Dom's Naked Butt
The sun stretched rosy fingers that touched every spire of Corus and graced the streets with golden light. The city was already awake, beginning a hard day's toil. The fires of the blacksmiths were growing to a blaze, the smell of fresh bread wafted through the windows of the bakeries, and the merchants were setting up their stalls in the squares.
In the courtyard of the palace, servants were scurrying to and fro with orders for baths to be drawn and food to be brought to their masters. Gardeners were cleaning leaves from choked fish pools and trimming the hedges. The clang of steel on steel could be heard from the practice yards of the Queen's Riders, who, up for 3 hours already, were also filling the air with grumbling and colourful language.
The practice yards of the King's Own, however, were empty. This is not meant as an insult to the men in the Own, who are no doubt hardworking and fantastic warriors, but they were never inclined to drag themselves out of bed when there was no desperate need for them in the world outside their cozy barracks. After all, the Own often had calls in the middle of the night, a time at which they were in a critical state of rest. Of course, they, being the good souls that they were, managed to strap boots on their feet and trudge along to save some town they'd never heard of.
So on this particular morning, with no particular need to be awake, the men had made a particular point to be particularly asleep, so that even if the an entire garrison of the Tortallan cavalry came charging through the doors of the barracks, not one body would stir in his bunk.
This same situation unfortunately applied to the man Keladry of Mindelan was trying to wake up. She had picked his tousled haired head from the rest immediately, which, combined with his long-bridged nose and mouth, made him distinctively handsome. Upon reaching him, she saw, to her dismay, that he was not wearing a shirt, and it was quite possible that he wasn't wearing anything underneath the covers either. She steeled herself and reached hesitantly to shake his bared shoulder. Surely he wouldn't mind being woken by a woman in a men's barracks that much, and it was past noon.
It had been quite a simple plan at first. Go up to the barracks, knock on the door, say hello to whoever answers and ask for Sergeant Domitan, who would arrive shortly, fully clothed, and give her the key after a nice and pleasant conversation. But she had knocked several times and waited a whole five minutes before cautiously opening the door. She had hoped that the Own had somehow changed their ways from when she had been among their ranks as squire to Lord Raoul. She was bitterly disappointed to hear a chorus of snores as she opened the door and tiptoed quietly in.
And now, here she was, standing next to Dom's bed at a loss for what to do, trying hard not to stare at the gentle rise and fall of his well-muscled chest or think of what lay hidden under the blankets. After what seemed like a long time, her hand came in contact with the smooth skin of his shoulder, and she shook him gently.
He didn't stir.
She shook him harder.
Nothing.
Kel was getting frustrated. Any normal person would have woken by now. She prodded him hard in the middle of his chest.
Dom grunted and rolled over, causing the sheets to strain. Unfortunately for Kel, this movement confirmed her earlier suspicions that he slept naked. His buttocks now lay open to the cool air and Kel's wide eyes.
Her cheeks glowing now, Kel turned her face away and reached blindly to tug the covers over Dom. Looking back at him, she saw with relief that the brief exposure had gone unnoticed by the sleeper. Kel couldn't imagine what Dom would have done if he had woken up.
Exasperated and a little angry, she rested one knee on the bed and throttled him violently. This brought Dom to instant wakefulness, and, obeying his warrior instincts, he cried out and flipped the ill-fated Lady Knight onto her back and pinned her to the bed.
Now, as you may have noticed, this was a very awkward situation. For Kel, it is suspicious that she may be trying to wake Dom, who is, need I remind you, buck naked, in a men's barracks, and uncomfortable for Dom, lying naked on top of one of his lady friends. It could have been much more distressing if any of the Own had woken at Dom's shout, but, since there was no particular need for them to be awake, they remained particularly asleep.
After recovering from the shock, Dom realised he was sitting on Kel, completely naked, and jumped off with a speed he did not know he was capable of so "early" in the "morning". Kel's face was burning like a brand as she rolled off the bed and straightened her tunic with an "A-hem."
"Good morning, Kel," Dom said, gaining some of his usual cheekiness. His sudden air of confidence was ruined by his struggle to wrap the blankets around himself. "What brings you to our humble abode so early in the morning?"
"You mean afternoon, lunkhead. It's past noon." growled Kel.
"Of course. Now, back to my earlier question. What brings you to my humble abode so early in the.. afternoon?"
Kel struggled to keep her composure, her face perfectly still. "Your cousin Neal left a personal item behind on his trip and he would like me to send it to him, but I don't have a key to his rooms. Knowing that you had one, and it is way past the time you should have been up, I came here to borrow it."
"A likely story," grinned Dom, rubbing his chin in mock consideration.
"Just give me the key."
"No, I think I shall accompany you on this little trip. When venturing into Meathead's rooms, you should always use the buddy system." Dom started to shift to the edge of the bed to reach for his breeches. Looking up, he smiled broadly and motioned her to turn around. Grumbling, she complied, listening to the rustle of cloth behind her and trying to shut out thoughts of Dom naked.
"Okay, you can turn around now." Dom was clad in the usual King's Own Blue tunic with dark blue breeches and his Sergeant's band across his biceps. Kel sighed inwardly. The way his chest strained against his tunic was making her giddy. "Lead the way, my bonny lass!" Dom cried with a flourish of his hand. Kel scowled and stalked out of the barracks.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Neal's rooms were in the upper floors of the palace, so getting there involved many flights of stairs. Kel made sure to keep ahead of Dom so that she wouldn't have to look at him from behind. Memories of that brief unveiling of his backside kept springing into her head whenever she saw his breeches go taut against him as he climbed. Dom talked and laughed all the way there, but it was a mostly one-sided conversation.
It seemed like forever before they reached the gilded door to Neal's rooms. Dom reached into his pocket and pulled out the key. Sticking it into the lock, he opened the door. He gestured with his hand. "Ladies first." With another scowl, she stepped through the doorway.
Neal's chambers were richly decorated with woven murals of heroic deeds of the Queenscoves and priceless family heirlooms. It was a bit over the top. "An acquired taste, I suppose?" winced Kel as she examined a gaudy letter opener that had belonged to Neal's great-grandfather.
"I doubt I'll ever be alive long enough to acquire this taste, Kel. I appreciate the simpler things, don't you?" Dom said. "Anyway, what is it you're supposed to be getting?"
"Yuki's shukusen. He carries it everywhere with him."
"Barf."
"If he likes to have it with him to remind him of someone he cares about then I don't see what the problem is. It's kinda cute."
"Oh, yeah. Makes me get that warm fuzzy feeling inside. Oh, wait, that's nausea."
Kel chuckled. "You're terrible. Can we just find the fan so we can get out of here?"After several minutes of careful searching Dom gave a triumphant "Ah-ha!" and pulled the fan from a small compartment in the wardrobe.
"Hmm," said Dom, grinning wickedly, "I wonder Kel, why he keeps this special lover's keepsake in his unmentionables drawer?"
"I'd rather not dwell on it, if you don't mind!" growled Kel, snatching the fan from his hands and stuffing it into a box. Tying it up with string, she picked it up and headed out the door. Dom followed, locking the door as quickly as he could and jogging to catch up with her.
"Going so soon?"
"I have to hurry if I'm going to send this with the next supply cart."
"Well, I'm coming with. I've nothing else to do. And it's always a joy to be in the company of the Protector of the Small." This got a very audible sigh from Keladry. She didn't protest, but she didn't really like being known as the Protector. She much preferred to be just plain, competent Lady Knight.
They managed to catch the supply cart at the gates, guarded by a half a dozen army soldiers. Kel told her story to the corporal and tucked the box safely in a corner. It would break Neal's heart for the fan to arrive damaged. She moved to join Dom, who was leaning against the gateway. "There, it's done. We've nothing to do with it anymore."
"Good riddance. Favours like that are a pain in the neck. But when Neal gets back I really must ask him why he keeps Yuki's fan in such an intimate place." Dom's eyes glowed in anticipation. "I can just see it now. His face redder that a beet, hissing nonsensical warnings, his chair falling over as he stands in outrage, priceless."
"You fantasize about torturing your cousin?"
"All the time. It makes the moment all the more savoury when it comes to pass. Meathead is a constant source of entertainment."
"You're hopeless," Kel groaned. "Look, I haven't eaten since 6 o'clock, and I think I'm on the brink of starvation. I bound for vittles. How about you?"
"You read my mind. I haven't eaten yet today, you know,"
"What are we waiting for? To the mess, Sergeant Domitan!"
"To the mess!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The nearest mess hall had been converted into a sort of meeting place where members of the Queen's Riders and King's Own could associate and game together when they chose. This close proximity formed fast friendships and familiarity, which was useful when the Own and the Riders had to work together in the field. However, on days like these, the Own didn't usually come in until around suppertime, and Kel only spotted a few blue tunics among the Riders.
Setting their trays down at the end of a table, they tucked in with enthusiasm. Their conversation only resumed itself when both their plates were clean and their mugs empty. Dom put his hands behind his head and stretched luxuriously. "I was hungry."
"No kidding."
The conversation stopped again as the pair waited for their food to digest. Immersed in a comfortable silence, neither found the need for speech. Dom started picking at a loose thread on his sleeve cuff. "Don't do that," Kel chided, "you'll only make it worse."
"Sorry, Mother."
"Don't call me that."
More silence.
Even more silence.
Kel made patterns with her fork in the gravy on her plate, listening to the clatter of dishes carrying from the kitchen. She looked up to find Dom staring at her pensively. "What?"
"Just thinking about this morning, er, early afternoon."
Kel felt her cheeks flush. "Oh."
Now it was embarrassed silence.
"Kel?"
"Yes?" she squeaked.
"Let's not tell anyone about that. Ever. We'd never hear the end of it."
"I agree. Let's forget it ever happened." said Kel, trying to sound confident.
"Good." he breathed.
Relief swept over her. "Good."
"Well, with that out of the way, let's get out of here. There's still the rest of the day to consider!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Kel spent the rest of the day wandering the streets of Corus with Dom. Unfortunately, there was a festival dedicated to Mithros going on so much of their time was spent dodging the jugglers and tumblers that danced through the crowds. They saw a couple productions of various noble battles with impossible odds that miraculously did not have a bitter end. One depicted the many heroic deeds of Neal's grandfather, which Dom laughed the whole way through.
After going for dinner in a bustling tavern, they headed home to the palace, exhausted.
"I can't believe you laughed through that whole play." Kel grumbled. "The people next to us were glaring at me as if it was my fault."
"I'm sorry, but I've heard that old man list his "noble deeds" to every person that he thinks will listen. I think I've heard that one about the ogre told 12 different ways."
They had reached the place where they had to part ways. "Well, Dom, thanks for a great day. I don't know what I would have done with myself if you hadn't blessed me with your company."
"Likewise." he grinned. "See you around!" With that he turned and walked off whistling a happy tune.
Kel watched him disappear into the darkness and smiled to herself. Then she too, turned and headed back to her rooms where Jump was waiting to be fed.
The sun stretched rosy fingers that touched every spire of Corus and graced the streets with golden light. The city was already awake, beginning a hard day's toil. The fires of the blacksmiths were growing to a blaze, the smell of fresh bread wafted through the windows of the bakeries, and the merchants were setting up their stalls in the squares.
In the courtyard of the palace, servants were scurrying to and fro with orders for baths to be drawn and food to be brought to their masters. Gardeners were cleaning leaves from choked fish pools and trimming the hedges. The clang of steel on steel could be heard from the practice yards of the Queen's Riders, who, up for 3 hours already, were also filling the air with grumbling and colourful language.
The practice yards of the King's Own, however, were empty. This is not meant as an insult to the men in the Own, who are no doubt hardworking and fantastic warriors, but they were never inclined to drag themselves out of bed when there was no desperate need for them in the world outside their cozy barracks. After all, the Own often had calls in the middle of the night, a time at which they were in a critical state of rest. Of course, they, being the good souls that they were, managed to strap boots on their feet and trudge along to save some town they'd never heard of.
So on this particular morning, with no particular need to be awake, the men had made a particular point to be particularly asleep, so that even if the an entire garrison of the Tortallan cavalry came charging through the doors of the barracks, not one body would stir in his bunk.
This same situation unfortunately applied to the man Keladry of Mindelan was trying to wake up. She had picked his tousled haired head from the rest immediately, which, combined with his long-bridged nose and mouth, made him distinctively handsome. Upon reaching him, she saw, to her dismay, that he was not wearing a shirt, and it was quite possible that he wasn't wearing anything underneath the covers either. She steeled herself and reached hesitantly to shake his bared shoulder. Surely he wouldn't mind being woken by a woman in a men's barracks that much, and it was past noon.
It had been quite a simple plan at first. Go up to the barracks, knock on the door, say hello to whoever answers and ask for Sergeant Domitan, who would arrive shortly, fully clothed, and give her the key after a nice and pleasant conversation. But she had knocked several times and waited a whole five minutes before cautiously opening the door. She had hoped that the Own had somehow changed their ways from when she had been among their ranks as squire to Lord Raoul. She was bitterly disappointed to hear a chorus of snores as she opened the door and tiptoed quietly in.
And now, here she was, standing next to Dom's bed at a loss for what to do, trying hard not to stare at the gentle rise and fall of his well-muscled chest or think of what lay hidden under the blankets. After what seemed like a long time, her hand came in contact with the smooth skin of his shoulder, and she shook him gently.
He didn't stir.
She shook him harder.
Nothing.
Kel was getting frustrated. Any normal person would have woken by now. She prodded him hard in the middle of his chest.
Dom grunted and rolled over, causing the sheets to strain. Unfortunately for Kel, this movement confirmed her earlier suspicions that he slept naked. His buttocks now lay open to the cool air and Kel's wide eyes.
Her cheeks glowing now, Kel turned her face away and reached blindly to tug the covers over Dom. Looking back at him, she saw with relief that the brief exposure had gone unnoticed by the sleeper. Kel couldn't imagine what Dom would have done if he had woken up.
Exasperated and a little angry, she rested one knee on the bed and throttled him violently. This brought Dom to instant wakefulness, and, obeying his warrior instincts, he cried out and flipped the ill-fated Lady Knight onto her back and pinned her to the bed.
Now, as you may have noticed, this was a very awkward situation. For Kel, it is suspicious that she may be trying to wake Dom, who is, need I remind you, buck naked, in a men's barracks, and uncomfortable for Dom, lying naked on top of one of his lady friends. It could have been much more distressing if any of the Own had woken at Dom's shout, but, since there was no particular need for them to be awake, they remained particularly asleep.
After recovering from the shock, Dom realised he was sitting on Kel, completely naked, and jumped off with a speed he did not know he was capable of so "early" in the "morning". Kel's face was burning like a brand as she rolled off the bed and straightened her tunic with an "A-hem."
"Good morning, Kel," Dom said, gaining some of his usual cheekiness. His sudden air of confidence was ruined by his struggle to wrap the blankets around himself. "What brings you to our humble abode so early in the morning?"
"You mean afternoon, lunkhead. It's past noon." growled Kel.
"Of course. Now, back to my earlier question. What brings you to my humble abode so early in the.. afternoon?"
Kel struggled to keep her composure, her face perfectly still. "Your cousin Neal left a personal item behind on his trip and he would like me to send it to him, but I don't have a key to his rooms. Knowing that you had one, and it is way past the time you should have been up, I came here to borrow it."
"A likely story," grinned Dom, rubbing his chin in mock consideration.
"Just give me the key."
"No, I think I shall accompany you on this little trip. When venturing into Meathead's rooms, you should always use the buddy system." Dom started to shift to the edge of the bed to reach for his breeches. Looking up, he smiled broadly and motioned her to turn around. Grumbling, she complied, listening to the rustle of cloth behind her and trying to shut out thoughts of Dom naked.
"Okay, you can turn around now." Dom was clad in the usual King's Own Blue tunic with dark blue breeches and his Sergeant's band across his biceps. Kel sighed inwardly. The way his chest strained against his tunic was making her giddy. "Lead the way, my bonny lass!" Dom cried with a flourish of his hand. Kel scowled and stalked out of the barracks.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Neal's rooms were in the upper floors of the palace, so getting there involved many flights of stairs. Kel made sure to keep ahead of Dom so that she wouldn't have to look at him from behind. Memories of that brief unveiling of his backside kept springing into her head whenever she saw his breeches go taut against him as he climbed. Dom talked and laughed all the way there, but it was a mostly one-sided conversation.
It seemed like forever before they reached the gilded door to Neal's rooms. Dom reached into his pocket and pulled out the key. Sticking it into the lock, he opened the door. He gestured with his hand. "Ladies first." With another scowl, she stepped through the doorway.
Neal's chambers were richly decorated with woven murals of heroic deeds of the Queenscoves and priceless family heirlooms. It was a bit over the top. "An acquired taste, I suppose?" winced Kel as she examined a gaudy letter opener that had belonged to Neal's great-grandfather.
"I doubt I'll ever be alive long enough to acquire this taste, Kel. I appreciate the simpler things, don't you?" Dom said. "Anyway, what is it you're supposed to be getting?"
"Yuki's shukusen. He carries it everywhere with him."
"Barf."
"If he likes to have it with him to remind him of someone he cares about then I don't see what the problem is. It's kinda cute."
"Oh, yeah. Makes me get that warm fuzzy feeling inside. Oh, wait, that's nausea."
Kel chuckled. "You're terrible. Can we just find the fan so we can get out of here?"After several minutes of careful searching Dom gave a triumphant "Ah-ha!" and pulled the fan from a small compartment in the wardrobe.
"Hmm," said Dom, grinning wickedly, "I wonder Kel, why he keeps this special lover's keepsake in his unmentionables drawer?"
"I'd rather not dwell on it, if you don't mind!" growled Kel, snatching the fan from his hands and stuffing it into a box. Tying it up with string, she picked it up and headed out the door. Dom followed, locking the door as quickly as he could and jogging to catch up with her.
"Going so soon?"
"I have to hurry if I'm going to send this with the next supply cart."
"Well, I'm coming with. I've nothing else to do. And it's always a joy to be in the company of the Protector of the Small." This got a very audible sigh from Keladry. She didn't protest, but she didn't really like being known as the Protector. She much preferred to be just plain, competent Lady Knight.
They managed to catch the supply cart at the gates, guarded by a half a dozen army soldiers. Kel told her story to the corporal and tucked the box safely in a corner. It would break Neal's heart for the fan to arrive damaged. She moved to join Dom, who was leaning against the gateway. "There, it's done. We've nothing to do with it anymore."
"Good riddance. Favours like that are a pain in the neck. But when Neal gets back I really must ask him why he keeps Yuki's fan in such an intimate place." Dom's eyes glowed in anticipation. "I can just see it now. His face redder that a beet, hissing nonsensical warnings, his chair falling over as he stands in outrage, priceless."
"You fantasize about torturing your cousin?"
"All the time. It makes the moment all the more savoury when it comes to pass. Meathead is a constant source of entertainment."
"You're hopeless," Kel groaned. "Look, I haven't eaten since 6 o'clock, and I think I'm on the brink of starvation. I bound for vittles. How about you?"
"You read my mind. I haven't eaten yet today, you know,"
"What are we waiting for? To the mess, Sergeant Domitan!"
"To the mess!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The nearest mess hall had been converted into a sort of meeting place where members of the Queen's Riders and King's Own could associate and game together when they chose. This close proximity formed fast friendships and familiarity, which was useful when the Own and the Riders had to work together in the field. However, on days like these, the Own didn't usually come in until around suppertime, and Kel only spotted a few blue tunics among the Riders.
Setting their trays down at the end of a table, they tucked in with enthusiasm. Their conversation only resumed itself when both their plates were clean and their mugs empty. Dom put his hands behind his head and stretched luxuriously. "I was hungry."
"No kidding."
The conversation stopped again as the pair waited for their food to digest. Immersed in a comfortable silence, neither found the need for speech. Dom started picking at a loose thread on his sleeve cuff. "Don't do that," Kel chided, "you'll only make it worse."
"Sorry, Mother."
"Don't call me that."
More silence.
Even more silence.
Kel made patterns with her fork in the gravy on her plate, listening to the clatter of dishes carrying from the kitchen. She looked up to find Dom staring at her pensively. "What?"
"Just thinking about this morning, er, early afternoon."
Kel felt her cheeks flush. "Oh."
Now it was embarrassed silence.
"Kel?"
"Yes?" she squeaked.
"Let's not tell anyone about that. Ever. We'd never hear the end of it."
"I agree. Let's forget it ever happened." said Kel, trying to sound confident.
"Good." he breathed.
Relief swept over her. "Good."
"Well, with that out of the way, let's get out of here. There's still the rest of the day to consider!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Kel spent the rest of the day wandering the streets of Corus with Dom. Unfortunately, there was a festival dedicated to Mithros going on so much of their time was spent dodging the jugglers and tumblers that danced through the crowds. They saw a couple productions of various noble battles with impossible odds that miraculously did not have a bitter end. One depicted the many heroic deeds of Neal's grandfather, which Dom laughed the whole way through.
After going for dinner in a bustling tavern, they headed home to the palace, exhausted.
"I can't believe you laughed through that whole play." Kel grumbled. "The people next to us were glaring at me as if it was my fault."
"I'm sorry, but I've heard that old man list his "noble deeds" to every person that he thinks will listen. I think I've heard that one about the ogre told 12 different ways."
They had reached the place where they had to part ways. "Well, Dom, thanks for a great day. I don't know what I would have done with myself if you hadn't blessed me with your company."
"Likewise." he grinned. "See you around!" With that he turned and walked off whistling a happy tune.
Kel watched him disappear into the darkness and smiled to herself. Then she too, turned and headed back to her rooms where Jump was waiting to be fed.
