Chapter 18:
Fucking Lace
It was late morning when Nameless awoke, the sun finding the window of their cottage and drawing a line across his eyes through the curtains.
His dreams had been chaotic again, all fire and violence and pain, though they felt different this time, less of a memory and more real.
He nonetheless shook them off and shifted against Milly’s side, nuzzling himself against her shoulder with her arm around him possessively.
“Good morning Master.” She greeted him sleepily.
“Mmmm, good morning.” He nuzzled her again, then his brow crinkled; “You know what?”
“Yes?”
He shifted his head a bit and kissed the side of her naked breast between each word.
“You-”
Kiss.
“Need-”
Kiss.
“A-”
Lingering kiss.
“Bath.”
She lowed at the attention.
He gave a sudden yelp as a familiar rough tongue scraped up his spine from the small of his back, over Milly’s arm, then his neck and into his hair.
“Lover, so do you. In fact, I think we all do, last night was wild!” Erica whispered into his ear.
Milly shifted her arm to allow the Katje to spoon him from behind, extending the embrace to include her Katje sister.
Through their bonds the other girls had felt their fair share of his and Erica’s rough sex from the previous night, and when they came back from visiting the Amazons they were up half the night: six bodies writhing together well beyond the point of sanity.
Nameless yawned and stretched with a groan.
“Yeah, I’m getting a little sore again, we’ve been making sex a lot lately.”
Erica let out a little meow.
“You’re sore? After yesterday I’m going to need a special pillow to sit down!”
She kissed his ear again to lessen the complaint.
“Yeah, we uh, took that kind of far huh?”
“No, we took it just the right amount. You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you to really claim me.”
He frowned as he pondered the nuances of Katje psychology, and felt a cold shudder when he realized that Erica had likely been dominated like that many times before, and never by someone of her choosing.
Fortunately the utter satisfaction oozing from her heartstone in the bracer on the vanity dispelled his worries, so he pulled her arm over his waist and nuzzled closer into Milly’s breasts. He was seriously thinking about going back to sleep, but Ophelia sat up on the other side of Milly.
“Yes dearheart, we have been having a lot of sex, and rough sex is good, in moderation of course. Like our Volka keeps saying, ‘seek only joy’.”
She got out of bed and stretched, the naked expanse of her arching back causing his sore cock to stiffen slightly against the velvet hide of Milly’s thigh.
“And speaking of moderation, it is well past time to get up!”
She turned and briskly pulled the covers off, then fanned them with her wings, the chill morning air on their exposed skin waking them fully.
“Ophelia! Brrrr!” Erica complained with a shudder as she held him closer.
“Yes it is a brisk morning, all the better to wake up to, though!”
Despite her words, Ophelia scrambled to pull on her gown.
“Certainly better than waking up in the middle of the night because somebody stole all the covers!”
Volka, dressed in her flimsy shorts and shirt, hugged Ophelia from behind and kissed her shoulder, the Flutterby’s wings folded low between them.
“Mmmm, I’m certain I have no idea to what you are referring.”
Ophelia’s hand curled into the angel’s golden locks as she held her face in the nape of her neck.
“Volka? Did you sleep in the front room?” Nameless fretted.
The Valkyrie stuck her bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout, her head hunched down and her chin resting on Ophelia’s shoulder.
“Yes Husband, once the covers were taken from me I fled to sleep near the embers of the fire, it was dreadfully lonely!”
“I call bullshit.”
Nina had pulled on her shorts and was scratching her stomach, her little naked breasts having the same effect on him as Ophelia’s exposed skin had.
“Maybe, but we do need a bigger bed lover.” Erica commented as she slipped her panties on.
The last to get up despite the chill, Nameless yawned.
“I’ll add it to the list, but I don’t know… I kind of like us all snuggled together like this!”
Five sets of eyes stared at him.
“What?”
“Says the guy who always sleeps in the middle!” Milly giggled then threw a pillow at him, bowling him over on the bed.
Showering in twos the family set about getting ready for the day.
“You slept the whole night lover?”
He nodded as he bit into some toast.
“Yeah, I did, being completely and utterly exhausted beforehand certainly helped!”
Volka’s eyes widened in mock panic as she whispered loudly to the others.
“He’s on to us! Quickly, somebody flash him some skin to distract him before he figures out the plan!”
He chuckled as he took another bite of toast, while Erica rolled her eyes and pulled the plunging neckline of Ophelia’s dress to one side, briefly exposing the curve of one breast and the indigo nipple at its center.
“Hey!” The Flutterby slapped at the Katje’s hand; “Bad kitty! Never at the table!”
Volka choked a bit on her water and Nameless inhaled a piece of toast with a cough.
Once Milly had finished chewing and swallowing a mouthful of oats she turned to him with a questioning look.
“So after all of the usual morning stuff what’s the plan for today?”
After a sip of milk to clear his throat he shrugged.
“There’s not much work left to do on the fence.” Nameless scratched at his jaw thoughtfully; “I suppose we could go and see about getting a bigger bed when we take your milk into the market?”
Nina nodded.
“Yeah, and I need to pick up some ingots Rory set aside for me.”
“Silver?” Ophelia frowned.
“Yup.”
“So you’re going to make me some cutlery now?” Her tone was arch.
It was rare to see the Gigas squirm so they all enjoyed the sight.
“Well, I was planning on-” She trailed off as Ophelia’s expression darkened; “-on… surprising you with it?”
The Flutterby clucked her tongue.
“Surprises are overrated dearheart, flatware is forever.”
Nina sighed.
“Well, after I refill the fork drawer, I want to start making pieces to sell at the market, maybe take some orders.”
Nameless scratched at his chin.
“Wouldn’t Wayfelt be a better market for you for something fancy like that?”
She snorted.
“I am a Gigas smith. Customers come to me.”
At that moment there was a knock on the door and Myrina poked her head inside.
“I see you are finally awake! And yet Milly is not dodging my spear and Erica is not dodging Volka’s feathers?”
“Sorry Myrina!” Milly said as she wiped her mouth and stood.
“Yeah sorry Myrina, slow morning, we still need to milk her for the market.” Nameless apologized.
“Well, Erica at least can help you get warmed up.” Volka pushed the Katje towards the door.
The Katje yowled at the Valkyrie’s evil grin.
“It’s too cold for this shit!”
While the others watched in amusement, Myrina cheerfully dragged her outside.
“It is never too cold for training!”
After breakfast, Volka took Nameless by the hand and they stepped out into the field.
“What’s up?”
She rolled her shoulders and handed him her shield. Then stepped behind him and hugged him around the waist.
“Tell me Husband, are you afraid of heights?”
He shrugged against her breasts as they pressed into his back; she had not donned her armour yet.
“I don’t really know.”
She leaned in and kissed his ear.
“Do you want to find out?”
His cheeks flushed at the feel of her lips on his skin and his heart pounded in excitement at what she was suggesting.
“You mean… fly?”
“Would you mind? Our first flight together was marred by Evadne. I would love to show you the world, as I see it.”
He blinked at the idea, but could feel her excitement coming from the shield in his hands.
“Sure, do I need to do anything or…”
“Yes.” She replied gravely while helping him strap the shield to his arm; “You must focus with all your might upon how amazing you think I am.”
It was not a difficult request so he did as she asked, though he was a bit skeptical.
“And this will help you carry me?”
She kissed his ear again and extended her wings to their full length as she gripped him tight.
“No, but it will certainly keep me from dropping you.”
With a mighty heave she carried him airborne as his stomach dropped.
It was glorious.
Once his stomach settled and he got used to the steady rhythm of Volka’s wings, Nameless found that not only was he not afraid of heights, he loved to fly.
“Volka this is amazing!” He shouted over the biting air in his face as they soared ever higher.
Even with his jacket he was chilly, but with all of his excitement he didn’t care, though he had to blink repeatedly against the force of the wind as she flew faster.
She smiled wide when she heard him laughing out loud, then she laughed with him as he let out a whoop.
“How far could we fly like this?!”
She hugged him tighter, her hands gripping her opposite forearms.
“I am no Dragon, I could not carry you across the face of the world, but I can manage a flight around Goodman Fletcher’s property before the strain gets too great.”
The world below had become tiny, the extent of Paul’s fields was laid out before him, along with the numerous copses of trees that were either too hilly or too pretty for the old farmer to fell.
Sadly they had barely been in the air for five minutes when Volka spotted something on the ground and dropped into a dive that made Nameless squeal like an excited child.
Helena was lying on her back in the middle of one of Paul’s fields not far from where they landed.
She wasn’t moving and Nameless’s stomach twisted with dread.
“Helena! Are you alright?!”
On legs still wobbly from his first flight Nameless stumbled over to her, falling to his knees at her side with Volka one step behind him.
The Valkyrie placed her hand on the prone Amazon’s forehead, and after a tense moment she finally smiled in relief.
“She is well, a moment please.”
She closed her eyes and her golden aura reached out and flowed over the Amazon, while Nameless watched with worry.
The golden light suffused Helena’s body until the Amazon started on the ground, her eyes wide as she turned to him.
“You weren’t lying!”
“I wasn’t? I mean, I wasn’t!”
“The Fletcher man!”
“Yeah?”
“He is as cunning as you say! And, and as ruthless as a Troglodyte Bloodletter!” She pouted.
Relief flooded him, while Volka covered her smile with her hand.
“I take it he got his pipe back?”
“Yes! But he…”
She looked between both of them again.
“He cheated!”
“Okay?”
“Yes, he had his Cockatrices set upon me. And then…” She blushed crimson.
“What? What did he do?” Nameless was on tenterhooks.
She let out her breath in a gust.
“That motherfucker stole my spear!”
Volka couldn’t hold back anymore, she began to laugh in great peals while Helena sulked.
Nameless very much wanted to join his angel in her amusement, but at this point he feared for Paul’s safety.
“So… what happens now?”
“What happens now?! Now I have to go and get it back!”
“You aren’t going to hurt him are you?”
“What? No! He said if I wanted to get my spear back all that I have to do I is share a meal with him, but I also have to…” Again her cheeks flushed as Volka kept laughing.
“You have to what?” Nameless prodded, wide eyed with curiosity.
“I have to wear a dress!” She wailed.
Nameless was perplexed; the Amazons that he had all seen all wore a sort of hide skirt, so he didn’t understand the issue.
“Okay, that doesn’t sound so bad.”
“It’s horrible! He showed it to me, while I was frozen! It was the silliest costume one could imagine!”
“Yeah?” He was struggling to keep a straight face.
“It was pink, Valkyrja-datta! And it had lace! Fucking. LACE!”
Nameless was done. He joined Volka in gut-wrenching laughter while Helena described the dress.
“I did warn you!” He said while wiping away his tears of mirth.
She gave a rueful shake of her head.
“You did indeed, and would that I had listened!”
“So what are you going to do?”
She threw up her arms in exasperation.
“What can I do? I must get my spear back! So I will wear this… thing, and, and then I swear I will bear his children! For any daughter born of his seed will no doubt be as ruthless and cunning as he is! Warleaders all!”
“So, you’re getting what you wanted then?” Volka chimed in.
“No I’m not!” She wailed; “I just wanted to have a tryst with a man who obviously has great talents in bed! I was not searching for a mate, well, not really.”
“But Paul is a good man.” Nameless offered.
Helena shuddered and her look turned almost hungry.
“You should have seen the looks on the faces of those Cockatrices while they whispered what he had planned for me…”
At this point Nameless had reached the too-much-information stage of the conversation.
“Well, uh, enjoy your dinner?”
She leapt to her feet and brushed herself off.
“Oh I shall, Valkyrja-datta! If I am to suffer the humiliation of that accursed garment, then I will keep this man awake all night and into the morning! For the rest of his life he will dream only of my cries of ecstasy while his bond-mates’ lament ever allowing me to share his bed!”
She spoke like she was declaring war, which in a way, she was.
Volka and nameless watched her as she stormed off.
They shared another fit of giggles, before she reached out her hand and took his.
“Shall we return to the sky?”
He nodded, but before she wrapped him in her arms again, he folded his collar up against the chill.
“If we’re going to keep doing this, I’ll need a thicker coat.”
__________
After their flight together became too chilly, the Valkyrie joined Myrina in training with Erica while Nameless sought out Paul, worried about the idea of Helena plotting her revenge.
He found him on his porch whittling a stick. Once again he had a Cockatrice nuzzled against either calf. Both of the feathered girls were making adorable cooing noises and looked to be asleep.
Nameless spoke quietly so as not to disturb them.
“I never asked, and I kind of feel like an asshole for it, but how are you doing? You know, with the whole ‘ninety seven years young’ thing?”
Paul blew out a puff of smoke from his reclaimed pipe.
“Honestly, no idea. All I know is that I have a dinner date with a fine looking Amazon, and unless I misread her entirely I’m pretty sure me and the hens will be in for a long night.”
Nameless chuckled.
“Not thinking about it then?”
The old farmer took another pull on his pipe and shrugged.
“What’s to think about? Before Xalanth breathed on me, I felt tired a lot. I felt… old. And I’d pretty much accepted that one day in the near future I was going to go down for a nap and not come up again. Now though? Well, I’m happy, I’m healthy, and sure as the sun rises, I am horny!”
He gave Nameless a ridiculous leer as the younger man groaned helplessly.
“Are you really going to make Helena wear a dress?”
Paul cackled evilly.
“Damn rights! Had it made special. Best way I can think to keep her from swiping my favorite pipe again!”
He popped said pipe back between his teeth as laughter faded and they sat in silence for a time.
“Thing is kiddo, I got no idea how long this gift will last, but I’m old enough to know that life’s too damn short! So however long that beautiful Dragon gave me, I aim to make the most of.”
Nameless thought he understood the old farmer’s reasoning, so he let it drop, instead adopting a teasing tone.
“Starting with Helena?”
“Well, I started with the hens already if you hadn’t noticed.” Paul waggled his eyebrows meaningfully.
The young man rolled his eyes.
“Right right.”
“And how about you? You said you and Volka hadn’t gotten into it yet, any progress there.”
Nameless couldn’t hide his grin.
“Some.”
“Ha, Helena wasn’t kidding about your appetite!”
“Pffft!” Nameless scoffed; “Says the guy with an entire flock of girls!”
“Bah! Doesn’t count! Cockatrices are sort of like Hornets, ‘cept they each have their own heartstone. But it’s really rare for a flock not to all bond to the same person.”
“Really, an entire flock?”
The young man didn’t hide his skepticism.
“I’m serious! Go look it up. The little cuties are attached at the hip! Have been since I met ‘em!”
The girls squawked indignantly as Paul shifted too far forwards and woke them.
“Well now look what you’ve done!”
He shook his finger at Nameless as the girls ruffled their feathers in agitation and both glared at him in unison.
He smiled nervously, but they opened their mouths and sucked in a breath.
“Ah fuc-”
He tried to plug his ears but it did little good, paralysis claimed him as the girls’ shrieks washed over him.
Stiff as a board, Nameless toppled over onto the porch, while Paul laughed uproariously.
“Some lady-killer you are!”
It wasn’t the first time Nameless had run afoul of the Cockatrices, so at least he knew what to expect. Paul took pity on him and went to fetch Escrya to carry him back to the cottage.
Mercifully the amused Amazon didn’t take advantage of him while holding him tight to her breasts, though she definitely talked about doing so.
At length.