Reverse-Cowgirl Diplomacy

Sergeant Kylon, Elissa discovered, was a very likable man.

His high opinion of the Grey Wardens, and low, scathing opinions about the job he'd been asked to do and the young noble bastards which whom he was supposed to do it, made her laugh. What it did not do, however, was give her an opening to proposition him. At least not yet.

Zevran was frowning when she strolled casually away from the sergeant, making sure to swing her hips for his benefit.

"What is this, Warden? Did I somehow miss you and the guard slipping away to someplace more secluded? His trousers are still fastened, and you do not lick your lips. Are you disobeying my commands already?"

"Not at all," she smiled cheekily. "The sergeant may prove more amenable to my charms once some of his concerns have been dealt with. He really is a desperately put-upon man. To that end, I managed to pick up another job, a paying job, one which takes us to the exact same location as the 'person of interest' I learned of from Master Ignacio's scroll. I suspect that when I return, he'll be much more willing to be led around the corner."

As she spoke, she led him along the street as it bent past the chantry, toward the bridge leading across the Drakon River. She was too intent on deciding whether or not they should take the time to gather Sten and Morrigan when Zevran's hand on her arm stopped her, pulling her off the street and around to the back of the chantry. Once again, she found herself pressed against a wall.

"Maker's blood, Zevran!" she cursed, "what is it with you and Alistair pushing me against walls today?"

But Zevran stopped her words with a hand between her thighs, tugging at her smallclothes. He ripped them off and tossed them into the tall grasses lining the wall of the building. "A donation to the chantry," he said dismissively. "I think, Warden, you need a little lesson on the rules of the game."

"What are you--?" he words trailed off when he began unlacing the trousers above his own long leather boots. His erection sprang free, and she reached for it eagerly, grateful for the chance to ease the frustrated buzz that had been plaguing her ever since Alistair had left. But Zevran caught her hands and pinned them beside her head.

"Here. Your hands do not move," he instructed. Grabbing one of her knees, he lifted it up around his hip, the stiff stitching of his leather armor rubbing roughly against her soft inner thigh. And then his cock was prodding at her entrance. With a smooth, effortless motion, Zevran grabbed her beneath her ass and lifted her the few inches necessary. Her legs went instinctively around his waist and he guided himself into her cunt with a single hard thrust.

"Maker's breath!" she gasped, her eyes snapping shut as her head slammed back against the wall of the chantry. If one of the sisters or templars within heard the noise, they would be certain to come to investigate. In the distance, she would hear some chanter with an annoying voice making an utter muddle of the Chant of Light and then arguing the matter with another sister.

Zevran set a demanding pace, hammering into her, drawing urgent groans and cries from her lips despite her attempts to be quiet. He made no effort to kiss her or stroke her, and with her hands beside her head, her clit was achingly ignored.

"The rules are these: while we are here in this city, your body belongs to me. This means, for all intents and purposes, you are my whore."

His words made her cunt spasm, the tension within her belly painfully, unbearably tight.

"Zevran, please," Elissa moaned.

"Does the whore disobey her pimp? Does she use her own discretion when he tells her 'fuck this man' or 'that one there?' No!" He punctuated the last word with a particularly hard slam of his hips, and Elissa let out a keening cry when it jolted her clit, almost, but not enough to push her over the edge.

"No," he went on, his own voice growing harsh, his breathing ragged. "She uses her mouth, her ass, her sweet--" thrust "--little--" thrust "--cunt, at his command. She does not make judgment calls or await a better opportunity."

"Zevran, I'm...oh, Maker, Zevran, please, I'm going to come..."

"No, Warden," he said almost tenderly. "I am afraid you are not."

Zevran ripped himself away from her, taking his slick, shining cock in hand. With just a few strokes, he spent himself on the wall of the chantry at her feet before she could catch her breath or move. Elissa stared at him in disbelief as he opened his eyes.

"You Maker-forsaken son of a whore!" she breathed, feeling ridiculously near tears.

"This is true," he said mildly. "I am all that and more. And you, dear Warden, will not come until you learn to obey." He reached for her hand where it still rested beside her head as she slumped, aching with unfulfilled arousal, against the wall of the chantry. He brought her fingers to his face, breathing deeply. "And if I detect even the slightest whiff of quim on these lovely fingers, you shall suffer terribly indeed."

Casually he laced up his breeches again and turned, walking away from her, requiring Elissa to scramble to keep up. She was practically limping, her unsatisfied need an actual cramping pain that threatened to double her over for a moment. "What do you think, Warden?" he asked casually. "Should we retrieve Morrigan and Sten from the marketplace before we continue on our way, or do you think we can handle this job on our own?"

It was on the tip of Elissa's tongue to call the game off, furious and frustrated as she was. She wanted to drag him to the nearest inn and fuck him until daybreak. But something in the challenge of Zevran's eyes halted her. She recalled his promise that it would be fun for her, and decided to wait him out.

"Get them," she answered, attempting to sound cool and unaffected. "For Master Ignacio's job, I don't want to take any chances. Speaking of allies, where did my mabari go?"

"Last I saw him, he was following Leliana. She had promised him food."

"It figures," she snorted. "Very well. Sten and Morrigan it is."


*****


The Pearl was rather lavish, certainly not what Elissa was expecting from a brothel. The whores ranged from demure and tastefully dressed to scantily clad and bawdy, drinking and flirting enthusiastically with the patrons.

Remembering the mistake of the mercenary at the Gnawed Noble, remembering Zevran's own words just an hour earlier, Elissa mused softly, "I've always wondered what it would be like to be a whore."

"My dear Warden," he laughed, "we are all whores. Some of us are just more frank about the currency we accept, yes?"

"Yes, well that is precisely what makes me wonder... to be so open about bartering sex, no motivation or angle more complicated than the need for mere coin."

"And why would this, of all things, intrigue you?"

"It seems it might be liberating, in a way," she answered, frowning. "No need to maneuver or seduce or cajole. A simple transaction, pleasure is had, and it's over."

"Ah, my sweet Warden, you betray your youth with your idealism," he sighed. "For the whore, pleasure is far from guaranteed, especially when the option of refusing no longer exists. The liberty you assume is rarely present."

"True, she nodded. "It's an immaterial point, anyway. Unfortunately being a whore lacks the discretion I require. With enough effort, I can always salvage my reputation from an accusation of making an indiscreet mistake by bedding this person or that. Selling myself, however? Well, there's simply no recovering my reputation if word should get out. Come, let us see about this Paedan fellow before we deal with the mercenaries."

Gaining access to the chamber where Loghain's mercenaries were waiting to capture or kill any Grey Warden supporters proved ridiculously easy. It was a clumsily-laid trap, and Elissa's lips twisted in a sneer as she spoke the password and was bidden to enter.

The mercenaries--the human male described by Ignacio's scroll and an elven woman--were almost easy to dismiss when a third voice, a familiar voice, exclaimed, "Maker's blood, it's her. It's one of the Wardens!"

Her eyes settled upon another man, in the back of the room, his armor emblazoned with Loghain's device. His was a face she would never forget. Something within her went numb, an echo of pain and fear and dread. She shuddered as she remembered clawing, pinching, brutal hands slapping and hitting her, leaving her bleeding and aching and bruised. Her heart thundered furiously in her chest, and the taste of copper flooded her mouth.

The fear paralyzed her for a moment, and then it transformed to rage. She'd beaten him, beaten them all, left him wounded and the rest humiliated. They hadn't broken her, and now here he was for her to take the final measure of the justice she was due.

A cold smile crossed her lips. "Oh, look, it's Loghain's lickspittle lackey from Lothering. Apparently you managed to deliver my message after all. Is this half-assed setup all for my benefit? I should have known; it reeks of your stupidity. Tell me--did you manage to find a healer, or did you have to endure stitches to repair that little scratch I put on your cock?"

"Slut!" he snarled. His face, which had paled at the first sight of her, now suffused with rage, growing red and mottled. "You'll be shitting blood for the rest of your short life when I'm done with you!"

"That didn't work out quite so well for you last time," she warned sweetly.

"You don't have me naked with my cock out this time, you bitch."

"And you don't have me outnumbered and at your mercy in the middle of a crowd of innocents," she sneered. "You might have to actually prove yourself a man this time around, rather than a sniveling coward who can't rise to the occasion unless he's slapping around an unarmed woman with his goons there to help him rape her."

He lunged at her, his sword in his hand, and the battle was joined. Somewhere on the edge of her consciousness she was aware of Morrigan and Sten and Zevran dispatching the other human and the elf, and then a thunderous crash as two qunari mercenaries burst into the room, but they were of little consequence. Her attention was on the soldier trying to hack her to bits with his sword. Deflecting his blows with her daggers was far from ideal, and there was no possible way to gain the distance to use her bow. She had an instant of fear, of knowing she could not win this fight on her own. Before, she'd managed to catch him at a disadvantage, naked and unarmed and not expecting an attack. She wasn't good enough with her daggers to fight him one-on-one.

Fortunately, she didn't need to. When his sword caught her on the forearm and carved a deep gash, almost immediately she felt the warm, tingling energy of the healing spell Morrigan had taken it upon herself to learn by observing Wynne, knitting the wound and soothing the pain. Zevran slit the throat of the elven woman in an swirling motion, all deadly grace and balance, using his momentum to carry him around in nearly a full spin as he struck the soldier directly on the back of the skull with the hilt of his dagger.

Loghain's man staggered, dazed, and Elissa dropped to one knee, bringing her dagger up underhand to shove it with all her strength into the gap between his long splintmail coat and the splinted leggings, severing the artery running through his groin. A hot spurt of blood arced over her in a fountain, splattering her face and armor, and she watched with hollow disinterest as he collapsed before her, howling as his life sprayed from him in rapid pumps.

His screams faded and she rose, staring at the still corpse. She was trembling, she realized as the surge of adrenaline began to abate. Tears stung her eyes as she felt something toxic within her begin to unfurl and disperse, something she'd never even suspected still lingered, like a cyst rupturing and the malignant fluid within draining away into nothingness.

"Are you all right?" Zevran asked, his tone and eyes grave and concerned. She looked over at her other companions; Sten was regarding her with something akin to approval, and even Morrigan wasn't quite managing her usual detached disinterest.

"Yes," Elissa said slowly, giving the body at her feet one last look. "I rather think I am. Come, let me wipe up some of this blood and then we'll deal with those mercenaries belowstairs."


*****


It didn't take much effort to convince the White Falcons to take their revels someplace else; Elissa rather suspected the blood still staining her skin and armor might have something to do with the matter. As the troop left, her attention was drawn to a scuffle on the far side of the room, where a single woman was fighting several men. She'd always thought Zevran moved gracefully when he fought, but the sweeping fluidity with which this woman used her daggers was breathtaking. Always she managed not to be where her opponent attempted to strike. Her daggers moved almost too fast to see, a shining, glinting blur of silverite.

"Ah!" Zevran hooted when he saw her watching the woman. "This is a most fortunate coincidence! I must introduce you."

"You know this woman?"

"We have met in the past; I seduced her and then killed her husband to fulfill a contract."

Elissa gaped at him. "And...you think she's going to want to see you again?"

"Indeed. I showed her a very good time, and she benefited greatly from the death of her husband," he shrugged. "I would almost think she took the contract out on him, if not for the fact that her indignation was genuine, if short-lived. What a perfect opportunity. Come. Dismiss Morrigan and Sten, we will not need them for this."

By the time Morrigan and Sten had left, the opponents the woman had been fighting had been scattered and she was enjoying a goblet of wine at a corner table. She looked up at Zevran's approach and smiled slyly. "Ah, and look who we have here. Come to apologize for leaving me bereft of my lord husband and then vanishing without a trace?"

"You know it was just business, Isabela. Business that turned out well for you, I see--you inherited the ship, I take it?"

"Hmph. I suppose I never did like the greasy bastard. And the Siren treats me far better than she ever did him," her eyes flicked to Elissa and widened with interest. "But you're forgetting your manners. Who is this sweet little thing you have with you, Zevran?"

"Ah, allow me to make the introductions," Zevran said, practically bouncing on his heels and looking incredibly pleased with himself. "Warden, this is Isabela, queen of the eastern seas and the sharpest blade in Llomerryn. And Isabela, my dear, you will no doubt be amused to discover that I am traveling with a Grey Warden."

"It's a pleasure," Elissa said demurely, wondering at Zevran's excitement. "Zevran, how is it that for someone who never before set foot in Ferelden, you have so very many acquaintances here?"

Isabela laughed, a throaty sound that reminded Elissa of the unfulfilled state of arousal she'd been in before the came to the Pearl. The woman was definitely regarding her with interest, but Zevran's next words drove lustful thoughts right out of her mind.

"Isabela, the Warden here is very proficient with her bow, but somewhat lacking in skills necessary for close-quarters combat. It nearly cost her her life just moments ago. I thought perhaps you might be willing to impart some of your skills to her."

"I beg your pardon?" Elissa drew up, embarrassed and affronted. "You introduced me for weapons training?"

"You have stated many times that you know your martial skills are not equal to those of your companions," Zevran pointed out. "It becomes a liability for the rest of us, not to mention the babe in your belly. And now here we have quite possibly the best fighter in all of Thedas. It would be a shame to waste such a chance."

"Then you saw that little demonstration," Isabela noted.

"Indeed," Elissa replied. "I was very impressed with your skill."

"I fight with quickness and wit, rather than with brute force and strength. I call myself a duelist because I honed my skills in duels with warriors I encountered over the years. It's possible I could teach you, but I prefer to know my student better."

"I'd be grateful," Elissa said, warming to the idea. "Forgive my earlier rudeness, I just wasn't aware that training was on the agenda for today." She gave Zevran a narrow look. "When I agreed to your bargain, this wasn't what I thought you'd have in mind."

"You'd be surprised," he answered, something full of promise making his voice low and rough.

"Oh, now this piques my interest," Isabela said with an arch of her brow. "Just what bargain have you made here, Zevran?"

"Ah, that is perhaps something better discussed aboard your ship. I think once you get to know our sweet Warden, you will find she is a very apt pupil."


*****


It wasn't until they were aboard Isabela's ship in her lavishly appointed cabin that Elissa realized just how filthy her hasty efforts to wipe the blood from her body and armor had left her. Everything in Zevran's manner said sex was certainly on the agenda, but the idea of crawling onto that satin-covered bed, the first she'd had the opportunity to lay upon for weeks, left her feeling absolutely disgusting.

"I think I should like to bathe before we get around to...training," she said, and Isabela nodded and called for her cabin boy, sending to the galley for hot water. The captain herself pulled down the large copper tub from where it hung on hooks on the wall and while they waited for the cabin boy to haul in bucket after bucket of hot water, she began teaching Elissa some of the most basic principles of her fighting style, using Zevran as an opponent.

She taught Elissa to look for the cues in posture and movement that indicated certain attacks would be forthcoming, and where they would be aimed, and how to avoid them. Elissa quickly realized where Zevran had learned the fluid, circular movements she'd seen him use earlier, and together they began to teach her how to let momentum carry her through one motion to the next without stopping, always staying ahead of her opponent's blade, anticipating the next strike before it could land.

"You are a quick learner, little one," Isabela praised when Elissa was panting and covered in sweat from repeating the same parry over and over. "Now, the tub is full. Be a good girl and wash yourself, then we shall get to know each other better."

Gratefully she stripped off her armor and sank into the tub while Isabela summoned her cabin boy again and sent Elissa's armor off to be cleaned and aired. The hot water felt lovely, the first she'd felt since that night in the hot springs. Thoughts of that particular night brought her eyes back to Zevran, who was smiling at Isabela with lurid intent as the captain began removing her own armor. Nude, she swayed toward the chair Zevran slumped in and straddled his lap, draping herself over him. Elissa watched unabashed as Zevran's hands cupped the older woman's full backside, squeezing and kneading while she began to unfasten the buckles of his cuirass. She leaned over Zevran, kissing him deeply, and then as one their heads turned toward Elissa as she stared.

"Would you like some help washing, sweet thing?" Isabela offered, scooting off Zevran's lap to kneel beside the tub. Zevran rose and worked on removing the rest of his armor while Isabela took up a soft sponge and began stroking Elissa's back with it. Elissa sighed and let herself relax into the woman's touch, only opening her eyes when one of Isabela's hands came around her ribs, her slim fingers finding Elissa's nipple with unerring accuracy and manipulating it to a hard peak.

"Hmm, you are a delicious little thing, aren't you?" the captain hummed, licking Elissa's neck where her head tipped to the side. Elissa made a pleased whimper and allowed herself to enjoy being seduced for once, exerting no effort to reciprocate. When Isabela's fingers began to slide down Elissa's stomach, Zevran made a warning sound.

"Careful, Isabela. The Warden is not allowed to have her pleasure until I allow it," he instructed.

"Zevran! That's just cruel!" Isabela scolded. "If that's the game you were playing, you should not have brought her to me."

"Yes, but what can I do?" he shrugged. "She will not obey as she should, and so she leaves me little choice."

Elissa frowned, the pleasant tension of arousal building in her belly, hovering on the brink of becoming something more urgent and needful. "Zevran, the game is ceasing to be fun," she warned flatly.

"Is it?" he challenged, dropping the final legging he'd been removing to the floor. "You have your pleasure every morning and night, often several times. It's simple for you, finding someone to seduce, or inviting me into your tent, where I do so enjoy to be. Pleasure comes easily and readily to you. Obedience, however? No, that is not nearly so simple. Can you honestly say you don't enjoy the challenge, the mystery, the constant state of yearning with no idea when it will be fulfilled? Tell me you do not anticipate finding out how much more powerful your release will be when it finally comes?"

Elissa closed her eyes, struggling with that demanding need within her that wanted release and wanted it right now. But he was right, she realized. She wanted to know where he would lead her.

"It's all right," she murmured to Isabela, turning in the woman's arms. "I'll see his game through."

Isabela kissed her, then, and as ever Elissa thrilled at how soft and gentle another woman's lips could be, so different from a man's. Isabela was skilled, nearly as skilled as Zevran himself, and soon Elissa's wet body was pressing closer to hers, demanding more. Isabela's fingertips drew lines down Elissa's wet spine, stroking delicately over her buttocks.

"Come," Isabela smiled, pulling back. "Let's get you dried off. If I can't give you pleasure, I at least want the chance to explore you fully."

And she did. Zevran watched, casually draped over a chair stroking his cock, while Isabela spread Elissa over the bed, learning every part of her with lips and tongue and stroking, probing fingers. The other woman seemed to take nearly as much pleasure in looking as she did in touching, leaving Elissa feeling oddly exposed and examined. And yet there was something thrilling about being on display, spread open wide before not only Isabela's eyes but Zevran's as well, as he stared intently.

Elissa wondered at her strange passivity, how willing she was to let the captain have her way, for inaction was not usually like her. And yet, it felt good to be pampered, even at the cost of never-ending arousal without relief. The sensation of Isabela's soft, full mouth on her nipple, sucking and pulling, first hard then softly, had Elissa grasping Isabela's head, arching her back and thrusting her breast into the captain's face while mewling for more. The delicate scrape of feminine fingernails down her inner thigh sent shivers across Elissa's skin, as though more than just her leg had been scratched.

As Isabela warmed to the game Zevran was playing, she began skirting closer to the edge, her fingers dancing along Elissa's cleft, dipping into her cunt, slowly, gently, not using nearly the speed nor force to push Elissa over the brink. Her tongue laved Elissa's folds, dipped into her channel, but carefully darted around her clit, bringing Elissa to the brink of fulfillment before backing her away until Elissa was almost sobbing with frustration.

Finally unable to bear the torment, Elissa rose, pushing the older woman down upon the bed, and took charge, seeking to allay her need with action. Her tongue ravished Isabela's mouth, thrusting insistently, demanding a response, while her fingers expertly found their way into Isabela's hot, wet cunt with a hard, swift stroke. Elissa's mouth moved down to Isabela's nipple, sucking hard while the sea captain writhed and moaned, and when Elissa's thumb pressed against her clit and began to rub, Isabela shuddered and cried out, seizing around Elissa's fingers.

The mattress sank beside her, and Elissa felt Zevran's warm body sliding up behind hers, felt the brush of his cock as he encircled her with his arms and urged her head around to kiss her. He pulled her fingers from Isabela's cunt and drew them into his mouth, tasting Isabela on her skin before sharing the taste with Elissa in another deep kiss. "Mmm, Zevran," Isabela purred, "what a delightful little companion you've found. I think I should keep her."

Zevran laughed. "Ah, no," he said, "I'm afraid that won't be possible. She has a great deal of work ahead of her, and we have places to be this evening."

"Oh, well, it was a thought," Isabela replied with a pout. "Now come. We've been neglecting you."

Isabela rose from the bed and pushed Zevran down onto his back, his cock not inches from Elissa's face. The captain turned her back to him, facing Elissa, and straddled his hips, mounting him with a quick, ready stroke. Elissa watched as she engulfed the Antivan, taking him in all the way to the base without hesitation. The sight of Zevran's cock sinking into Isabela made Elissa close her eyes against a sudden surge of longing. She wanted it to be her cunt that was filled, her thighs that flexed as she rode up and down Zevran's cock.

Once again she started to suspect the game to not be worth the reward, and she took advantage of Zevran's distraction to let her hand sneak down toward the junction of her thighs. She had almost reached her goal when Isabela leaned over and grasped her wrist in a surprisingly strong grip.

"Naughty girl," she tsked, and pulled Elissa's hand toward her own clitoris instead. Sighing in resignation, Elissa dedicated herself to her appointed task, soon replacing her hand with her mouth. Isabela's hands clenched in Elissa's hair as Elissa devoured her clit; licking, sucking, hard and sift strokes of her tongue. She moved lower and used her mouth on Zevran's balls, drawing them in gently, stroking them with her tongue, evoking pleased groans from him as her nose nuzzled Isabela's cunt. She tasted Isabela on his shaft when it was exposed briefly before Isabela plunged back down again.

Elissa began to forget about her own frustration and enjoy her task, letting their moans and sounds fill her ears, their combined scent flooding her senses. They tasted musky and spicy and indescribably good, and the knowledge that she was heightening their pleasure was powerful in its own right. Zevran's hands came to rest on Isabela's hips, helping her lift herself up and lending force to her downward plunge, slamming her down onto his cock until Isabela was keening with pleasure, her body starting to tense as she built toward her climax. Elissa applied her tongue vigorously, stroking firmly on Isabela's clit with the next thrust of Zevran's hips and then the captain was flailing and crying out her pleasure.

A few ragged thrusts and Zevran stilled and shuddered. Panting wearily, Isabela dismounted, leaving Zevran's softening cock, shining with his seed, draped before Elissa's face where she rested her head on his thigh. Zevran made a pained sound as Elissa lifted her head and gently began to stroke him with her tongue, gradually taking all his soft length into her mouth to suck the salty fluid from it. The taste only whet her appetite, and before she knew it she was once against between Isabela's thighs, greedily lapping Zevran's seed from the captain's cunt and bringing her to another shivering climax.

They all rested silently for some moments, the gentle lassitude of shared pleasure settling over them. Elissa was keenly aware of her own lack of fulfillment, and yet strangely at peace with it as well, content in the knowledge that she had brought them pleasure and that sooner or later, her time would come. Perhaps not every sex act, she mused, need end in orgasm to be pleasant. Nonetheless, her need began to plague her once more as she realized Isabela was arguing with Zevran on her behalf.

"Oh, come, Zevran, surely the little dear has earned it by now," Isabela chided.

"Oh, indeed, and yet I must stand by my word," Zevran said regretfully. "She has been given a job, and she will not have release until she completes it."

"I think you're a wretched beast for making the poor thing wait."

"The 'poor thing' has ears, and a voice as well," Elissa said, lifting her head. "Zevran and I made a deal and I'll see it through. I do appreciate your concern, though," she added, crawling up the bed to kiss Isabela deeply.

"Well, if you're not going to let me pleasure this darling girl," Isabela said when Elissa pulled away once more, pouting, "Then let us get dressed, and we can continue your lesson. And Zevran, do try to make it a point of bringing her back to me sometime when she's not under such a cruel restriction."

It was some time later when they left Isabela's ship, Elissa's head full of feints and tricks even as her body still hummed with unsatisfied arousal. She considered the diversion to be time well spent. Nonetheless, she was desperately looking forward to her next encounter with Sergeant Kylon.


(I'd say "will write for feedback" but I'll write one way or the other. Still, feedback is always nice and brings a smile to the author's face)