Chandler's Ride: Chapter 5

Posted: October 27, 2005 - 02:28:25 am



After a month on the road, the sexual tension between Malcolm and Lilly was

thick enough to cut with a knife. Malcolm had taken to disappearing for fifteen

minutes every morning and afternoon to relieve some of his tension by

masturbating into the bushes. Lilly didn't need that kind of release. She had

discovered that she could trigger an orgasm by sitting just so while riding the

horse. Needless to say, she sat just so several times a day much to the

distraction of Malcolm.

Their destination was rather large citadel with a population of over ten

thousand people and situated on a substantial hill. Malcolm pulled the reins

bringing his horse to a stop when they crossed through the pass. Below them, he

could see the citadel about a day's ride away. This side of the citadel was

rocky and there were few farms. The area past the citadel was marked into a

checkerboard pattern that Malcolm recognized as individual farms. Pointing to

it, he said, "There's our destination."

"Yes. That's where Harold son of Fredrick lives," Lilly said. She was willing to

ride the horses until they dropped if it would get them to Crossroads ten

minutes quicker.

"We'll be there tomorrow around noon. I figure it will take us about two hours

to find Harold and sell off the horses," Malcolm said. He looked down at the

sword and added, "I'll sell the sword while I'm at it. I've got three in storage

and they're all better than this one."

"Will we have to stay an extra night here?"

"Why? Are you in a hurry to get to Crossroads?" asked Malcolm in a teasing

voice.

"Not at all," Lilly said. She adjusted her position on the saddle to where it

would rub her just right.

Malcolm noticed and commented, "You're going to wear out that saddle."

"What's a worn saddle compared to all those little Malcolm bushes you've been

planting all along our path," teased Lilly making reference to having caught him

masturbating on several occasions. Catching him wasn't an accident. Once she had

realized that he was going off into the bushes to relieve his sexual pressure,

she made sure to follow him every time. She'd never seen a man whose sex drive

was high enough to want to masturbate, much less do it two or three times a day.

Rather than respond, Malcolm looked along the road to locate a good campsite for

the night. He figured that they'd reach the bottom of the small mountain they

were crossing by nightfall if they kept up a reason pace. There were several

places that looked promising with water and reasonable cover. He frowned and

said, "I fear that our campsite tonight is going to get visited by bandits."

"Why?"

"We're coming along a trade route into a citadel. We'll have to camp about a

four-hour ride from town. That will put us in an area without any farms around.

The problem is that there are places about two hours away where bandits can live

and make raids at night," answered Malcolm scanning the region below.

"How do you know that?" Lilly asked. His knowledge of the dangers of Chaos had

been very impressive. Even more impressive was his ability to avoid trouble.

He said, "I have a small holding in a mining area. Every so often, I have to

chase away bandits that have decided to take up residence just outside of my

holding."

Lilly thought it was strange that he had not mentioned his holding up until that

moment. The horse moved a little and triggered a very small orgasm. She gasped

in surprise, wondering if the horse or the idea that the hero who rescued her

was successful enough to have a holding triggered her orgasm.

Fully aware of what had happened, Malcolm groaned and urged his horse forward.

There was nothing more uncomfortable than riding a horse with an erection,

particularly while wearing the tight pants common in this world. He glanced off

trail looking for a good spot to relieve his frustrations.

It took Lilly a minute to catch up. She asked, "Why didn't you say anything

about your holding before now?"

"It's just a small place. There are a couple hundred people and most of them are

farmers, although all of them take turns working in the mine." Malcolm didn't

want to mention that his hold on the place was very weak. Adventuring was his

entire reason for coming to Chaos. He'd taken over the place after rescuing a

Damsel a few years ago and kept it because it was a nice constant source of

income. When possible, he took missions in the area around his holding so that

he could visit it. The missions helped to increase his reputation in the area

and made it less likely that someone would try to take it from him.

"Mine?" Lilly asked imagining precious metals or jewels.

"Yes. A coal mine. We dig out about two wagon-loads a week," answered Malcolm.

He could have increased productivity by using more modern techniques, but that

would have been a violation of the rules. Instead, his people dug out the coal

using iron picks and wooden shovels. It was slow brutal work, but by working at

a slow even pace he was able to increase the safety of the mine.

"That sounds like dirty work," Lilly said. Visions of hot sweaty men coming out

of a mine came to mind. She could imagine him, naked, washing under a waterfall.

The idea was almost enough to trigger another orgasm.

"It is."

The pair discussed his holding for the rest of the afternoon. It was getting

late, but still a couple of hours before dark, when they arrived at one of the

campsites he had identified from the pass. As he reined his horse to a halt, he

said, "Stay here while I check this spot out."

"Okay."

Malcolm dismounted and examined the ground around the campsite. It had been used

many times in the past. There was a fire ring in an obvious spot. The grass had

been stunted in areas where people were likely to lay their bedrolls. It wasn't

used everyday, but at least once a week.

As he moved around the perimeter of the campsite, he looked for spots where

bandits were liable to sneak up on the site. He found several places where there

were definite signs that individuals had lain in wait. There was even a spot in

one of the trees where someone had tied boards on which to sit while looking

into the camp.

Returning to the horses, Malcolm said, "I've seen signs that bandits are active

in the area. We'll have to lay some traps and be careful tonight."

After taking care of the horses, starting dinner, and setting up camp, Malcolm

spent an hour placing traps at various locations around the campsite. He

returned to camp and continued to prepare their evening meal.

Lilly waited by the fire for him to finish cooking. She had undone her braid and

had her dress arranged to show off her legs. He was so tempted to go over to her

and have his way with her. Looking over at the Damsel, Malcolm said, "Put your

hair back in a braid."

"Why?"

"We won't be sleeping in camp tonight," answered Malcolm. "We'll have to be

quiet because I'm sure that we'll have trouble tonight."

"I can be quiet."

"That means no orgasms tonight," Malcolm said looking over the fire at her. She

had the grace to blush.

He stirred the pot of beans and sampled them. Satisfied that they were fully

cooked, he filled up a plate and handed it to Lilly. Shrugging his shoulders, he

said, "Sorry about camp beans for the night meal, but it is the last night on

the trail and we need to finish the food. Breakfast will be cheese and our last

two apples."

"I understand," Lilly said. She tasted the beans and found they were quite good.

All of the meals Malcolm had prepared for her had been good. She quickly ate the

plate of beans filling her empty stomach. Even though she finished eating well

before Malcolm, she had still looked graceful doing it. He wondered how she

managed to do that.

After dinner, Malcolm cleaned up the camp. It was dark by the time he finished.

Looking around, he grabbed a blanket and said, "Come with me."

She followed him into the woods wondering where he was taking her. When he had

found the location he had identified in his earlier scouting activities, he

whispered, "Use this blanket and sleep here. We need to be quiet from now on."

Early mornings meant that days ended early. Lilly settled on the ground and

wrapped the blanket around her body. After a long tiring day on horseback, she

promptly fell asleep confident that Malcolm would take care of her.

After removing his sword from its sheath and setting it where he could pick it

up without making noise, Malcolm sat down with his back resting against a tree.

It was at times like this when he wished they were traveling with a larger

group. He drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

It was several hours later when Malcolm awoke to the sound of their horses

moving nervously. His back was stiff from sleeping in the unnatural position. He

stretched his muscles a little being careful not to make any noise. Putting a

hand over her mouth, he woke Lilly and put a finger over his mouth in the

universal gesture to remain silent. After a moment of panic, she calmed down

once she realized what was happening.

Malcolm picked up his sword, feeling comforted by the fit of it in his hand.

Straining to listen for any noise that wasn't of natural origin; he nearly

jumped out of his skin when the silence was broken by a bloodcurdling scream.

His grim smile of satisfaction that someone had stumbled into his trap would

have scared anyone who might have seen it.

With the scream, surprise on the part of the bandits was no longer possible.

Three men ran screaming into the camp with swords raised in the air. They

slashed at the tarp trying to kill those that were in it. Moving silently,

Malcolm came from behind them and dispatched the men with ease. At least one of

the men never knew that the tent was empty.

Malcolm moved out of the camp and made his way to the sounds originating from

where a man was entangled in his trap. The man struggled to get his foot out of

the noose that held him suspended in the air. His sword lay on the ground where

he had dropped it out of shock. Even though the man was upside down, he swung

his knife at Malcolm. Malcolm dispatched the bandit without remorse. After all,

the man would have killed him in his sleep.

After scouting around the campsite for thirty minutes for signs of other men, he

was satisfied that he had gotten all of the bandits. His count was confirmed

when he found four horses tied to a tree limb a short distance down the road. He

was not surprised to find a shovel among the items carried on one of the horses.

They would need to bury the bodies. Claiming the horses as spoils of battle, he

took them back to camp and tied them up next to his two.

He made his way to where Lilly was waiting and knelt down. Whispering, he said,

"Stay here a little while. I've got to clean up camp."

"Are they gone?" asked the terrified woman.

"They're better than gone, they're dead," Malcolm answered in a flat tone of

voice.

Malcolm returned to a devastated campsite. The tarp was torn and would require a

lot of stitching to return it to a useful state. He carried the bodies away from

the camp, going through their personal effects for anything that might be

useful. For simple bandits, they were well provisioned. All of the men had

carried knives and swords. Between them, they had almost a conch in money.

Once the camp had been restored to order, he went back into the woods to get

Lilly. She was sitting up, wrapped in her blanket shaking slightly. Malcolm

knelt down next to her and said, "It's safe now. Based on what I found, I don't

think we'll have any more visitors tonight."

"What makes you think that?" Lilly asked still feeling scared by her ordeal.

When he'd gone after the bandits, she had worried that Malcolm might get killed

and she'd be left alone in the wilderness. The past month had been pleasant and

returning to a state of Distress was not something she wanted.

"Those bandits were rather wealthy. They had horses, swords, and a lot of money

with them. I suspect this is their territory and they've kept everyone else out

of the area," Malcolm answered.

Malcolm spread the tattered tarp on the ground and said, "We'll sleep on the

tarp."

Shivering from nervousness, Lilly asked, "Can you hold me?"

The pair lay on the tarp with a blanket covering them. Malcolm held his arms

around her. It felt good holding her like that. It felt like hours, but it was

actually only a few minutes before she had snuggled against him and fell asleep.

He was left with an erection that threatened to rip his leather britches.

After a very restless night, Malcolm awoke with an erection that was so hard

that it had become painful. He hadn't suffered a case of blue balls so bad since

he was fifteen. It got worse when she started grinding her butt against his

cock. It didn't help when, in a very sexy voice, Lilly asked, "Did you sleep

well?"

A few seconds later, Malcolm realized that he was holding her bare breast in his

hand. Somehow, her dress had slipped down during the night exposing her upper

body. It took a few seconds more for him to consider that it was highly unlikely

that her top had come undone all on its own.

At the thought that she had undone the top of her dress and put his hand on her

breast, it all became too much for him. He rolled out of bed and untied his

pants. Pushing them roughly to his knees, he wrapped a hand around his cock. A

few strokes later, he came. His come splattered the ground narrowly missing the

woman on the tarp. Knees trembling from his orgasm, he said, "Oh fuck."

Lilly stared at him. Her eyes were wide in awe at the lust he exhibited. She'd

never seen a man that excited. She crawled to kneel before him and pulled his

hands from his cock. Holding the erect organ in her hand, she said, "That's

amazing."

"We've got at least eight hours before we get to Crossroads." Malcolm moaned in

response to her soft hands caressing his cock. He looked down to see her adoring

his cock with the top of her dress around her waist. Her full lush breasts, dark

areola, and hard nipples sent a shiver through his body.

Never had Lilly seen an erection last so long. He'd already come and, by all

that she knew of men, his cock should have shrunk. She rubbed her hand along its

length. She fondled his balls with soft little brushes of her fingertips. Lost

in her own world of cock worship, she didn't realize the effect that her touch

had on Malcolm until he groaned and his cock erupted. Blast after blast of come

shot out the end of his cock. Fascinated by a sight she'd never seen, Lilly

didn't notice or care that she was getting covered in come.

He staggered back and stood on weak knees watching as Lilly slowly realized what

she had done. Her hand went down to her come splattered chest and rubbed the

come into her skin. Malcolm pulled up his pants and watched as she collected

herself. Rather than pull up the top of her dress, she braided her hair so that

she could travel. The sight of her topless while braiding her long black hair

was sexy beyond belief. It took Malcolm three times longer than normal to break

camp.

Time seemed to pass with the speed of the Mississippi River in summer time. It

was hard to keep from urging the horses into a full gallop to the citadel, but

he managed to control his baser desires. It wouldn't have been a good idea

trying to ride full out while leading a string of four horses behind him. Every

five minutes, he would mutter, "Who ever thought that a month was so long?"

He never thought he would be so happy to see a city gate as when he rode through

the gates of the citadel. Looking over at Lilly, he could tell that her feelings

were much the same. He asked, "So where will we find Harold son of Frederick?"

"He should be at his house. It's not too far from here."

"I'll follow you," said Malcolm. Even as he said it, he knew it was a mistake.

Riding behind her would be torture.

Lilly rode a few blocks down the narrow main street of the citadel before

turning to the right along a side street. Five minutes later she stopped in

front of a house. A large wall with a sturdy gate that provided access to a

small courtyard surrounded the house. Pointing to a bell from which hung a thin

rope, she said, "We have to announce ourselves."

Malcolm climbed off the horse, his legs feeling like rubber from riding so long.

He went over to the bell and rang it using the rope. Looking over at Lilly, he

said, "It would be easier to yell."

"That would be rude."

They could hear the sounds of someone entering the courtyard and making their

way to the door. The door slowly opened and a young man stepped out. He was

about to ask why they were there when he saw Lilly. Excited, he raced over to

her and said, "Lilly! I can't believe you're here already. I sent the ransom

five weeks ago."

"Hello Harold. Thank you for sending the ransom. I fear it wasn't necessary

after all," said Lilly.

Harold reached up to help Lilly down from her horse. Once she was on solid

ground, he held her at arm's length totally captivated by her beauty. It took

him a few moments to notice Malcolm standing next to Lilly. Turning to Malcolm,

he asked, "And who might you be?"

"I'm Malcolm Chandler."

"He rescued me from the man who had abducted me," Lilly said looking at the

young man.

"Oh, so my ransom wasn't delivered," Harold said. He wondered if the man with

whom he had sent the money would return. Turning to Malcolm, he extended a hand

and said, "Thanks for rescuing Lilly. She means a lot to me."

Malcolm shook his hand and then stepped back. Knowing that she was about to

break his heart, Lilly said, "There's something I have to tell you."

"Did that scoundrel who took you touch you?" Harold asked knowing that he would

take her regardless if she felt that the man who had taken her had ruined her

for marriage.

It would be so much easier to tell him that she had been ruined, but it wasn't

the truth. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I can't stay here with you, I'm

going with Malcolm."

"You stole her!" The anger in his voice died by the time he said the last word.

If the man had taken her against her will, they wouldn't have been there. He

felt that the explanation was even uglier.

"Yes, I suppose I did," Malcolm said.

Turning to Lilly hurt beyond words and able to taste his pain in his throat,

Harold asked, "Why did you come here? Did you want to rub it in?"

"No. I came here because I didn't want you to worry about me. I knew you would

try to pay the ransom. I was afraid that when your man came back with the news

that he was unable to deliver the ransom, you'd be worried and spend the rest of

your life looking for me," explained Lilly holding his hands in hers.

"I agreed with her, so we traveled three weeks out of our way to let you know,"

Malcolm said. He didn't say that it was the most difficult three weeks of his

life.

"You've told me, so go," Harold said, half in anger and half afraid to say more.

Barely able to hold back the emotions flooding over him, he turned to enter the

gate.

Malcolm pulled out a rather large leather bag from his saddlebag. Clearing his

throat, he said, "We have something else for you."

Harold turned to look at Malcolm and then at Lilly. His heart felt like it had

been broken into a thousand pieces. He didn't want to be there, but he stayed.

Lilly took the bag from Malcolm and said, "When he rescued me, he had to burn

the house down. In the ashes, I found a jewelry box. I want you to have what was

in it."

"I can't take this," Harold said looking at the bag without knowing what was

inside.

Tears were running down Lilly's cheeks as she held out the bag and said, "We

don't need or want them. I've got the only piece out of the contents that I

want."

"What piece?"

Knowing that she would have to leave it with Malcolm, Lilly held out the chain

that Harold had given her. This was far harder to do than she had expected. The

look in Harold's eyes when he saw the thin chain was a mixture of hurt, sadness,

and elation. He was hurt because the chain had meant so much to him, sad that he

was loosing her, and elated that the chain meant so much to her. Realizing that

she had cared for him and that their time together had meant something to her,

his tears ran freely down his face.

Uneasy by the emotions of the man before him, Malcolm shifted nervously. He knew

that anything he said would be interpreted as bragging. He went to his horse and

pretended to check out his gear. Not for the first time, he felt that this had

been a bad idea.

Lilly hugged Harold. At first he resisted, but then clutched her tightly. After

a minute, he stepped back and said, "We could have had a good life together."

"I know," replied Lilly. The truth was that they had no future together and

never did. She was a Damsel from Cassandra, but it was against the rules for him

to know that.

"Why him?"

"He's from my own homeland," answered Lilly feeling it was close enough to the

truth that the minor lie didn't matter.

"I'd invite you both in, but I don't think that would be wise under the

circumstances," Harold said. He turned to Malcolm and, with the trace of a

threat in his voice, said, "Take care of her and make her happy."

"I'll do so," said Malcolm.

The parting was filled with high emotions, but was soon accomplished. As they

rode off in search of a place where Malcolm could rid himself of five swords and

just as many knives, he said, "That was rough, but you had to do it."

"I should have just returned to Crossroads," Lilly said. Her face was still wet

with the tears she had shed while saying farewell to Harold. She hadn't realized

it would be so hard to tell the young man goodbye.

"No. What you just did is what makes you a Damsel," he commented. She rode

beside him without making a comment.

When they reached the center of the citadel, they found a shop with a sign

portraying crossed swords. It was the standard symbol for the shop of an

armorer. Malcolm tied up the horses in front of the shop and entered. The man

had a very impressive selection of weapons displayed on the counter. Lilly

looked around with an eye that didn't appreciate the quality, but even she knew

that the weapons were good.

The shopkeeper, a bear of a man, looked at Malcolm and the collection of weapons

he was carrying. The two men looked at each other, assessing the character of

each other. The armorer could see by how Malcolm's eyes sought out only the best

in the store that the man knew his weapons. In a deep voice, he said, "I see

you've encountered a little adventure. What have you got, five swords?"

"Five swords and five knives," answered Malcolm as he set the swords on the

counter with a rattle.

"Not going to keep a sword for yourself?"

"I've got three in storage."

"Ah," replied the man. He picked up each weapon examining the workmanship of

each blade. One of them was worth two conches, but the other four were worth

about half a conch each having been manufactured by a small town blacksmith.

Putting them down, he said, "One of them is good, but the other four aren't.

I'll probably grind down the edge and blunt the tip. They'll be good enough for

training. I won't sell second-rate merchandise. The knives are all so so."

"I know. That's why I'm getting rid of them."

"Four conch for the lot," said the man.

"One conch, thirty shells, and the chain mail gauntlet," countered Malcolm. He

already had a chain male gauntlet, but it was nowhere the quality of the one he

spotted in the store. The chains were very fine and the workmanship exquisite.

The armorer smiled at the counter offer. It was a fair exchange and he nodded

his agreement. Malcolm tried three of the gauntlets before selecting one that

fit his hand well. The fine links did not restrict his fingers. Satisfied, he

said, "They are good gauntlets."

"I carry only the best," said the man without sounding like he was bragging. He

picked up four of the swords and carried them into the back of the store.

Returning with the money, he said, "Here's your money."

Malcolm accepted the money and asked, "Where's an honest horse trader?"

"Is there such a thing?" asked the armorer with a smile. Horse traders on Chaos

had the same reputation as used car salesmen on Earth.

"Let me rephrase that, where's a horse trader who's only marginally dishonest?"

"By the north gate is a good one. He'll give you fair value for your animals if

you know how much to ask," said the man.

Lilly and Malcolm left the shop. They rode to the north gate in relative

silence. Malcolm was busy trying to figure out how much he would get for the six

horses. Lilly was initially thinking about her meeting with Harold. However, the

closer they got to the stables the more her thoughts turned to reaching

Crossroads and what would occur there. By the time they reached the stables, she

was in a pretty good mood.

At the stables, Malcolm stopped to examine the horses in the corral. Most of the

animals were in pretty good shape, although there was a couple that looked as if

they'd seen better days. He frowned at the sight of the horses.

A man was working on the gate, replacing one of the pieces of wood. He looked

over at Malcolm and saw what he was looking at. The man laughed and said, "I

know it doesn't speak highly of me, but I had to buy them."

"Why?"

"They come from a very good bloodline. The bastard who owned those two didn't

know how to treat a horse. Got them a week ago and they were nearly dead. I'll

see if I can nurse them back to health," answered the man as he walked over to

Malcolm. Shaking his head, he added, "They may be a lost cause, but any colts

produced by them will be worth the effort."

"You know your horses," Malcolm said after examining them with a more critical

eye.

Looking over the horses Malcolm was leading, the man asked, "You selling those

four?"

"I'm selling six and the tack for five of them."

The man checked each horse, taking his time. Not only did he check the mouths,

hooves, legs, and flanks, but he also listened to their hearts and lungs. It

took him about forty minutes to finish examining all six horses. After that, he

examined the tack. When he was done, he said, "I'll give you eight conches. It's

a good price."

"Agreed," Malcolm said. The price was reasonable and he didn't feel like wasting

another minute arguing over a few shells. He was horny, Lilly was willing, and

the bank was near.