Sindara Ch. 02

We both started to move in again, lips parting, ready for another kiss which I really hoped might escalate. Then as soon as our lips touched, Ilnara pulled away and winced.

"Sorry this is just a bit odd," she said.

"Which part? This whole situation has been odd." I said.

"You're just so... young." she said.

"This again?," I frowned, "From my point of view you're just old."

"You're only a year older-"

"Than your little sister," I finished her sentence for her, "Well, if you were human, you could be a grandmother by now." Ilnara shivered and winced at that thought.

"I can't imagine aging that fast," she said, "That sounds terrifying."

"Well to me, a decades-long childhood sounds terrifying," I said.

"To you childhood must have seemed like a flash," she said, "How is that enough time to learn anything?"

"There's a lot you can do in twenty-five years," I explained, "What have you done for example?"

She thought about it for a moment relaxing in the radiance of the holy sword.

"Well, I grew into a woman," she began, "I became a master with the sword and the bow, and I've been on enough adventures to fill a bard's repertoire for years. I've traveled to every corner of the continent, almost died several times, and lost some good friends."

"See, twenty-five years is a long time," I said, "I grew from a boy into a man, became a criminal, then turned my life around and became a paladin. I have also mastered the sword, been on several adventures of my own, and saved my city from a demonic horde. I've had my share of lessons, loss, and lovers just like I'm sure you have, just a bit more accelerated." I didn't mean to accentuate that last point, about lovers, I was just listing off things I've done, but it made Ilnara blush again and she refused to make a eye-contact.

"You said you were almost sixty. You have been with a man before, right?" I asked.

"Actually..." Ilnara said sheepishly.

"No way!" I said, "You're a virgin? Sixty-years-old and you're still a virgin?"

"Fifty-nine," she said, "and you don't have to rub it in."

"I'm sorry, I meant no offense," I said.

"I told you. You're just... young," she said, "I wasn't an adult during the last breeding cycle so I wasn't able to join a harem. Fifty-four, that's when we reach maturity."

"Humans reach adulthood at eighteen," I said.

"Huh. I actually envy your people for that," she said, "It must be nice to get through puberty in just a couple of years instead of a decade-long slog."

"There, see. It's not all bad," I said, "How about this: we treat each other by our apparent ages. I won't treat you like an old woman, or a naive young girl who's just starting to experience the world."

"And I won't treat you like a child," she said in reply.

"Equals?" I asked and offered my free hand.

"Equals," she said with a grin and a hearty hand-shake, "So, where were we?" she asked sliding into my lap.

"I'm afraid I have to keep one hand on this sword or the light will go out," I said.

"That's fine," she replied, "Maybe we can go all the way some other time."

We spent the rest of the night relaxing in each other's company, keeping each other warm, and exploring each other's bodies. And my was there a lot to explore. Neither of us had ever been this close to one of the other's race. We were obviously similar, she was half-human after all, but we both seemed to delight in finding out how we were different.

While most of her skin was smooth like a human's, much of her body was covered in fine, purple scales. It was smooth in some places, rough in others, and I loved the tingling sensation as I brushed my fingers over them. Eventually, her tail grabbed hold of my hand, wrapped around my wrist and up my forearm like a snake. Meanwhile she massaged my chest and arms.

"Heh heh. You're so hairy!" she giggled, "We don't usually have any hair below our noses." I honestly didn't think I was all that hairy from the neck down, but sure enough, I didn't find a single hair on her entire body. I finally worked my hand free of her tail and ran my fingers through her hair as she continued her massage. Eventually, I left her hair alone and moved on to her horns.

She shivered like they were ticklish and I asked, "Do you have feeling in your horns?"

"Just a little bit," she said, "I definitely felt that." Then she twisted so she could look me in the eyes. She glanced down at her own body as if daring me to explore her more intimate parts. She just took initiative anyway when she grabbed my hand and made me grab hold of her breasts.

"There, I think these are much more interesting to play with," she said. Since she was apparently just coming out of youth (at fifty-nine) she hadn't quite grown into her breasts yet. They were firm, and small enough to cup in one hand, but they were also perfectly shaped and her nipples were as hard as my cock. For her part, she wasted no time in giving that part of me some attention as well. Knowing she was still a virgin, her initial hesitation made sense, but she was clearly eager and curious at the same time.

"Is it really sensitive?" she asked.

"Yes," I said bluntly, "Parts of it moreso than others. I like a woman focusing on my sack and the very tip." She cocked her head inquisitively as she cupped my sack in one hand and massaged my glans with her other palm.

"Gently," I squeaked when she started squeezing a little too hard. She loosened her grip immediately and looked up at me frequently for confirmation that she was doing it right and I nodded my approval. Not wanting to be too selfish, I stopped fondling her tit and slowly caressed her taught, muscular body down to her womanhoodand, rubbing it through the fabric of her undergarments. A little moan escaped her lips and she redoubled the attention she was giving me in return. Next I told her to start stroking my shaft and she excitedly complied after spitting on it for some lubrication. With both hands, she started pumping my cock while I ran my thumb in circles around her clit. Her underwear was positively soaked with her juices and she could only moan every time she opened her mouth.

We climaxed with the sunrise, gasping with delight as the first light peeked over the mountains. Ilnara arched her back and leaned into my chest as she quivered and squirmed in my lap. I finally let go of the sword (the actual steel sword, not my dick) and wrapped my arms around her, cupping her tits as I shot a load of my cum into the water off the side of the raft. When the waves of pleasure subsided, we toppled over and she rolled on top of me. My still semi-hard cock between her thighs and her breasts squished up against my chest.

Our heartbeats seemed like they were in perfect sync with each other and I kissed my newest lover in the cold morning air. She broke away first and laid her head in the crook of my neck, sniffing deeply as she inhaled my scent, and then gave a satisfied sigh.

"My first orgasm with a man," she whispered into my ear.

"I'd love to lay here with you all day," I said, "but we got a long of day of travel ahead of us."

"Right," she said, "Nelanthas awaits." She left another kiss on my cheek and then climbed off of me.

After retrieving our clothes (with an impromptu reverse striptease from Ilnara), we were finally underway. I asked her where exactly we were going, and she pointed to a gap in the mountains explaining the marshes flowed into a river that cut through there. Then we would catch the main road and follow the river downstream to Nelanthas.

"You said two days, right?" I asked. She didn't seem to hear me though while she hummed a tune I didn't recognize and beaming with pure satisfaction on her face. Her movements were more like dancing rather than walking. She even twirled occasionally, letting her cloak, hair, and tail whip freely around her. She was definitely acting more like a nineteen-year-old girl who has almost lost her virginity than a sixty-year-old crone.

"Ilnara," I tried to get her attention, "Hey, Nari!"

"Hmmm?" she turned a little too quickly and some of her hair got caught in her face. She giggled and brushed it away and I thought that if this is what she was like after just foreplay, I couldn't wait see what she would be like after sex.

"Did you say something?" she asked looking me over approvingly. My clothes were still a little bit damp because the fire had been out most of the night, so they clung tight giving her an enticing look at my muscles. I snapped her out of it when she started looping her tail through her fingers and biting her lip.

She blinked then shook her head and said, "Wow, sorry. I'm distracted by last night."

"Take it easy," I said, "Don't get so distracted that we're in danger."

"Sorry, it's just... I've never done that with a man," she said breathlessly,

"Well I wish I could have done more," I said, "But I was a bit preoccupied."

"How did you know that trick with the sword was even going to work?" she asked.

"I'll be honest, I didn't," I said, "It wasn't my magic, it was forged by a true dragon, on this very planet actually."

"That's awfully convenient," Ilnara said, "What were you asking about earlier?"

"Nevermind," I said, "I'll find out when I find out. Speaking of convenience, what were you doing out here anyway?"

"Nothing," she sighed, "Just... chasing a myth." I silently prodded her for more info so she continued.

"I'm looking for the final resting place of one of my ancestors," she said, "A king named Xaidecrun. He died in battle somewhere in these marshes and took an artifact with him to his death.

"Wait so you're royal blood?" I asked, "If I'd known I-"

"Oh shut up, Adiran," she groaned, "A third of all Sindarans alive have some royalty in them. He was my third-great-grandfather and my last male ancestor. Supposedly his daughter, my second-great-grandmother, left him to die in these fields, took the artifact for herself, and with his last breath he cursed her bloodline."

"Do you believe that?" I asked.

"No," she said, "But something happened to my family, otherwise we wouldn't be muck-farming peasants."

"What kind of artifact are we talking about?" I asked.

"A shield," she said, "Just a kite shield with our family crest emblazoned."

"So if you find the shield out here, you think it would clear your family name?" I asked.

"Hopefully," she said. We continued chatting idly and it turned out that we had a lot in common despite our obvious differences. We both came from big, close-knit families who toiled in the dirt to survive day-to-day. We also both had stories about getting kicked by livestock, one of your cousins disturbing a bee hive (although apparently Sindaran bees were monstrosities as big as a mouse), someone falling down a well, all of the usual farm tales.

Although Ilnara was very easy to talk to, the conversation turned awkward when I mentioned my father. She couldn't possibly relate because her father had never even existed. Likewise I got confused when she talked about years like they were seasons and casually mentioned periods of her life in decades.

It finally started warm up by mid-day which I was especially grateful for since I was still wearing my damp clothes. I also appreciated the change in scenery. After we found the river Ilnara had mentioned, we emerged from the marshlands and descended into a wide gorge. The cliffs on either side were impassable, but the river seemed to be low this time of year so there was plenty of room to walk on the shoreline.

Then there was one spot where I had to toss Ilnara up to reach a high point, and when she pulled me up behind her, she seemed to deliberately stumble backwards making me fall on top of her. She grinned at me with green bedroom eyes then got up and helped me to my feet.

"Did you do that on purpose?" I asked.

"Of course not!" she protested, but it seemed insincere. After that, the shoreline got narrower forcing us to walk side by side. The way she was moving her hips, she kept lightly bumping into me and her tail kept slapping against my thigh. The inside of my thigh. I had seen how flexible that appendage of her's was, but I also knew what she was actually doing.

There were more episodes with her throughout the day, subtly and not-so-subtly hinting at what she wanted. Her cloak snagged on a thorn bush at one point and when she finally pulled free, she stumbled backward and twisted into my arms. She gave me an impish smile and when I tried to kiss her she broke away and brushed her tail lightly across my groin. Later, I scraped me knee, which barely hurt, but she insisted to take a look at it. I complied with a heavy eyeroll and to my shock she kissed it while making heavy eye contact the whole time. To her credit she did eventually rub an ointment she called pungent on the cut. It was aptly named.

Eventually, several things struck me about Sindara. All the plant life seemed unnaturally tall, and what flowers were still in bloom at this time of year were much more vibrant than similar flowers from Cadionia. The overcast sky wasn't gray, it was silver, and the water was emerald green. Altogether, the whole landscape seemed more saturated with color. I knew natural beauty was one of the common side-effects of a high levels of magic, and although I was disconnected from your own magic, I could feel it positively thrumming in everything I touched.

I also realized for certain that the day was unusually long, especially for this time of year. Together with the incredibly long night before, I figured that Sindara must spin much slower than my world. This meant that by mid-day I was already very tired since I had also been awake for much of the previous night as well. But I had endured far worse during my paladin training, so I set my shoulders and continued forward without complaint.

Then came the waterfall. We heard it roaring long before we reached it, and by then I was very apprehensive about how high it might be. It was very high. Astonishingly so, and I backed away from the edge after knocking a few stones loose and clenched my jaw.

"You're not afraid of heights, are you, Adiran?"

"I'll make it," I said. Fortunately we didn't need to climb down a sheer cliff face since Ilnara led us down a trail that had been carved into the cliff. But when we reached the bottom, she was nowhere to be seen even though I had seen her a second before. Fortunately, she didn't leave me hanging for very long and emerged from behind the waterfall a moment later.

"Come and see this!" she said, "You'll love it!" Then she grabbed my hands and dragged me with her into the alcove.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, and then my jaw dropped. Every inch of the stony walls and ceiling were covered in artwork. Not like the ancient tribal art that scholars sometimes found in deep caves which dated back to before civilization, this was just as detailed and elaborate as anything in a temple or cathedral back on Cadionia. There were scenes of Sindarans fighting dragons, depictions of gods and goddesses I didn't recognize, and incredibly precise drawings of the natural world from simple leaves to a full-sized dragon skeleton.

"Who made all this?" I asked.

"I have no idea," she said, "But every time I come here there's something new, that means someone is still working on it."

"Well this is a nice place," I said, "Can we just rest here for a while? I'm exhausted."

"Yes, of course," Ilnara said, "So, what should be talk about?"

"How about you first?" I said.

"Okay," she said, "how many lovers do you have on your world?"

"What?"

"You heard me," she said.

"And that's really your opening question?" I asked, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I get the impression, just the impression mind you, that you've been silently propositioning me for more sex all day."

"Just an impression," she said, "Was I really that subtle?"

"First, I hope you realize this might not be a long term thing," I said, "I intend to be going back to my own world soon."

"Yes, I understand that," she said, "But you have no idea where your allies are. It might take a long time to find them."

"Okay then, secondly," I asked, "on the off-chance this is a long-term thing, you aren't jealous that I've slept with other women?"

"Harems are a fact of life on Sindara," she said, "Some women don't necessarily enjoy it, but we outnumber men fifteen-to-one, so some concessions have to be made."

"So what about me do find so fascinating?" I asked.

"You're the only man I've met in a quarter-century," she said, "It's because you might not be here long that I'm so excited, because I might not get this opportunity ever again."

"You want me to get you pregnant?" I asked.

"I can get myself pregnant at anytime," she said, "A human-Sindaran child wouldn't be any different from a parthen anyway, at least as far as anyone else is concerned. No I just... want to have some fun. And it will give me some experience when I do get into a harem. So, tell me about some of your lovers."

"Alright fine. Well first there was Lila," I said, "She was a street girl, a thief like I was. I still run into her from time to time. She's the noble thief that I never was. She only steals from people who can afford it, so I turn a blind eye to her theft in exchange for news from the criminal underworld."

"Are you still intimate with her?" Ilnara asked.

"Affectionate yes, but not intimate," I said, "She went and married a bandit chief and the two of them are very happy together. That does not mean that I am on friendly terms with him. He's a vicious cutthroat and Lila is the only reason we haven't killed each other yet."

"That sounds volatile," Ilnara said, "But you're a paladin now, so why did you become a thief in the first place?"

"That's... not a chapter of my life I'm proud of," I said.

"I'm sorry," Ilnara said, "I shouldn't have pried."

"It's fine," I said, "I'm not proud of it, but I've moved past it. It helps others trust me if they know I have nothing to hide."

"I never suggested anything like that," she said a little apprehensively and standoffish, not that I blame her.

"No but other people do," I said, "Some of my fellow paladins don't trust me, say that I'm an affront to the Order's holy calling by allowing criminals into their ranks. Others say it demonstrates the value of redemption or whatever and some such."

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'm just glad that I can have three meals a day and place to sleep without having to steal it," I said.

"Since you said you'll be completely honest," she asked, "What kinds of crimes did you do?"

"Pick-pocketing mostly," I said, "Some fraud and con-games thrown in too. I roughed up other children a few times. Adults too, corrupt nobles mostly."

"How did you finally get caught?" she asked.

"I stole from one noble who I had been told was strictly off-limits," I said, "The Meister, that was the greedy bastard who ran our operation, was in this man's pocket, along with the sheriff and half the royal guard. He was about to make an example of me when my paladin master, Delvo, stepped in on my behalf, completely out of the blue. He didn't even know me but he offered to train me instead of spending my life in prison."

"How long would that be?" Ilnara asked.

"For life," I re-iterated.

"I don't know how long humans live," she admitted.

"Well it wouldn't have been long where they were going to send me to," I said, "Ironbolt Rock is, how do I put this, an unofficial death sentence."

"Of course I was a foolish kid at the time and didn't appreciate the opportunity I'd been given."

"Why's that?" she asked.

"Because the training paladins experience is gruelling," I explained, "And I was treated especially sternly because they wanted to reform my criminal past."