Beloved of Ashura: Learning to Fly

"Yes," Rayven replied, offering nothing more.

As much as she wanted to ask why, Isana found that she couldn't. There was a melancholy aura about Rayven that held her back. Finally, she just said, "I'm glad. Thank you."

"Let's go to bed, Dove. We have an even harder day of riding tomorrow," Rayven said as she got up.

They both went into the shelter and slipped under their bedrolls. At first, Isana thought it would take her forever to fall asleep, so much had happened that day, but exhaustion hit her. Before she realized it, sleep overwhelmed her.

Rayven took longer to fall asleep. She was used to this life and so was less exhausted. Memories from long ago disturbed her. Finally, she was able to fall asleep.

It was still deep in the night when she woke to the sound of a scream. It was Isana, who was thrashing next to her. She reached out and shook her by the shoulder.

"Dove ... Dove! It's okay; you're okay," she said.

Isana suddenly sat upright, and looked around. There was more light now from the moon, which was hanging high in the sky. "Oh, my gods," she said as she burst into tears. "They were coming to get me. I couldn't find you and they were going to take me, and ... and ..." she couldn't continue. The dream was still vivid in her mind. The lust in their faces still terrified her.

"Come here, my little Dove," Rayven said soothingly. "No one is going to hurt you. I promise you. It was a dream; your fears speaking." She opened up her arms and Isana readily went into them, burying her face against the other woman's chest. Her cries were muffled but they continued for a while. As Rayven held her and stroked her back, finally she was able to stop.

Looking up at Rayven, she sniffed. "I kept calling your name. I knew you would protect me. And I knew you were looking for me; you just weren't there." She began to cry a little again.

"Shhh, Dove, I'll be there. Whenever you need me, I will. Okay?" Rayven said soothingly.

Isana blinked the tears away and nodded. "I know you will be." She took a deep breath. "It was a dream. Nightghosts sent to trouble me," she said, as she returned the hug. She looked up at Rayven, whose face was lit up with the moonlight.

"She's so lovely," Isana thought. "I hadn't quite seen it before. If she was presented at court, all dressed up, she would be a beauty." She felt a little stirring inside her, and she looked away. It was a familiar longing to her, and one that no man had ever provoked. While she wasn't ashamed of it, it wasn't one that she had indulged. Other than kissing a friend when she was younger, she hadn't had the opportunity. She wondered if she ever would.

"Turn on your other side, my little Dove," Rayven said gently.

As was often the case, Isana quickly obeyed without question. She felt Rayven scoot next to her and put her arm over her. The younger woman pressed back against the warm body. It felt very secure to be held that way. It was also slightly distracting, as she could feel Rayven's breasts touching against her back. If not for Rayven starting to stroke her head, the stirring inside her might have gotten stronger. As it was, she found sleep coming on again. Being held like that helped keep the nightghosts at bay.

Rayven smiled when she felt Isana's relaxed breaths indicate that she was back in a deep slumber. She continued stroking her hair until she too drifted off.

When she woke, Isana was still sleeping. They were still in the same position, neatly spooned together. Rayven smiled. It had been a while since she had a lovely young woman in her arms. Slowly the smile faded away and she gently shook Isana.

"Time to wake, little Dove," she said.

Isana woke up with a start, uncertain at first where she was. The fresh breeze smelling of the surrounding brush quickly reminded her, as did the feeling of Rayven next to her. It was strange, waking up being held but not at all unpleasant. The selfish princess still in her complained at having to get up from the safety and warmth, but the Kantari wildling growing inside her understood.

"Yes, Rayven," she said as she turned over to face her. Her newly cut hair fell neatly into place. Her blue eyes were wide but looked completely different behind the mask of her tattoo.

Rayven nodded in approval. It was easier to look at her now. Her mother had always looked like a proper Kantari noblewoman with long hair, perfectly combed. Isana didn't look so much like her now. "I like this better. Her ghost does not haunt me in the same way. I can treat Dove as her own person, easier this way," Rayven thought to herself. Already, she had made the transition to stop thinking of her as Isana. It helped that Dove was more appropriate for a tribal wildling.

Sitting up, Rayven reached behind her to check her own hair. Just as the Kantari haircut was designed to be easy to care for, the same was true for her Onjani ponytail. She tucked a few stay strands back into place as she spoke. "Get out the porridge from the saddle bag and mix it with water. It takes longer when it is cold, but it will be fine by the time we have broken camp. Add some of the dried fruit," she said. Dawn wasn't quite there, but there was enough light to see.

While Isana hurried to do her task, Rayven quickly disassembled the camp. Her long years of practice were evident. When Isana returned for more instructions, she told her to saddle their horses while she donned her armor. Between them, they were ready to go, including having eaten their morning meal, in about a half hour.

The sun was just up over the horizon, and Rayven looked off into the distance from which they came. After several long minutes, she looked over at Isana and smiled.

"No sign of anyone," she said as they walked over to the horses. She had methodically stripped the ones they took from the scouts of anything that would identify them as being from the Duke's forces, including dropping the saddles off a cliff into a lake. As far as anyone could tell now, these had been their horses forever.

Isana went to mount her horse but found that her muscles were stiff enough that she couldn't get up. She looked helplessly over at Rayven. "Could you help?" she asked.

"Of course," the other woman said as she came over. When Isana tried to lift her leg up and over her horse, Rayven gave her ass a strong push. It was enough to help Isana get into the saddle.

"Thanks," Isana said. She hoped the mask tattoo helped hide her blush. The feeling of Rayven's hand on her ass remained imprinted there. Once again, she felt those stirrings.

"Happy to help, Dove," Rayven said, and then mounted her own horse in an easy motion. She double-checked her weapons and then began to lead them up into the hills.

The pace was steady but not too hard until they reached the top of the hills. There, the terrain flattened out into a big plateau with small copses of trees and wide grasslands. Rayven took her time before she came out of the stand of trees at the top of the hill.

"There's an Onjani village to the south of here," she told Isana. "Most people come up the slope closer to it." She gazed out into the open lands. She couldn't detect anyone. "Let's hope they stick to it today." With that, she rode into the open and began to ride due west. The pace was hard and they switched horses a few times so that they could keep going without much pause. Although occasionally they dismounted and walked, most of the day was spent in the saddle.

Isana could feel the long miles piling up in her legs and her bottom. She wasn't used to this much riding. She wanted to beg Rayven to stop, but her pride wouldn't let her. More than wanting to stop, she wanted Rayven to approve of her. Even when they decided to camp in some woods shortly before the plateau ended and started to drop down again, she tried to be as helpful as she could and ignore the pain. It worked for a while but finally Rayven noticed her wincing as she lifted a saddlebag down to the ground.

"Dove, what is wrong." Rayven asked as she came over.

"It's nothing," she started to say before she caught the look in Rayven's eye. "I'm just sore from the riding. It isn't too bad."

Her protest didn't do much good. "Go sit down and rest," Rayven said. "There isn't much more to do. I'll have dinner ready soon." Looking firm, she pointed at the shelter where their bedrolls were already laid out. To make her point even more clear, she didn't start to work again until Isana was laying down in the shelter.

It was true that they were almost done. Rayven had the last few things completed in only a few minutes. Dinner was almost as easy. She still didn't want to light a fire. Although they were lucky so far in not running into anyone, she was still worried about trackers coming after them some days from now. Tomorrow she was going to work on making their trail even harder to follow.

She glanced over at the tent and smiled. "At least, Dove will get some relief," she thought. The pace would be gentler as they focused on hiding traces of their passing. She picked up the meat and hard cheese along with the wayfarer's bread and brought it all over to the shelter.

Isana sat up with a gasp as she felt her legs mightily protest at having to move. There were almost tears in her eyes. "That's it," Rayven said. "You're getting a massage when we finish eating. I have some balm that will help."

"I'm sorry, Rayven. I don't mean to be a bother," Isana said. Even as she said the words, it occurred to her that the whole reason for them being here was because of her. Although she tried to stop them, tears began to fall from her eyes. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

She felt Rayven's strong arms go around her and give her a tight hug. Just like the previous night, she buried her head and gave into the protected feeling.

"My little Dove, it's okay. You are doing so well. This is all new, and you've held up admirably. It's just your muscles aren't yet used to this," Rayven said softly. Her chin rested on top of Isana's head, and she slowly rocked her. "It isn't a bother. We are settled for the night, and there is nothing more to do."

After hugging her for another minute, she loosened her hold and separated from the younger woman. The crying had stopped and she gave Rayven a brave little nod. "I'll try not to come apart again," she said.

Rayven reached out and cupped her cheek. "Don't worry about that. Let's have our dinner."

The two of them fell to eating. It was a simple meal again and didn't take long to finish it. Once she was done, Rayven went to the saddlebag that contained all her magical items. Searching through it, she found the bottle she needed and returned to the shelter.

"I'll need you to take off your pants, Dove," she said. After a moment, she added in a regretful tone, "And your underclothes. You said it was your legs and your bottom, right?"

Isana was grateful for the night's concealment. She knew that her new tattoo couldn't hide the fiery red blush on her face. She never undressed like this with someone other than a servant, and Rayven was no servant. Unlike when she had changed in the castle, she didn't look away as Isana took off her clothes.

"I wonder what she's thinking," thought Isana. She couldn't tell from Rayven's face. As was often the case, it was unreadable. The stirrings inside Isana were stronger than ever. She felt the faintest beginnings of dampness between her legs and quickly turned over onto her belly to hide any traces, although the darkness did that for her. She felt vulnerable in a way she had never experienced, but somehow that made the stirring grow.

"Does she find me attractive?" Isana couldn't help wondering. As she thought that, her hips pressed down just a little on their own. She felt Rayven moving behind her.

"The balm will be warm. Don't worry. I've done this before," Rayven said as she touched the calf of one leg. Isana felt several drops of a liquid hit her leg, and instantly there was a warmth there that sank deep into her muscle. A smell came to her, menthol and something else she couldn't identify. The smell was more than just in her nose. She could feel it swirling around her. Once again, she could feel the magic in the air.

As Rayven began to massage her, all other thoughts went away. It was a delicate balance between pain and pleasure. She felt the deep probing fingers working the muscles. She slowly moved from one calf to the other. Isana couldn't help the moans that she made. It felt so good.

When Rayven moved higher and touched her thighs, Isana parted her legs without being asked. Somewhere deep in her mind she knew she had exposed her mound to Rayven, but she couldn't find any embarrassment about it. She was giving her body over to Rayven's treatment.

There were more drops on her legs. The magical liquid helped Rayven's talented fingers to banish the stiff muscles and the pain that had been almost crippling. She was working both thighs at the same time. Her strong hands spread wide with her thumbs on the inner parts. Isana became aware of yet one more scent, a musky one that was vaguely familiar but somehow she couldn't place.

As the hands came higher, Isana realized that they were now close to her exposed privates. "Her thumbs are so close! Oh gods, will she touch me there?" Isana wondered and secretly hoped. She bit her lip in anticipation. At the last moment, however they lifted and moved to her bottom.

That was hardly better. The heat for the balm spread all over her bottom and it burned in a delightful fire. More balm was added and she felt a little trickle slide down the curve of her bottom until it pooled in the crevasse between her cheeks. It sat there creating an intense little fire until Rayven's thumb found it and began to spread it around. Her hands were pulling apart the two hemispheres and she felt her little rosebud being stretched. When a thumb brushed against it, it transferred some of the balm there.

Isana gasped. She could feel the balm slowly penetrating her. It was if it was something alive, almost pulsing. It was an intense and pleasurable feeling. "Oh gods," she murmured softly. She arched her back, lifting up her rear. Her whole body seemed to be coming on fire.

Rayven lifted her hands up off the younger woman. "I think I have gotten all the spots that need it," she said. She felt her own frustration. Although her groans were only in her head, they were real nevertheless. While not in quite the same state of arousal, it was impossible to remain completely calm while touching such a desirable woman. Isana was under her protection; that meant from her own urges as well.

Getting up, she left Isana to calm down while she put away the balm and washed her hands clean of it. The cool night air helped her to let her own excitement to fade away. She took several deep breaths.

When she came back to the shelter, she saw that Isana had only put back on her underclothes, not her pants. Her long legs were extended with the top of her bedroll only over her feet. It was still warm from the day, and so there was no reason to pull it up any higher yet.

Isana watched silently as Rayven entered the shelter. Her lower body was still alive with the feeling of the massage and the balm. The throbbing inside her was not yet gone, but the intense excitement had abated. After Rayven settled in her bedroll, Isana turned on her side.

"Rayven?" she asked.

"Yes, Dove?" the older woman answered back.

"I keep thinking about my dream last night. What if I have it again?"

Rayven reached out and stroked her cheek. "Then I will hold you again," she said softly.

Isana moved slightly closer. "Maybe you could hold me for the beginning of sleep, and keep the nightghosts away altogether?" she asked.

For a moment, Rayven didn't reply. Silently, she sent a thought to her goddess. "Ashura, you tempt me, don't you? Don't be angry with me if I don't give in!" At last, she opened her arms. "Alright my little Dove, come let me hold you," she said.

Rather than turning over so that they could spoon again, Isana moved over alongside her without any hesitation and put her arm over her. With her eyes closed, she lay her head down on Rayven's chest. She wiggled for a few moments and then sighed. "Thank you," she whispered softly.

"You're welcome, little Dove," Rayven said as she closed her arm around her. Once again, she sent an admonishing thought up to her goddess.

For a long while, they were both quiet and still. Then there was a voice in the darkness.

"You were my mother's lover, weren't you?"

Rayven let out a long breath. She softly stroked the back of Isana's head. "I loved your mother, yes," she said.

She felt Isana lift her head. "That wasn't what I asked," she said accusingly. "I know what Beloved of Ashura means."

There was a soft chuckle. "You are so wise, Dove, but just because I pay homage to my goddess by only laying with women, what makes you think that your mother and I worshipped her that way."

"I hear your voice when you speak of her. There is the sound of loss, as only someone who truly loved would make." The strong fingers ran through her short hair, combing it free of all tangles. It felt wonderful, and stirred long suppressed desires in Isana.

"When the rebellion was over, your father asked me to come with him, to watch over your mother. He wanted to protect her but he was afraid. He has a tightly held secret, Dove. At the end of the rebellion, he was injured in a way that made it hard for him to perform as a man. He couldn't pleasure your mother anymore, and he was afraid she would look for it elsewhere, perhaps from a strong guard who watched her night and day," Rayven told her.

"So instead, he picked a Beloved of Ashura," Isana concluded.

"Yes, little Dove. If I pleased her instead of him, at least she would not get with child, and maybe she would not want someone who could," Rayven said. She was quiet for a minute. Finally, she continued. "He didn't imagine that your mother might love me back."

Once again, Isana could hear the loss in her voice. "Or you her?" she asked.

"I don't think your father cared one way or the other if I loved her, but it cut him when he realized that I had her heart as he never did. He would never hurt me because he owed me a life debt, but I stopped being his favorite champion." Rayven didn't mention the times that he had her fight for him against men who were much stronger and bigger. Ashura always fought alongside her and eventually he stopped trying to let fate remove her as a rival.

"Wait! If Father couldn't perform as a man, how did he have me?" It suddenly struck Isana that perhaps she was the child of another.

"Magic, little Dove. What else would the ruler of the Onjani turn to?" Rayven said. It was known that the Kantari were much more suspicious of magic, while the Onjani used it in many everyday ways. The only magic the Kantari used was battle magic. For the King's fix, much more powerful magic was needed. He found one of the most powerful Onjani sorcerers in the kingdom and swore him to silence. It took several years and many gold coins, but eventually he presented the King with a potion.

"The magic could only work one time, so while your father desperately wanted a son, he would have to take what he got. The sorcerer monitored your mother to make sure that she was at her most fertile night, and on that night your father took his potion and got you," Rayven told her. Once again, she left a detail out. There was no reason to tell her that he extracted a modest amount of revenge by having her on guard in the bedroom that night, forcing her to have to watch and listen. She let go of the bitterness many years ago, and didn't want to stir it back up.

Isana pressed against her a little harder and held on a little tighter. Her head rested on Rayven's breast again. Her breath touched the bare skin where the shirt was unlaced. Her curiosity was still not sated.