Echoes of Spring Ch. 01

And only when the light of the day hit Eric's eyes did he think freely again. Freely enough for revenge, at least. He pulled away from Erika and trudged down the hall, towards his stuff and towards his blade.

"Eric! Hey, Eric! Where are ya goin'?!" Erika exclaimed, barely keeping up with his dreadful stride.

"I'm getting my sword," he groaned. "Then I'm going back down there, committing some patricide, regicide, perhaps a bit of uxoricide, then mayhaps a suici-"

"No! What are you sayin'?!" she tearfully exclaimed, gripping his arms with both hands to stay him. "You gotta calm, Eric. You gotta think."

"Nope. They're dead to me."

"An' that's fine, but don't throw your own life away! Think!"

Eric pushed himself away from her, but Erika's worried gaze reminded him that there was more to life than rage... he just couldn't remember what it was. She told him to think, sure, and he knew that he had to, but his racing mind continued to press a solution that was undoubtedly the wrong choice.

Kill them all, of course. Kill them all!

"I can't," Eric groaned, turning towards her again. "I cannot think. Erika, what would you do? What would you do in my stead?!"

"Wha'? Um, uh... y-you just met me, you can't thrust this on me!"

Eric took a deep breath. "I'm not," he exhaled. "I'm asking your opinion. You're not responsible for what I decide to do with it, but, Erika, there has to be a reason why the gods brought us together this day. Help me."

Eric only turned to the gods when nothing else made sense. Just like the apraxia outbreak that decimated Moradria, the subsequent death of his younger brother, and the great winter storms of seventy-three... and now this. Divine fate would always be beyond his comprehension, but Erika, why, she was a priestess. Not only that, she was a priestess of another lord, one outside the reach of his father.

Eric looked on her with a hopeful expectation as she squinted and rubbed her chin. To his surprise, the commoner-turned-whore spoke within the minute.

"Have you any brothers?" she asked him plainly.

"No." Not anymore.

"Good. I've an idea, but you'll have to skip town for it to work; and your father's going to loathe you."

Was she an angel? Leaving all of this embarrassment behind him and giving him an opportunity to get back at his father? What was the drawback?

Eric grabbed her wrist this time. "Great. You can explain while I pack my things. Come on."

-=-=-

Eric was able to pack quickly even in his unsettled state, what with him already prepared for a three-day hunting trip well before all of this had transpired. The only thing missing was coin, he realized, so the pair of them made their way to his chambers in the west tower of the castle.

He had a dragon's hoard worth of coin stashed there. Together, the two of them scooped as much of it into Erika's magical bag as it could carry, near two-hundred golden Imperials in all; enough to buy a fleet of warhorses, or many a suit of mail. She explained that her bag was feathered by magic, so its weight did not reflect the contents within.

Eric thought this sufficient. Erika, on the other hand, reminded the troubled lord to pack evidence of his noble station, and so he threw in his signet ring and a Ducal seal as well. They then went to the stables, procured a second horse for Erika from a very confused groom, and set out to make the priestess's plan a reality.

Erika's scheme was to tear open Yana's Box, so to speak, and get ahead of the scandal by telling it to all the world, rather than keep it a secret. She told him that the righteous should have no fear of the truth, and that a Lord as high as Eric should have no fear of humiliation, especially when he had done nothing wrong. She told him that the gods were on his side today, and that she was their divine herald. Having no alternate recourse but a double murder, Eric agreed to her plan.

So the two of them went to the central square of town, nestled between the Cathedral of Moradria and its largest marketplace, and removed the town crier from his pulpit in the midst of the midday news. It was Erika's time to shine, and it was Eric's time to swallow his pride, and let the priestess deliver her message.

"Hear ye, hear ye! Hear ye, hear ye! Citizens of Moradria, may I have your attention, please!" the priestess exclaimed with her arms outstretched. She continued like this for another minute or so, until a large enough crowd had gathered before them to listen.

"I am Erika, a high priestess of the goddess Coventina! 'Tis with much regret that I come to you all with news of a terrible scandal, concerning the Ducal family of Moradria! Hear ye, hear ye!"

Eric stood off to the side with arms folded as he watched the priestess work the crowd. She was a natural at it; her voice was full of a righteous zeal, her stage presence was surely practiced, and her marvelous confidence would likely outshine even many a King. It surprised Eric; but, he figured he didn't really know Erika at all.

The crowd murmured to themselves and drew nearer with the promise of scandal. The priestess soon continued on, her words sounding official and unquestionable.

"That's right, citizens of Moradria! 'Tis a scandal most wanting! I stand before you today with news of infidelity, adultery, an' incest!"

More embarrassing murmurs. Many glances shot in Eric's direction. He did his best to shrug them off, but his lack of experience made that difficult.

"Not one hour ago, the chivalrous Lord Eric and I discovered his wife, the Lady Luciana of Secunda, and his father, the Duke Edward, in deceitful tryst!" She paused for the crowd's gasps, but all were soon silent with anticipation. "That's right, citizens of Moradria; the Lady Luciana committed high adultery agains' the humble Lord Eric."

"Harlot!" a man shouted from the crowd.

"Indeed! 'Tis an utter disgrace for a noble to act in such manner! In the eyes of the gods, she has committed one of the deadliest sins," Erika exclaimed with clear, somber words, pacing about the pulpit like a high priest at sermon.

"If the divine Pelagius strode upon Mundus today, he would declare that her actions have nullified her marriage with Lord Eric; an' the fact that she slept with his father only widens the gap between she and virtue. So, as a high priestess of the goddess Coventina, and as an unrelated soul who witnessed such shame, I declare that in the eyes of the gods that their marriage is now annulled, with mundane nullification coming forthwith. 'Tis the just outcome, citizens of Moradria, and no man can say otherwise."

Erika gave Eric a subtle wink before returning her gaze to the crowd, and raised a hand in his direction.

"As of today, Lord Eric will depart Moradria to speak with the Ecclesiarch of Coventina, so that he may begin this process! All of ye here now are witness to this fact. That means that any child bore from the Lady's womb three seasons or more from this day would not have been produced from his seed, and shall not be granted any inheritance by birthright. This is common fact, and no man can say otherwise. So, knowing what I just told you, I would speak to the men of Moradria! Love your women tonight, and remind them that you are hers and only hers and that you are a team against the fates! Women of Moradria! Please your men with passion tonight, and be pleased by him in turn! May the gods bless you all, may the gods bless the Duchy of Moradria, and may the gods bless the Empire of Man. Thank you all for your time."

Erika let out a long exhalation once she'd looked away from the crowd, and skipped over towards Eric just after.

"Oh! Oh gods. My heart's a racin'," she said to him as she clutched her chest, once again assuming her peasant's drawl. Eric shook his head.

"Erika... that was amazing."

"Yeah?" she grinned, tucking a loose lock of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah. My father's going to be pissed," Eric chuckled. "But, what's this about Coventina? I thought you were a priestess of Fiona."

"I am," she exhaled, her breaths shallow with an obvious excitement. "But um, the Temple of Coventina lies inside the Duchy of Secunda, so, if your father attempts to catch us, he'll not only go to the wrong place, he'll also bring news of his shame to the lands of your wife. Er, ex-wife. Meanwhile, we'll go to my Temple to get an annulment written, a place he won't be and won't have any power over! But we gotta go, twin Eric. Your father's gonna hear of this in minutes."

Damn. She'd really thought of everything.

"Alright, let's go," Eric concurred.

-=-=-

And, just as Erika predicted, the news of the priestess's sermon came quickly to the infuriated Duke Edward of Moradria. His retribution was just as swift; he summoned near the entirety of his household guard to find his son and the high priestess of Coventina, many of which were sent south, the obvious direction of travel.

The guards at the south gate of the city reported that Eric and the priestess passed but a half-hour ago, going insofar as to shout their arrival; the priestess exclaiming, "Make way for the Lord Eric of Moradria! Make way!" as they passed beyond the portcullis.

The watchtower but two miles past the south gate reported similarly, albeit without the heralding from Erika. The farming village a mile past that, the same; except Eric was hooded this sighting, and rode far ahead of the beautiful priestess of Coventina.

But the village beyond that, why, they had to be questioned far more extensively to report that they had spotted them, both Eric and Erika now riding cloaked and casually as if not to raise suspicion. And so it was no surprise that none in the town of Oakridge saw either of them, blending in as well as any normal pair of travelers could, none paying them any mind at all.

So the guardsmen continued along the south road all through the night, none the wiser that Eric and Erika had abandoned the path many a mile ago.

-=-=-

"Ugh! I could eat a horse," a stretching Eric groaned as soon as he and Erika found camp for the night, deep in the western woods of Moradria. His mare whinnied. "Not you, girl. Say, Erika, have you any food in that bag of sorcery?"

"Nuts," she replied casually as she fumbled through her things.

"No need to be an ass about it."

Erika snorted in laughter, tossing a bag of nuts over her shoulder to sate him. She then pulled out her bedroll from her bottomless pack and laid it out over the grass. Together, the two of them then sat on it in silence for a while, looking out over the waning sun shining through the pines as they ate their rations.

"Gods," Erika moaned after a time, resting her head on Eric's shoulder. "What a day. How're ya doin', twin Eric?"

He shrugged, lifting Erika's head just an inch. "Fine. Better than I have any right to be, all things considered."

"That's good to hear. Sorry 'bout your wife."

"Don't be. No love lost, there," Eric sighed. "I barely knew the woman. We were married in the spring after barely a week of talking to one another. Father was the one who pushed for it so adamantly... and now I understand why... and the thought only makes me sicker. We don't need to discuss it."

"Then we won't," she murmured, resting a dainty hand on his thigh. "But it's been a long sun, huh? Hard to believe ya saved me from the rabies earlier."

"Yeah. Huh." He'd forgotten entirely of Erika's original plight. But he also trusted Jenna's word, so he didn't move a muscle from the priestess's warmth, finding it most pleasant after such a horrible day.

"Eric, I've... I've a confession to make," Erika softly whispered.

"Hm?"

"'Member back at the castle, when ya asked me my advice? Well... I knew you were gonna take it, but, um, I din't..." she sighed, "all I could think of was separating you from her. I couldn't ponder anything but it. No matter the cost to you."

Eric couldn't help but grumble. So much for not speaking of it, he thought.

"So? That's precisely what I wanted," he gruffly replied.

"But I coulda been more tactful. I... I'unno, Eric. I'm ashamed of it."

"Sure, you 'coulda,' but where's the joy in that?" he tried reassuring her again, wrapping an arm around her back. "You performed admirably, Erika, and your shame is completely unfounded."

"But you don't understand my shame," she pouted.

Eric squeezed her then, a gentle, sympathetic thing. "I believe I do. It's because you fancy me, right? And you think you acted in poor judgment?"

"W-what?! That, m'lord, is nonsense," she instantly denied, proving she was a terrible liar.

"You've no need to admit it, I already know it to be true. Your frown when hearing of my marriage was terribly obvious," he smugly said.

"Oh! Now who's bein' an ass?" she giggled, pinching his waist and snuggling against him. "Fine, Eric. You've an admirer in me. Are ya happy now?"

"That wasn't what I meant," Eric chuckled in turn. "What I'm getting at is that I'll never blame you for helping me in my time of need, any outcome of which be damned." Without much of a thought, he then said, "Speaking of, where are we going from here?"

"Well, it's um... just me an' you out here. Alone. Bein' attracted," she softly implied, nudging his leg with hers.

"I meant tomorrow. After some rest."

"Oh! W-well, um, tomorrow I was hopin' you'd accompany me north. That's where I was originally venturin' when you found me. To meet a friend. A girlfriend. You'd like her, I think. She's a priestess like me, but, um, n-not at all like me, an' she's my best friend, too."

Eric shrugged. "Fine. I don't see the harm in it, seeing as I'm now exiled for a time... so long as we eventually make it to your Temple," he calmly agreed.

He then glanced around the glade, finally noting that the sun had set some time ago, and that the mood between them was now turning in a direction that he'd rather not follow. "But we should really get some rest, Erika. I'm exhausted."

"Mm'kay. Me too. Do you wanna share my roll?" she sweetly asked of him, eagerly lifting the opening to it. "There's plenty of space in there. And it's really, really comfy."

"That's... alright. I brought my own," Eric groaned, lifting himself to his feet so he could retrieve it.

"Ya sure?" she pouted, biting her lip. "I don't share it with anyone but my sisters. You'd be the first man."

"More reason for me not to taint it, then."

His declination had come out harshly, but he had to ensure that she knew where he stood on the matter. He liked Erika, both of body and of mind, as would any man who spent more than a minute in her presence and had bothered listening to her words. As had many a man, according to her own admission. But acting on these thoughts was a sinful prospect, not to mention that Eric was certain that there was a rule against catching feelings for a whore.

Despite this, he still stole many a glance at her as they prepared for sleep, Eric laying out his bedroll in the grass beside hers whilst Erika casually disrobed.

Her naked body was, without question, a work of art, taking the form of an hourglass shaped in youthful flesh. Her big tits were just as perky when left to their own devices, and her hips danced to that same silent tune that the birds always chirped with. That happy song that rolled the world along. She had another tattoo as well, one on her lower tummy taking the shape of an '8' flipped onto its side. Eric wondered what it represented, but he daren't ask her lest his stolen glances be made known.

So he tucked himself into his bedroll and prepared for rest instead. Erika did the same in hers. And all was quiet betwixt those two souls... until, well, it wasn't.

"Psst. Eric. Do ya mind if I pleasure myself?" Erika whispered but a minute later.

Um. Did he hear her correctly? He rolled over to meet her gaze, raising a brow at her.

"I'm jus'... just sayin'. After dealin' with you all day, and the ridin', and not being able to lay with no one, I jus'... I just really need to," she shamelessly whispered.

"I... sure. No problem." Yep. That he did.

Erika smiled at him, pulling the end of her bedroll snugly against her cheek. "Do you wanna help?" she cutely asked.

"No. No, I'm still married, Erika. It wouldn't be proper."

"Pfft. In the eyes of man, perhaps. But I wasn't lyin' when I said the gods already find you separated, and the divines are all that matter in the end. You've no obligation to Lady Luciana any longer."

"Perhaps tomorrow, then," Eric still declined, looking away from her to instead gaze upon the tree branches far above them. Erika pouted out of sight, but slowly slid a hand down her tummy under the furs of her bedroll.

"Okay," she murmured. "I'll make it quick."

And still he tried for sleep, a wish soon found wanting when a moan escaped Erika's lips but a half-minute later. An adorable, trembling moan.

He did his best to ignore it. Yet, with the rustling of her roll, and the obvious motions of her hands under the furs, he couldn't. Her sighs were intoxicating. Her movements mesmerizing. The thoughts of that perfect body curled around her hand... exhilarating. He glanced at her then, only to find her sultry gaze flashing away from his curious one.

Fuck. She knew she had him now. And her sighs only grew louder the with knowledge of Eric's attention, her plump lips parting into a perfect 'o' for him as she moaned to the heavens.

What was he fighting, anyway? What kind of man would reject her? His cock couldn't, that much was obvious, and in this moment his cock was king.

Gods damnit, he sighed.

"I want to help," Eric blurted out. Erika's eyes shot open in mock surprise, meeting his gaze.

"Yeah?!" she giggled through a cute moan.

"Yeah."

"Then come 'ere," Erika husked with a flutter of lashes, pulling her bedroll open in invitation. Eric rose with all haste from his, not bothering to hide his turgid cock straining against his underclothes as he knelt down before her.

But she held him there, her hand flying upwards to grip his member through his clothes.

"Whoa! Wait on, Eric. What in the hells is this?!" she squeaked.

"My, uh... tool?"

"But it's so... impressive," Erika gasped. She scurried out of her bedroll to plant both hands on Eric's legs, her gaze now affixed to his crotch as if it were made of gold. "Omigosh... um... may I?" she breathlessly asked wearing a stupid grin, finally flicking her gaze upward as her hands roamed to the band of his underclothes.

Eric nodded, answering, "Y-yeah." It was the only answer he could conjure at the moment, what with there being a naked maid on her knees before him, staring lustfully at his cock. So she pulled down, disrobing him and revealing his hardness, causing her mouth to slack even further agape when he sprang to attention.

"Great goddess above... bless you for this..."

Her surprise didn't make much sense to him. It was his tool, sure, and he'd measured it around seven inches when last he'd checked, but... wouldn't a whore have seen larger in her time? Perhaps this was how she acted with all men. Yeah. That would make more sense.

But still, she was at least playing along that she fully mesmerized by his cock, now that it was staring her in the face. Her hand quickly rose to meet it, her dainty fingers wrapping around his thick shaft as she grinned that stupid grin. She pumped on him slowly, tracing him from crown to base, all while her other hand slipped in between Eric's legs to cup and caress his balls.