Mage and Consort Pt. 03

Lady Tur was indeed dreaming, and the dreams seemed troubled. He wiped her face with the cool rag, calming his breathing. His Lady was in pain, but she would recover.

And he would have to ask her directly her wishes. If she desired, he would give her all of his Seed. No matter whether she could make use of it, because he was her Consort.

Unless she told him otherwise.

The thought terrified him, because it was the sort of thing his Lady might do, in her misery. Leo curled up across the fire from her, and watched her beautiful face.

Some distance behind him, Lady Karlov muttered happily and began to snore.

#

"Lady," she heard.

Blearily Anya opened her eyes. Leo's face was right there, looking concerned and worried as he always did. The fiery agony in her arms had become a deeper shade of pain. Impossible to ignore, and yet oddly tolerable, after yesterday.

"More herbs?" she asked.

Leo shook his head sadly. "Lady Karlov said she would go find some. May we talk? I believe she is truly gone, far enough for us to converse openly. "

Anya nodded. "Anyway, Melina was never adept at far-listening. It's a very particular wind magic skill."

"That may have been," he said carefully. "Or she may have been feigning poor skill. She has demonstrated it several times."

Anya looked at him. There was something he was talking around. Of course.

"Or your power has helped her with that."

He didn't reply for a minute, but he clearly wanted to say something.

"Lady," he finally said.

"Yes, Leo? Consort? Spit it out."

"Would you like my Seed? I would give it all to you, if it is your desire. Just tell me so."

She stared at him. *That* was what he was thinking about? Of all times to be hung up on his stupid duty, did he really think she wanted to try that right now? Did he think of nothing else?

That was unfair, though. It was what a Consort was supposed to think about.

"I don't know, Consort," she said. "I am certainly not ready in this moment. I need to relieve myself."

"Of course," he said uncomfortably. "Are you able to sit up?"

"I'll have to do a lot more than that," she said, feeling a kind of hysteria. It'd been almost two days, hadn't it?

Suddenly she understood his discomfort.

"Melina handled these things, didn't she, when I was unable. I suppose it's not a Consort kind of thing."

Leo looked wretched. "Lady, I regret that -- I did what I thought was necessary. I know I should have pushed the task upon Lady Karlov."

She'd hurt him again. Over and over, and she never seemed to learn. "I'm sorry. Thank you, for taking care of me. It was much better you than her, honestly. And I guess now we'll see if I can use my legs."

She thought about the mechanics. Her arms were secured uselessly across her front.

"Why don't you just take off my breeches first. That is appropriate enough, isn't it? Then you can help me up and I'll totter around like a fool."

"I will keep you from falling," he said.

"I know."

In the end he practically had to pick her up by the buttocks, but it turned out she could stand on her own, once her head stopped spinning. Even walk, if she was extremely careful. She took a hesitant step past the fire, then another. Her arms burned with the small jostling from each step.

"Lady, that is, ah, Lady Karlov's sleeping place."

"All the better," Anya said wearily. She bumped her foot into a wall, turned to lean against it, and relieved herself in the dark. It was the pain, she told herself. That's what had shredded her modesty.

Leo hovered near her, not touching, probably not looking, but ready to grab her nonetheless.

"I'm all right," she told him. "Let me rest here a moment, against the wall."

He nodded, turning further away from him.

She could feel it faintly: leftover drops of moisture on her thighs, and around her sex. She felt no pain from there, but no life either.

"Leo," she started. "Consort. I -- I suppose I must know. Would you service me a bit with your mouth? Very gently."

"It would be my greatest desire," he said, and before she could move he was between her legs. Probably kneeling in her own puddle, though she thought there was straw or something soft under her feet.

His tongue touched her, and she tried to ignore the dizziness, the screaming pain, everything about this awful situation. She tried to feel for him, or concentrate on her talent.

She didn't mind that he was doing this. That was something. She didn't seem to be injured down there.

"It won't work," she finally said. "Not yet. Thank you, Consort."

He hopped to his feet.

"You need only ask. Lady, perhaps I am too eager, but may I suggest considering your mouth, for the time being? It may take a long while to be comfortable any other way."

"Oh," she said. "Of course. Yes, I should learn to do that properly. But Consort, I am so sorry. I don't feel you yet. I fear the pain is drowning everything out. I'm not sure it would work anyway."

"I -- am fairly sure I could supply my Lady with some Seed. If she desired, perhaps even this moment."

The thought was almost comical. Like he was a toy, ready to spring out of a box at any time.

"I thank you for your offer," she said. "But I wouldn't be able to do anything with it. I guess it makes more sense to give it to Lady Karlov. She can make far better use, can't she?"

Leo didn't respond to that, and Anya regretted how much bitterness she'd allowed to spill out. So much more than she realized.

"Is that truly my Lady's wish?"

Anya sighed. "No, Consort, it isn't at all. I want you all to myself, but that's pointless. I'm jealous, I hurt terribly, and I'm being unfair to you. I don't want to know what you do with her, and I don't want to see her flourish with your Seed, and find out how much more useless I am than I already know. You deserve better. You deserve to be able to do your duty properly, with a real Mage like Melina."

Leo listened to all of that and shook his head slowly.

"What I might deserve was never the point. I am your Consort, Lady. And so I will do whatever you ask." He paused. "I still believe you have true power inside you, Lady Tur. Even Lady Karlov was shocked at what you did, no matter what she said. But the Lady also said another thing, perhaps more than she intended. She said that perhaps you make uniquely efficient use of my Seed. Could this not be the case? Even if neither of us is exceptional, perhaps lucky chance has placed us together? It would match all the evidence."

"It would," Anya said dubiously. It was a fairy tale. "Leo, I'm in too much pain. I can't feel my talent at all, and maybe I broke something about it when I used it improperly. But you have still done your duty for me, and been a wonderful Consort. And your company pleases me, even if we can't do the rest. It is only practical that you give Melina your Seed, while I am in this state. We will probably be stuck relying on her for a while."

He nodded gravely.

Yet once again, Anya was sure she'd hurt him somehow.

#

One foot, then the other. Eyes ever on the ground. Crooked stones, branches ready to hook her leg, vines that might slither out of the leaf cover for all she knew. Anya's mind was drifting, the pain swelling again.

"My Lady? Shall we rest?"

She shook her head. He was always there, one step behind and to the right, ready to steady her. He'd had to do it a half-dozen times already.

"Four miles, you thought?" Melina's voice drifted back.

"Give or take," Leo said. "It has been a long time."

"We won't make it today, that's for sure."

"Yes we will," Anya mumbled. "I can make it."

"Ssh," he said, as though she was a child. Overly protective or overly deferent: Leo seemed to have no middle ground. Like their joining. His manhood thrust deep inside her, or else he barely touched her. Was this really what a Consort was, or was it just Leo?

But then she remembered his lips on her breast. Maybe there was a middle ground, just something they hadn't found.

She swayed, and he was there, hand carefully around her hips. She leaned against him, because she was tired, or maybe just because she could.

Some time later she heard Melina.

"I suppose that's it, then?"

She was being lowered gently, and the leaves made a soft bed. She lay on her back, staring at the early afternoon sky. Dappled light through leaves. Different trees from home, and yet the smell was familiar. Her eyes closed and she dreamed of trees, and chasing Alishe, and Leo pressing behind her.

When she opened her eyes, there was a warm fire, but no sign of the others. She'd been propped up, and perhaps in theory she could have stood up without her arms, but she didn't have the strength to attempt it. Carefully, she turned her head. Something had caught her eye. A little flash.

Leo's face lit again, briefly. On, off. His eyes were closed, and the light came from Melina's hand, which he held in front of his face. Melina herself was -- oh. She was kneeling in front of him. She was taking his Seed.

Anya didn't want to watch, and yet -- she didn't even know how to do what Melina was doing. She'd never seen it.

Melina shifted slightly, and Anya realized she was using more than her mouth. Her hand cupped his sacks, as if she wanted to squeeze the Seed from them. And Leo surely was not fully stiff, because her lips were pressed all the way to his groin, and that wasn't physically possible --

"Anya!" Leo grunted.

She looked up, and saw he was trying to back up, or turn away from Anya, but Melina held him fast. And then suddenly Melina let go, and Anya watched his full length emerge impossibly from her mouth.

Leo turned away, rapidly raising his breeches, and Melina walked right towards Anya.

"Well, this won't do, will it?"

Anya didn't know what to say.

"Have you talked to your Consort about his duty? Does he not serve you as well by giving me Seed?"

Leo moved slowly toward the fire, looking miserable.

"Yes," she whispered. "I should not have spied."

"Why not?" Melina said. "It isn't shameful. Leo is doing his duty, or he was until you distracted him. And that's going to keep happening, you see, because we can't just sneak off to do this. Wouldn't it be better to watch, anyway? Better than not knowing, and having to imagine anyway. And perhaps it will give you ideas, to speed your return to taking his Seed yourself."

"Lady Karlov," Leo said. "Perhaps we can wait, and talk this over another time."

"I don't think so, Consort. I think we have to do this now. Because we need my power, and we need Anya's power as well. I had hoped to escape quickly, but now we have to adjust tactics. And the stonestorms have changed everything, as well."

"Wait," Anya said. "Are you saying the protection is still gone?"

"Yes, Anya. At least, from what I can tell it's gone over us now. It may be that they have restored it partly, but only tightly over the castle. And the further we move from the castle, the greater our risk in any case. We cannot move under cover all the time, and as Leo would remind us, forests are only partial protection."

Anya closed her eyes, and she tried, she really tried to focus. But it was gone, or maybe the pain was simply too much.

"Lady Tur," she heard. "I believe I felt something just now."

She opened her eyes. Melina was giving Leo an inscrutable look.

Leo turned to her. "Lady Karlov, I understand your point, that Lady Tur may have to accustom herself to our joining. But I believe for the moment, it would be more productive if my Lady and I can join in private."

Melina smiled. "I see, then. Is that your wish, Anya?"

Anya nodded, if only to get rid of Melina for a while.

"Very well," she said. "But I may join later with the Consort, or at least in the morning. And I expect him to do his duty then as well. I will go look for these caves he described. A shame I do not have the benefit of his Seed."

Melina disappeared into the trees.

"Maybe she'll get lost," Anya said.

Leo didn't reply.

"Do we have to try this?"

Leo bowed, and knelt in front of her. "It is always your decision, Lady. Always."

"But you did feel my talent, just now?"

He hesitated. "I am nearly sure of it, Lady."

"Nearly sure," she sighed. "I guess I'll have to take that. And if she's right about the storms, I don't really have much choice. My body feels dead, Leo. Consort. Can it even work under those circumstances?"

Leo nodded slowly. "I believe it can. Lady Carwen never explained this fully, but towards the end she spent little effort preparing herself, or asking me to do so. Though I rarely gave her much Seed, it did not seem entirely correlated. Still, I know there is reason for the preparation. Even Lady Karlov does this preparation, whenever she can, and the other Lady does nothing that is not directly beneficial to her power. A woman's talents also ride on her body, just as a Consort's. I must assume the preparation is helpful."

Anya nodded. "I will use my mouth, then. At least I should be able to manage that, regardless. And I suppose I am to swallow quickly?"

He nodded. "It is not always easy the first time, as I understand."

"Clearly that wasn't anywhere near Melina's first time, then. I cannot imagine performing what she did without choking on your manhood."

"It is not necessary," Leo said. "Only a helpful factor."

Anya sighed. "And so of course Melina learned how to do it. All right, Consort, I suppose you have a challenge, to prepare me without the usual methods, which I suspect would simply annoy both of us. You've already started well, by sending away Melina. I am open to anything."

Leo nodded, and then he took off her shoe.

He was so solemn, she might have laughed if she didn't hurt so much. But she changed her mind quickly when he began to rub her feet and calves with his strong hands

"That is excellent, Consort," she said. "Please continue. I am so terribly sore, and this pain at least you can ease."

Alishe had rubbed her legs like this sometimes. She'd always been so ready to touch, and Anya had never said anything about the tingling it gave her. Not even after that special night, fingers probing touching sliding along the other girl's cleft.

Anya opened her eyes again, embarrassed. Why was she remembering that again? It left an odd ache, of something she'd lost. But she hadn't, really. Not as long as Leo kept touching her just like this. His hands were moving higher, but there was only the distant ache. She wanted to touch him, but her arms were immobile, and on the broken arm they'd only left her fingertips free. She stretched the fingers on her less-injured arm, imagining touching herself, or Leo, or anything.

"Touch my fingers," she said. "Let me touch you at least. I feel like I'm stuck in a big cotton ball, like I can't get close enough to you."

Leo crawled closer to her, and kissed her fingers.

Or so it seemed. She gasped, because it didn't seem the sort of thing he would do. And sure enough, he quickly placed his palm under her fingers, she moved them, trying to trace lines on his palm.

"Lady Karlov says it's good if you keep moving all your fingers," he said. "As long as you keep your arm still."

Anya didn't care what Melina thought. She wanted him to kiss her fingers, or her nipples, or her mouth. She could have him laboriously remove her breeches and kiss her sex again, but it didn't seem worth the effort.

"Can you do what you were doing to my feet, but on my neck? It is so hard to keep everything aligned, and I'm terribly sore."

"Yes, of course, Lady," he said. "Is there anything else I can do to help your body's preparation?"

It had to be framed that way. Well, it couldn't hurt.

"I find your body pleasing," she said. "Perhaps you could disrobe entirely. Then maybe I can ease into things, you know, with my mouth."

Leo did as she asked with enthusiasm, and she smiled, because he was beautiful. Fine muscles and easy grace and one large manhood, moving towards her mouth.

But he didn't move any closer. His fingers found the back of her neck, and she opened her mouth to encourage him.

"Lady, do not hesitate to make a noise if you are in discomfort."

She opened wider, and he gently slid the head between her lips.

"Good, Lady," he said. "Try not to tense your jaw."

Easier said than done. She had a horror she would bite him, cause him a serious injury. He scratched his fingers along her jaw line, pressing just so, and she felt the muscles she was clenching.

Know her body. That was part of the process of knowing her talents. She closed her eyes, breathed deeply through her nose, felt for the tension. The pain was below; nothing to do with her mouth, or her neck. His smell was so strong in her nose, and there was an unfamiliar taste in her mouth. Leo pressed further, and she breathed again. His Seed was so close to her, surely she should be able to feel it. There was heat, but it was the fire, or his body. Anya tried to remember the feel.

"I can feel you," he said eagerly. But Anya wasn't ready, not at all. She made a little noise, and he slipped out carefully and quickly.

"I was all right," she said, blinking her eyes open. "I just want to make sure we don't rush. I'm groping around in the dark for my talents, and the more I relax, the easier and more effective I think it will be. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes, Lady," he said. "Whatever my Lady desires, that may heighten her readiness. Of course."

"Then just keep doing this," she said. "Touching my neck, and moving yourself gently in my mouth."

He pushed a bit further in each time, and soon enough he sensed her discomfort. She was demoralized to see how far she fell short of Melina's skill, but he said it took practice. She swallowed reflexively, her tongue pressing against his shaft, and he twitched.

He probably liked that, though he'd never say as much. So she did it again, trying to vary the pressure on his shaft. She felt his heat rising, and suddenly she wondered. She imagined pulling on his sacks, gently squeezing his Seed, encouraging him.

"Lady!" he blurted. "Are you ready? That is very -- ah,"

He didn't finish, and she stopped what she was doing.

He squeezed her neck, and gently pushed a few hairs out of her eyes. "Lady, there is a certain equilibrium I must maintain, and some things you do may overturn that. Perhaps if you need to signal that you are ready, you can do that."

She wasn't sure she would get more ready. Mostly she didn't want him to stop holding her head. So she waited, trying her simple exercises, looking for her talents. It seemed he could feel something of them, even if she couldn't. She reached once more, and he tensed. And suddenly the thought that she had control over this one thing was too much to resist. She pressed with her tongue, and she pulled as hard as she could with her talents, as best she could tell.

Leo moaned, grasped her head gently in both hands, and hot liquid poured on the back of her tongue.

She coughed, choking when some shot up the back of her nose. It was so pungent, more than she expected, and the heat of it coursed down her throat, the portion she'd been able to swallow. He pulled out, but not all the way, shuddering with each burst but still attending to her comfort, and she kept most of it in her mouth, managing not to retch. When he withdrew, she swallowed. Once, twice, three times. The heat was fading, but surely she'd gotten something. Her stomach roiled, though maybe that was just the unpleasant texture and unexpected taste.

But no, she'd gotten some, she was sure.

"Thank you, Leo," she said. "I know that wasn't maybe everything you hoped, but it'll take time, right? And I do feel stronger."

"Great," Melina said, stepping from the shadows. "Consort, do you think you have more for me?"