all right, Tillett. We've only a few more to replace, and we'll be done."

He slotted his last volume and swiftly descended the ladder, rejoining his Master. She smiled at him, and he returned the gesture nervously.

"Mine belong over here," she said, strolling two rows back with Tillett in tow. She located the proper section, then pulled over the nearby ladder, the roller bearings making the slightest squeaking sound inside their track.

"Thought I told Acolyte Erik to oil these things yesterday," she grumbled. "The last thing we need is to have one of these ladders seizing up; they're a bitch to get working again, have to take the whole track apart and everything..."

With a glance back at Tillett, who only shrugged sheepishly, she chuckled and gave him a wink-just a little something for him to interpret as he would. As she climbed the ladder, she called down softly.

"Don't think I won't know if you try to take a peek!"

"A-what? What are you talking abo-?"

"Stealing glances at your Master's rear end, you scoundrel!" She glanced down to see that his eyes were wide and his cheeks bright red, his mouth hanging open in horror.