Lost in the Light

So much had happened. So much has changed. It's hard to find your way back to where you once were when you've been caught in the dark for so long. Your instinct takes over and almost all of who you are is pushed aside so that your primal nature can guide you out into the light. You do things you would never have done. The problem is not in finding one's way out of the darkness, but finding one's way back to yourself - to find that part of you that was pushed aside for the sake of survival.

Riyarra stared blankly at the trees and bushes of the tall forest that passed by as these thoughts preoccupied her. Sunlight drifted in between the leaves and brought out the colors of the world. It had been three days since their escape from the clutches of the Zecarin, yet she was still brooding and trying to reconcile that terrible time. The joy of being free again was short lived. Her future was now before her and she couldn't shake off the horrors of her imprisonment.

Her eyes drifted to her hands as they lay folded in her lap, and the brown slave's dress that covered her, but left her legs bare at the thighs. She was Eltharian, a Light Elf. Her pale skin was gaining more color now that she was in the sun again. Her long blonde hair picked up in the occasional breeze, and her emerald eyes were wide to the world around her. She rode passenger atop a strider, a large subterranean lizard twice the size of a horse. They were fast mounts, capable of great bursts of speed, but they weren't endurance runners. There was no need for them to run anyway; they weren't being pursued. So the trip home had become a long leisurely stroll through the woods.

Surrounding her on both sides were the two large muscular arms of her escort and protector. The man she came to call Mule. He was holding onto the reigns of the mount and guiding the animal when needed. Dressed in a black leather vest that showed off his powerful arms, he sat behind her in the saddle. His presence was just as restricting as his current embrace. Whenever she looked at him the memories of the times they shared came to mind. The cruelty he committed on her at the order of their captives, the vicious killings he perpetrated, the forced lovemaking. Yet despite his see-sawing loyalties, he had remained true to his word and they were now free, but it was a hard earned freedom.

"Mule?" She said, her voice suddenly breaking the hours of long silence between them since morning. That was how their travels had gone. He kept his distance until she wanted to talk and never intruded otherwise. It was a comforting change from his smug bravado during their escape. She still needed time to sort her thoughts, especially about him, and heal her mind from the torture of her capture.

"Princess?" Mule replied. The tone in his voice was... professional, she decided. It reminded her of the way servants and body guards would address her when she was younger, distant and respectful. Never getting too close, and never being far away. That too was a subtle change in him.

"If my brother promised me as your prize, why did you never... take me, unless ordered to?" She was referring to the times the Zecarins forced him to humiliate her. It was something that troubled her because she needed to know his intentions. The humiliation stung at the time, but she had weathered it.

"Hmm." Mule responded. It was his typical way of letting her know he understood her question, but didn't have an answer yet. Sometimes he would think for a long time before answering. Sometimes he never answered. This particular question she had been saving until she was ready to talk about it, she needed to be ready to handle the answer. "Making love with a princess is hardly different from mating with a high lady or peasant. A body is just as warm and inviting as any other in the bed. Some are more shapely, some are more womanly, some have more talents... A princess's value isn't in bedding her, despite what most common men might think. That, in fact, can ruin her value. A princess's value is in her honor, and it must remain intact."

"You believe I have that?" His words had touched her. It was more caring than she had expected. The rough exterior of this seasoned warrior had somewhat melted in the last few days. It was yet another side to this mysterious man that she didn't know was there. Her own doubts, however, didn't agree with his words.

"Yes." Mule responded quickly. "You did what you had to do to survive. A soldier has the luxury of dieing. A peasant has the luxury of selling herself. But a Princess must survive, and be a symbol for her people."

"I was a soldier."

"You were a princess first. And if your brother has his way, your people will need you as their princess more than ever." Riyarra digested his words. It was medicine she needed to hear. Her emotions were plagued, but her mind had never faltered during her capture and torture; they never broke her. And slowly she was beginning to see that – despite all she suffered, she had indeed beaten them and endured. She placed a hand on his arm.

"Thank you." She said and resumed her brooding. Riyarra took in a deep, calming breath and let the smells of the forest fill her nostrils. It put her mind and heart at ease as the troubling question was finally laid to rest. It gave her strength. The strength she needed to ask the next troubling question.

"Am I now your captive?" she asked in a teasing manner. A bit of her humor returned to her after Mule's kind words.

Mule snorted.

"Then what is it you plan to do with me?" She leaned back and her head rested on her bodyguard's shoulder. Her cheek nuzzled against his chest and she smelled the musky scent the rugged man gave off. But her subtle teasing wasn't being received. As she stared at his bare, corded arm she thought about all he had just said, and she realized her error. She was reverting to those instincts of survival again. "I'm sorry." She said formally and straightened her posture in the saddle.

"You don't need to apologize, but I accept it none the less." Mule said comfortingly. He had been coaching her into finding her way back to her old self. "It will take some time to get over all we've been through." Riyarra nodded in agreement. She preoccupied herself with the scenery and resumed her posture. It was a long quiet ride after that.

"Do humans find Eltharians attractive?" Her question was earnest.

"Now I see." Mule said, as her inquiry finally came to its true purpose. It would seem that Riyarra had some insecurities about his past reluctance to take her when ordered to by their captors. He paused and cleared his throat. "Stories are passed around our taverns and hearths of rich and powerful Lords and Knights bewitched by Eltharian beauty. They gave up wealth, property, and duty to pursue the dream that ruined them."

"Why did it ruin them?" She sounded sad.

"Who knows for sure. Perhaps it was fate. Perhaps it didn't ruin them, maybe they found the love they chased after. But in the stories, they're usually never heard from again."

"Are disruptors capable of loving like that? Or do they take it away in your training?" Her tone had grown slightly cold. Her own experiences gave her the answer she didn't want to accept; Mule was a disruptor, a kind of elite mercenary, and capable of cold cruelty. Something as pure as love was likely beyond him now.

"We can imitate it very well." He said after careful thought. Riyarra looked up to the trees and hid the tears that started to collect in her eyes. She cried for Mule. It was a terrible price to pay for so much power.

Riyarra scowled. That thought didn't sit right with her. Her intuition told her not to believe him. Maybe she just didn't want to believe him. An ache formed in her chest, and she brought a hand to her breast and felt her heartbeat. He had done so much for her that showed that, even to some small extent, he cared about her well being. That was enough to ease her concern, she could work with that. Perhaps she could return to him the feelings he lost. Maybe she could do more...

Her head leaned backwards onto the chest of the brave man that had saved her and sighed deeply. Her heart and mind were still a chaos of emotions and paranoia. She tilted her head to one side and pressed her long elfin ear to his chest. His heart beat strongly through the flesh and fabric. She listened to it, and took strength from her savior.

Her hand went to his chest, and it felt his pulse more directly. She felt comfortable against him. Her fingers went to his cheek, and felt the rough whiskers that had grown from his chin. If he could teach her to find herself again, she would try to teach him to love again. Propriety had its place, but out here in the wild, she could be free for a bit longer. He seemed to sense her feelings, and his dark brown eyes drifted down to meet her stark emerald ones. He held her gaze and didn't flinch, as her fingers stroked his cheek. Her mind raced of how to broach it with him. She wanted to feel passion with him again, like they did in the slave quarters of Zecair. She wanted to see for herself if it had all been just an act.

"Make me feel loved." Riyarra commanded, in her best Queen voice. There was no doubt, no indecision, no lust, no need - just warm desire. Her lips went straight for his before he could respond, and they kissed deeply. Her eyes closed, and she let herself go in the passion of that moment. True to elven agility, Riyarra picked herself up and repositioned herself to face him without breaking their kiss. There she melted into his arms and moaned softly into his kiss.

The strider trotted along despite the reigns being dropped as Mule's strong hands came to rest around her. His arms held her tightly and pressed her into him. Riyarra's short stature made her the perfect height to fit snuggly under his arms. She placed her hands on his chest and sought out the buttons of his vest, undoing them slowly one by one. Mule's fingers entwined in her long golden hair and combed through it again and again, much to her sighing pleasure. There was no urgency in their actions, they were completely alone, and there was no burning lust needing to be quenched. This was her test for him, she needed to see how he would yield.

With the last button undone the leather vest parted, and her hands were free to roam over his chest. They curled through his chest hair and grazed lightly over the tightening muscles of his stomach. One stray finger even went to the patch of hair that started at his navel and disappearing below his waistline. She traced that pathway in a teasing fashion.

The moment she touched the fabric of his pants, Mule pulled away from her lips. For a split second she thought he meant to resist her until his lips returned to her cheek and kissed a line to her ear. Riyarra tilted her head to allow him in and sighed softly. Her fingers continued to trace his waistline and play with the short hairs of his stomach. His lips went for her neck, in the soft spot behind the jaw, and tenderly kissed her skin down to her shoulder.

A lover looking to excite her would have gone for her ear, as Mule had done in the past, but this time he went for a different target, and she loved it. He wasn't looking for a quick pairing, he was in it for her enjoyment as well as his. His hand moved the single thick strap of cloth that held up her dress, and moved it off her shoulder. He held her arm as his lips continued their slow tantalization of the nerves along her shoulder.

Riyarra let out a short gasp of joy. Her eyes opened and regarded the exposed neck and chest of her lover, and it called to her. This time, their pairing would be different. She would show him how strong she could be. Her face nuzzled into him, and her delicate lips nipped at the scruffy skin of his neck. Gently, but forcibly her hands pushed him away. There was a brief moment of confusion she felt in him as his muscles tensed. But as her lips traveled down his now exposed neck and chest, he submitted to her will.

Princess she may be, but she was no stranger to the desires of a man. Even before her time in Zecair, she remembered the innocent love of her youth and the lovers she shared it with. Her lips went to one of his nipples, and her tongue tantalizingly circled it. Mule gasped sharply. Her exploring hands traversed his corded body and came to rest on his waistline again. Her fingers dexterously undid his belt in one flick, and parted the sides to his pants. His manhood came free with no encouraging, and her fingers gingerly stroked the length of his hardening flesh.

Riyarra leaned back and looked up to Mule. Their eyes met and she bit her lip with a seductively impish grin. Those stark green eyes bewitched him in an instant and he leaned down to kiss her passionately. She broke away a moment later, and placed a finger on his lips to remind him who was in command. That finger traced his lips amid the growing beard on his chin. He kissed that finger as it passed time and time again, wishing he could do more.

Those eyes ensnared him again and didn't let him leave. She wanted him to watch her. She leaned back and brought her legs up to wrap around his waist, as her free hand slid the strap of her dress off. It fell, but the top of the simple outfit caught on her ample bosom. Her eyes glanced down suggestively to her chest before meeting his gaze again.

Mule took his cue and leaned down to her. But as he got close to her, she leaned back further until she was resting on the back of their mount with the saddle-blanket behind her. Her hand still stroked his throbbing shaft, keeping him slightly distracted. She took his hand and brought it to her lips. She kissed the back of his hand and each finger before pulling it to rest above her head. By extension the rest of him was made to follow, and he leaned down to hover over her. She looked up into his eyes with a searching gaze. But as he went to kiss her she stopped him once more with a finger to his lips.

."This is not a reward," she whispered. Her voice was soft, but firm in her resolution. "I do not repay my debts with my body." The next words suddenly caught in her throat. "I... I want this. I want you." There was a brief pause as she let that settle. Her hands came to rest around his neck. "For as long as it will last."

There were no misunderstandings after that. He went for her neck again, and kissed softly over her skin. Her hands wound through his curly hair as she sighed in contentment. When he came to her chest, she arched upwards towards him in anticipation of what was to come. His hands pulled the remains of her dress down, freeing her snared breasts which came up with a bounce. Her chest heaved as she breathed in deeply, huskily, waiting for what was next. Mule did not disappoint, his tongue circled the areola of one erect nipple slowly at first, then lavished it with the warm wetness of his tongue. Riyarra drew in a sharp breath and let out a long, deep moan. Her hands took big fistfuls of his hair again and again, as her hips started to press against him. Mule's hard member had been waiting patiently against the soft fur her bush. When she started to press her hips up against him, his hard manhood rubbed her wet folds and spread them ever so slightly.

A strong hand came up to grasp her free breast that swayed from the rocking motion of their mount. His firm fingers caressed it, and rolled the pointed nipple between them.

This elven beauty, despite being cultured at court, was still a woman. And her lover's direct, talented ministrations had her squirming and panting. Her hips bucked against that long hard shaft; they remembered how good it felt inside her.

"Please..." she begged, her voice moaning in carnal frustration. Her hands pulled Mule's face up to hers, and she kissed him passionately. It hadn't taken very long once she felt him grind against her womanhood, the swaying action of their mount's steps added a pleasurable undulation to it. That throbbing shaft of flesh had made itself slick from rubbing up and down her waiting folds, and the resulting friction had driven her into an immediate frenzy. She kissed Mule feverishly to show him how badly she wanted him.

He broke away from her, his breath heavy and hot on her cheek and ear. Mule moved his hips away and the head of his erect cock pressed against the opening to her pussy. Riyarra braced herself for what was to come and held onto him firmly as he slowly pushed forward. The slick shaft slid in slowly, parting her folds and stretching her from his immense girth. She whimpered. The mix of pleasure and pain from being penetrated by someone so much larger than the typical Eltharian made her breath catch in her throat and her body tense up. Her arms clung to him tightly. Mule kissed her ears and ran the tip of his tongue down the elongated tips; it was an erogenous zone that sent shivers down her spine and distracted her from the discomfort below. Slowly she got used to his size and her tensed muscles relaxed. She found his neck and locked her lips on his taught muscles.

Mule slowly rocked back and forth, grinding his hard cock inside her. It was a pleasurable motion that gave her time to adjust to him while electrifying her nerves and sending waves of pleasure throughout her body. The slow sensual gyrations picked up that fevered passion where it left off.

"Yes..." she whimpered, feeling him stir her inside. "Please..." she panted, as her eyes closed and she let herself go to the pleasurable waves that ran through her body. Her arms barely held onto him as her mind was washed away in sensations of love and pleasure. Now that she could let herself go and be free in the moment, she was truly caught in the throes of passion. Her hips started to buck and meet his slow deliberate thrusts with force – she was ready for more.

Mule was all too ready to oblige her. His back arched up, and his hands came to rest under her lower back as he lifted her waist up gently. She was now under his power, and he controlled their movements as he started to thrust into her.

Powerful corded muscles worked in unison keeping his elven beauty supported, while pumping his rigid cock into her. He kept his motions forceful, coming all the way out before penetrating her completely. Yet he maintained an even pace, and did not let the frantic throes of his lover dictate his speed – he wanted this to last, and he wanted her to enjoy every second of it.

"yeSS!!" Riyarra squealed, as she succumbed to his talents. Every muscle in her body tensed suddenly and a wave of intense spasms ripped through her body. Both hands dug their nails into Mule's chest, and raked his flesh. The muscles of her vagina suddenly constricted around his rigid shaft, causing her feel each forceful thrust even more and adding fuel to her powerful orgasm.

"Oh! Mule!" she panted. Her lover lowered her waist back onto the saddle blanket. He seemed finished, yet remained hard inside her. Her eyes fluttered open when she felt his warm mouth on her breast, kissing a path to a pert nipple. He held it between his teeth, and flicked the tip of his tongue over it. Riyarra purred pleasantly as the afterglow mixed with his tonguing attention.

"Don't stop." She breathed. "Please, don't stop. I want to feel you..." she was going to say more, but a quick thrust by her lover cut the words short.

"As you command, your highness," he replied coyly,

"roll over.." he breathed into her ear. Reluctantly, Riyarra disentangled from him and lay down on her stomach. Mule positioned his slick member at her waiting pussy and slowly slid back inside her warm wet mound to the sound of his lady's whimper.

As the lizard tromped over bush and log, Mule used the undulating motion to do his work for him. With each step his hard cock rose up to meet his lover's wet sex, and back again. It set the pace for Riyarra's pleasant moans. Until two firm hands came around her and cupped her breasts from underneath her. She lifted herself up into his embrace, and was rewarded as those massaging fingers found her nipples and rolled them gently in unison.