needed to do in my father's absence. My brother was managing the same impossible list of responsibilities in the smithy.
"That feels good. Next foot." My hands were not nearly as strong as hers, but the work I did around the stables and smithy ensured I had decent fortitude in my arms.
I appraised the fine network of muscles in her feet. They were sleek with water and soap and I found myself wondering what the rest of her body looked like without clothes. It was madness, but my efforts to push the thought away only prevailed for mere seconds before my imagination returned tenfold with the beautiful image.
"Excellent work human. Dry them." I complied, and stole a quick glance up at her face, hoping she would be happy with my effort. She had asked me to do this for her almost every day for the last two months. Her face seemed pleased as she looked down at me. I was careful to dry between her toes. I used the cleanest towel I had and worried that it wasn't soft enough.
"What is your name, human?" she asked, her voice only more than a whisper.
"My name?" I gasped. My hands wrapped around the towel that hugged her feet.
"Yes. Father's personal slave is called 'Wiial' or something I don't care to remember. Do you have a name?" She raised an eyebrow in question and her eyes focused on me like a sliver of sunlight over the ocean.
"Yes Mistress. I'm called Kaiyer, Mistress," I said as I looked to her feet and continued to dry.
"Kaiyer . . . Kaiyer . . . Kaiyer," she repeated my name. My heart hammered like it might escape my chest. No Elven had ever used my name. "It agrees with me." My shoulders relaxed and I tried not to gasp in relief.
"Do you like working in the stables?" she continued. I wondered if she was leading me somewhere with these questions. In the past she would ask for a clean pair of socks from her saddle bag and then leave at this point.
"Yes Mistress."
"Why?"
"I like horses, Mistress. Also, I get to see you and the other masters ride them." She nodded. I finished drying her feet, but she hadn't asked for her socks yet. I just kept rubbing them through the towel.
"Have you ever ridden?"
"Oh no Mistress. I am not allowed. My father said I would be killed." I looked up at her and she smiled.
"Would you like to?" she asked as she shook her foot a bit. That was the signal for me to stop drying them. I released my hold and my hands hung in the air as I tried to think of what they should do next.
"I would love to ride one, Mistress. But I would dislike being killed," I said. She laughed and it sounded wonderful, even if she mocked me.
"Of course not! Ha! You are quite funny human." She lifted her feet and sat cross-legged on the crate above me. I tried not to gawk at the shape of her legs through her tight leather riding pants, or the contour of her breasts and nipples through the thin fabric of her green tunic. I think I failed, her eyes caught me and I turned away in fear. "Perhaps I will take you riding one day, Kaiyer. You amuse me." I turned back to look at her. I think my mouth hung open in surprise because she laughed again.
"Yes, I think I will. I can imagine the expression on your face. Don't worry. You will not be killed, as long as I allow it. Of course, we'll have to do it sometime late at night or very early. If any of my kind, especially my suitors, saw you riding with me, they might become jealous. I can tell them not to harm you but, accidents can always happen to your frail kind."
I would get a chance to ride? I didn't know of a single human ever riding a horse. I tried to guard my emotions, but I couldn't, and smiled up at her gratefully. For almost a split second I thought that she was being sincere. But of course, it was easy to forget how her kind acted when she dangled hope in front of me.
"Of course I'll need some sort of payment from you," she said as her smile faded. "It's not like we can have humans riding our-" she paused as if looking for the right word, "horses, all day long.
"That feels good. Next foot." My hands were not nearly as strong as hers, but the work I did around the stables and smithy ensured I had decent fortitude in my arms.
I appraised the fine network of muscles in her feet. They were sleek with water and soap and I found myself wondering what the rest of her body looked like without clothes. It was madness, but my efforts to push the thought away only prevailed for mere seconds before my imagination returned tenfold with the beautiful image.
"Excellent work human. Dry them." I complied, and stole a quick glance up at her face, hoping she would be happy with my effort. She had asked me to do this for her almost every day for the last two months. Her face seemed pleased as she looked down at me. I was careful to dry between her toes. I used the cleanest towel I had and worried that it wasn't soft enough.
"What is your name, human?" she asked, her voice only more than a whisper.
"My name?" I gasped. My hands wrapped around the towel that hugged her feet.
"Yes. Father's personal slave is called 'Wiial' or something I don't care to remember. Do you have a name?" She raised an eyebrow in question and her eyes focused on me like a sliver of sunlight over the ocean.
"Yes Mistress. I'm called Kaiyer, Mistress," I said as I looked to her feet and continued to dry.
"Kaiyer . . . Kaiyer . . . Kaiyer," she repeated my name. My heart hammered like it might escape my chest. No Elven had ever used my name. "It agrees with me." My shoulders relaxed and I tried not to gasp in relief.
"Do you like working in the stables?" she continued. I wondered if she was leading me somewhere with these questions. In the past she would ask for a clean pair of socks from her saddle bag and then leave at this point.
"Yes Mistress."
"Why?"
"I like horses, Mistress. Also, I get to see you and the other masters ride them." She nodded. I finished drying her feet, but she hadn't asked for her socks yet. I just kept rubbing them through the towel.
"Have you ever ridden?"
"Oh no Mistress. I am not allowed. My father said I would be killed." I looked up at her and she smiled.
"Would you like to?" she asked as she shook her foot a bit. That was the signal for me to stop drying them. I released my hold and my hands hung in the air as I tried to think of what they should do next.
"I would love to ride one, Mistress. But I would dislike being killed," I said. She laughed and it sounded wonderful, even if she mocked me.
"Of course not! Ha! You are quite funny human." She lifted her feet and sat cross-legged on the crate above me. I tried not to gawk at the shape of her legs through her tight leather riding pants, or the contour of her breasts and nipples through the thin fabric of her green tunic. I think I failed, her eyes caught me and I turned away in fear. "Perhaps I will take you riding one day, Kaiyer. You amuse me." I turned back to look at her. I think my mouth hung open in surprise because she laughed again.
"Yes, I think I will. I can imagine the expression on your face. Don't worry. You will not be killed, as long as I allow it. Of course, we'll have to do it sometime late at night or very early. If any of my kind, especially my suitors, saw you riding with me, they might become jealous. I can tell them not to harm you but, accidents can always happen to your frail kind."
I would get a chance to ride? I didn't know of a single human ever riding a horse. I tried to guard my emotions, but I couldn't, and smiled up at her gratefully. For almost a split second I thought that she was being sincere. But of course, it was easy to forget how her kind acted when she dangled hope in front of me.
"Of course I'll need some sort of payment from you," she said as her smile faded. "It's not like we can have humans riding our-" she paused as if looking for the right word, "horses, all day long.
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