Chapter 8.
Disa woke up for no particular reason. It was still in the middle of the night, no sound had alerted her senses and there was nothing distressing about the calm darkness around her. She had been sleeping deeply, dreamlessly, a feat she had not enjoyed since before the departure to this blighted Island. Lingering on the border of consciousness she was a passive observer to the world around her, unable to interact yet aware of its events. She was still lying on her side, hands tucked under her cheek, face comfortably nestled in the nape of the knight's neck whose warmth she had instinctively sought. The other woman was holding her close, arms around her upper back, chin resting against her tousled curls. The sensation was wonderful, and would she only remember it as a mere dream at dawn she would still cherish it dearly. She was drifting off anew as she drowsily noticed a certain tensity in the knight's embrace, and as she was on the very verge of slumber she found herself to hear her snivel quietly against her hair. 'Linnae', she thought to herself, 'Linnae, are you weeping?'
She was yet again dormant.
Disa watched her partner clean her gear in the silent, almost invisible drizzle of the early morning haze. She always failed to notice her rising. Joining her on the deck crudely shielded by a wooden roof, she saw that the knight's evident fatigue had easened overnight, albeit pale streaks on her cheeks told the truth of her nightly sorrow. Seized with empathy and endearment, the physician did still not try to address it. She thought of last night, of how she had never before been so clueless of how to declare her infatuation. Such matters had never before been particularly difficult for the honest, straightforward woman. Neither had she before been so afraid of rejection.
Her want for this woman had turned far more profound than the carnal desire she had initially been struck with; and although that was an aspect of superficiality that could not be denied, a sense of true devotion had begun to blossom underneath. Furthermore, among the obvious, ordinary reasons for liking, there was… Something else, something that was far more difficult to make sense of, a persistent notion that no matter what, there was some particular need for the two of them to be together, something perfectly logical, and for some reason time was running out. Needless to go over the multitude of aspects in her head yet again, as she had done countless of times before, Disa stated these irrefutable facts until she saw that the other woman's gaze was resting on her and a simper overtook her mulling expression. 'Hey', she said rather sheepishly. 'Hey.' The knight's work came to a halt. The duo had to huddle to escape the raindrops, both unusually keen on not making this particular conversation ebb out into nothing. This gladdened the physician.
'I slept well tonight. I mean, for the most part…' Unsure about to what the knight referred specifically, as she had not yet acknowledged the very faint remainder of tears and was likely not going to do so, Disa could not inquire before she quickly added, 'thank you… For that.' 'Anytime', the physician replied with what must have been a rather stupid grin, meant to be a pleasant smile. 'Err. Anyway, what's today's plan?' As if she had directly asked the sky itself it rumbled deafeningly just once before the henceforth gentle haze shifted into a proper downpour. 'I guess my question answered itself, huh.' Disa stated dismayingly before hurrying to seek shelter in a part of the shed where its low ceiling was properly sealed.
The sudden opportunity to spend an entire day in complete peace with Linnae was as much a blessing as it was, a curse would be all too unfair to call it, but a challenge nonetheless. Flustered beyond all good sense from last night's reveries, she followed the knight's good example and decided to focus diligently on various practical chores. First, they thoroughly tended to every piece of the knight's armour and weaponry, before proceeding to go through every piece of equipment and ration from Moonveil's saddlebags. Due to Linnae's keen accuracy, she had not yet spent even a fifth of her unique collapsible hunting bow's arrows, and so they had managed to stock up on neatly packaged salt-preserved meat as well as a rich variation of edible roots and herbs. From this, Disa managed to cook a surprisingly enjoyable stew. Mid-dinner, her companion suddenly addressed another matter that it was no doubt that she had carefully deliberated before doing so.
'That place, where I battled the demon… The place I need to go back to in order to activate the fetish and revoke my curse', she began, and with a mouth full of food the physician nodded. 'The odd place in the capital sewer system, right?' The knight nodded as well. 'Yes. Maybe even deeper if we're unlucky. Or lesser, if luck's on our side. No matter… It's a vile, hard-to reach place. It would make sense for you to wait by the Grace outside. That's how… It's usually done.' Despite her dislike of the idea of leaving Linnae on her own, Disa knew perfectly well what she meant. Venturing to such a place would be physically impossible for someone such as herself. 'So I'm hoping that I can muster some of that… Groundedness of yours while I'm down there. Everything depends on that. 'Stubbornness, you mean?' Oh, she loved it when she smiled... For someone else, someone not quite as… Linnae, it was more of a subtle relaxation of her expression, but definitely one of the appreciative kind. By the Gods, it made her head spin, it made her want to-
'Linnae-', her voice significantly louder than intended, the physician quickly cleared her throat and tried again. 'There is, uh, there is something you should probably know. Something that I'd like for you to know.' Oh Gods, what had she done now? Something in her tone apart from its excessive volume must have been off as well, indicated by a slight frown appearing on the knight's brow. 'Something… Bad?' Disa shook her head profusely. 'No! I mean…' 'For heaven's sake, stop acting like a flustered child', she scolded herself, regaining her senses. 'Nothing bad, but let's wait until we're done with today's chores, right? Also, I'll go with you as far as I possibly can. Don't worry.' The knight nodded yet again, appreciatively.
After the meal, Linnae brought her steed to a side of the shed's outer wall where the roof protruded, to groom his tousled coat. This left the physician with an opportunity to go over her own clothes, and to calm her nerves with some rowa leaf tea. Removing her outer coat she began checking for cuts and tears, her fingers restlessly tracing the fabric. Tonight. She was going to tell her tonight. The wording, the presentation of her confession was of utmost importance. It must not be frivolous, nor could she burden the knight with a pledged proposal. 'Linnae', she spoke in her mind, 'I… have grown fond of you. I speak of the fondness you yourself can feel towards a woman, as can I. Please do not let this deepen your worry for me, or force a certain response upon you. You do not owe me anything and you have enough on your mind as is. But if it would in any way please you… I would gladly show you the nature of these feelings.' What a comically formal declaration to make. She repeated the paragraph in her head as if she was rehearsing a speech. Yes, this would simply have to do. But her voice trembled even in her thoughts. At least she had accumulated enough determination to ignore all the obstacles-
She felt something crinkle against her fingertips as they skimmed the inside of the robe. Initially clueless to what it could be and assuming it to be a stray leaf somehow caught in the insides of the fodder, she was soon reminded as she undid the button to the inner pocket to reveal its content. Ah, damn it. In her hands she was now holding Prince Barden's letter. The letter concerning the murder of Linnae's parents. The letter that could, at the time it had been introduced, be expected to cause turbulent feelings and make Linnae stray from her path.
The fact in itself, but even more so the fact that Disa still kept this hidden from Linnae, made her heart sink. Maybe it would not be such terrible news for her partner at this point, as the prince had also mentioned that the information sealed within should be nothing unexpected to her, and since a lovely foundation of trust had started to form between the two women. It was rather probable that it was simply something he did not want to deal with himself, which would make good sense in his busy and highly effective world. Judging by their current situation, it would not be so awful of her to simply keep forgetting about this task until they could at least tell if they were going to live or not and therefore could afford a luxury such as grieving the past.
However… Disa was already focusing on the wrong thing. And that thing was severely aggravated by this damned letter, because Disa did not want to keep anything hidden from Linnae, would she bare her heart tonight she would not be able to stand the thought of withholding something from her that concerned her so intimately… What in the world should she-
'What… Is that?' Linnae's sudden appearance had her jerking, an initial shock that was soon replaced with an increased sense of guilt over her secret possession. She faced her with an apologetic glint in her eyes, 'it's something I've completely forgotten about', she said slowly, handing the letter to her partner as if to ascertain that she intended to keep nothing from her. 'It's for you. I got this from Prince Barden before our departure. I was asked to give it to you when the curse has been lifted.' '… Do you know its contents?' Linnae was completely calm, albeit the manner of which she eyed the letter displayed a curiosity that Disa had not yet seen the like of from the usually timid knight. 'I have not read it, but it's… About your parents, I think. I have no idea if it's even remotely connected to our journey or not. He… The prince told me you know what happened to them, so I really can't tell what it could possibly say…' 'They were murdered', Linnae stated without taking her eyes off the slightly yellowed envelope now in her hands, 'I know that, but I know very little details. 'I… I see', Disa replied, 'Also, the prince did not specifically tell me to give it to you after this whole ordeal is done with, but um, rather…' she paused for a moment. 'He told me to give it to you when you and I had grown comfortable with each other, I think, or rather what I think he meant was that its contents mightbe upsetting for you and that it would be best to read it at a time where you would let someone… Me, s-support y-' 'I would like to read it now.'
'Excuse me?'
'I would like to read it now'. She said it like it was the most natural thing in the world, perfectly polite but equally assertive in her request. 'U-uh', Disa managed to press out, watchful of the sudden change in her partner's behaviour, 'I'm truly, truly sorry for keeping it from you, and I hope you believe me when I say that I forgot all about it, but I-' 'You were given instructions, which you followed.' Linnae interrupted her yet again, a thing Disa could not recall her even doing up until this point. 'But it is like you said,' she continued, 'I know my parents were murdered. I was but an infant, lucky to be found and rescued by passing Finger Order knights. The exact circumstances should be of little importance anymore, right? Hence I might as well read it now. We do have the time and I would like to get it off my mind.'
The physician could feel a cold sweat beginning to dampen her back. Linnae's steadfast prompting was definitely not… Normal. Not for her. There could very well be something going on, and she had to proceed with utmost caution. 'While you're right, Lin, there is also the risk of there being something in there that could-'
'I would like to read it now, please.'
'Lin… You're all right… Right?' At least she was awaiting permission, although her piercing stare and the manner of which she stiffly gripped the letter with both hands said otherwise. 'I am… Fine.' 'I'm worried there is something-' she halted herself, unable to utter her suspicion that the letter was affecting her. 'Lin. I-I don't know if it's… Safe. For you to read it. It seems… I don't know how else to put it, but do you see what I mean?' Linnae finally averted her gaze from the piece in her hands, looking at Disa with lips pressed together, frustration mixed with the insight of her friend's correct judgement. 'I… I still think I need to know, Miss Fieldstream. Please.' Disa put her hand over her mouth, sinking into her own thoughts for a moment. The anxiousness before her confession seemed insignificant now- the decision of how to proceed in this situation, and the outcome thereof, was of far greater importance. Was there something Linnae knew, that Disa herself obviously did not, that could be the sole reason for her sudden discomposure? And if so, to what extent did the prince himself know of this? How big a responsibility had he really put on Disa's shoulders, additional to this whole Gods damned quest he had sent her on? Or was it that influence that had taken its hold of her poor soul anew?
Perhaps… She simply yearned to know how her parents met their end. Maybe she had been asking herself that for a long, long time. And she deserved to be able to somewhat lose her composure without being suspected of turning frenzied.
Disa sighed.
'Lin…' Shoulders sinking, she tried to suppress a nagging sense of impending doom as she worriedly watched the other woman. She was truly at a loss. It was impossible to predict the outcome of every possible choice in this situation, and all she could be certain of was that if she would refuse Linnae, she would certainly not be making any confessions tonight. Her plan was ruined nevertheless, but at least she would have shown faith in her cherished and stood by her side. 'If you get friendly with her and you feel comfortable with it, give her the letter and talk it out.' That was what he had said. It was just a letter. Just a letter.
'Read it. I'll be here for you if you need me.'
Head turning from the letter to her friend, back and forth as she hesitated, the realisation of permission suddenly struck her as the knight eagerly, yet carefully not to tear the rustic paper, took it out its envelope and unfolded it. Staring at it, she said nothing.
'I… I can't read this', she stated eventually, defeatedly handing the sheet back to the physician. She could understand why. It was written in a neat, highly old-fashioned cursive, and while it was not so difficult for herself to read, it might be to a knight who, royally raised or not, probably read and wrote very rarely. 'Would you please read it to me?' A truly pretentious handwriting as it was it made skimming impossible, and so Disa read each word slowly and carefully as the knight listened intently to her voice, no way of knowing ahead what kind of secrets would unfold before them.
'Dear Prince Barden Aethelwulf of the Royal Isle,
I am writing to you in understanding that you have been put in charge of deciding the approach of which to handle Finger Knight Linnae Regal who has been afflicted by the Hand of Chaos. I am one of the senior physicians who met and examined her upon her return. You have already received the report, and this is only an addition to it that may or may not be disregarded as irrelevant or untrue. In that case, your highness may forgive the ramblings of an old man. Neither is it my place to judge Miss Royal for her misdeeds, although on one's own device pursuing such a vile entity- against the direct advice from a Finger Maiden no less, is indeed a grave one. However, I've understood Miss Regal is a force to be reckoned with- her defeat of the cursed Omen beneath Leyndell, the Death Rite Birds and the Decaying Dragon to name a few, I can certainly understand why she would be given a chance for redemption.
Anyhow, the matter of which I am writing to you, is that what I have found after close examination of Miss Regal's deformations upon her skin- her cursed brands, a rare sign even for those who have been directly affected with frenzy. The branding is proof of direct contact with the Three-Finger Hand.
I am personally acquainted with a woman by the name of Lady Loyce of the Old Order, a now retired Finger Knight of age, chance is you know her name as she was one of those who saw the corpses of the strange massacre at Northwest Liurnia twenty-five years ago and brought with her the only survivor; Miss Regal who was but an infant. This is known, and the deceased mass, who are assumed to have been her parents amongst them, were given by her a proper blessing and a burial of the sky. As you know, the deceased were physically unharmed, shrouding the cause of death in mystery and causing it to seem a work of magic or witchcraft.
Numerous seasoned Finger Knights were consulted about these curious and very rare brands, but none had seen its likeness save for Lady Loyce. To express myself as clearly and briefly as I possibly can, I learned from her how she had but weeks prior to the events at Liurnia almost met her end in a fight against an unknown perpetrator- and although her escape was a success, she suffered heavily from the frenzied state. The perpetrator, a woman with her face concealed, had borne a very similar, if not the very same brand that now marks Miss Regal. Then, Lady Loyce saw it on the corpse of the woman who is presumed to be Miss Regal's biological mother. This peculiar matter and the meaning thereof was at the time discussed internally in the Order, but the brand or anything to its likeness has not once been seen since by anyone on the Isle- until now.
It is well possible that this woman, Miss Regal's mother, had been acting under the absolute control of the Three-Finger Hand as its physical manifestation, the vessel known as Shabriri. If so would be the case, we cannot rule out the possibility of the curse being passed down the generations, else it is an extraordinarily misfortunate coincidence, nor can we rule out that the massacre happened by her hand, possibly while resisting the force with what of her own mind she had left and protecting her child. Such may very well be the case, knowing that this curse prays on the swaying mind. My advice would be to tell Miss Regal nothing of this, until she has redeemed herself from this state. Only then-'
Disa could bear to read no longer. As if they had been subjected to an exceptionally sick joke, she put the letter down, turning to her friend in utter disbelief. The knight said nothing, her eyes unblinking and glassy from a horrible revelation that had reached her ears and was now settling inside her consciousness, like an ice-cold fist closing around her heart. 'Does this mean…?'
Silence.
Eventually, she spoke.
'He… He told me. Back then… He told me. He told me but I did not understand.' Nothing but her lips was moving, barely noticeably, monotonously repeating the first words over and over. 'He?' The physician asked, voice thick with apprehension. 'The prince? Or do you mean… him?' 'Did you know of this?' 'No, I… I truly did not!' Disa managed to press out, interrupted by a sudden sharp gasp from her friend, pressing her eyelids closed as if she had been hit by a spark from a fire. However, warmed by Grace only, no such thing could have happened. It was this terrible revelation in itself that had ignited the spark that had just begun to torment her.
Linnae abruptly rose from where she was seated, her movements anxious and desultory, as if it was torturous to be in her own skin. Soon she fell to her knees, fingers pressing into the murky floor until Disa was sure she could hear it creak. It looked as if it would hurt awfully.
'I… Forgive me. It's not… Of course you couldn't have known.' As her voice faded into a whimper and head hanging low, the physician attempted to approach her. 'But why would he… I don't understand…' 'Lin…' the physician said softly, putting a hand upon her shoulder. 'No… No, no, no!' Flinching from her approach, the knight now clutched the sides of her head, bending over until her forehead lay flatly against the wooden floor. Her fingers dug into her skull, body convulsing as if she was about to empty her stomach but no coughing or gagging commenced; nothing was physically wrong with her. However, as the physician had witnessed with countless patients before, her misery had finally become unbearable and desperation had taken its deadly grip on her. She could only begin to imagine the excruciating sense of hopelessness that Linnae was feeling in this moment.
'Linnae… Linnae you could not have known either..! I am so sorry for even-'
'I should have known. I should have known! He told me, he told me- And yet I did not understand! And to him it was nothing but a farce…' Disa, unaware of to what the knight referred had frozen in place, doing naught but watching her suffer. 'You are not to blame. No one but myself is to blame. I never had a chance. She was right, she… She did nothing wrong in leaving me. My maiden… She only tried to protect herself. Just as Barden tried to protect his people… Oh, Gods forgive me…'
As she cowered there on her hands and knees, she brought a hand to her face and doggedly covered her eyes. Disa knew that it was too late; this despair would be too much for her, this would be the final push to make her ultimately succumb to madness. Thick, yellowish smog was leaking from between the knight's rigid fingers, her chest heaving.
Linnae was beginning to lose it.
What astounded Disa the most was not her own sudden determination to approach the frenzied woman. Regardless of the knight's recent outreaching demeanor the physician was certain about what kind of opposition she'd face; Linnae would want her to get away, to take Moonveil and flee, maybe even to take a knife and end her life. Anything to prevent herself from inflicting any damage upon her partner, from dragging her down with her, influencing her, ruining her. Just like what she had just admitted her maiden to have rightfully done. That's why the knight's response shocked her so. For before Disa could even rise to rush to her side, she could hear the broken voice of her admired friend beg to her:
'Please… Help me…'
The Grace had started to behave peculiarly, writhing, twisting at the tips, its core hollowing and its gentle hum distorting into a crepitating sizzle. This was bad. Bad. The smoke from her eyes had solidified now, trickling like liquid between her fingers to instantly evaporate anew into the stagnant air. Her breath was sharp and laboured, her entire being balancing on the thin line between the loyal knight who dutifully pursued the virtues made out for her and the exhausted, crestfallen creature who had no more fight in her, no moral left, nothing more in her desolated existence to but her faith to.
Nothing more… Than Disa herself. She took a deep breath. She had no cure for this, no remedy, not even a proper understanding for the powers that she was dealing with. But it had to work again. It simply had to. Else this would be over.
Crouched by her side, she grasped the knight's shoulders, forcefully yanking her up to her knees. Her hands hung heavy at her sides, breath now nothing more than imperceptible gasps, eyes shut close as sweat protruded aggressively from her forehead. 'Look at me', the physician said. The knight did not do so. Had her voice not reached her? She remembered, back in the woods, how she had felt at that time, the dedication, the affection, the… Her grasp hardened, not only of her clothing, but around the shape of her arm itself, squeezing its firm meat.
The covetous desire… The…
Their faces were but inches from each other. The smoke tried to enter her, she knew it, to stifle her. She would not let it.
She had not felt what Linnae had felt. She had not experienced what Linnae had experienced. This curse preyed on the emotionally damaged, the susceptible, the mentally frail.
Disa's fingers rose to trace the shapes of the knight's jaw. Strong. So strong, yet so…
The hollowed eye watched them. It could wait no longer.
'It does not matter', Disa whispered, hand covering the quivering eyelids of her beloved. 'As long as I'm here… It will not have you.'
I will.
'Open your eyes', she insisted. 'Now.'
With her glabella pushing against the back of her own hand, Disa felt the knight's eyelids flutter as she finally set herself free. Light poured out, burning the physician's skin without leaving any traces, yet she held her hand tenaciously in place until it hurt her no longer, and she let her hand slide from her face so that it was all revealed for her to see.Blackened sclera, bright yellow iris and a slim, minuscule pupil gave her eyes an otherworldly, infernal look and gazing into them had the physician thrown into a state of vertigo, her own eyes immediately tearing up from the ruthless illumination. She was perfectly aware of what could be expected to happen. She would become afflicted, very much to the like of the knight herself, and would Shabriri not be quick to overtake her the frenzy would still turn them into beasts and it would all come down to raw, unhinged power to which Disa would not stand a change and be torn to pieces even before the other woman's ocular fire burnt into her brain and killed her. However, she would not let that happen.
'Come back to me.' Clasping the sides of the knight's head the thusly aimless vapor sought her own eyes, beginning to bizarrely seep into them to have the gray flicker in yellow as if a battle of sanity and despair took place inside them. Awful ideas filled her head, visions of burning chaos, meaningless, excruciating pain with death as her only salvation. She lent in closer, felt the wetness of Linnae's cheeks, the hotness of her breath, fleshly, worldly sensations binding them together outside of the spiral of madness that already linked them.
This exact moment was the most important in Disa's entire life. And she would not fail.
To fail, she had to be afraid.
Ignorance is bliss.
The vision of her last dream suddenly overtook her inner eye. That dream had depicted this exact nightmarish chaos so clearly, the burning, the desolation, the…
Excitement.
This curse preyed on whoever was susceptible to it. And right now, in this moment, it was meant for Linnae.
Only Linnae.
The visions meant nothing.
With a lengthy, asphyxiated gasp the smog drew fully from the knight's eyes like a parasite being extracted from its entry wound. Both women gasping desperately for air, hands clutching their throats, the knight was the first to regain her full consciousness. The world still fluctuated eerily around her, and the air felt suffocating hot, but apart from these sensations she felt…
Fine.
'How… How..?' Linnae breathed. The white-hot glare still spiralling into her illuminated orbs, Disa's body faltered, falling heavily into her partner, powerless to restrain herself. Her passion for the other woman had finally accumulated beyond control and desire overflowed her like a violent deluge. Just before, she had been going over in her head how she was going to carefully lay it out tonight, and it was nothing like this. Not during such chaotic circumstances. Not this… Compellingly. She had even given up on the opportunity. Still heavy-handedly clasping the knight's head the physician gave her no response. Instead, her face crept in on the other woman's, artless and spent as she was, and when she ardently pressed her lips against her beloved knight's own she let her, yes, for the briefest of moments Linnae succumbed to the kiss, boorishly indulging in it as had it been a life-saving elixir. Then, hastily, she withdrew.
'M-Miss Fieldstream', she stuttered, 'N-no matter how dearly I've come to hold you, I don't want you to do anything you would regret because of this influence… As she tried to retreat further, she was held back by the physician's frantic grip of her shirt. 'Linnae, please, please', she prayed, the warm gray of her eyes gleaming vividly as the yellow glow seemed to subside and turn inwards into her retina, as it had just done to Linnae herself. 'I was going to tell you, right this evening, before this, this… But this changes nothing, I swear to the Gods I've felt for you since the very first time I saw you and it just keeps growing stronger and stro- Oh, I can't take it anymore…' As Linnae held the physician's face between her hands, she was finally confronted with the undeniable fact.
Disa lusted after her to the point of insanity.
'Miss Fieldstream.' The knight's eyes widened.
'Oh, Lin… I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.' Gently letting her go the dispirited physician sought comfort on the pelt sprawled by the Grace, turning her head away as the two women suddenly struggled to look at each other. 'Why?' The knight asked, delightfully shyly. 'You're suffering, and yet I can't contain myself. A-and the Prince, he sent me here to help you', Disa was clenching her fists around the pelt beneath her until her knuckles whitened, squirming as if furiously fever-ridden. A brief moment of clarity had come upon her, and she needed Linnae to know exactly what and who was in their way. 'because he's expecting me to return with you so that he can ask for your hand.' The words were tumbling out of her mouth, desperate and unstoppable. 'I know I am severely worsening your troubles by feeling like this. I am way out of line, way, way out of line…'
'That's okay.'
It happened in an instant. Leather-clad hands found her cheeks anew, her head was gently turned to face the one she wanted so badly who with brazen determination pressed her lips back against her own.
Disa felt her heart stop. It had happened. It had happened. It had truly happened.
Linnae's kiss was like being swept up by a surge, overpowering yet completely alleviating, resolute yet completely devout. It forced Disa into a state where she could do little else than to follow her lead, caught between the pelt behind her and the knight leaning down over her, one of her hands now cradling the back of the physician's head as the other supported the weight of the knight's own body against the thick foliage beneath them. Her tongue made contact with Disa's, whose own eagerly responded, and Linnae let the kiss turn deeply ravenous…
It was perfect, so completely devoid of courtly mannerisms, of anxious heedfulness and pointless romanticism. It was a kiss of repressed desires finally set free, in many ways so completely out-of-character for Linnae, yet… Perfect. It had brought her back into the real world, and therefore it was one thing she needed to know. 'W-what about the prince… Your maiden…' No matter how unlikely, she couldn't stand the eventuality of the other woman's thoughts being somewhere else. 'There's nothing about them.' Linnae was close enough for their lips to be touching as she stilled the other woman's worries. 'Nothing.' She was trembling, too. Her assertiveness had been stilled by her gentle heart and she needed Disa to believe in her faithfulness. They fell back into the embrace, Disa confident in her lover's reassurance, confident that she would heal the cracks in this woman's broken soul with her fervent passion.
She had time and time again thought of the knight in a dominant demeanor, but truly in this moment she knew for absolutely certain that the woman before her was the one who deserved, who needed, to completely forget about everything else if only for a while. She asked her to take her place, lean back comfortably against the perfectly slanted bedding, and reclined in this humble throne the knight beheld the salacious display of Disa removing piece by piece until her torso was bare before her. Her shoulders were elegantly rounded, the waistline of her pants snug delightfully around her soft belly and as the knight reached out to embrace the unblemished, pale skin the fullness of her breasts pushed voluptuously against the palms of her hands.
'M-Miss Fieldstream… You're beaut-' 'Disa', she cut her off tenderly, sinking her body into the touch, 'you have to call me Disa now.' 'O-of course.' The knight gathered her courage and spoke her name, touched by the immense sense of unity and belonging it brought her as she was rewarded with the physician's figure pressed against her, arms wrapped tightly around her neck, the devouring kiss striking her like thunder and forcing the very last of her restrains out of her. 'Lin', Disa mused sensuously into her ear. 'Let me have you. Please, let me have you.' 'Yes', the knight pleaded breathlessly.
Linnae's body exposing itself for Disa as she reverently freed her of her coverings sang to her, the mere sight of it mending the ache of all the long miles they had thus traversed and all the perils they had so far encountered. For every garment removed she let her lips bless the skin, neck, chest, her scarred torso bulging with muscle, the most tender love given to her blackened marks which had brought her so much shame. Muffling herself with a hand over her mouth, such an innocent trait, Disa tried no tricks to coax a lusty response out of her. Soon enough, her slow worship drew sound out between the fingers covering the knight's mouth, the most genuine yet suppressed moans, and as she was finally completely nude before her lover, her face was deeply flushed and body shuddering with sheer expectation.
The skin of her strong legs as well as that of her vulva was far smoother than the physician would have guessed, the latter glistening with overflowing secretion. Gods, what a sigh. Its pretty, unspoiled folds did too emanate innocence, and for a brief moment Disa asked herself if it could be so that the knight had been saving herself. Nevertheless, first time or the millionth, she should never before have felt as adored as now. With anyone else, she would have teased, seduced, possibly toyed a bit with them until they begged for her love. But not this time. She leant in where she knelt, desirous lips and tongue driven only to please her.
'Ohh D-Disa, it feels… So good… So… Good…' Disa's slow, tender care soon aroused such delightful praise out of Linnae, her unexpected verbality transforming into shivers down her lover's spine and dull, heavy throbs between her loins. Regardless of how many times before the physician had gone down on another woman it was all forgotten things of the past, what she was now experience was a new feeling, endlesslyintoxicating and addictive and fully orgasmic in itself, before long having her grasping firmly at her lover's quivering hips, ardently driving the other woman closer and closer to the point of no return. The climax, as it arrived, had Linnae in an iron grip until her every muscle had gone limp from exertion and her head was slumped back in an ecstatic, shaky exhale.
'How are you feeling?' Head resting in her lap, still savouring her taste her fingers found her sweetheart's, entwining. 'I…' She was pulled up, very gently towards the knight, swept into a kiss of gratitude before given her reply. 'You brought me back from despair, Disa' she whispered, 'and right now I want to think of nothing else but you. Please, let me forget everything else…' As she spoke she turned, laying Disa down against the hide in the straw, stealing the opportunity of answer by the flowing proceeding of her repayment.
Her skills were of mind-blowing proportions. As her lips worked to attentively find what spots on the physician's neck thrilled her the greatest, a hand slid down her belly to her still clothed crotch, stroking, groping, soon lifting the hem to enter and so her question had answered itself; there was no way that Linnae was inexperienced. Much like her way in battle, silent and extraordinarily attentive, she held Disa close to her body, breathing into her ear just as she had done in her scandalous dreams, middle and index finger neatly sneaked in between her legs to find her clitoris and rub it with light rotations of her fingertips. The knight had just begun and she already found her way around Disa's body better than she did herself. It was nothing short of insane.
When Linnae could tell her partner was on the verge, she stopped. 'Forgive my delay, but it will feel far better with no clothes on your body', and so Disa was completely in the flesh as the knight proceeded, sliding her fingers down to her opening where her hand lingered in place, awaiting permission while relishing the abundant wetness. 'Put them i-in… P-please.' She did so, carefully yet ably, with absolute focus on Disa's reactions she bent them until she yet again found exactly what point of pressure pleased her utmostly. The force of the two fingers, although initially used gently, had her body react in ways of which she had never once felt the likeness. It had her fluids wildly erupting out of her, rendering the pelt underneath her lewdly soiled. After the earth-shattering peak, Linnae held the listless body of the dazed woman close until the tremors settled and she spoke from feeble lips, yet dressed in the sweet smile of the satisfied.
'I…' Not had she had a drop to drink, yet she found herself to be inebriated beyond all good sense. As they had read that foul letter it had barely been dusk, but as she now faced her lover she saw little else beside her but pitch black nothingness. Far away in the periphery Grace flickered, strange and heavily contorted. 'I…'
I need you to be mine. For I am only yours.
She could not speak such words aloud. Luckily, there was no need to. She saw that they were already connected. From the knight's eyes came again the string of burning light, soothing and invigorating this time, and the longer it lingered the stronger her desirous fever grew until her recent release seemed as nothing but a bare whet of her appetite. Her entire being pulsated with lust.
'I think I'm losing my mind…' she whispered.
'I do not fear it. Not this time.' The knight whispered back.
I would gladly lose myself for you.
They fell into each other as if possessed, initiating in a fornication completely carnal and animalistic, all alone in the dark void of their unity. Much like a ritual the two women moved in perfect, untamed harmony, gratifying each other's bodies in all ways imaginable, impossible to tell where one peak ended and the next emerged. It just kept going, and going, and going…
'You… Are…' Disa's hoarse voice sank back deeply into her throat.
'Disa… Disa…' Linnae on her back, one leg lifted and her lover straddling the other they were heavily indulged in the act of tribadism, groins grinding together as sweat oozed off their bodies. 'Disa', the knight breathed again through gritted teeth, 'your eyes… your eyes…'
They were fully aflame. Brightly, intensely, with long tongue-like flares reaching into the darkness above. 'You're still… You, are you not?' 'Yes', the burning woman moaned, leaning down over the partner, a dauntless smirk spreading on her lips. 'Of course I am. He… I will let him pain you no longer. He can't have you.' She clasped the knight's face and cradled it firmly in her hands. Climax was close.
Reaching the edge for what could well be the twentieth time of the night, Linnae caught a glimpse of the Grace towering behind the physician's back. During their moment of hedonistic inattentiveness, it had transformed. Its core now spiralled, three tall flames protruding out of it like tentacles, grasping at the air. It looked just like…
'He can't have you because you are mine.'
As the flames evaporated, the true form of the Three-Finger Hand manifested itself. Huge and terrifying it loomed over Disa, who only saw her partner's eyes widen before the entity bolted down and wrapped its abhorrent appendages around her. Then, in the blink of an eye, it pulled her into the twisted frenzied fire.
All that was left was the former Grace, again small and undisturbed, flickering faintly as the shed began to regain its contours.
Disa was gone.
