Westrons Pt. 19

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New Model Army.
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26

Part 20 of the 33 part series

Updated 06/09/2023
Created 06/13/2019
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AspernEssling
AspernEssling
4,241 Followers

I was away from home for a week - any delay in posting this chapter is entirely my fault. But what a pleasure to come home and find all the comments on Chapters 17 and 18. Thank you all for your support.

Thank you, too, Anonymous Colonel. Excellent suggestions! At some point, I would like to include an epilogue of sorts, with some of the best feedback I’ve received. Another Colonel (retired) gave me some fantastic feedback about muskets, rifles, artillery ... with his permission, I’d love to post some of this material, as a sort-of ‘Non-erotic’ appendix.

For those wondering how long the story will be: Iriad has edited Chapter 26, and I’m working on 27. More to come. Thanks again.

***

Just setting up camp for the New Model Army (2nd Edition) was a massive undertaking. I missed Tallia badly for the first few months - and only a part of that was sexual longing. It was hard work, and we had difficulties that we’d never anticipated.

Starting a new regiment from scratch, for one: on paper, the Chancellor’s Own was a regiment like any other. In reality, it was soon composed of a handful of soldiers with experience (not all of it positive), and a mass of hundreds of raw recruits.

The new uniforms featured blue coats and grey breeches. Their very newness made the soldiers feel a little uncomfortable. By way of comparison, the Anelis’ blue coats were so worn and threadbare that they looked grey, while their once bright yellow breeches had faded to a sickly off-white.

Many of the new recruits were enthusiastic, but that can only take you so far. We needed trained non-coms, the corporals and especially the sergeants who would set the tone and essentially teach these newcomers what it was to be a soldier in the Queen’s army.

Tudino, Avette, and especially Langoret were very generous. They each gave up a Company Captain, a sergeant and a few corporals, plus some promising privates, so that Chancellor’s would at least have a core to build around.

Ishana and Koroba weren’t entirely thrilled to allow hundreds of strangers to enter our camp. They began a series of informal interviews. End result: two weeks later, six soldiers were sent home - with no reason given. One was arrested, and sent back to the capital.

- “Thank you.” I said, to my bodyguards. I hadn’t forgotten, for a moment, how easy it would be for my enemies to slip a few spies, or even assassins, into our army.

- “There may be more.” said Ishana.

- “There are more.” said Koroba. “We just haven’t found them yet.”

We couldn’t turn them away - and how many people have perfectly innocent personal histories? From my limited experience, those were the ones we had to worry about most.

One of my early tasks was simple: I had to train Tudino’s, Avette’s and the new Chancellor’s regiments to march. They had to be able to keep up with the Anelis and the Langorets (and those two regiments had to be whipped back into shape - they’d gotten a little soft since Limset).

I also had to find someone to take on the role of acting-Colonel for the new regiment. Faregil was delighted to learn that she would be commanding the Anelis, while I directed the army. She knew that she could do it; so did I.

But the Anelis had been pretty thoroughly mined for talent. Chardeia had died at Limset. Faregil had risen from Captain to Colonel. There just wasn’t anyone else in the Aneli regiment who had the stuff to be a Colonel.

It was Langoret who came to the rescue.

- “I ... may have a candidate. The Captain of my 3rd Company.”

- “You don’t sound all that enthusiastic.” I said. “Wasn’t she at Limset?”

- “Yes. She did well. But ...”

I had to smile. Talking to Langoret was like being with the sister I’d never had - but wished that I could’ve. She left room for me to form my own judgments, and tried not to sway me with her own biases.

- “Just tell me.” I suggested.

- “Her name is Votuda. She is ... difficult to get along with. The troopers are not excited to serve with her: she is a stickler for discipline, and punishes even minor infractions.”

A martinet. The Westrons had had quite a few of those: they had not one, but three specific words for this type of officer. Votuda was picky and a hard ass. I didn’t care for petty tyrants, myself. Strike one against this Votuda.

- “She is ... a bit prickly, too.” said Langoret. “Not very popular with the other Captains.”

- “Doesn’t play well with others?” I said. “You’re not making her sound very good.” In my head, I’d already counted Strike two.

- “She’s brilliant.” said Langoret.

- “Hmm.”

- “She is difficult to like, though.”

I could deal with that. Maybe.

Avette wasn’t always easy to get along with, either. I loved Langoret and Tudino, but it was too much to hope that I was going to have warm feelings for everyone we had to work with - especially if our little army was going to expand.

My four bodyguards were a case in point: I adored Koroba, and Nasta made me smile. I was growing more comfortable with Madze every day, but I suspected that we would never be close. And I still had qualms about Ishana, who was the most professional of the bunch.

- “I’d like to meet Votuda.” I said to Langoret. “Just for a conversation.”

- “Perhaps you should simply observe her, and form your first impressions before she knows that you are considering her for promotion. She is very intelligent; she may realize right away that your conversation is in the nature of an interview.”

We scheduled some training exercises for Langoret’s regiment. As soon as I saw 3rd Company, I remembered them from Limset. They moved well, precise and under control at all times. Nobody slacked off, and they all seemed to know their tasks.

As soon as I saw Votuda, I understood why. She had an eagle eye for every detail, and missed nothing. She didn’t waste many words on chummy encouragement, but she was quick to spot a mistake.

She was tall, and extremely thin. Her hair was an unremarkable dark brown. I might not have noticed Votuda if I hadn’t been looking for her. But once I’d seen her at work, my eye kept returning to 3rd Company’s Captain.

- “They’re moving well.” I said, to Langoret. “Nothing flashy; they’re just good.”

- “I thought you might notice that.”

Later that day, I wandered over to where Langoret’s regiment had set up camp. Once I’d located 3rd Company’s tents, I had to smile: Votuda’s troopers were farthest from the latrines, and closest to the stream where they would draw their water. Their tents were also immaculate, each one surrounded by a rain trench.

I had a dozen other things to do, of course, and forgot about Votuda for a while when I had to travel back to Cercen for Tallia. She was due to deliver our child.

Truth be told, I was worried for her. She was so slender, and this was her first. None of that mattered: I arrived at home to find that she’d already delivered a healthy boy, four days early.

She looked tired, but happy. Her mother handed me the baby.

- “Hey, little Talley.” I said. We’d agreed, in advance, to name the child after her parents. Good thing he was male; he was far too ugly to be a Tisucha.

The baby’s grandparents were thrilled. Aunt Esyle was beaming, too; she herself was beginning to show.

***

- “Tell me everything.” Tallia insisted.

- “You’ll be there soon enough. Why worry about it now?”

- “I’m not worrying, Cook. I’m curious. Bored, too. Tell me what’s going on - please.”

Tallia had delivered her child like a champ. She discovered, though, as her mother and her sister fussed around her, that she couldn’t wait to get back to work.

In a few months, if all went well, there would be two babies in the nursery. Esyle and Tisucha were already looking forward to raising the children. Tallia, on the other hand, was more interested in what was going on with the New Model Army.

So I told her what had been happening.

- “Votuda? Langoret’s 3rd Company?” She knew exactly who that was. “No one’s troops are better-fed, better sheltered, or ... better cared for.”

- “Really?”

- “I know that they call her ... a pain. She’s not exactly popular with the other captains, either. But she looks after her soldiers. Meticulous - that’s the word I’d use.”

I kissed her on the forehead. “Thank you. You’re a treasure.”

***

It would be a few weeks before Tallia could rejoin the army. In the meantime, I went with my first instinct, and asked Votuda to come see me. I didn’t call it an interview - but I suppose that it was, even if the candidate didn’t know it.

Votuda was quite tall - probably 5’10”. She was almost painfully thin. When she sat down opposite me, I noticed the shape of her face. She had a broad forehead, and a large, sharp nose.

After that, though, her face narrowed dramatically. Her chin was quite small. From her cheekbones down, the lower half of her face looked almost like an inverted triangle.

None of that mattered, though, once you looked her in the eye. Greenish blue ... and very striking.

- “Do you have any idea why I asked to speak to you, Captain Votuda?”

- “No, Sir.” That was all she said. No smile, no embellishment. She patiently waited for me to explain why she was here.

I went with my gut.

- “I need an Acting-Colonel for the Chancellor’s Regiment.”

She didn’t reply. I hadn’t phrased it as a question.

“Do you think you could handle it?” I asked.

- “Yes, Sir. I can.”

It might have been one of the shortest - and most successful job interviews ever.

***

Within a month, Votuda had made her presence felt - at all levels.

The Wole supply drivers went in fear of her, because she inspected everything they brought for her regiment. Woe betide them if they delivered sub-standard equipment or spoiled meat to her troopers.

Those same troopers walked in fear of her, because she wouldn’t tolerate sloppiness or uncleanliness. She drilled them hard, and pushed them physically. They began to see my route marches - punishing as they were - as a respite from her training schedule.

And when we had command conferences - me and the five Colonels - you’d never have known that Votuda had only held her rank for a couple of weeks. Avette took an instinctive dislike to her; even Faregil didn’t seem to know what to make of our new Colonel.

- “Thank you again, Langoret, for letting me have her.” I said.

- “I know that she is an excellent officer.” said Langoret. “I only wish that I could ... warm to her a little more.”

- “I like her!” said Tudino, to Langoret and me.

- “I imagine that you two have matters to discuss.” said Langoret. “I will leave you alone.”

Tudino was surprised.

- “That’s amazing. How did she know that I wanted to talk to you alone?”

I could only shake my head. “You’re going into hemmer, Tudino.”

- “You, too? How did you know?”

- “Umm, let’s see: we could smell it, and feel it. And if you look down, you’ll see that you may need a new shirt, because your nipples are poking holes in that one.”

Her eyes lit up. “You can smell me? Already?” She was inordinately pleased with herself. “So, can you ...? It’s still peacetime. The army can spare us for a few days.”

- “I’ll be there, Tudino. You know I wouldn’t miss it.”

***

There were villages nearby, and each one had little hemmer cottages, well away from the settled areas, so that a female could enjoy her husband or lover, without worrying that other males would be breaking the doors down to get at her.

The villagers of Hembyn were only too pleased to provide one of their cottages for the famous Colonel Tudino. I’m sure that a few coins changed hands, as well.

Tallia took care of everything.

She’d been back with the army two days when Tudino approached her, to ask if she could ‘borrow’ me. Tallia only grinned, and promised to arrange everything.

- “You’re incredible.” I said, as I held Tallia close.

- “You’re only realizing that now?”

- “I’m trying to be serious - it’s very ... generous of you to do this.”

- “Tudino is our friend. She trusts you - probably only you.”

- “She told you? About her last hemmer?”

- “Of course she did. She’s my friend, too, Cook.”

Ishana stayed with Tallia, while the other three bodyguards accompanied me to Hembyn. Tudino was already there, waiting for us.

Her eyes - her best feature - were unnaturally bright.

- “You’re here!” She pulled me inside, and shut the door behind me. Then she hesitated.

- “Hello, Tudino.” I said, pulling her close. I kissed her cheek, and let my lips brush her ear. I could smell her fine, subtle fragrance.

- “I’m sorry.” she said. “It’s not much ...” She waved a hand, indicating the room behind us.

It was a rustic little cabin, with the simplest of amenities. There was a curtained alcove, with a chamber pot, a table with two stools, and a bed. The walls were of unpainted wood.

- “I’m not here for the decor. The main attraction is already in my arms.”

She smiled at that, and seemed to relax a little. “Yes. It doesn’t seem so bad, now that you’re here. And ... I’d rather be in a tiny cabin with you, than in a castle with someone else.”

- “What a lovely thing to say.”

She blushed. “I’m sorry, Cook. I’m ... nervous again. I didn’t think that I would be, but ... I mean ... I realized that ... I don’t really know what to do. How to start.”

“Last time, you took the lead, and you were very patient. Will you teach me?”

- “Everyone is different.” I said. “You should do whatever you like - whatever makes you feel good. And if you remember, it took a while for you to get going, last time.”

- “I know.”

- “So let’s not rush. What if we had a drink, and ... went for a short walk? See what there is around here.”

- “There’s just a stream, and some trees ...”

- “Show me.” I suggested. “Let me pour us a drink, first.”

While I busied myself with the cups and the wine, Tudino sat down at the table and quickly scribbled in a notebook. When she finished writing, she looked up, to find me watching.

- “I don’t want to forget anything.” she said. “I want to remember all of it perfectly.”

- “Oh?”

- “One day, I want to be able to explain to little Cook what a hemmer is really like - what it can be like. So she’ll know enough not to be afraid.”

Our daughter was barely a year old, but Tudino was already planning to teach her about sex. It was a poignant reminder for me of how badly her own mother and grandmother had failed her, in that regard.

“I know she won’t have an actual hemmer.” said Tudino. “It will be ... what you hybrids experience. That’s why I’ve been talking to Tallia and Esyle ...”

- “Have you, now? You made good choices: if there’s anything those two like to do, it’s talk about sex. Especially Tallia.” I tried to suppress a smile.

- “It’s not funny, Cook. This is serious.”

I sat down opposite her. “I’m sorry. Please - go on.”

- “It appears that many of the principles are the same.” she continued. “But I need to know where the differences are. How long it takes hybrids to become aroused, what excites them ... and I need to know from a male perspective, too, so that she’ll have some idea what to expect. What to do ...”

I pointed at the notebook. “You can’t leave her a military manual, Tudino. No manual could ever cover all of the possible eventualities.”

- “I know. But it can outline some of the possibilities. And I can provide comfort, reassurance ... in case anything goes wrong.”

- “That’s a beautiful sentiment. You should tell her in person, when she’s older.”

- “I intend to. I hope ...” Tudino looked up at me, tears glistening in her eyes. “I have to write it down, though, because ... just in case.”

She didn’t have to say anything more. In our line of work, there was always the possibility that we wouldn’t be around to see our child grow up. Tudino knew that well; she’d been seriously wounded several times already.

What a heartbreaking thought, to worry that you might not be there to help your little girl grow up.

I went to her, and took her in my arms. We cried together.

- “Not quite the way I expected my hemmer to start.” she said.

- “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

I handed her a drink, and we left the little cottage. Koroba, Madze and Nasta were lounging in the sun, within sight of the door. Tudino greeted them, and exchanged a few pleasantries.

We walked through the grass, down to the stream.

- “It’s lovely.” I said.

- “It’s just a stream, Cook.”

- “What happened to the romantic poet who was saying she’d rather be in a tiny cabin with me than in a castle? See this spot, here? What if we were to spread a blanket, later tonight? Under the stars ...”

She grinned. “That’s what you do, isn’t it? You talk about it, get me thinking, so that I’m more aroused when we finally do ...”

- “Is it wrong of me to imagine you naked?” I asked. I leaned closer, and smelled her hair.

- “Mmm ... can you smell me, yet?”

- “Of course I can. But you’re still just beginning. There are several things we can do, to warm you up a bit.”

- “Oh! Like that thing with your tongue? And your fingers?” She looked like she might be preparing to race me back to the cabin. I took her by the hand.

- “We have days, Tudino. Days. And the anticipation can be delicious, too.”

- “Damn.” she said. “That sounds like you’re planning to tease me. Again.”

- “Maybe. What would you say to a little swim in the stream?”

- “It’s not very deep.”

- “That’s why I said a ‘little’ swim.”

***

It’s very odd to make love with a notebook beside the bed.

Tudino did manage to forget it, for prolonged periods of time. But as we lay together, recovering from our orgasms, she would inevitably spot her notebook, which would lead to a new round of questioning.

- “How do you like that position? What’s best about it, from a male point of view? Is it more difficult? Do you last longer?”

We started with cowgirl, which she remembered as a favorite from last time, then missionary and doggy. By that time she had writer’s cramp, and the cabin was getting a little funky. I suggested a swim again.

- “Well, a wash, at least.” she agreed.

We went back down to the stream, where she became playful, splashing me, and then sprinting away through the shallow water. That led to some wet wrestling, which led to us trying to fuck on a rock at the edge of the stream.

Both of us suffered minor abrasions, and I nearly lost the skin on the underside of my testicles when she suddenly shifted position.

For safety’s sake, I picked her up and carried her into the shallow water. I got a grip on her butt, and lowered her onto my erection. She was strong enough to support most of her own weight with her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist.

- “Going to - put - this one - in the - notebook?” I asked

That got her laughing. I couldn’t help joining in. It is extremely difficult to copulate while standing in a stream and laughing.

We returned to the cabin, where I insisted that Tudino write all of it down. What our daughter would make of it, I had no idea - but that led to more laughter. We ended up in bed, making love in a more conventional position.

Yes. Making love.

I liked Tudino. I had from the very beginning. I admired her courage, and her battlefield instincts. She was big-hearted, and generous.

I felt a bond with her, too, after learning that she’d believed - for years - that she was sexually dysfunctional. I’d helped her get over that. No matter what people may believe, I know that we are more likely to think highly of someone we’ve helped, than of someone who has helped us.

It is more blessed to give than to receive. Very true, psychologically speaking.

We did lie on a blanket, next to the stream, under the stars. I went down on her there, and we had an extended and highly satisfactory session of love-making.

AspernEssling
AspernEssling
4,241 Followers
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