The lovers, and the fighters

Chapter one. The Lovers

The breeze felt cool against his sweat covered chest, as he looked out over the city of Aven. His mind wrought with guilt about his actions the night before.He had long since accepted that the profession of a whore was one bourne of great neccessity, as all campaining soldiers needed an outlet for their desires as they were far away from their wifes and families, with nothing but the laws of the conquerors to control them. If left unchecked good men would turn to the foulest deeds possible, catching unaware little girls and taking what they please from them and the rest of the local population, and yet still he despised himself for his actions.
The whore, he thought, had been most welcoming to him, pretty, willing and cheap. But somehow she had left the room with her fee of three silvers and a lavish tip that shocked her to her very core.

The Thick yellow coin, looked out of place in her petite hand she thought as she took her usual route home, throught the crisscrossing maze of streets and allys, she had never held gold before and had to admit that it felt unexpectedly heavy. Having been sent up to the room by the innkeeper she expected to leave with her silver and be content, but when the man opened the door she was half tempted to let him take her for free, his bearded face looked down at her smiling as he asked her her name. No customer had ever asked her name before or even talked to her, it was usually in, out and done in a few minutes.But wih him it had been diferent he took her gently slowly making passionate love to her making her breath stagger and her loins ache. With the others she useually faked her climaxes, but for him she did not find the need, as he gently pleasured her, and her him. The moment when he removed his clothes shall forever be in my fondest memories she thought, remembering the feelings that had burned in her soul, and bringing back a lingering tingle between her legs.
After the lovemaking had ceased he held her close, still inside her, and making her feel fulll and warm for a full 30 minutes, before he got up and went to his coinpurse bringing out a handfull of silvers and the thick golden coin that she now clutched in her palm.Standing up from the blankets she walked over to him looking astounded at the coins in his hand.
“My lord” she had said “for this price you could hire most of the whores in the city for the night, and still have enough for a good meal after to recover your stamina, I cannot take this.”
“My dear I would consider it an insult if you didn’t take this, for you have shown me great pleasures tonight and this is only a fraction of what you deserve…..”
These words echoed in her head as she walked through the dimly lit night, her shoes making dull clicking sounds on the worn cobbles. “Please sir” She replied in earnest “You shouldnt have to pay me at all, for tonight I will remember above all others as the best of my life.” Her complaints fell upon deaf ears as her kissed her gently and sent her on her way. She had seen him watching her from the balcony as she made the long journy home.

She looked at the coin again, the warm metal glinting in the light of the street lamps. I will return to him tomorrow, she thought quietly to herself, but not as a whore, no as a lover and companion and they would spend the night making passionate love again and again, until neither of them could take any more. And with this happy thought she pocketed the coin and began to sing quietly to herself, her sweet voice echoing in the dark, and creating a quiet chorus of great beauty, as the old song reached its end where the gods driven mad by the two lovers, claimed their souls forever, she raised the volume, and she did not hear the footsteps behind her as her song, ended.
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Harradan had never had a drop of luck in his life, or so he told himself as he stood quietly on his room’s balcony, Life has dealt me a real shitty hand, he pondered quietly, victim of abuse as a child, the town watch has “rescued” him from his father and sent him to an orphanage, as life looked up for him the harder truth was then forcefully imposed upon him. Yes his parents had, on occasions struck him and those beatings had been horrific, but if he had behaved and kept his chores done, then they had been pleasant, even loving at times. But there were no such times in the orphanage, where he spent his adolesance. the beatings there had been frightful, and not just from the matron, but the other children too had beaten him and took all of his possesions before the end of the first day he had more bruises than he had ever got from his parents, and nothing at all to his name.

After this he had made his way as a day labourer, hard hours and little pay, had just about enough money to hold a small plot of land on which he built a small farmhouse and made a good living. When finally he thought that years of suffering had paid off, his life got so much better…Briefly. He had married a beutiful girl who loved him deeply for his great honour and generosity.One season later he had been conscripted into the army of the king for some war in a far off land, at the promise of 5 gold peices when all was done, and a small pension of 10 silvers a month until he died.