They still had a couple of days before they were expected to show up in Carlin
and meet the others. They could've made the entire journey in seven days time,
but they were in no hurry. Avoiding towns and main roads, they were more
concerned with keeping a low profile. On the sixth night they camped at the edge
of a lake not far from a village called Oak's Grove. As usual, Abigail fed and
took care of the horses and Ukko prepared the evening meal. He roasted the two
rabbits they'd caught in their snares two days ago and filled their waterskins
with fresh water from the lake. Making sure that their fire was not visible from
across the lake - Oak's Grove lay on the other side - he wondered why his
companion had been so lost in thoughts the past couple of days. She wasn't much
of a talker to begin with, but she seemed unusually quiet off late. He didn't
mind though. She was very refreshing after experiencing the ladies of the big
city who seemed so full of themselves and talked the entire evening and, if they
could, after that. "Hey, what's eating you, Ears?" Ukko said, trying to get a
rise out of her. Abigail turned in irritation. "Don't call me that." She led her
mare down to the waterside where she could drink. Ukko shook his head and dug out
his salt pouch from the saddlebags. "Dinner's ready," he announced after a while.
They ate for the most part in silence. Sitting opposite her and having the
advantage of added height Ukko watched Abigail eat. Her eyes focussing on the
task at hand she gently tore off small pieces of meat with her mouth. From time
to time she licked the dripping off her long, slender fingers. There was an
unstudied elegance about her eating, the same unconscious grace applying to most
other things she did. "You told me you cut your hair out of rebelliousness. So
that they couldn't miss seeing your ears," Ukko said. The fire's flames gave her
face and hands a fiery glow. "Uhuh," she replied, concentrating on the meat and
spitting a piece of bone into the fire. "Are you letting it grow back now?" he
asked. She nodded. "I grow tired of the hood. I want to feel the sun on my face
again without having to give away that I'm..."  Her voice faded and she followed
a couple of sparks that had leapt up from the fire. "That, and the fact that I'm
around someone with whom I can be myself again."  Her eyes caught his. Ukko
couldn't find a proper response to the sudden praise and nodded instead. After
dinner he carved a large splinter of wood out of a branch and started picking his
teeth with it, one of his favorite after-dinner activities. Abigail took a dirty
rag and started cleaning the mechanism of her crossbow. Ukko let out a modest
burp. An owl hooted nearby. A few crickets launched into a new recital. He felt
at peace, sitting here beside the fire and listening to the sounds around them.
The lake's surface was smooth, reflecting the lights of Oak's Grove at the
farside. Cloud and King stood next to the old willow near the water, nuzzling.
Two hills between them and the nearest path. If there was more to life than
killing, looting and pillaging, this, he thought, could very well be it. His eyes
drifted back to Abigail and he smiled. She hooked her feet behind the wood of the
bow and took the bowstring in her hands. Ukko looked at the play of her muscles
of her arms as she started to draw the string back. Only the pursing of her lips
betrayed the effort. She caught him staring and frowned. "What?" "You're so
quiet, Ears," he chuckled. With great speed Abigail nocked an arrow, aimed the
bow at him and fired. The arrow hit something next to his shoulder. The warrior
just sat there, the blood drawn from his face and his mouth hanging open. 
"G-gotcha. I won't call you that again," he said in a hoarse voice. She smiled at
that. When she lowered the bow Ukko glanced beside him to see what she had hit.
Next to his shoulder lay a snake, its head pierced with an arrow. He released his
breath in a long, slow sigh. "Koriel guard me! I thought you were going to shoot
me!"  He tried to clear his throat. "There was no time to warn you," she
apologized. "Are you alright?" "I think so... Do you think it was poisonous?"
Abigail shrugged.  "Don't know. But it was about to give you a lovebite. Would've
given a nasty wound in the neck from any kind of snake." Ukko pushed the arrow
through the snake's head and gave it back to her. "Thanks, Abby." "Hey, next time
you save my skin again."  After a short inspection of the sight she put the bow
and the cleaning rag away. She got up and walked down to the edge of the water.
In the light of the rising moon she unfastened the buckles of her chainmail
shirt. Ukko stared as she took the shirt off and put it on a large boulder near
the water. Her beltpouch and sheathed dagger were put on top of it. She managed
to take her boots off without unceremoniously limping around on one foot. Then
she slowly stripped her legs of the padded armor. She was now only dressed in a
long shirt that used to be white but which had now reverted to a more neutral
grey. From not more than ten feet away Ukko admired her. From her long legs,
muscled yet graceful, and the curve of her hips to the swell of her breasts and
the outlines of her nipples, clearly visible through the shirt. She was
breathtaking. He could hardly believe this was the same person who had drunk him
under the table two weeks ago in Woolfson Bridge. Normally, he decided, any woman
looking like she did now, combined with her sense of humor and the ability to
keep up interesting conversation would be near to impossible to resist. How come
he hadn't noticed her before? Abigail took off her jewelry, two rings and a
necklace and dropped it in one of her boots. She turned her back to him and
slowly lifted her shirt. For his mind's eye he envisioned them together, his
hands at the small of her back while he... Ukko blinked his eyes to get rid of
that train of thought. But he wondered why he'd never even considered trying to
get her into bed with him. A small voice inside him answered, because friends are
too valuable to take advantage of. And you're not like Dlanor. Abigail folded her
shirt and bend down to put it on top of her armor, giving him a broad view of her
butt, hips and the treasure, that lay between them. If she were putting on a show
for him, it was definitely working. He had a raging hardon which started to
become painful. She stepped into the water and slowly waded towards the deeper
parts of the lake, her hips and ass swaying. She looked over her shoulder.  "Come
on in, the water's great!" she called. Ukko raised his hand in response. He
gathered some branches and threw them on the fire. He unfastened his leather belt
and thought about the dangers they had faced together. The encounter with the
Death Knight still brought him shivers. For a while he was distracted by
loosening the straps of his jerkin and by the time he dropped his pants his
erection had withered enough for him not to embarrass himself in case he was
imagining things. The water was cold enough to be refreshing and still warm
enough for comfort. "Did you never do this when you were younger?" Abigail asked,
treading water as he swam towards her. "Nope." "Come on, a farmboy like you?" She
giggled. "Never swim naked at night?" "They worked me too hard," he admitted.  "I
was too tired to do anything at night." He found out he could just touch the
stones on the bottom with his toes. He found an elevated rock with a smooth
surface and stood on it. They were just grinning stupidly at eachother for a
moment. "You standing on a rock? Maybe I can too." She nearly tripped on his
toes, lost her balance and regained it when he put his arms around her. Her arms
slipped around his neck and her groin slowly rubbed against his, leaving little
doubt about what she wanted. The warm, smooth skin of her back felt great under
his wandering hands. His member hardened again and nuzzled her left thigh. There
appeared something unsaid, still, so he stopped momentarily to face her. He was
surprised to see a tear running down her cheek. "Do you need a reason?" she said
softly. Ukko thought about that. "To be honest, no. I eat when I'm hungry, drink
when I'm thirsty and sleep with someone when I'm lonely. A night of passion for
the sake of passion is fine by me. But I wondered what /you/ wanted out of this."
Abigail blinked away another tear. "My life's mostly been dark. There's so much
blood and death in it. So many friends lost. For every foe slain we lose
something of ourselves. I wanted to add some brightness and..."  She gulped and
added: "Like you said, no strings attached." Ukko realized he could as easily
fall in love with this woman as he could slip off the rock they were standing on.
He wasn't about to confuse the issue by saying so. He knew he wanted to possess
this sensual being, to know what she would sound like in the heat of passion and
to see the movements of her slender form and sleek feminine muscles, striving
towards perfection in a rather different art than unarmed combat. He also didn't
want to think about the next morning. "Don't you desire me, Ukko?" she asked,
mistaking his hesitation. "Absolutely," he said. He moved his face towards hers
and licked the underside of her nose. Then he grabbed her buttocks, lifted her
out of the water and flipped her over backwards. She surfaced gasping for air. In
a low voice she growled: "You're going to pay for that!" "I'm soo scared!" Ukko
cooed. He started a quick crawl to get some distance between them. She grabbed a
foot and yanked him underwater. They both surfaced seconds later, facing each
other. Abigail splashed water in his face and laughed. Ukko liked to see that she
enjoyed herself and was determined to keep her spirits up. She'd never smiled
much, at least not as much as he would like. He splashed back and dove
underwater. He encountered a smooth leg and pulled on it. They wrestled and tried
to push the other down. When they hit the bottom, which was littered with
pebbles, Abigail pulled him close. Ukko felt her soft lips caress his, reminding
him of their intentions. It was some time before they got tired of chasing each
other and got out of the water. They shared a blanket and lay down next to the
fire to dry. When by mutual consent the course of events for this night had been
clearly outlined, neither one of them was in a great hurry to consummate their
desire. They both wanted to draw out the experience. For a while they were
content to hold eachother and stare into the flames of the fire. Abigail smiled
at him. He smiled back. It was infectious and she found she couldn't stop
grinning. She stuck out her tongue at him and shook her head, spraying his face
with drops of water. Ukko tickled her and she giggled. They kissed, softly. He
stroked her face with surprising tenderness, slowly licking her right ear. "Ahh,
praise Shilohin," Abigail moaned. She had only suspected that her ears were so
sensitive. It was as if her ears were directly connected to her nipples and what
she liked to call her private garden. Suddenly eager to be joined, she slipped
her hand down and grasped his shaft, now more rigid than ever. Ukko grunted in
appreciation but continued licking her, following her jawline and neck. Slowly
massaging his rod Abigail asked breathlessly: "Am I going too fast for you?" Ukko
groaned: "Uhh... do as you... ahh..  please. I'm yours..." With satisfaction she
noticed that his head was as slippery as she was. Sitting up briefly she leaned
back and slowly let his shaft enter her garden, all the while watching his face.
They both sighed deeply as she slid down. After a few moments she rested her
buttocks against his hips, his penis firmly lodged inside her. They slowly moved
against against eachother, trying to find the rhythm. Her hard nipples dragged
across his, adding fuel to their passion. Ukko admitted to himself that during
combat practice he _had_ wondered how the young female, at the time performing a
complicated figure, would look and feel in this position. Now he knew: it felt
great. She looked great, smiling and making purring noises from the back of her
throat. Her hair, which looked pearly white in the moonlight, was still partially
wet and tousled. He was staring at her small breasts, which hardly swayed despite
the long and deliberate thrusts of her hips. He wanted to know what the dark,
hardened nipples would taste like, but there was time enough; for the time being
he satisfied himself by pulling and twisting those two heated points of pleasure.
Abigail felt as if she slipped into a hot bath. Heat flowed from different parts
of her body towards her loins, where it accumulated. She looked down to where
their bodies were joined, her matted hairs mingling with his darker hair. Where
his penis entered and filled her private garden, which seemed to be burning with
need. Soon Abigail felt the tying of a knot in her stomach, the familiar knot
that kept expanding. Her nipples were tingling in time with her heartbeat, which
was going faster and faster. He reached out and sharply pinched her right nipple.
That send her over the edge. With a loud scream that silenced the cricket
orchestra she exploded into orgasm. She tried to keep up her movements while the
hot waves coursed through her frame. His hands supported her hips, helping her
along. She felt herself gripping him with great force, felt her heart match that
delicious pounding she felt throughout her loins. Ukko tried to keep up the
rhythm without giving in to the stars himself. Trying to counter the feeling of
her warm, wet sheath moving around him and the sound of her continuous moaning in
his ears, he thought of tax-collectors and death knights. She helped by trying to
dig her nails into his shoulders. Abigail ground her pubic bone into his, drawing
out her pleasure. The moment passed and their movements slowed. When the last
waves had passed she opened her eyes again. She still felt the blood run through
her nipples and fingertips. With a blush on her cheeks she sighed: "Oh, Shilohin!
Wow..." "You are beautiful when you reach the stars," he told her. Catching her
breath she felt that he was still hard. Recalling an intensive three-hour
battle-practice she wondered how long their stamina would last. Neither of them
had broken a sweat yet. It would be a lot of fun to find out, she thought and
smiled wickedly. "I'm curious what you will look like," she replied. Eager to
join the stars again she started to move again. After she had had three more
orgasms they tried out other positions, the Autumn Crane, the Faceless Unicorn.
When they switched to Butterfly they were both panting from exertion. Ukko leaned
on his arms and licked the sweat of her forehead. She tasted salty. "Can you give
me one more?" she asked hopefully. Shilohin, I'm getting greedy, she thought.
I've joined the stars eight times in one night and I want more! Ukko chuckled.
"I'll try hon, but I'm almost ready to go. Can't you feel it?" Embarrassed by her
selfishness she nodded. "I'll let you go. Don't worry about me." She fondled his
jewels and her hips started a gentle rhythm. Ukko groaned. Whether he moved or
not, his pleasure kept mounting. It wouldn't be long before his companion, now
writhing under and around him, would send him on his journey. "Are you..." he
started to ask. "Safe? Yes, I'm in the middle of my... unngh... safe period." 
Abigail flung her arms around him and sped up her movements.  "You can leave
inside of me... nnghh..."  Her private garden, which by now felt like a mountain
river in spring, had covered his rod with copious amounts of her juices. Soft
liquid noises joined the other sounds of their lovemaking. "Ahh... actually I
insist..." she panted. Putting her hands on his hips she tried to coax him to
greater speed. She felt his member expand inside her and realized he was almost
gone. To her excitement the warmth inside her concentrated once again into a
fiery ball which was growing rapidly. If they timed it right they might leave
together! She pulled him close and whispered: "Almost going, dear friend? So am
I... If we're not careful we might go together..." Her sultry comments and her
soft, sweaty body sliding beneath him almost send him away. Ukko gritted his
teeth and tried to slow down, but Abigail would have none of it. "Did you ever
make a Lover's Journey with a friend?" she continued. "I'll wager you didn't." 
The words added fuel to the fire they both felt building inside them. Amazingly,
neither one of them had left yet. It was almost a contest of strengths, the
muscles in their arms and legs strained and their minds set to launch the other
into paradise. "Ladies first," he groaned. "No, go with me," she whispered.
"Leave with me... please!!" Ukko drove his member all the way inside her and let
himself go. Abigail gasped when she felt his hot streaks up inside her, releasing
in time with the tightening of her own inner muscles. Then the fireball exploded
in her and she was consumed by the flames. Ukko growled as her release fuelled
his. He gripped her shoulders and thrust again, and again. She retaliated by
locking her ankles behind his back and drawing that delicious member inside her
burning garden, quenching and fueling her fire at the same time. They looked at
each other, smiling and panting, their eyes trying to catch as much detail as
possible. Finally the sensations dulled and their movements slowed. By unspoken
agreement he stayed inside her. She traced the contours of his shoulder blades,
enjoying the closeness. Every small movement still caused some muscles to
contract, which in turn still caused warm, gentle waves for both of them. Abigail
tested all her muscles and found herself satisfied. The bruises on her shoulders
told her she truly had made him lose control. She smiled quietly. Not bad for a
first time, she thought.



Ukko woke up at sunrise. A few muscles in his back protested as he shifted,
reminding him of the night before. He became aware of the warm body next to him.
He opened his eyes and saw Abigail resting on her side, looking at him. "Hi," she
said. "Hey you," he replied. Ukko let his eyes wander over her smooth curves. The
first sunrays of the days caressed her thigh and shoulder, adding an angelic
quality to her beauty. If Shilohin would ever walk among mortal men, he thought,
this is what she would look like. She stared back, as she had done for a while.
She ached in places long forgotten. But it felt good, a testament to their
labors. She felt better than she had for an unhealtily long period of time.
"Penny for your thoughts?" he said after a while. "I wondered what you were
thinking," she smiled. "If you had..." "Regrets? No." That came out a bit too
quickly, he realized, so he added: "No, really, I don't. I feel great."  He
immediately felt guilty. It was as if he'd said: you were a great lay, thank you.
See you around. The sex had been fantastic, for sure, but hadn't it been more
than that? "How about you? Was this what you were pining about for the past
days?" She bit her lower lip and nodded. "Wondering how to get my attention?" he
teased. Abigail rolled her eyes. "I practically had to throw myself at you,
before you noticed me!" she complained. "Hey, I noticed alright. I'm just a guy
who needs a bit more reassurance than Dlanor. I don't have all that much
experience with women. They don't usually throw themselves at me, you know."
"Their loss," she quipped and gave him a quick peck. She got up and took her grey
shirt. Stretching her arms above her head she let the shirt slide down over her
shoulder and breasts. She donned her clothes and armor in methodical, practiced
movements, covering more and more parts of her body. For Ukko this was, strangely
enough, as exciting as seeing her strip. But he put a lid on that train of
thoughts. Time to cut the strings connecting to last night, he decided. He might
wish it had been more than just sex, but it wasn't up to him to decide that it
had been. After eating the last of the berries they gathered yesterday it was
time for training. Abigail had made a wreath of twigs and leaves and hung it up
on the old willow. They took turns in shooting arrows with Abigail's crossbow.
First with the gem-sight mounted, then without. A few times she had to correct
his stance. Ukko felt himself distracted by the feel of her gentle hands on his
wrists and arms. He forcibly emptied his mind and tried to capture the moment of
release. The arrow hit the target alright, but not anywhere near the middle. If
she had noticed, she didn't let on. Then they duelled. He with his two longswords
and she with her longsword and her silver dagger. Dancing around eachother, parry
and strike, block and thrust. They worked up a good sweat, but the nagging
feeling Ukko had had for a while remained. They took a refreshing swim
afterwards, but neither one of them tried to strike up a conversation. They
avoided looking at eachother. As they got out of the water Ukko wanted to tell
her how much he had enjoyed the closeness between them. He stared at her bare
back while she stripped the water off her arms. And he just couldn't find the
right words. They dressed and packed their gear without a spoken word. This is
ridiculous, he thought, as they mounted their horses and rode off eastwards. The
entire day they drove on, only stopping at midday to let their mounts drinks. At
about four in the afternoon Abigail spotted a wild boar. She managed to kill it
with only two arrows. "Hey, there's a farm up ahead. I'll check the place out and
see if I can buy some bread, ok?" Ukko announced. "Ask them if they got fruit!"
she called as he rode off. She took the harnas and saddle off her mare and
started looking for the brush in the saddlebags.



"Afternoon," Ukko greeted the elderly couple which was sitting on a wooden bench
in front of their house. The farmer got up and raised gnarled hand. "Afternoon,
stranger." "My companion and I are a bit short on food and I wondered if I could
buy some bread. And some fruit if you have some," he explained. "Maybe..." the
farmer replied. He eyed the warrior suspiciously. "Are you going to pay for it as
well?" Ukko grinned and shook his purse. "My sovereigns are as good as the next
man's, farmer." "And your swords are as sharp as the next man's," the old man
added grimly. "Let's see those shiny coins, stranger." Ukko dismounted and walked
towards him, keeping his hands away from his swords. The farmer relaxed somewhat
and they bargained. A little later Ukko rode off with fresh supplies. He'd paid a
bigger amount than was reasonable, but these people were farmers. Working from
sunrise to sunset just to keep the bread on the table. Adventurers on the other
hand, like themselves, could just try and hijack another goblin patrol and earn
some quick sovereigns. Riding back to where he'd left Abigail, he noticed a trail
of broken off twigs and flattened grass joining his old trail. He wasn't sure
what the signs told him; she had taken time to tell him about tracking and some
telltale signs and now he wished he'd paid more attention. Coming close to where
she'd shot the boar he heard voices. From right behind that group of trees. He
saw some faint movement and he recognized her voice - she seemed agitated. Riding
around the copse of trees Ukko saw four horses tied to a couple of birches.
Abigail stood with her back to Cloud, the brush still in her hand. Surrounding
her were four young men. One of whom had grabbed hold of her wrist. Abigail
yelled something and the men looked at him, distracted for a moment. Ukko felt
the blood rush to his head. His Abby! They were trying to... the thought was
blotted out by a wave of anger. He jumped from his horse and bellowed: "Get away
from her!!"  He didn't even bother to draw his sword. A rage had taken control of
him and demanded that only his bare hands were good enough for revenge. Two of
the men hesitated. The one holding Abigail shouted something and the fourth one
stepped towards him. His fist struck the man in the middle of his chest. Ukko
didn't wait for his response but added two more punches, one left and one right.
When the big guy sagged through his knees Ukko made a run for the one holding
Abigail. The man let go of her and reached into his shirt. Ukko grabbed him by
the scruff of his neck and drove him straight into one of the trees. Planting his
knee in the other man's crotch, he shouted: "Why don't you try me on for a size,
huh!?"  Stepping back for a moment he drove his head into the man's stomach.
Ignoring the muffled screams he grabbed a handful of hair and slammed the other
man's head against the bark. "Like touching women, eh!?" Ukko yelled into his
ear. Gasping for air the man produced a dagger. Ukko simply ignored the weapon.
He formed Stone Fist, designed to break an opponent's nose, and punched as hard
as he could. The man dropped the dagger and tried to scramble away from this
madman. A trickle of blood ran from his nose to his lip. Ukko took another swing
at his stomach. And another. "Ukko, that's enough!" He looked up and saw the
other three men quickly mounting their horses and riding away if chased by
demons. Abigail stood next to him and covered his fist with her hand. "That's
enough," she repeated. Ukko took a deep breath and let go of his opponent. The
man madly scrambled away from him and ran towards his horse. "Farmhands I think.
Thought they could have some fun with me," she said. They saw the men disappear
behind the treeline. "They surprised me," she added softly. "Are you alright? Did
they..." Ukko swallowed, "...do anything?" She smiled. Her hand moved to his
heaving chest, a feathery light touch that send shivers through him. "I'm
alright, my love." Hearing her call him that send another wave of excitement
through him. She looked so lovely and beautiful. He nodded curtly, picked up the
assailant's dagger and turned to examine it in the sunlight. He was afraid that
in her gratitude she'd hug or kiss him - he was convinced he'd lose it then for
sure. He whistled for King and walked away from her. Abigail looked at the
ground. The moment had passed. He hadn't even given her a chance to thank him.
She resumed brushing Cloud with slow strokes, feeling disappointed and relieved
at the same time. Relieved that he hadn't asked why a couple of farmboys had
caught her off-guard. Disappointed that she missed the opportunity to hold him
and and kiss him and... seduce him again, she confessed to herself. Oh Shilohin,
that would've been disastrous, she thought. Look what one night of love had done
to their friendship. No, she corrected herself. A night of sex. It had been sex.
A very relaxing and very much needed physical exercise. And the most tender and
passionate sex she had ever had. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. This
is getting me nowhere, she thought. I just have to act normal and pick up our
friendship, just like he does. Cloud looked round why her mistress had stopped
brushing. Abigail smiled a wry smile and ran her hand over the mare's nose. Cloud
winked at her as if she understood. After unsaddling his horse, Ukko started to
skin the boar. He had done skinning many times and knew how to get every ounce of
meat out of the animal and keep the skin intact at the same time. Relying on his
experience he tried to calm down the torrent of thought that still raged inside
him. After a while he discovered he'd ruined a perfectly good boarskin. The
cooking went better. Abigail squatted beside him. "Smells good!" she commented.
Ukko grumbled something and added a few herbs. Half an hour later they ate pork
stew. They talked about different recipes for stew and shared a few jokes about
some of Ukko's failed culinary experiments. Ukko was put more at ease and was no
longer distracted by her long, searching looks. They were two flexible,
well-adjusted adults, comfortable with themselves and around one another. Ukko
pulled out his waterskin and offered it to her. "Want some applewine?" Abigail's
eyes lit up. "Applewine? What's the ocassion?!" she teased. She put the waterskin
to her mouth and took a swig. She felt the liquid warm her chest as it went down.
She took another swig and gave the waterskin back to him. She stretched
luxuriously and sighed in utter contentment. Trying to ignore her pose, Ukko
asked: "Don't you wish it could be like this forever?" "Almost," she agreed. Then
she added: "Well, no. Not in the long run." Ukko sipped his applewine and studied
the way her hair cascaded down her shoulders and how her long, slender fingers
fidgeted with her necklace. "What do you want then, in the long run, I mean."
"You mean, what would I wish for?" Ukko nodded. She wrapped her necklace around
her index finger. He remembered how good those fingers had felt on him. "Do you
remember that time we stayed in Katar and one of the rooms in the inn had been
broken into?" "The juggler." "Yes. One of the guests had seen him skulking around
the rooms that night. They searched him head to toe and they couldn't find
anything. But that didn't stop them from flailing him and driving him out of
town. Do you remember what they called him as they threw stones at him?" Ukko
remembered. Shouldn't we do something? he had asked Revelc. The mage had slowly
shaken his head. The crowd will turn against us or the militia will throw us in
jail, he had answered. But isn't anyone going to help that poor kid? he had
protested. Revelc had gripped his wrist and had told him: attacking people's
beliefs is very dangerous. They cannot be changed with gold or power. You can
only pity how these simpletons think of people of mixed race. And so they had
done nothing. "They didn't even bother to ask him if it was true," Abigail
continued. "Because he was halfelf. A half-breed." She propped herself up and
sought his eyes. She said: "I want to be accepted as I am. Accepted as a daughter
of mixed blood. I want to be proud of my double heritage. I want those people
apologizing to that juggler. I want the father to tell his son that he made a
great match, not a great match _for a half-elf_." Ukko looked at her. It was
hardly a wish any mortal man, no matter how powerful or wealthy, could fulfill.
But she dared to dream. And he loved her for it. He doubted that she ever would
see it come true, but if anyone could make a difference, it would be her. Life
seemed to happen around her. "You don't think it will happen," she said. He
sighed. "People are stubborn, Abby. And most of them don't like admitting they're
wrong. Not to themselves and certainly not to others." Looking into the flames,
he added: "But if anyone can make them change their mind, I think you can. And if
it makes any difference, I accept you as you are." For a while only the crackling
of twigs in the fire could be heard. Abigail smiled to herself. It was the first
time she had ever mentioned this dream to anyone and he hadn't dismissed it as
idle fancy. And even when he was serious, he managed to give her a compliment. In
only two days they would arrive in Carlin, Ukko reflected. Just two more days to
decide if there was there was more between them than just friends. If there was
anything at all. If he wanted to tell her how he felt, he had to tell her before
they joined the others. He knew himself. He didn't have the gall to breach the
subject with anyone else present, let alone the rest of the group. It was
ridiculous really, that he was afraid of being laughed at by the same people who
had saved his life and whose lives he had helped save. He had laughed in the face
of troll warriors, insulted a storm giant and he just didn't have it in him to
approach Abigail and tell her the truth. Maybe I can stretch it to three days, he
thought. Abigail moved over to him and took his hand. "I know you do, and it does
make a difference. Thank you." The inviting smile she gave him melted away any
control he had built up in the past hours. She wouldn't mind that he stole one
kiss, he reasoned. After all, what would one kiss be after last night. He grabbed
her wrists and pushed her backwards, putting his weight on his arms to force her
onto her back. He kissed her forcefully. "Ukko... mmmhh... leggo! Wha... mmhh...
stop it!!" She struggled wildly to get her hands free, trying to get away, but he
held her down with considerable ease. When he relaxed his grip somewhat she bit
his nose. He screamed in pain and seemed to realize what he was doing. He let go
of her wrists and his face went ashen. Koriel, take me away, he thought. What
have I done? How can I apologize for this? I ruined it. "Not so," Abigail said
breathlessly. "Not this way."  She sat up and rubbed her wrists. "Please forgive
me," he started. He wouldn't lie to her. He would just have to tell her. There
was no other way now. "I just had to... I, I can't get you out of my mind, I kept
thinking of last night and I... I never meant to harm you and I know we're just
partners and, and... Gods, you drive me crazy, Abby..." His voice faltered.
Abigail was stunned. _She_ drove _him_ crazy? The blood rushed to her face and
she put her hands on the ground to stop them from trembling. She whispered
hoarsely: "Go on." Ukko cleared his throat. Maybe there was a way out of this.
Maybe she would understand. "I desire you, Abby. I want you so much it hurts. I
want to hear and feel you again, I want to make you scream and..." Abigail put
her hand over his mouth and whispered: "Go on." His eyes widened when he realized
what she meant. For a moment he was dumbfounded, unable to move. Then he took her
hand and slowly licked her palm. Abigail swallowed visibly as he sucked her index
finger in his mouth and slowly circled it with his tongue. Her wildly beating
heart sped up her breathing. She felt herself growing warm and fuzzy. Without
letting go of her finger, Ukko reached for her and stroked her cheek. She closed
her eyes and tilted her head give him access to her neck. Ukko felt incredibly
alive. He had taken the only chance there was and told her the whole truth. And
she had accepted it. Accepted him. The woman he knew so well as friend and
comrade in arms was here with him, for him, warm and pliable, smelling of
blossoms in the spring. He shifted weight to give his erection more room. She
excited him to no end and judging from her face and heavy breathing, the feeling
was mutual. He gently bit her earlobe and kissed a trail down to her throat.
Abigail shivered under his touch. They stood up and kissed again, hungrily,
almost devouring each other. His tongue came out to lick her lips and she tried
to suck it in. Her hands were frantically untying the straps of his jerkin and
loosening the shirt underneath. He ripped her shoulder piece off and bit her
gently in the nape of her shoulder. Impatiently, Abigail drew her dagger, cut the
unyielding straps in a swift move and yanked the jerkin off his shoulders. She
pulled up his shirt and licked his chest, inhaling his masculine scent. Ukko slid
a hand inside her linen shirt and cupped a breast, twisting and pulling her stiff
nipple. A gasp escaped from her lips. One of her hands slipped inside his pants
and started stroking his rigid member. He moved his hands down her back, down to
her buttocks and in between. Her knees buckled as she felt him at her wetness,
rubbing her pleasure bead. Her world shrank to that spot between her legs. If he
would just come inside her, she wanted him so badly... With his pants at the
ankles Ukko suddenly turned her around and lifted her shirt. A wave of excitement
coursed through her. Mare and Stallion! Shilohin, don't let me fall down, she
prayed. Then all coherent thought left her as felt his head against her entrance
and his warm hands on her hips pulling her back to him, onto him. She felt him
sliding deep in her garden and sighed. They fit so well and it was so fine. Ukko
felt her warm wetness caress him, the clenching of her inner muscles and her warm
ass on his hips and feared he might go without her. He started a rhythm of short,
hard thrusts. Abigail sighed in relief as she felt her pleasure mounting towards
the stars. Shifting her feet for better balance she started to buck her hips back
at him, each move producing more fiery jolts inside her, stretching her as if she
were a bow string and he was so hard inside her and speeding up with every move
and stroking her legs, now trembling with the effort to remain standing and the
heat grew bigger and threatened to swallow her and then fireworks started to go
off inside her head. Ukko felt her muscles contract around him and could no
longer contain himself. "Abby..." he groaned as he ejected in her tightening
sheath. Abigail moaned blissfully and kept moving against his hardness, not
feeling anything except the wonderful pounding in her loins and the incredible
heat where her body joined his. She was floating among the stars. As the pleasure
faded they realized how closely they were pressed together. She leaning her back
against his chest and stomach, loins and legs almost one and her hands over his.
His ragged breathing and hers. The soft liquid sounds of their joining. "Abby...
let's sit down," he whispered. "Great idea." She sat in his lap and looked up at
him. For a while they just stared at each other, enjoying the closeness. Thank
you for her, Shilohin, Ukko thought. He felt awkward addressing the Lady of Love
who had never before smiled upon him. "Why didn't you say anything?" she said
softly. "I thought you wanted to be friends." "You fool," she smiled. "I've been
thinking about you all day, what to say to you and how to say it." Ukko ran his
finger over her upper arm and shoulder. "When you got out of the water this
morning... I tried. But I just didn't know how to tell you." "Tell me what?" she
asked, her eyes unsure. Ukko looked at her and wondered if she felt as vulnerable
as he did. Just say it, he thought. Just tell her. "That I'm in love with you,"
he said softly. "Madly in love." She hugged him fiercely, burying her head in his
shoulder, mumbling: "So am I, Zhaly'en. So am I." Ukko recognized the Elvish word
for 'soulmate' and knew he had vastly underestimated her feelings for him. In
only two nights they would arrive in Carlin. Not a lot of time to spend together,
Abigail thought. Maybe I can stretch it to three days.