The Argive Ch. 051-055

Demetrios' words made sense and it gave Praxis much to think about. He didn't see a scenario where he didn't move forward with meeting his father but he also knew that holding in that resentment would be hard to do.

It would be a fine line to walk either way.

"You look like someone whose world has been greatly complicated," said Demetrios a moment later, a grin on his face.

"You have no idea," replied Praxis.

"Put the thoughts of your father away for a moment. The only thing you need to think about is healing. You're getting better, which is no small miracle, but you're not back to normal just yet. Turn your mind inward and concentrate on your body. Once your body matches your inquisitive mind again, then you'll be ready to seek the answers that you need."

Demetrios patted his shoulder gently as he left, giving him much to think about. Praxis had imagined that life without Argos might be simpler but that was turning out not to be the case. It had only grown more complicated, especially when he didn't have that focal point in his life with which to orient himself.

In the end, he decided to do exactly as Demetrios had stated. He laid down and closed his eyes, focusing on his body. The sooner he was out of this bed, the better.

And the sooner he could start seeking the answers that he needed.

Chapter 55: Renewed Liaisons

Over the course of the next few days, Praxis continued to heal and get stronger. By the seventh day, he wasn't just out of bed but he was walking about the house. Though his strength hadn't fully returned, he seemed to be past the worst of it.

"I think I've outdone myself this time," noted Demetrios as he watched Praxis move about. "For a while there, I didn't think you were going to pull through. And look at you now. It's like you weren't even wounded."

"Maybe I just needed a fighting chance?" offered Praxis. "As well as being under your watchful eye?"

Demetrios chuckled. "Whatever it was, it worked. Although you did manage to come to the best healer in Arcadia, so there has to be something to be said for that."

Praxis readily agreed. He didn't know if anyone else might have been able to patch him up this fast. Though the wound on his torso was still tender, it wasn't life-threatening any longer.

He finally had the chance to move forward.

To make things even better, Lysandra had come around too. Though she had been in and out of the same funk all week, she finally came to his bedside one morning when both Demetrios and Rastus were out of the house.

"I'm sorry," she said, seemingly out of the blue. Praxis turned to look at her, finding her green eyes submissive.

"What are you sorry about?"

"Everything, really," she replied. "I know I've been really emotional lately. And I'm sure that's been pretty confusing on your part."

"You haven't made it easy when you're hot one minute and cold the next."

Lysandra winced. "I know and I'm sorry for that. I don't mean to take it out on you but you got the brunt of it. It's kind of ironic, isn't it? You're the only person I have left in the world and yet I kept trying to push you away."

"Well, you didn't push me away. I'm still here."

"And I want to thank you for that," she said, touching his arm. "And to show you how much I'm thankful for it, I want to do something special with you."

Praxis raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Like get out of this house for a day," she replied. "This entire village sits in the shadow of the mountain. I was thinking we might go up there. Not to the peak, of course, but high enough where the view is great and where we'll have something to see."

Praxis pointed to his wound. "I'm not exactly in the best shape to be doing that right now. Are you sure you want to take a cripple up there?"

She smacked his arm. "You're not a cripple! And if you talk like that again, I'll... I'll..."

"You'll what?" he asked, chuckling.

Lysandra crossed her arms in front of her breasts. "I'll never sleep with you again!"

Praxis couldn't resist the laugh that erupted. "You can't do that."

"You don't think so? Because I will!"

"You would really do that to me? When I'm wounded and still recovering?"

Lysandra nodded her head silently. It would have been more serious had she not been smiling.

"Fine, I won't talk like that again," he promised.

"That's better," she said, putting her arms around his neck. "So what do you say? Go on a walk with me up the mountain?"

"Only if you help me when I need it."

"Deal."

*****

As it turned out, getting away from Demetrios' house without being sighted was the easy part. The fact that his house sat on a ledge above the town made their escape relatively easy, and once they started toward the mountain, the rest of the village quickly dipped out of sight. Soon enough, it was only the two of them as the ground sloped ever upward toward the crest.

It was a hard journey for Praxis though. Even though he was walking again, he wasn't used to this level of exertion and there were frequent moments when he had to slow down or even stop.

Lysandra didn't seem to mind though, even helping when she could.

"This is all kinds of wrong to me," said Praxis as she helped him up a steeper incline. "I'm supposed to be the strong one."

"In due time, you will be again. This hike is good for you. It's going to make you strong again."

"I certainly don't feel strong. In fact, I feel like I'm getting weaker with every step."

Lysandra got a funny look in her eye. "What if I was able to offer you some kind of incentive?"

"Incentive? Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said, playing with the edge of her dress. "Maybe every time you push yourself for me, I'll give you a reward. Something you really want."

"Such as? Give me an example?"

Lysandra could only smile as she pulled up her dress suddenly. Praxis took a moment to rake his eyes over her body, seeing her tits, her tight tummy, and the light red patch just above her sex. Just as soon as it appeared, it was gone though.

"You're going to flash me every time I complain about needing help?" asked Praxis.

Lysandra nodded. "What do you think about that?"

"I think I need more help. Lots more help."

Lysandra started to laugh as she raised her dress again. "I think you're getting into the spirit of the game."

"Oh, this is one game I'm going to like very much."

And so it continued. Every time that Praxis said one word about being winded or out of breath, Lysandra would raise her dress and show off her fantastic body. It even got to the point that she flashed different parts of herself depending on what he said. If he was simply winded, she would show off her front side, but if he talked about needing help on a steeper slope, she would flash her backside, showing off her incredibly tight ass.

It was a great way to make the day fun, and at one point, Lysandra even discarded her dress completely, walking nude amongst the quiet mountain.

"Doesn't it bother you that someone might see you like that?" asked Praxis, finding it hard to remove his eyes from her body.

Lysandra shrugged. "Not really. There's no one up here but us. Does it bother you at all?"

"Not in the slightest. I could watch you like this all day," said Praxis.

In fact, seeing her like this was having an effect on his body. His cock was starting to make an indent in his chiton, and Lysandra had noticed it.

"I think you don't really want me to hide my body," she said, grabbing his cock and giving him a firm stroke. "In fact, I think you want me to be naked more often."

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"That can be arranged," said Lysandra, stroking him more vigorously. "But first, you have to lose your chiton too."

"Up here? Are you nuts?"

"Come on, Praxis," she moaned. "Get naked with me. Please?"

There were few things in his life that he couldn't withstand. A naked and pleading redhead wasn't one of them. His chiton was soon discarded, leaving both of them gloriously nude.

"So much better," she purred as she raced her hands across his body. "Come on, there's a nice spot right over here."

The spot she led him to was part of an open clearing right next to the peak of the mountain. The weather on this day was simply perfect, and the sun shining on this spot provided all the warmth they needed.

So too did their bodies, because as soon as they were laying down in the grass, Lysandra straddled him and put his manhood inside her body.

She moaned once he bottomed out inside her. "We haven't done this in so long."

"It's been a busy week," replied Praxis, grabbing her hips. "And we haven't had much for privacy."

"Then make it up to me please? Show me what I've been missing out on."

He was only too happy to do so. For the next fifteen minutes, their bodies were joined in animalistic passion in the most natural of places. By the end of that time, Praxis spent his seed deep into her body while Lysandra held onto him for dear life.

"I love feeling it shoot into me," she cooed as she grinded her hips against his. "There's no better feeling in the world."

"Maybe sleep is the only thing better," said Praxis, earning a swat from her a moment later. "What? You've worn me out."

"You silly man, I was on top of you and doing all the work. All you had to do was enjoy the ride."

"Enjoy it, I did but I could go for a nap now."

"Men," huffed Lysandra as she moved next to him. She placed her head against his chest as they enjoyed the sounds of nature all around them.

The moment was almost too good. Praxis genuinely enjoyed being with her, even without the sex. Lysandra fit him too well, and at that moment, he realized it was the first time he'd gone days without thinking about Astara. Though he still had deep feelings for her, Lysandra had helped to fill the void that she'd left.

For the first time since they left Argos, he felt happy once more.

"Do you ever feel guilty, Praxis?"

He turned his head toward her. "What is there to feel guilty about?"

She looked at him with her soft, green eyes. "About enjoying ourselves right now? About having a nice day. You're having a nice day, right?"

"I'm having a great day."

"That's what I mean. With how much we've lost lately, do you ever feel guilty about being happy? I'm not sure if it's right that I don't feel upset right now."

"Look at me, Lysandra. We've earned this. We can't wallow in death and misery. Yes, good people died that shouldn't have but we can't let that consume us. We have to find a way to move on."

She nodded quickly after hearing the words. "I guess I just needed to hear you say it. I'll always remember Lysander. It would be impossible to forget him. But I'm ready to move on."

"I'm ready too," said Praxis. "And we'll move on together."

She smiled at him. "I love you, Praxis."

To his surprise, the words came out a little too easily. "I love you too."

There wasn't any way the day could have gotten any better.

*****

By the time they made it back to the village, it was late in the afternoon. High on their own feelings, the couple dashed through the valley meadows until they arrived at Demetrios' house. It could have been the euphoria of an excellent day or it could have been due to them not realizing the true extent of the danger, but a pair of foreign eyes watched them cross the short distance to Demetrios' house before stepping inside.

And it was this small matter that caused a large problem later on when there was a pounding on the healer's door, followed quickly by a yell.

"Demetrios, why are you harboring two Argives in your house! You know the laws of our village. They need to be killed!"

Praxis and Lysandra shared a look of panic. The good feelings from earlier had completely disappeared.