Princess in Peril

"Princess, please, we must go!"

The sounds of violence and despair can be heard from all corners of the royal capital. Enemy soldiers have broken the gates to the city, raping and pillaging where ever they pass.

Lost in a world she doesn't recognize, a young woman, barely past her coming of age ceremony, trembles as she watches the chaos invading her home from her balcony.

In 18 years, Allysandra had never known fear and terror. She knew that the empire past the borders of her father's kingdom of Genoa had made aggressive maneuvers in recent weeks and months. But, the knights of her kingdom had always shone with a nobility and power that she could not conceive of any other surpassing.

"Princess, please..." the young handmaid pleaded. Her cute face distorted by anxiety.

But, the princess could not tear her eyes from the gardens that graced the castle of her home. The knights she had so revered were being overrun from every direction, the clamor of blade upon armor and flesh so much more violent than she had ever envisioned.

The cool evening air blew loose strands of Allysandra's brilliant gold hair across her face. A pale white hand trembled as the princess pulled the blonde hair from her face.

Barely an adult, her features were soft. Her delicate chin crinkled under a concern she didn't even know how to define. Cream colored skin that stood in stark contrast to the vital red of her pretty lips. A natural flush gave color to her cheeks in a way that no makeup could match. But, it was her eyes that made men fall in love with her.

Sapphire blue eyes that could express so much emotion now watered with anxiety.

The white dress she wore caressed her maturing figure as the wind toyed with it. Her breasts were neither large nor small, perfectly proportioned with her moderate height. She was a lady of refinement and modesty. But, while the men of her kingdom would die to protect her smile, they'd happily kill for even a hint of what she hid beneath her gowns.

She had no comprehension for the animal that was man. Only that the men in her life had been kind and respectful to her and her royal position.

Now though, as she looked down on the gardens she had played in during her youth, she was taught a brutal lesson.

The valor of her father's soldiers could not compare to the numbers of the enemies. And, the line was broken in many places.

Allysandra leaned heavily on the ledge as she saw a young woman, maybe a year older than herself, desperately run from a pack of imperial soldiers. But, it was apparent that she could do nothing to escape their trap.

The girl had tended the flowers for as long as Allysandra could remember. A pretty, if unremarkable, girl. Now, in her desperation, this burgeoning woman cried desperately as she was violently grabbed by more than one man.

The blonde princess' eyes stung all the more as she watched the pitiful woman scream as her plain clothes were torn. Soft white flesh almost seemed to glow from beneath the torn garments.

Allysandra had never seen the naked breasts of a woman, not since as a babe she suckled at her mother's own. But, now, she saw this sobbing woman's nakedness exposed for any who had the eyes to see.

The savage men showed no reservation as they ripped every shred from her. The woman would have collapsed were she not supported by the strong calloused hands of the soldiers. Her tears only seemed to excite the men as they laughed and pawed at her sex.

Allysandra listened as the woman desperately pleaded for mercy. But, the men were unmoved. And, one loosened the belt of his pants.

The princess' jaw, painfully clenched as she watched the tragedy, drew open as, from a distance, she saw a man's nakedness for the first time. She could barely see it. But, she knew what it was.

In the moment that the young gardener was violated, she looked up as if for divine intervention.

Allysandra felt her soul shake as the two young women's eyes met. The raped woman screamed as her purity was stolen from her. And, the princess felt something uncomfortable within herself. Something she'd never known before.

A cold ice formed in the blonde princess' belly and stirred something she couldn't define. But, she had no mind for the change within herself as she watched the assault on the woman and the gathering of ever more men waiting for their turn.

"Princess!" her own maid pleaded.

Her pale face turned from the violence outside to look at another young woman in despair. Blue eyes, wet with fear, looked dully into the brown eyes of her attendant. Her pretty mouth still hanging dumbly open as her mind tried to catch up with what was happening.

Recognizing her chance, the maid pulled the shell shocked princess from the window and guided her to the door.

"Where are the guards?" the woman with brown, braided, hair whined.

When the invasion began, guards had been left at the door. But, in the chaos, they had fled their posts. Now, the two women were left alone in a kingdom that was falling to ruin.

"We..." the young maid struggled. "We have to go. Come, princess."

The noble beauty, still broken by the things she'd witnessed, allowed herself to be taken down the halls of her youth.

Fighting had broken out on the ground level and the pair are struck with terror at every turn in their descent into the bowels of the castle.

The maid's grip on princess Allysandra's hand is white knuckled and cold. For all the exertion they labor through to get to their destination, both shiver.

Finally, as they dig into the guts of their home, the clamor of battle and looting grows dull. The screams of disgraced women become as whispers in the minds of the princess and her maid.

In a storeroom, the woman in braids pulls her ward into a hidden alcove. Allysandra vaguely remembers being taught of this escape route and stirs from her stupor.

"Rebekah," the name escapes the ruby red lips of the blonde youth.

The handmaid turns from examining the wall to look at the fair skinned beauty. Despite the circumstances, Rebekah smiles reassuringly at Allysandra before turning back and opening the hidden passage.

As if having found the open maw of hell, the princess is torn. She wants to go back. It's all too scary and the abyss before her causes her to only want the security of her father's embrace and the warmth of her own bed sheets.

Maybe it's all a dream. A nightmare that she will wake from. It has to be. The alternative is just too terrible.

Rebekah senses her hesitation, but only pulls on her hand all the more desperately.

Weakly, the sheltered princess enters the mouth of hell.

A torch can be found a few feet into the tunnel.

"I'm sorry, princess. I... I don't know how to light it." The maid can't contain her own trembling. The abyssal darkness that extends before them drives her anxiety to new heights.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." she mumbles as she leads Allysandra into the dark.

The passageway behind them closed, they can see nothing. And, all the noise of the outside world is cut off to them. Only their shaky breath and shuffling feet fills their ears.

The two girls cling to one another, the difference in their stations as nothing before their fear.

Rebekah can't help but feel the dampness of liquid dropping onto her sleeve. Her princess, a person who had almost never frowned before this fateful day, cries quietly in the dark. And, for as much as the maid wants to be a rock in this storm, her own will is broken.

The two women try to suppress their sobs. But, the agonizing sound echoes all around them.

Still, they inch their way onward. And, the tedium of the abyss gradually blunts their misery.

"We'll be fine," the maid swears over and over. Building her assurances into a mantra in their never ending journey away from their home.

In the endless dark, princess Allysandra is trapped in her own mind and memories. Every tragedy she had seen that day repeats itself, until she thinks of the young gardener. She wants to will it away. But, the violation of the woman, her screams for help, and the vague nakedness of a man... It stirs in her disgust and anger like nothing she's ever known. And, yet, that uncomfortable coldness in her gut. The tightness in her breathing when she thinks of the moment her eyes locked on with the woman. There is a restlessness, that she doesn't understand, that wells up within her.

"...hate..."

The word is so subtle that Rebekah's not sure she even heard it.

"Princess?" the maid asks the shadow beside her.

"I..." Allysandra says with some difficulty, "...hate them."

The words are soft, difficult. The princess has never hated anyone before. She's never had reason to.

Rebekah stops moving and takes the sad figure in the darkness into her embrace.

In the abyss, two young women feel warmth for the first time in what feels like a lifetime. It's a long embrace that knows nothing of social class or hierarchy. Just two women who've lost everything and only want to be comforted.

It takes time. But, they find strength and, in time, find their way to the end of the tunnel.

The gateway opens and they find themselves hidden in deep foliage. The forest on the periphery of the capital is far from the chaos of the city and castle. But, new terrors await them in the dark woods.

High above, the moon sheds its light on the world. Silver slivers shine down through the canopy. It's more than they had in the tunnel. But, in this over world, the noises of the forest startle the two maidens with every step.

In the distance, a wolf howls to declare its territory and Allysandra's eyes widen with fright and she tightens her grip on the maids hand. Rebekah would like to reassure her of their safety. But, her own breath is labored from anxiety.

There is no road at their feet and the princess grows worried.

"Where... Where are we going?"

The question goes unanswered. The king had villas throughout the kingdom. And, sometimes, Allysandra had been brought to them. But, she had no knowledge of how to find them on her own.

"Rebekah," the princess pleaded, "where are we going?"

For a moment, the maid tried to think of an answer. But, she was little more worldly than the princess. Her family had worked within the capital and castle for generations. From a young age she was raised to be a maid. She never needed to venture beyond the boundaries of her home.

"Princess..." the brown haired maiden's mouth opened and closed as she tried to express her own ignorance.

Frustration touched the despair in Allysandra's heart. She wanted to berate the young maid for not knowing. But, no matter how sheltered and how spoiled she was, she had never had a mean heart. And, she knew that Rebekah had saved her.

Still, with nowhere to go, exhaustion claimed the noble young woman's legs. She allowed herself to collapse in a heap. Her elegant white dress crumpling as she sat in the dirt.

Rebekah looked at her princess and felt her own exhaustion take her. She joined Allysandra on the ground.

Both of them wanted to say something. To have some answer to their situation. But, tired as they were they could only look from one another to the forest about them.

The night progressed and they dragged themselves to the base of a nearby tree to lie down.

Allysandra could almost laugh, thinking about how she, a princess from a long noble line, would spend the night sleeping in the dirt. But, she couldn't.

The cool night air seemed positively frigid as they lay together. No sense of pride could keep the princess' shivering body from clinging to Rebekah's own trembling form.

Exhaustion was not enough to bring sleep this night. But, there was no energy to do anything but close their eyes and cling to each other.

Night, achingly, gave way to dawn. The threat of wolves and other beasts went unrealized. And, the song of birds steadily brought a sense of comfort that only the day can bring.

Rebekah opens her eyes to see the delicate face of her princess pressed close to her own. The maid felt something new for this beautiful blonde girl. A sense of closeness that only duress can inspire.

The hint of a smile plays across the brown haired girl's lips. But, it's fleeting. Their worlds are shattered and they are both lost in the aftermath.

Slowly, heat returns to their bodies and they begin to rise.

They didn't sleep. But, they got some measure of rest.

"I think," princess Allysandra says, "we should go South."

In the hours of shivering rest, she concluded that the trade cities in Southern Genoa would be their best bet on finding help. The empire had taken their capital, the kingdom was lost. But, there would still be loyalists in the trade cities. Someone would help her.

Rebekah held some reservation about traveling to such places. The trade cities were the coffers of the Genoan kingdom. But, they were not places that lived up to the lofty ideals espoused by the royal family.

"Princess..." the maid made a weak expression. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

Allysandra was tired and had little idea what to do. This seemed the most reasonable choice. Still, she wanted desperately to be told what to do.

"Rebekah," she said as her shoulders slumped, "what else can we do?"

For all the common sense that a commoner should have before the uncommon sense of a royal, Rebekah was still young and ignorant. All she managed to do was let her gaze fall from her princess' face. She didn't know.

The princess hardly felt validated. But, concluded that their course had been decided. Together, they began walking South.

It didn't take long for the young women to realize their growing plight. Their stomachs' growled in an unladylike fashion. Rebekah was more adapted to this than the princess who winced every time her stomach rolled over. But, ultimately, their greater distress was their overwhelming thirst.

They had never lacked for drinking water in their lives. And, now they had gone many hours without.

The day wore on and all they could do was continue to walk. Though they had long since left the abyssal dark, their gentle hands clung together as proof that they weren't alone.

The princess felt, for the first time in her life, her ruby like lips chap for want of water. Everything about her circumstances made her want to collapse and never rise. But, she persisted.

Well into the afternoon, the sound of gurgling reached their ears. It was hard to believe. But, their minds immediately latched on to the promise of water.

Their feet hastened and they stumbled. But, they were rewarded with the growing sound of flowing water.

Of all the jewelry and dresses that Allysandra had been overjoyed to receive, none of them could compare to the moment that her eyes saw a natural spring cut the land.

Together they ran and threw themselves down to the water. Were any of the nobles the princess had known to see her on her hands and knees, drinking water like a dog, they would only hold contempt for her. But, if she had a mind to think on it, they were probably dead by now anyways.

In their own times, both women came away from the water. Water dribbled down Allysandra's chin to soak her chest. The same was true of her maid.

For the first time since the catastrophe had struck, laughter slipped from their throats. They smiled at one another and laughed.

For a moment, the misery was forgotten. But, it wasn't gone.

As they rested by the stream, Allysandra felt the grime of sweat and dirt like she had never known before.

"I," the blonde beauty said after a moments thought, "want to take a bath."

Rebekah's eyes widened at the statement. For a noble woman to disrobe in an open place like this, it was unthinkable. Her head swiveled as she tried to see if any unwelcome eyes would notice such a scene. But, there was no sign of humans anywhere.

The young maids eyes return to her expectant princess and she cocks her head to the side, an ironic look on her face, "As you wish, princess."

Through her exhaustion, Allysandra smiles kindly and stands. Her maid helps her out of the dress and it becomes apparent how ragged and dirty the pure white dress had become.

The alabaster skin of the princess was ripe and full. Her breasts were plump with growth. The white skin untouched by sun met the pink flesh of her perky nipples.

Her rib cage pushed down into the softness that rested below. Gentle curves flowed along her soft belly to meet her pleasant hips.

Her delicate navel invited the eyes down to a valley lightly covered by a patch of yellow fluff. The perfect slit that hid in the depths of her thighs was what all men dream of. Though she had no idea what those dreams would entail.

Rebekah saw the beauty of her princess, not for the first time, and she was proud. Allysandra was the embodiment of what it meant to be a noble woman. Only, now, the white skin was marred with sweat trails digging through sprinklings of dirt.

Allysandra was bold. But, she also felt anxious to be naked in such a place. If a man happened by, how was she supposed to live with herself.

The maid dutifully took the dress and waited. But, Allysandra did not enter the water. She looked to the brown haired girl expectantly.

Rebekah was confused for a moment, but realized the unspoken command.

Her heart skipped a beat and, once more, her eyes scanned the tree line.

In the face of her lady's nakedness, Rebekah could only blush as she began to remove her clothes.

While the princess' body was perfect by anyone's standards, her maid's was a thing of beauty all its own.

Slightly shorter than the princess, Rebekah's proportions were less refined. Her breasts were larger by half than the princess' and her hips carried more meat. The nipples that stuck out from her voluptuous breasts were a darker red and the hair of her pubic mound was fuller.

Still, the maid's untouched crevice was cousin in perfection to her princess'. And, the softness of her belly would drive a man to lust.

Neither woman had known the men of Genoa as anything but gentlemen. They new they were both pretty. They had the eyes to see that truth. But, the standards and desires of men weren't important to them in the lives they had led.

Both naked in the wilderness, they had the image of fairies descended to the earth for a bath.

Their feet touched the water and they began to wonder if they really had the will to bathe in a river. It was cold and elicited a squeal from the princess.

Rebekah couldn't hold back a chuckle at her princess' expense.

Allysandra turned on her maid and frowned indignantly. But, her show rapidly turned into a mischievous smile. Then, with hardened resolve, she pulled her companion by the hand and rushed into the water.

The splashing was joined by new squeals of surprise as the two ladies fell into the flowing water.

Despite her hardened resolve, princess Allysandra's breathing tensed up as the cold saturated her body. But, she still managed to smile and splash her maid.

The two girls shivered as they played. But, gradually, their bodies adjusted and they began to relax. Their laughter and splashing subsided.

Rebekah sobered to her responsibility and began wipe her companion's body. The intimate action was learned by many years experience. Only, before the water had been warm and soap and cloth had been used.

Now, Rebekah's smooth fingers massaged her princess. The dirt and sweat disappearing as if a dream.

When the maid turned to herself, she was surprised to find Allysandra eager to help. The brown haired girl blushed as she felt the noble lady's hands touch her bare flesh. But, she did nothing to stop it.

Caught up in the intimacy of the experience, they failed to notice the stealthy approach of an uninvited guest.

The young man was athletic and attractive in a way. He lived in the forest. Too poor to make a decent living in the city and lacking land to farm for his own use, he subsisted on the bounty that the largely unused forest possessed.