Bastileborn - Dragon Fire Pt. 02

"No, this won't do," Gavin sighed. "I insist on sleeping on the floor. I'm not going to make a princess or an elderly dwarf put themselves out for me," he mumbled tiredly as he pulled himself to the side of the bed and stumbled on to the floor.

"Oh! You ass!" Thistle grumbled as she hurried over to him to make sure he was all right.

"If ya insist," Nora sighed. "I'm still going to tie ya up."

"That's fine," he whispered as irresistible sleep began to creep over him.

Thistle watched as his head fell to the side. He was dead to the world after that.

"Nora, I really don't think we should keep him here," Thistle said worriedly as she pulled her pillow off her bed and carefully tucked it under his head. Then she gently brushed his dark hair out of his eyes. He was the most handsome, stubborn prince she had ever met.

"Oh, he's not so bad. I think the drugs are making him a little loony, though," Nora sighed as she gathered up the ropes and knelt on the floor beside Gavin.

"Nora, do you really think that's necessary?"

"Absolutely. I'm not saying I don't trust old Tom's drugs. I just absolutely never want to regret not doing something so simple," she said as she tied his hands to the bedpost.

Then she climbed to her feet, picked up a blanket, and threw it over him.

A warm, kiss-like caress against his cheek woke Gavin the next morning. He moaned softly and turned his head to discover Thistle's bright gray eyes close to his.

"Thistle? What are you doing?" he whispered in astonishment as he looked down to see her beautiful breasts hanging out of her dress as she straddled his lap.

His body ached with want at the arousing sight of her blushing skin. She smiled wickedly as she placed her hand over the bulge in his pants and stroked his length. He shuddered with tingles from her erotic touch. He had no clue what suddenly provoked a seemingly innocent maiden to want him physically, but he was more than eager to give her what she wanted. He was easy like that. He wanted to pull her soft body against his, but his hands were tied to the bedpost. He squirmed against his bonds as she stroked him harder, making his legs twitch.

"Thistle, I... uh, mmm, can't take much more of that," he groaned as she leaned close enough to kiss him. Her intoxicating smell and steady stroking were pushing him closer to orgasm.

Suddenly, a loud, melodic chirping startled Gavin awake. His eyes flew open with a gasp as the proud red-feathered cardinal bellowed its morning song on the window sill. Gavin looked at the window and cursed the colorful bird. It fluttered off when it saw his head move.

"Damn bird... you couldn't keep your beak shut for three more seconds?" he grumbled. His cock was aching in his pants. "At least my other head isn't throbbing this morning."

He sat up the best he could and looked around the room. Thistle was behind him on her bed, fast asleep. Her arm was hanging over the edge. The back of her fingers had accidentally touched his cheek, triggering his wonderful dream. The delicious smell wafting off her pillow likely encouraged it too. Nora was nowhere to be seen.

"Thistle, are you awake?" he whispered.

She jumped a little and opened her eyes. She sat up in surprise again when she remembered Gavin was in the room.

"Good morning, beautiful. Where's Nora?" he asked as he admired her. Her disheveled hair and sleepy eyes didn't help calm his heart or his erection.

"Oh, uh... she'll be in the slaughterhouse all morning. She told me to bring you out there if you can walk."

"I hope I can stand up today. Could you untie me?"

"Oh... sure," she said as she climbed over to the edge of the bed and began working on the knots.

Her fragrant hair fell over her shoulder and into Gavin's face. He smiled and quietly breathed her in. Her proximity and smell made him extra horny. He resigned himself to being aroused for the rest of the morning.

"Thank you, Thistle," he said as he straightened up and finished taking the ropes off his wrists. Then he stretched and groaned. "I feel so much better now," he said as he pulled himself up onto Thistle's bed and sat on the edge.

Thistle quickly backed away from him until she bumped into the headboard. He looked at her in surprise.

"What's wrong?"

"Um... you're on my bed," she said with a blush spreading across her cute face.

"So what? I was on your bed all day yesterday," he said with a shrug.

"Not while I was on it, in my nightgown," she mumbled.

He stared at her for a moment with a big smile on his face.

"Wow, aren't you the innocent one? What's so bad about us being on your bed together?" he whispered as he leaned closer to her face.

Her eyes went wide as she leaned away from him more. Gavin was almost overwhelmed by an urge to kiss her inviting pink mouth. She was dangerously beautiful, and his dream had him aching for a warm touch.

"I uh..." she mumbled as she looked at his lips and then back to his eyes. Her heart was pounding like mad, and his smell was making her forget he was doing something inappropriate.

"I really like being close to you," he whispered as he reached up and caressed her trembling lip with his thumb.

Thistle's heart did a funny thump when he touched her. She had never felt so warm in her entire life, but their intimate moment quickly turned to chaos. Nora burst through the door, mumbling about a hole in her shoe. Thistle gasped and quickly pushed Gavin backward off the bed before Nora could see how close they were. He flipped off the edge and landed on his head. Then he curled up on the floor in pain. Nora looked at him in astonishment for a moment.

"What was that all about, ya stupid boy?"

"He was trying to stand up," Thistle chimed in, "but he got dizzy and fell," she said as she hurried off the bed to check on him.

Gavin was holding his head and whimpering.

"Thistle, ya have to take better care of him. He won't be any use to me at this rate!" Nora grumbled as she reached down and lifted Gavin off the floor. She and Thistle carefully returned him to bed.

"Thanks, Nora," he mumbled tiredly as he gently laid his aching head on Thistle's pillow.

He put his hand over his eyes to block out the light. It was making his head throb. Thistle rubbed her arms nervously. She wanted to tell Nora that Gavin had tried to kiss her, but she was way too embarrassed to speak at that moment. Nora looked at her and sighed. Gavin peeked at Thistle from under his hand and smiled.

"Sweetheart, get a hold of yerself and go get some breakfast for yerself and the boy."

Thistle nodded and did as she was told. When she returned, Nora had already gone back to work. Gavin was sitting up in bed, wide awake and smiling.

"Oh boy! Bacon, eggs, and biscuits! Now we're eating like royalty," he said happily.

Thistle looked at him and blushed. She set the food on the table under the window and sat down to eat.

"Hmm... I guess I'm not getting breakfast in bed, am I?"

Thistle let out an annoyed sigh and shook her head. Gavin smiled and slowly climbed off the bed. He stood and checked his balance for a moment, then he walked over to the table and sat down next to her.

"Thank the High Father! I'm starving!" he said before he began scarfing down the eggs and bacon.

"Um, sorry I pushed you off the bed."

"Hmm? Oh. It's no big deal. It hurt like hell... but I sorta deserved it," he said with his mouth full.

"You should really tell Nora who you are. Nothing good can come of this charade."

"Nothing bad is going to happen. My people are smart enough not to storm in here looking for me. Besides, I want to stay here and protect you. I can be your secret knight. Would you like that?" he asked as he reached over and put his finger under her chin and lifted her eyes to his. "I would be a fool not to protect something so beautiful."

"Gavin, you're crazy," she sighed.

He gave her a charming smile and nodded.

"I probably am, and I still want to kiss you... might we try that again?"

Thistle's eyes widened and her heart began to race. She couldn't deny that she wanted to kiss him too. His big hazel eyes and handsome face were clouding her judgment. One of her favorite books was about a handsome prince falling in love with a maiden like her. The best part of the story was their romantic first kiss.

"I uh... would like for you to kiss me one day. Maybe sometime soon, but not right now. This isn't very romantic."

"Oh... I see. We'll do it in a more romantic setting then," he said with a smile. He was thrilled she actually wanted to kiss him.

The Slaughterhouse

After breakfast and a change of clothes, Gavin was feeling well enough to venture out of the slave quarters with Thistle. He liked how comfy his simple linen shirt and breeches were. Carus slaves were treated exceptionally well. Their slaves' contentedness reflected the honor, wealth, and pride of the high elves. Gavin was surprised by the size of the busy palace kitchen as they passed by it to reach the back door. Thistle pointed out who was cooking for the royal court. It was easy to tell by the beauty of the food being prepared. Suddenly, Gavin smelled something he wanted.

"By the grace of the angels, coffee!" he announced and began to walk over to the royal side of the kitchen to ask for a cup.

Thistle grabbed him and stopped him.

"You drink coffee? Now I know you're royalty," she grumbled as she pulled him back to the wall.

"You mean I can't have any?" he asked in distress.

"Of course not! A slave drinking coffee is like a donkey eating the queen's roses. The stupid ass will get himself shot for it," she whispered as she glanced around nervously, wondering if anyone was listening to their conversation.

"That's the most depressing news I've heard since I got here," he said sadly.

"Let's move on before we attract attention," Thistle whispered as she pulled Gavin out of the kitchen.

She pointed out the muggy laundry rooms and the hygiene showers that shared the same overhead water tank. The tank was built over a fireplace that was kept burning most of the day.

"Wow, Carus slaves get hot showers? The stalls are few. I guess we all don't get to use them, do we?"

"Nope, they're only for people that really need them. They're barely used this time of year anyway. It's warm enough to wash in the stream," she said with a smile as she led Gavin out of the building and into the servant yard.

The area was busy with the comings and goings of servants and slaves. They were bringing in their harvests from the fields and carrying racks of meat in from the slaughterhouse. It reminded Gavin of a commoners market, but no one was selling anything.

"We better report straight to Nora. We're going to be behind thanks to you and me," she said as she hurried along the path that led to the barn and slaughterhouse.

Once they got beyond the slave yard, the royal fields and orchards came into view. Gavin slowed down to admire the beautiful land.

"Wow, so this is what they do with the water they steal from our river."

"Not all of the water comes from the Talfane River. A lot of it comes from the Blue Delph River," she said as she pulled Gavin along to keep him from staring too much.

"The Blue Delph? As in the river that runs through the Blue Delph Forest where those creepy delphian elves live?" he asked as he stopped resisting Thistle's tugging and matched her pace.

"Yep."

"I didn't know that. I'm really surprised the dark elves allow it. I thought they hated the high elves. What is the Carus Reservoir for if they don't water their fields with it?"

"The reservoir does water the fields. It's fed by the Blue Delph, and yes, the delphians do hate us. My people have been fighting to protect their access to the Blue Delph for a century now. That's why they're so interested in the Talfane River. If they can secure access to the Talfane, they no longer need the Blue Delph. They can let the creepy dark elves have it."

"I see. I would much rather fight with humans than delphians," Gavin mumbled as he remembered the horror stories told about the dark elves among his people. They were often the race used in bedtime stories to frighten children.

Gavin was completely distracted by his thoughts about the delphians as he and Thistle arrived at the slaughterhouse. Thistle dropped his hand and ran off to find Nora, leaving him standing in the front doorway. The shrill noises of wailing animals brought him back to the present. He stepped into the building and was affronted with the stink of fresh blood. There was a stout male dwarf just inside the door to his right. He stood just under five feet in height. He would be considered tall among his people. He had a long red and gray beard and a head full of curly red hair. He was skillfully lopping heads off chickens with a small ax. The headless chicken would drop to the floor and go running until it crashed into the wall.

"By the gods! It's alive without a head! Stomp the cursed thing!" Gavin said as he jumped back in alarm.

The old dwarf looked at him with an eyebrow raised for a moment. Then he burst out laughing when he realized Gavin was serious.

"Well now... ya must be the most pampered slave I've ever met. Never seen a chicken slaughtered, have ya? Yer gonna love it here!" he laughed as he walked over and wrapped his dirty arm around Gavin and slapped his shoulder. "The name's Plinkon. Who might you be?" he asked in a thick northern accent. Like Nora, it was hard for him to pronounce 'you' like a Lurian.

"Uh... I'm Gavin... nice to meet you," he said as he suppressed a cringe.

"Look at them perdy hands!" Plinkon said as he grabbed Gavin's right arm and pulled his hand up. "Ya haven't had a hard day's work in yer life, have ya?" he asked, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Forgive me, good dwarf, but I often wear fine leather gloves when I work," he grumbled as he pulled his arm out of the dwarf's massive hand.

"Indeed... there's more to ya than just perdy hands," he said as he eyed Gavin suspiciously.

Old Plinkon often noticed details most people missed. He was a great blacksmith among his kinsmen and broke high elf law by trading armor with the delphians. Plinkon, like most mountain dwarves, loved the precious gems the dark elves mined from the Blue Delph River. He knew how to initiate a conversation with the dark race without getting an arrow through his neck. He was in the middle of a trade when a high elf raid party surprised them. The high elves offered Plinkon death or slavery, and he obviously chose the latter. Plinkon knew Carus slaves lived good lives. He figured it wasn't a bad way to retire. After all, he was in a large amount of gambling debt, so disappearing for a few years would work in his favor.

"Hmm... here boy, hold the stove door open while I dump in some heads," Plinkon said as he grabbed a metal poker off his chopping block and tossed it to Gavin.

Without thinking, Gavin gracefully grabbed the metal rod out of the air and propped it on his shoulder. Suddenly, the old dwarf spun around with a bellow of a roar in full attack, wielding another metal poker. Gavin flinched as the stout tank of a dwarf lunged at him, but he didn't miss a step as he countered the powerful blow aimed at his head and parried another fast blow aimed at his right shoulder. Gavin wasn't sure why a seemingly cheerful dwarf suddenly decided to go on a murderous rampage, but he was glad he was there to stop him.

Gavin quickly gained the upper hand and bombarded Plinkon with a furious string of attacks, sending the old dwarf stumbling backward. Plinkon lost his footing and fell on his back after he kicked a bucket of chicken heads across the ground.

"I yield! I yield!" Plinkon yelled as Gavin stood over him, ready to send the poker through his chest.

"You yield? You attacked me without warning for no reason! Why should I play by the rules of engagement when you already ignored them?" he asked angrily as he pointed the poker at Plinkon's round nose.

"Because, young human, yer a better man than me. Besides, if ya kill me, that nice guard outside will kill you," he said with a huge grin.

Gavin glanced out the door of the slaughterhouse to see a sentry standing on the path with a bow and arrow aimed straight at him.

"Shit..." Gavin breathed as he tossed his poker to the ground and held up his hands. He smiled at the sentry as he backed away from Plinkon.

Plinkon was chuckling as he climbed off the ground and knocked the dirt and hay off his clothes. Gavin stood very still with his hands up as the sentry walked through the doorway of the slaughterhouse.

"What seems to be the trouble, Plinkon?" he asked. He had long golden hair that he kept tucked behind his tall ears.

"Ah, it's nothing, Astrum. Just giving the new kid a hard time."

"It looked like he was handing your stupid ass back to you, dwarf. If you keep doing things like that, you're going to get yourself killed," Astrum said as he lowered his bow and put his arrow back in his quiver.

"Well, I sure hope yer there to avenge my death when it happens," Plinkon chuckled as he slapped the young sentry on the back, causing him to stumble forward.

"You're going to get an arrow in your ass if you do that again. Keep your disgusting mitts to yourself."

"Sure thing, boss!" Plinkon laughed as he picked up his ax and retrieved another chicken from the cage to his right.

"As for you... who taught you to fight like that?" Astrum asked as he turned his bright gray eyes on Gavin.

"Uh... my uncle. I love fencing. It's pure sport to me, but you beanpole elves take it way too seriously," Gavin said with a smile.

"Wait a minute... you're that arrogant little whelp that attacked my friends by the Talfane River. I can't believe they let Nora keep you," he said as he approached Gavin and looked down at him.

Gavin hated how tall the high elves were. They all stood at least six inches taller than most human men. Gavin was six feet, but Astrum still towered over him.

"Why does Nora have so much clout with you beanpoles anyway?" Gavin asked as he stared up at Astrum with an eyebrow raised.

"Excellent question, my short slave friend. It's rumored that Nora once rescued a high elf child that had wandered into a bull fence. They say she tackled a full-grown bull mid-charge and castrated it with her bare hands. That's why we trust her with new slaves like you. We know she can handle you," he said with a smile.

Plinkon was chuckling as Gavin processed this new information. He had to admit that he believed Nora was capable of castrating a bull mid-charge if Thistle was in its path.

"Yikes," he breathed.

Suddenly, Astrum stepped back from Gavin and stood tall with his chin up as if royalty had entered the slaughterhouse. Gavin looked at him in confusion for a moment. Then he turned to find Thistle standing timidly beside the chicken cage. He also noticed that most of the slaves were staring at him. They had seen his exciting battle with Plinkon, and now a sentry was talking to him. They knew the young human was trouble.

"I humbly beg your pardon, Sentry Astrum," Thistle began, barely above a whisper. "I need to show Gavin to his work if you are finished questioning him," she said as her cute cheeks turned bright pink.

Thistle thought Astrum was very handsome. His face was boyish and less sharp compared to the older sentries. He was also the only young male she had encountered in her life next to Gavin, so that made him a focus of her girlish daydreams. It also made her extremely bashful around him. She watched him constantly when he first started patrolling the servant yard three years earlier.

"Of course, young miss. He's free to go. If the boy causes any more trouble, please tell me, and I will personally see him punished for it, and tell Nora I bid her good morning. Everyone, back to work," Astrum ordered as he turned and left the slaughterhouse.