Arillia by Illuminati Architect

Chapter Nine, The Blessed Girl

As we made our way through the woods from the tomb to the valley, I could see through gaps in the trees by Lord Sparot’s undead vision a brightly blue glowing woman around my age being ‘escorted’ up the stacked logs to the stake she was then tied to. She wore but a thin pure white tunic that covered down to her knees, and as was to be expected of any Blessed Girl, she had the blue hair and buxom beauty of a purebred Bluetress. The blue glow of her aura became even more intense through my wraith’s vision as the distance closed, even as the flames rose around her. I glanced behind me and saw that while Elizabeth was crashing through the underbrush and Rebecka was jumping from branch to branch, they seemed a little surprised that their own best efforts couldn’t quite keep up with my supernaturally boosted strength and ability to see clearly in the dark woods. Alice, with mule in tow, lagged much farther behind.

We ran out of the wooded slope into the valley, and the moment Polly was within spell’s reach, I pointed my wand at her and cast my maximum wall of Water. This consumed the last of my own strength, but I remained standing thanks to the strength that Sparot lent me. The massive wave put out the fire around her, scattered the logs, and washed the thin tunic from Polly’s body. I wondered how that fabric had come apart under the ropes that bound her and could see at a glance now that her blue hair and curvy figure were natural to her, though the thinness of the tunic had left no doubt of the latter anyway. I averted my gaze when her entire body shook in a distracting manner as she coughed up some smoke and a small amount of my wave that she had inhaled. Polly would apparently be fine for the moment so I could turn my attention to the hate-filled residents of the village who had gathered to witness her execution. With my wand exhausted and my own strength gone, there would be no more spellcasting tonight. I put away the wand and reached down to my belt with crossed arms to draw ordinary main gauche and haunted saber.

I noted that my wave had scattered the villagers and that the tumbling logs had also collapsed the platform, sending the one man seated and the five men standing on it to the ground. As they rose to their feet, I could see that they were a bishop, a paladin, two archers, and two monks.

The bishop pointed at me and started shouting something, but this was cut short by an arrow in his eye. One of the archers readied his bow and fell to the ground with an arrow in his eye. The other archer threw his bow to the ground and ran, trying to catch up with the two monks.

That left the paladin who advanced on me with sword drawn. He raised his shield faster than my eyes could follow above his head. One of Rebecka’s arrows pierced his wooden shield, but the arrowhead stopped just short of the eye slit in his helmet.

Elizabeth stepped between us, and he swung his sword at her, but she batted this away with her shield with such force that it threw him off balance. He was still able to move his shield down to cover her feint at his legs, but he couldn’t quite bring this back up again as she continued the swing around to slash at his neck. The rings in his mail coif held against the force of this blow, but the bones in his neck did not. With a crack, he fell to the ground.

“Elizabeth, bring their sacrifice to me. Rebecka, cover her.” They nodded at this.

Two of the village men advanced on Elizabeth but fell with arrows in their legs.

I glanced back at Rebecka and saw that Alice and Eugene had nearly reached her.

“Losing your touch?” I asked Rebecka.

“You have said that these are innocents, kept in ignorant servitude to unworthy masters, and it’s more effective this way, Your Highness.” She nodded towards her targets, each being helped away by two other men.

I couldn’t fault her math. She had taken six hostiles off the field with only two arrows.

Elizabeth was pelted with a few stones, but these bounced off her armor and trained toughness. She used her shield to swat away the three men brave enough to stand in her way, then cut all the ropes off their sacrifice with one swing of her sword. I couldn’t tell from this distance, but I was confident that she hadn’t even scratched the pale naked flesh those ropes had bound.

Elizabeth then tossed the naked blue-haired woman over her shoulder and held her with her shield arm as she ran back towards us. We waited until Elizabeth caught up and then ran back up the slope at the best pace Alice and Eugene could keep.

Rebecka would run ahead of us, then turn and watch behind us as we caught up to her bounds. She took the legs of two more men before we reached the ridge then stood watch while we others stopped on the other side, where Elizabeth lowered the naked blue-haired (above and below) woman to her feet.

Polly shivered in her damp nakedness from the chill of the early winter evening with the nipples on her plump and unsagging breasts erect from the cold. She looked at me with her lovely purple eyes under the light of the newly risen full moon and gasped. She covered her crouch with her left hand and her nipples, if not the entirety of her full breasts, with her right arm. “You!” She pointed her right hand at me, then quickly moved it back to cover as much of her breasts as she could and continued in her Suskan dialect. “A wicked spirit haunts you!”

I replied in the dialect of Ioa. “Wicked, not evil?”

“No, I can see from his aura that death has not dulled his sense of honor and justice, but he is leering at my exposed body.”

“I am sure Lord Sparot appreciates your kind words, Polly Posgort. I am Arillia Aurora Angleland, First Princess of Ioa, and I have been sent by the power beyond to rescue you.”

“How do you know my name?”

“Miss Posgort, the power beyond has seen a destiny for you.” Technically true given the number of times Greg had played the game. “And that is to be my companion.”

“Companion?” She gasped. As she considered the many possible meanings of that word, her hands relaxed to her sides, then snapped back into place to cover herself.

Yes, do it! Do her! She’s even better looking than in the game.

There lies much douth in Thine Highness’ selection. I shall not tire of looking at this Polly, and trust that Thine Highness shall soon reveal this lovely face gripped by passion.

“Alice will help you dress as Dame Elizabeth, Lady Rebecka, and myself keep watch.”

Polly did not resist as Alice led her away.

I allowed myself one glance at Polly’s back as she passed and concluded that Greg had been correct to bring a spare set of Alice’s boots and clothing. Polly had a better-defined face, narrower waist, and thinner limbs, but otherwise was an exact match to Alice’s sizes in height, foot size, arm and leg lengths, bottom, and bust (at least with bras on to compensate for Alice’s sag). She lacked Alice’s earthiness but had a natural beauty and grace that seemed fit to serve as some nobleman’s wife and prized trophy.

I joined Rebecka at the ridge and scanned down the slope with Lord Sparot’s vision. “One of the villagers is trying to sneak through the woods towards us.”

“I know.”

“Drop him now, for we must be off.”

“As Your Highness demands.” She loosed one arrow. The man cried out as he fell, and kept cursing as we walked away.

The moment Alice had finished dressing Polly in her spare outfit, this “Blessed Girl” broke free from her grasp and started walking back up to the ridge. “I must return to face justice.”

“Stop!” I ordered her.

Her legs stopped moving, and she looked down at them in surprise.

“Now, follow me.”

Polly matched my exact pace, two steps behind me, as I used Lord Sparot’s vision to make our way back north through the dark woods.

An hour later, I could hear her labored breath as she was forced to match my inhuman strength, step for step. As I glanced back, I could see that Alice was also struggling, but we were almost at a suitable spot to set up camp.

Then I whispered to myself. “I do not have strength or mana to cast a spell over Polly. Is this your doing?”

Young Lass, if only I hath your power of compulsion in life or death, what joys I could have had.

No, Protag-kun. This isn’t me. It’s all you.

I turned around. “Polly Posgort, answer me truthfully. Are you following my orders out of natural inclination, or is this by some spell or undead power?”

She looked at me and then herself with puzzlement. “No, no, and no. I do not know why I am doing this, but I see no spell or spirit at work here.”

“Have you ever in your life seen the actual workings of the power beyond?”

“No, it moves in mysterious ways beyond even my sight.”

“So the only remaining possibility is that the power beyond binds you to my will and that you should happily accept this as a blessing.”

She thought for a moment, then nodded. “It must be as Your Highness says.”

We set camp in a small clearing, and Polly followed me into the tent I shared with Elizabeth. I removed my backpack and placed it to the side, and unrolled the tarp across the ground.

“Take off your jacket and boots, lie down here, and go to sleep.”

Polly followed my instructions precisely and was asleep the moment she lay on the tarp.

I unhooked my swordbelt and dropped it beside it. In that moment, I found that I had completely exhausted all of my own strength, and without Lord Sparot’s undead vitality, I fell into darkness like a puppet with strings cut.

I awoke the next morning, Monday, 26th Meceder, to the sound of breathing, opened my eyes, and saw that my boots and jacket had been removed in my sleep and put to the side and that my blanket had been spread over Polly and myself, all by Elizabeth, no doubt. In her sleep, Polly had turned towards me and now had her left arm around my waist, her head nestled in my neck, and her ample breasts pressed against me. We were alone in the tent, but I could hear the others getting ready outside.

As much as I appreciated the snuggling, it was time to move on. “Awaken,” I commanded.

Polly’s eyes snapped open. She noticed how close we were and jerked back.

“Put on your boots and jacket.”

She nodded at this and complied.

“Go stand outside the tent and wait for me.”

I looked around the tent and saw that Elizabeth had already packed away her sheet and blanket and did the same for mine, strapping these to my backpack. I dressed, and as I put on my swordbelt, Lord Sparot’s strength flooded back into my body. I put on the backpack, left the empty tent, and helped pack this away on the mule.

Polly followed right behind me all day, stopping and eating lunch when I commanded her to, but it was clear to all of us that she wasn’t happy about her circumstances.

Late that afternoon, as we were walking along a narrow cliffside path, Polly turned around and bumped into Alice, who lost her footing and dangled over the edge, held up only by her hands on Eugene’s reins.

Polly gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

With no time to pull out my wand, I cast Water as a web at the limit of my range, five yards below Alice.

Elizabeth caught Eugene before the mule could fall, but Alice lost her grip and fell down into my improvised net. As she came to a stop, her left boot caught on a rock embedded in the cliff, and her knee bent at an unnatural angle with a snap.

I shouted as I pulled out my wand to help maintain the spell. “Rescue her quickly. I can only hold her for a few minutes.”

Rebecka fashioned a lasso with the rope she drew from her backpack and pulled Alice up with Elizabeth’s help.

“Let us make camp up ahead.”

Rebecka led Eugene as Elizabeth carried Alice.

We stopped a hundred yards ahead in a clearing, and Rebecka improvised a splint for Alice’s leg.

“Give me just one hour to rest up, and I’ll cast Heal on that.”

Alice nodded back at me through her tears.

“No, it’s my fault. I’ll fix it.” Polly knelt by Alice, and through Lord Sparot’s senses, I could see her extending her aura into the wound. Then Polly sat back, exhausted.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Alice wiggled her left foot.

Rebecka undid the splint and helped Alice to her feet.

Alice winched as she took a step. “Okay, it’s still sore, but I can continue.”

“No, we rest here for the night. Both you and we two mana users need our rest.”

Rebecka insisted that Alice sit on a log Elizabeth had carried over, then prepared our dinner.

Rebecka wasn’t as good a cook as Alice, but the meal was serviceable, and nobody complained. I ordered Polly into our tent to rest, pulled out my wand, and waited for the setting Sun.

Sister!

I didn’t hear from you yesterday, Carnel.

Yeah, I tried and tried, but I just couldn’t get it to work.

You’ll improve. Tell our family and Sage Reltuc that all is well; we have the sword and are returning. I’ll see you around New Year’s.

We’ll celebrate that when you return. See you soon.

As I entered the tent, I saw Polly sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees, her jacket, boots, and socks to her side.

I put my backpack and swordbelt to the side and took off my boots, socks, and jacket.

She looked up at me and said, “I have to go back. They found me guilty.”

If you leave her like this, she’ll jump off a cliff, and the entire trip will have been a waste.

“Did you do the things the Bishop accused you of?”

“Yes, I pushed him away and called him a rapist.”

“Why did you do that?”

“I’m afraid of being touched by a man.”

“Who do you want to be touched by?”

She looked away.

“Answer me.”

Still looking away, she closed her eyes and whispered, “Women.” She then turned and looked into my eyes. “There, I said it. I’m a sinner and, therefore must burn. It is what the gods command.”

I then launched into the argument that had earned chuckles from the boys and gasps from the girls in my class until Sage Reltuc pointed out that this section in the holy book had been mistranslated and that the original said nothing about homosexuality and was instead a restriction against incest intended to protect both underage boys and girls against exploitation by those who were intended to protect them.

“Does your holy book not command that no man shall lie with a man as he would with a woman?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Look.” I pulled my shirt over my head, and she looked away.

“Look at me.” Her eyes roamed over my body. Then she forced herself to look at my face.

“Look at this.” I took off my bra and pants and stepped out of my panties, and her eyes followed as I swept my hand over my naked body.

“Do you see any man parts here?”

She shivered.

“Answer me.”

“N-No, Your Highness.”

“What do you see?”

“A beautiful woman.”

“Am I not desirable?”

“Yes, very. Therefore, I am a sinner.”

“Now show me your body, all of it.”

“No, that’s wrong.” She looked down in surprise to see her hands undoing the laces on her shirt.

She was going about it slowly, so I assisted in lifting her shirt over her head and removing the rest of her clothing. Instead of resisting, she assisted my efforts, even lifting first butt and then her feet off the ground as I slid down her pants and panties. She then removed her bra and handed it to me.

“Now look at your own body. What do you see?”

Leaning back on her elbows, she looked down at her own naked body. “I am a woman, Your Highness.”

“I am not a man, and you are not a man. Hence, nothing we do together is forbidden by your gods.”

“But.”

“And the power beyond has decreed that we shall be lovers. Are you so proud that you would deny this collective wisdom of the net of ether?” As I said this, I crawled on top of her on my hands and knees.

“No, I am but a humble girl.” She stared into my eyes, her expression a mix of confusion and longing.

“And you are mine.” As I kissed her, she kissed me back. Then I moved back down her body to kiss her cheek, neck, and collarbone.

Her arms gave away to flop to her sides, and I leaned down to suckle on first her right and then left nipple. With these now fully erect, I continued down her body with a light kiss on her belly button.

She offered no resistance as I spread her legs apart, and I knelt down to smell her arousal on her blue thatch.

Her first orgasm was so modest that I barely noticed it, but I commanded her to describe it, and she said it was very nice. So I ordered her to do the same to me.

As I proceeded through the techniques described in Beatrice De Avalon’s volume one, Polly’s (and my own) orgasms grew in intensity until, on the fifth, she cried out, “Arillia!” her limbs thrashed about, and then she collapsed.

For the briefest moment, I feared I had killed her, but then I saw her full breasts sway with her deep, slow breaths, and I collapsed next to her, totally spent myself.

I was awoken on Tuesday, 27th Meceder, with a kiss, saw that dawn’s twilight was upon the tent, looked up into her eyes, and said, “Good morning.”

“Good morning, my love.” She smiled as her hands roamed over my body. “I long to continue what we started last night, but we must be away from here. Will Your Highness take me back to your castle?”

“Yes, and there is already a bed there for you. Mine. For you are all mine.” And with this, I kissed her back.

“And as long as Your Highness will have this humble girl, I shall not stray from it.”

We took a bit longer than we should have dressing each other, then when we finally emerged from the tent, I greeted our watch stander.

“Good morning, Elizabeth.”

“Good morning, Your Highness. The issue is resolved?”

“Yes, Polly is with me.” I wrapped my right arm around Polly’s narrow waist and pulled her toward me. She responded by wrapping her arms around me and leaning her head against my shoulder.

“Though you are welcome to join us.”

Polly pulled back a bit and looked at me in shock.

Elizabeth shook her head and responded. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but no. I must decline, for I have sworn an oath to your sister to offer myself to her on the night of her eighteenth birthday.”

“Can you wait that long?”

“I consider it penance for my sins.”

“You aren’t responsible for the things that man made you do.”

“My family arrived on your shores to ask me to turn myself in to face justice for the cruel acts I had willfully committed before I was enchanted. I will do so once Your Highnesses have no further need of me.”

“Long live Princess Carnel!”

“It may seem selfish on my own part, but I fully agree with Your Highness.”

Polly had looked confused during this exchange, but she seemed relieved by the conclusion. She leaned back into me and whispered in my ear. “Just you and just me. Please?”

“Of course.” I turned my head and kissed her, and she responded warmly to this.

I returned to the tent to collect my things, rolled up the undersheet and blanket, and attached these to my backpack. I felt Lord Sparot’s strength flood into my body as I fashioned the swordbelt on my waist, put on the backpack, and exited the empty tent.

I reached out my hand to Polly.

She backed away and looked down at my sword. “Just you, not him.”

I’m not offended, Lass. We hath agreed that I shall watch, and oh, what a sight you two were last night. I hath no inclination to experience carnal relations as a woman, and holding or wearing a sword would just get in the way of your grappling.

I nodded back to Polly. “Yes, I understand. I will respect your wishes.”

Later that day, on the trek north, Polly excused herself to do business in the bushes. I had no fear that she would run, for I felt I indeed held her heart close. I stood on an outcrop away from the others, looked around for dangers, and whispered to myself. “Well, you two, how would you evaluate my performance last night?”

What two is this, Lass? I sense no other spirit upon you. As I hath said, last night was quite the show. I look forward to many repeat performances. But I might consider making humble requests on thine art in the future.

Wait, the sword talks to you? I only feel the strength and other boosts when you have it on you. As for the sex, it was more art house movie than late-night cable lesbians. For the way it felt… It was much better than anything I’d done with my own hand, but it was different. I’m still processing how the hardware maps over. It’s like my dick’s been spread out and kinda extends from the inside to the surface, and your nipples are much more sensitive and responsive than mine ever were. In my world, women get parts embedded in their flesh to get a figure like Polly’s, but we both felt with your hands that it’s all-natural. How does she do that?

“It’s not natural, it’s a blessing. She instinctively uses her healing power to counteract sag. That’s why the Suskans use burning when they feel the need to dispose of these Blessed Girls, that decapitation and massive injury are the only ways to ensure that the execution sticks.”