The Book of Vinwald

wanderingaddict -- thanks for catching that typo for me. I had a moment of trying to figure out which druid Kisna would be based on. I thought I had corrected all instances where I used the wrong name.



I now have a beta reader. So the decrease in typos and odd erros like calling someone by two or three different names should be coming to an end.









~*~



With Yssa’s knowledge of the inner workings of the monastery and the party’s cumulative ability to remove things from their plane of existence, it was not long at all before they reached the cathedral, and cleared it of everyone who would oppose their presence there. They were able to kill Mograine and Whitemane without too much trouble, thankfully neither of them seeming to recognize Yssa. Once the two leaders were dead, the party rapidly moved to vacate the monastery, before they encountered fresher troops. Ixel and Dorlin had been preparing to use their Hearthstones, before Alassiel reminded them that Yssa did not have one… And that she was certain Vinwald would not want the inexperienced mage to wander around Tirisfal by herself. Alassiel then admitted that the notion didn’t sit well with herself either, and that she had every intention of escorting the girl to Ironforge at least; the others could join them if they wished, or go on their own way and she would meet up with them later.



There was very little deliberation involved; Vinwald had no intention (and never had) of leaving Yssa to fend for herself outside the monastery, and Kisna followed Alassiel wherever the hunter went. Dorlin didn’t want to leave them without someone who could serve as a healer, and Ixel wouldn’t travel without Dorlin.



They made it out of the monastery with ease before any of the crusaders were able to talk to the Spirit Healer and return to the realm of the living. They had used magic to summon their various mounts and had mounted up upon leaving the monastery, with Kisna going in to her travel form, that of a sleek cheetah. Yssa was the only one left without a mount, and Vinwald gave her a smile from the back of his black stallion.



“You can ride with me; Storm should be able to carry us both.”



“Ridiculous.” Alassiel snorted in derision, “With your weight and the weight of your armor, the poor beast is near enough to being overburdened as it is. Come ride with me, girl. My frostsaber can carry the both of us without trouble.”



“And my horse can’t?” Vinwald grumbled as Yssa hesitated a moment, before going to ride pillion behind the hunter.



“Kata was trained to bear warriors larger than you wearing full plate.” Alassiel countered, “Between the mage and I, we won’t come near to overbearing him.”



Vinwald frowned slightly but gave a nod, and Alassiel gave him an assessing look, before a wry smile. “I see…” She seemed to murmur quietly, no doubt so quietly that Yssa could not hear despite her proximity, but, having been watching her, Vinwald was able to read the words on her lips. And he could have kicked himself at the realization he came to.



He and the night elf had a relationship, of sorts. There was no romance to it; she wasn’t looking for commitment of any sort, and he wasn’t certain he could commit to anyone after Twyla, for he still loved her deeply, and Alassiel both understood and respected that. She never asked for tender gestures from him, nor for gifts as proof of his affection. All she seemed to want was someone to be slightly more than a friend; someone to watch her back in combat, and to seek mutual pleasure with on occasion. The relationship wasn’t monogamous, not by a long shot. She had taken a select few others to bed, and had not been shy about it, though she remained discreet. He had also had a string of lovers; Ixel among them. He made certain that all were aware beforehand that it would be little more than a fling, and yet despite that he was aware that he had broken a few hearts in his search to slake his needs and try to ease the loneliness.



But if Alassiel had somehow managed to lose her heart to him, he was at a loss as to what he could do about it. She was his friend and his companion, and while he didn’t want to lose that, he knew it might come to it, especially with how the little mage had captured his attention.



There was a sense of newness to Yssa, as if she was experiencing everything for the first time. That she had been sheltered was obvious, and her apparent complete and total lack of bloodlust was refreshing. She intrigued him, and captured his attention in a way no one had since Twyla. It was not the same sort of interest, he told himself. With Twyla it had been love at first sight; With Yssa it was more of a… Curiosity. He wanted to know more about her, how she had managed to remain so sheltered, especially while studying the ways of the arcane, and in the midst of a group of Scarlet Crusaders no less!



He pondered these thoughts as they rode, careful to avoid the Forsaken encampment on the main road near where a track branched off, leading to the monastery. When they did reach the main road, they rode quietly, passing right by the ruins of Lordaeron, under which the Forsaken had built their city. As they were merely passing through, and in a party of six, the hope was that no one would see them as easy prey, or as too threatening a group.



By evening, they had passed into Silverpine forest, and Alassiel had suggested that they stop and make camp for the evening. Armor was discarded for the most part, in favor of more comfortable clothing, but weapons remained at the ready. They were in hostile territory, after all. They hoped to make it to Ambermill by the next evening and rest there for a day or two before continuing onward.



Yssa sat by the fire, talking quietly to Dorlin and Ixel about the inner workings of the Scarlet Crusade. Alassiel sat across the fire from them, working on a leather helm for Kisna, who was currently curled up in her nightsaber form beside Yssa, drowsing as she listened to the human. Vinwald was staring moodily into the fire, his mind going over the earlier exchange with Alassiel, wondering what he could do about it. Finally, he stood, looking to the hunter.



“Alassiel and I are going for a walk.” He announced quietly to the camp. “We need to have a few words in private.”



Alassiel looked up from the helm she had been working on and gave a nod. She set the partially finished item carefully in her pack and stood, signaling Mizo (who was lying by the fire but had lifted his head to look at his mistress as she stood) to remain where he was. The white lion gave a faint ‘chuff’ sound, almost as if he had heaved a resigned sigh, before he lay his head on his paws and resumed his rest. The hunter chuckled at him, before moving to saunter after Vinwald, out of the circle of light cast by the fire and into the forest.



“Let’s get out of earshot.” She suggested quietly, reaching down and taking his hand in hers. “I fear we have a weighty subject to speak on.”



“And what a time to talk about it.” He grumbled, already regretting what was coming. Regret was a feeling he was becoming closely acquainted with, much to his displeasure.



“The timing could be better.” She agreed softly, “But truly, is there ever a good time for a conversation like this?”



“No.” He agreed quietly, “There never is.” He stopped beneath a stand of pine trees, no bears or worgen in sight.



“We were good together while it lasted,” Alassiel finally sighed, “But all good things must come to an end sooner or later.”



“It doesn’t have to end.” He reached up to caress her cheek, and she covered his hand with hers, before giving a sigh and looking away, letting her hand fall.



“Yes, it does.” She said firmly, “You are a dear friend, Vinwald, and while I love you, I am not in love with you.” He could see her faint, melancholy smile in the moonlight. “You deserve far better. Your heart is nearly healed, and you should open it a little and let some true romance back in to your life.”



Vinwald shook his head. “My heart will never fully heal. I loved her too much.”



Alassiel laughed at that, “Your heart will heal, and you will find another to bind yourself to. You are one of the people who were made to love, despite your intimidating exterior.” It was her turn to caress his cheek, and she bowed her head to give him a tender kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss fiercely, tongue dueling with hers as he pressed her back against the trunk of a tree. She chuckled against his lips, before lifting a leg and wrapping it around his waist.



She broke the kiss and rubbed the bridge of her nose lightly against his, “One last time?” She asked playfully, before kissing him again.



“One last time.” He agreed, his breathing ragged, “Though against a tree is not exactly how I would prefer it…”



“Tonight and a final time when we reach a good inn, then?” Alassiel practically purred, before smirking. “Perhaps we can even invite Ixel again. I dare say she would enjoy it. She certainly did last time.”



Vinwald chuckled at that. One night the three of them had gotten rather drunk in Astranaar, and when he had woken up he had found himself in bed with the gnome sprawled out asleep on his chest, and Alassiel curled up in his arms with a leg thrown over him. He remembered the night before quite clearly; and had let out a low chuckle that woke the two sleeping women, and had started an entirely new round of sating each other with pleasure. They had gone at it like rabbits in heat until he felt as if he had lost all his body fluids and could barely move.



“Maybe we can at that.” He agreed, caressing her sides, before slipping his hands beneath the thin cotton shirt she wore and caressing her breasts, feeling her nipples tighten and grow hard against his skilled fingers. “But not tonight.”



“Not tonight.” She agreed breathlessly, her hands moving to the fastenings of his trousers, “But we’ll need to be quick before one of the others comes looking for us.”



“I don’t like quick,” Vinwald scowled, earning a chuckle from her as she kissed his neck just beneath the jawline, feeling his pulse throb against her lips. “I don’t do quick, either.”



“Then I believe this will be a first for you.” She teased, finishing by unfastening his pants, followed by her own, sliding them down her and hips past her knees, before beginning to kneel. He gave her breasts a firm squeeze, causing her to pause and look up at him curiously.



“You don’t need to do that.” He murmured as he gazed down at her, “This should be about the two of us, hm?”



“And what makes you think it won’t be?” She purred, before dropping to her knees and reaching to free his length, “You might want to lean back against the tree.” She advised, before leaning slightly forward and running the tip of her pink tongue over the tip of his length, tracing the head slowly, reaching a hand down to slowly stroke at her slit. Vinwald leaned back against the tree, letting out a strangled moan, clenching his jaw to try and keep from making too much noise, not wanting to draw attention to them. Alassiel let out another chuckle, the vibrations adding an interesting sensation as she began to slowly run her tongue from the base of his length to the tip, running her nails ever so lightly over the sensitive sack of flesh, using the fingers of her other hand to tease the small pearl of flesh at her own core.



“Light…” He managed to say, tangling his hands in her silky white hair, “Get up here so I can do a better job at pleasing you, woman.” He muttered, giving her hair a light tug, earning only a laugh.



“You can do a better job when we reach an inn.” She promised, “But for now… I believe you are talking too much.” She wrapped her lips around his length, causing him to bite back a moan of pleasure. She managed a smirk, letting out her own shuddering sigh as she stroked herself, dipping a finger into herself to tease her nether lips as she flicked her tongue over the head of his shaft once more, before beginning to take him fully into her mouth. She massaged the underside of his shaft with her tongue, finally sliding two fingers into herself, pumping them in and out slowly as she continued to caress herself with her thumb.



“Alassiel…” He managed to groan warningly as she took him in as deeply as she could, her lips forming a tight seal around his shaft as she drew her head slowly back along the length, creating a firm suction as she did, not quite releasing the head before she went back down the length. He gave her hair another tug, and this time she opened her mouth to release his length and withdrew her fingers from herself, standing in one graceful motion. He pushed her back against another tree, reaching down to lift one of her legs and hook it around his waist. She reached down to guide him into her, giving a sigh of pleasure when he sheathed himself to the hilt.



“I will truly miss this…” She breathed, closing her eyes and tilting her head back as he began to move in her, his hands moving to her hips to help balance her.



“And you think I won’t?” He managed to ask, increasing the speed and force of his thrusts as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and trailed kisses along his jawline.



“Less talking.” She growled at him, wrapping her other leg around his waist and beginning to undulate her hips against his, setting the pace. He let out a frustrated growl of his own, before he began to match her pace, bucking furiously into her with wild abandon. She slid a hand between them, stroking at her core as he thrust into her, until she let out a gasp, tightening her legs around his waist, her inner walls clenching at him, setting off his own climax.



Finally he leaned against her, resting his forehead on her shoulder and letting out a low chuckle. “Light, woman, but every time with you is something new.”



“New for you.” She corrected, before kissing his temple with a smile and unwrapping her legs from around his waist, landing lightly on her feet. “Come. We need to make ourselves presentable and return to camp.”



“Fine, fine.” He grumbled, giving her a final, lingering kiss before adjusting his clothing.