To Be Human

TITLE: To Be Human
AUTHOR: WotanAnubis
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters and am not making a profit.
RATING: NC-17
PAIRING: Jill/Lethe
NOTE: Of all the stories playing out in the background of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, the one of Jill and Lethe is not only one of the cutest, but perhaps also the most uplifting, giving hope for the future and restoring a bit of faith in humanity. So in honour of that pairing, here's a bit of plotless BDSM. Enjoy.


* * * * *


Jill carefully scrubbed her wyvern's green scales until they shone. It was probably a futile effort - the only reason she even had enough time to properly bathe her mount was because the army was taking a little time to rest up before launching a major assault against the waiting Daein troops. In a few days, the wyvern would probably be covered in dirt and blood (enemy blood, hopefully) again and Jill wouldn't have the time to thoroughly clean him again.

Still, it was a nice day and, in some small way, the wyvern was the only bit of her childhood that hadn't been corrupted. It deserved a bit of special attention.

"Hi Jill."

Jill looked up and smiled faintly. "Hello Mist."

"Nice day, isn't it?" Mist said.

"Yes, it is," Jill agreed.

"And it's good to see you're doing OK," Mist continued. "You know, after what happened in... you know..."

"Hmm," said Jill. "I had friends to help me through it. Including you, of course."

"Thanks," Mist laughed. "And it's good that you're making friends in the army."

"Well, I remember some annoying little girl pestering me about joining everyone for dinner. It was inevitable, really."

"Ha ha," said Mist. "Oh, and it's great that you've become such close friends with Lethe."

Jill froze for the merest of seconds. "L- Lethe?"

"Well, you are friends with her, aren't you? I mean, I almost always see the two of you together, talking and everything."

"Yes, I... I suppose you could say we're friends," Jill said distantly.

"It's a bit funny that you two get along so well together, when you think about it I mean," Mist continued.

"I guess so," said Jill.

"Say," Mist said slowly, "what's that around your neck?"

Jill reached up and instinctively fingered the small strip of smooth black leather around her neck. She'd forgotten she was actually wearing it. Even though she hadn't had it for very long yet, it was a part of her in some way.

"It was a gift from someone," Jill said.

"It looks nice on you," Mist said.

Jill actually found herself blushing. "Thank you."

"Mist? Mist!"

Jill and Mist both turned around the see Oscar running up to them. He had an unusually worried look on his face.

"Oscar? What's wrong?" Mist asked.

"Kieran more or less challenged me to a sparring match," Oscar said.

"Oh dear," said Mist. "You didn't hurt him, did you?"

"I'm afraid that, in his enthusiasm, he managed to hurt himself," Oscar said. "I don't think it's too serious, but I'd like it if you would take a look at him."

"Alright, I'm going," said Mist. "See you around Jill."

"Goodbye, Mist."

Smiling, Jill watched Mist run off. When she turned back to her wyvern the smile drained from her face. She closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. Then she resumed cleaning her wyvern.

-----

Lethe barely glanced up from her book when Jill entered her tent. She simply kept reading without acknowledging Jill's presence. Not even when Jill began undoing her armour and clothes did she so much as utter a brief greeting. It was only when Jill, now naked (naked, that is, except for the strap of leather around her neck), walked over to her and kneeled on the ground next to her chair that she looked at her.

"I don't recall asking you to be here right now," Lethe said calmly.

"Forgive me, Mistress," Jill said.

Lethe closed her book and put it away. "You felt you did something wrong?"

Jill nodded. "Mist came to talk to me today. When she said I was your friend, I did not correct her and when she asked about my collar I told her it was gift."

"Your collar was a gift," Lethe said. "No matter what it may signify. As for the other thing, I think it doesn't even really merit mentioning."

Shocked, Jill looked up. Then, even more shocked at her audacity, she cast her eyes downwards again. "I let her believe I was my Mistress's equal. I even called my Mistress by her name."

Lethe looked down at her for a moment. When she spoke again, there was a careful quality to her voice. "It is true that you are my slave and it is also true you have not yet earned the right to say my name in private. Yet your actions spared an innocent girl from sharing in your depravity. And you think you should be punished for this?"

Jill nodded.

"Well, I don't think this merits punishment. I think you want to be punished. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, Mistress," Jill said quietly.

"And why is that?" Lethe asked, her voice calm and controlled.

"Because..." Jill choked for a moment. "Because I'm human, Mistress. Because I did such horrible things to your kind and wished to do things that were far worse. Because I... because I can't possibly be worthy of my Mistress's love," she finished in a small voice. A tear ran down her cheek, unheeded by her, but sharply noticed by Lethe.

Again Lethe was quiet for far longer than Jill was comfortable with.

"You were presumptuous in asking for forgiveness. Only I can judge whether or not you did something wrong. It seems you forgot your place."

"No, Mistress, I..."

"Quiet!" Lethe snarled. "Stand up!"

Jill obediently got to her feet, but kept looking down at the ground. She didn't actually see Lethe get up, but she could feel her walking slowly around her, looking at her exposed body. She gasped when she felt Lethe's fingers slip between her legs.

"Wet," the laguz said. "I do not think there is a punishment I could dole out that would not give you pleasure. Still..."

A brief stab of pain shot through Jill as Lethe slapped her breasts.

"I suppose I should try. Look up."

Jill did so and saw Lethe wrap a leather belt around her hand, carefully holding the metal buckle in her fist.

"It's a shame you feel so guilty," Lethe said, her voice having an almost conversational tone. "Your guilt overwhelms you so much you forget yourself. So you will leave your guilt behind."

Jill's eyes widened. "I don't think I-"

Lethe's belt lashed out and hit both of Jill's breasts, leaving an angry red mark. "Wrong answer!" Lethe snarled.

"Yes, Mistress," Jill whispered. "I will leave my guilt behind."

"Good," said Lethe calmly. "Now for your punishment. Ten strokes, five for each breast. Count."

Jill stiffened slightly when the first stroke landed on her right breast. "One..." she breathed, "two..."

Lethe delivered the slaps with a cool level of control, never hitting the same place twice, but making sure the lovely red glow spread all across Jill's breast.

"Three... four..."

Lethe looked contemplative for less than a second, then landed the final stroke hard on Jill's nipple. Jill's eyes shut tight and she screamed.

"F- five!"

"Keep your eyes open."

Jill opened her eyes, drawing breath in deep, heavy lungfulls. Lethe reached out and grabbed the underside of Jill's breasts, fondling it carefully. Jill hissed quietly.

"Does that hurt?" Lethe asked. "Or does it pleasure you?"

"Both," Jill breathed.

"As I would have expected from my slave," Lethe said, letting go. "Now for the other one. Count."

"One..." Jill grunted as the sound of leather hitting soft flesh filled the tent again. "Two..."

With carefully measured strokes, Lethe spanked Jill's left breast at the exact same spot every time, leaving a redness that became deeper and deeper and that drew subtle attention to the paleness of the flesh surrounding it.

"Three..." Jill breathed. "Four..."

With the same spot being hit each time, these five strokes were more painful for Jill and, as evidenced by the fluids slowly running down the inside of her legs, more pleasurable as well.

"Five," Jill said.

With the final stroke delivered, Jill sank to her knees and hands, breathing deeply. Lethe crouched in front of her and raised Jill's chin with her hand, forcing the girl to look at her. Lethe leaned forward and kissed Jill softly.

"Well done, slave," Lethe whispered.

"Thank you, Mistress."

"How are you feeling?"

It took a while before Jill responded. Pain and pleasure danced together in her body. She felt ashamed for being naked in front of the clothed Lethe and aroused for the same reason. She wanted to pleasure her Mistress and yearned to be granted an orgasm herself.

"Good," she decided.

Lethe nodded and stood up. "Well then, get to your feet and get dressed. The day's not half gone yet and there's probably still a lot for you to do."

Jill got off her hands and knees and walked to where she had discarded her clothes and armour.

"Do you have guard duty tonight?" Lethe asked.

"No Mistress," Jill answered.

"In that case, leave your undergarments here. You will come back to my tent after dinner this evening so that we can... continue."

"Yes, Mistress," said Jill. "Mistress?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

Lethe nodded and felt touched by the way she said it. She wasn't trying to flatter her or put her in a good mood, she didn't try to cajole the words 'I love you too' out of her, she merely wanted to state a fact that was overwhelmingly important to her.

"I know," Lethe said.

Jill nodded and slowly began dressing again. She didn't say a word as she pulled her tunic over chest and barely grunted when she strapped her breastplate on. Once she had finished, she calmly left the tent without looking around.

Lethe sighed and sank down into her chair. She'd been surprised when she had found herself falling for the former Daein soldier and was even more surprised when Jill turned out to be falling for her as well. But Lethe had soon noticed Jill couldn't really let herself enjoy Lethe's love. True, there was blood on the girl's hands, but in Lethe's opinion that blood stuck to the girl who Jill had been, not the girl she was now. But Jill didn't see it that way. So Lethe had stopped calling her a beorc, had stopped using her name and had made her a slave who had to crawl and beg for every touch.

Lethe wasn't exactly sure whether she should be happy or sad that that approach seemed to be working. Recently, Jill had begun to stand more firmly, the light in her eyes becoming brighter and in the quiet hours of the night she could let herself be hugged and caressed by her 'Mistress' without instinctively trying to pull away. Apparently, Jill felt she was well on her way on the path to the redemption Lethe didn't think she even needed.

And when Jill emerged cleansed and worthy, Lethe was determined to very generously reward Jill's every effort. And then they could do away with the collar and the belt and the ropes and gags and every other sign of Jill's slavery.

Of course, Lethe grinned, they probably wouldn't. But they could.

And that's what mattered.