A/N: Hey there! Welcome to the third chapter of The Protector of the Small! Ezra Pine told me that the separating symbols didn't work last chapter either! (thanks again, Ezra!) I am really sorry, but I think I've found the problem, so it SHOULD be fixed this time (touch wood, fingers crossed!) I'm really sorry about this, but I'm new to and so I'm still learning the ropes. Anyway, this is DEFINITELY not for the kiddles, so if you're under 15, please don't read this one. This is where it starts to earn its M rating…Don't let your parents read it over your shoulder either. Anyway, enjoy chapter 3!

Chapter 3

Yuki left Kel's room and walked down the corridor. Poor Kel, she thought, From what she's told me, she's loved Dom for years, and to have it end so suddenly, so abruptly, like that…Yuki felt a surge of pity, For a lone female knight, love is full of trauma. Yuki left the building and crossed the courtyard to the infirmary, where she'd promised to meet Neal. Neal was patiently waiting, a light breeze ruffling his light brown hair. When he saw her, he dashed over to her and scooped her up into a hug, whirling her around. Then he pulled her into a kiss, their lips pressing passionately together. Neal ran his hands down her back, and then brought one hand back up to pull the ties from her hair, which fell to her derrière, a long black sheet of darkest cobalt. Yuki ran her hands from Neal's waist up his back, into his hair, and then back down over his shoulders onto his chest. Neal pulled away, blushing, as he noticed someone crossing the courtyard.

"Come on Yuki, let's go to my room, we won't get interrupted there," suggested Neal, gesturing towards the figure across the courtyard. She blushed, hiding it with her shukusen, and nodded, so Neal took her by the hand to lead her to his room.

"Today we're going to learn tilting," Padraig told the pages, "Find yourself a lance," he gestured towards a table laden with lances, "saddle up your horses, the come back out here."

Larsen headed to the table and collected a lance, and then walked slowly to the stables, thinking, Sarara and Doran are together, so that rules her out. But I wonder if Tamsin would be my lover? She's pretty, smart, and she doesn't seem to mind helping me with my maths… He looked over at Tamsin. Her auburn hair shone in the sunlight, and she was laughing at something Sarara had said. Sarara and Doran were trying to keep their relationship a secret, as Padraig would not approve of pages having a relationship, because he thought it was "a distraction from study", therefore they were trying not to have any more contact than they were as friends. Tonight. I'll ask her tonight, he thought as he reached his horse's, Pride of Tortall, stall. He tacked Pride up and led her out to the training yard, where he mounted up.

"Pirate's Swoop, your turn," called Padraig. Larsen rode Pride to the start of the lane and adjusted his helm to sit correctly. Then he lowered his lance and rode at the target. He hit it off-centre and the sandbag weighting the other end swung around to wallop him.

"Hold your lance a bit higher next time, Page," suggested Padraig. Larsen nodded, nursing a bruised arm, and returned to the group.

Neal closed the door behind him as Yuki sat on his bed. He crossed the room to sit beside her on his bed. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again, strongly and with more passion than before. Still kissing him, Yuki began to remove Neal's shirt. They broke the kiss for a moment for Yuki to pull his shirt over his head, and then returned to kissing. Neal began to untie Yuki's obi, or sash, and then slowly pulled her kimono down over her shoulders, exposing bare skin. Yuki ran her hands down Neal's muscular chest and over his stomach, then began to remove his breeches. Neal slid her kimono down further, bunching it around her waist. He slid it away completely, and then began to fumble passionately with her breastband, sliding it off her body to reveal a pair of ivory coloured breasts, their pink peaks puckering slightly in the new cool. He pulled away from the kiss, and Yuki lay back on his bed. He gently began to massage her breasts, then lowered himself down to kiss her again, this time delving his tongue into her mouth, resting his thigh intimately on her women's heat through the cloth of her loincloth, his turgid arousal pressing against her thigh through his loincloth. Her tongue dueled passionately with his, twirling and twisting together in an intimate dance of love and passion. She ran her hands down his bare back to start fumbling with his loincloth, sliding it away. Now she could feel his arousal, hot and hard against her thigh, and his hands caressing her stomach on the way to her loincloth, removing it and flinging it away. Now he pulled away from their kiss to plant kisses on her neck, hot, openmouthed kisses. He sucked on her neck, producing a deep mark, which contrasted sharply against her ivory skin. He made more, pressing his lips and tongue heavily against her neck, scraping her skin with his teeth, pulling at it. Then he began to kiss lower, across her collarbone and down to her décolletage, then started to move down onto her breasts. He kissed along the tops of her breasts, moving down until he found what he was searching for, the pink peaks which were now standing out from her body. He teased them with his teeth, gently kissing and teasing, running his tongue around them. He ran his hands down across her stomach to the patch of hair just below her stomach, then began to gently search for the little bundle of nerves that all women own. He knew when he found it. She bucked violently against him.

"N-n-neal…please…please…" She didn't know what she was begging him for, but he did. Pressing his hot arousal into her thigh, he slipped his finger between her folds, gently, and stroked her bundle of nerves with his thumb, sending violent, but pleasurable tremors through her body. She panted heavily, her breath hot on his neck, and a fine sweat broke out across her forehead.

"N-neal…I…please…stop…"she begged. He slid his finger out gently. Sweat trickled down her face.

"Neal. I…I want…your baby. I want to have your child," she said, still panting a little.

"Yes, I was hoping you would," he replied, "Is this your first time?" Yuki nodded.

"Alright, from what Dad said, this will hurt a bit, but only for a minute or so, I promise."

He slid over a little to line up properly, and Yuki shuddered pleasurably at the feel of his arousal brushing against her thigh.

"Neal, I love you," she said.

"I love you too, my pearl. When we get back to Corus, will you marry me, my love?" he asked. He had heard about their return to Corus from his father.

"I would love to!"

Neal began to run his hands up her thighs, across her derrière and up to her armpits, then across to her breasts, where he began to massage them again. He then slowly and carefully slipped his turgid arousal between her folds. Yuki began to moan as she felt the pain. Neal pulled back a bit, the suddenly thrusted, breaking through as Yuki moaned again.

"It's alright, my dear. Shhh. Do you want to stop?" he asked, concerned.

"No! It's…the pain…almost gone," she replied, panting a bit.

Neal slowly began to slide back out, until he was almost out, then slid back in all the way. Yuki began to pant, and tremors raced through her body. She pressed her women's heat into him, and as he slid, he rubbed pleasurably against her bundle of nerves. She began to buck against him. She panted more heavily, and sweat broke out again. Neal's movement got faster, and he began to get tremors racing through his body. Then he reached his climax, and, exhausted, withdrew completely and lay down next to Yuki, pulling the sheet over them, and they slept, Yuki snuggled into Neal's chest, his arms tight around her.

"Well done pages! Excellent work! Now off to the castle. You may have free time until dinner," Padraig praised them. Larsen removed his helm and trudged back towards the castle, watching Tamsin chatting with Sarara and Niralo.

After a bath, they gathered in Doran's room to study. When Larsen arrived, Sarara and Niralo were already there. Niralo lay on his stomach on the floor, reading a book called Immortals: The Everlasting, and Doran and Sarara were snuggled together in Doran's armchair. Tamsin, however, was missing.

"Where's Tamsin?" asked Larsen, "I can't do my maths until she's here."

"Don't know," replied Niralo vaguely from the floor, immersed in his book.

"I'll go see if I can find her then."

Larsen looked around, and spotted Tamsin leaving her room. He hurried over to catch up to her.

"Oh, hi Larsen. Need maths help again?"she asked, grinning cheekily.

"Yeah, I was having trouble with question 3. How do you do quadratic equations?" asked Larsen. Come on, do it Larsen, he thought, Just open your mouth and ask.

"Tamsin? Would you…help me with my maths when we get to Doran's room?" he blurted out.

Damn, he thought. Tamsin gave him a strange look.

"Well, that's what I was planning on doing," she replied.

Oh come on, his conscience goaded, that was pathetic, and you know it! Just ask her!

Tamsin dropped her penner, a case holding her quills and a bottle of ink.

"Oh darn," she said, squatting to retrieve it.

"Oh, here, allow me," Larsen said, bending down. He and Tamsin went to grab it at the same time, and his hand landed on hers. He gulped, blushed and pulled his hand back. Tamsin stood and replaced her penner on top of her books and parchment.

"Are you ok, Larsen? You're very jumpy tonight," she asked, concerned.

"No, no, I'm fine," he replied airily. Tamsin looked at him.

"Well, now that you mention it, there was something I wanted to ask you.. Tamsin, would you…er…" he stammered.

"Yes Larsen?"she enquired.

Larsen blushed.

"Will you be my lover?"