After they had bid Leorin and the others good-night, Risha and Merees went back to the hotel the latter was staying at. Having retrieved the key from the front-desk (the night-manager raised an eyebrow upon seeing the two women come in, but said nothing), Risha unlocked the door and the two of them went inside.
One thing's for sure, the Princess thought to herself. Whoever designed this place did not take dragons into account. I can barely stand up straight and I'm short for my species. Oh well, its not like I was planning to spend much time in this room on my feet.
"I know" Risha said. "Its not much. Not like the place we were staying at the last time we were together."
"Risha" Merees replied. "I could sleep in a tent, or even under the bare sky, as long as I get to wake up next to you."
As she said this, the female dragon reached up and caressed her girlfriend's cheek.
"Oh, Mer" Risha gasped, Merees' touch causing her to purr. "I can't wait a moment longer."
"You will not have to, my sweet. Let's get out of these clothes."
A matter no sooner said than done. As they undressed, an object fell out of Merees' clothes and landed on the floor. Wondering what it was, she bent down and picked it up: It turned out to be a key, made out of silver.
"How strange" she muttered.
"It must have belonged to Zevedo" Risha said. "Better hold on to it. I bet it goes to something important."
"I will, but for now, I'm more interested in having a bit of fun."
Merees put the key down on top of her clothes and she and Risha climbed into bed, where they soon were completely busy reacquainting themselves with each other's bodies: Kissing and nibbling, caressing and licking.
Risha was the first to reach climax; the lynx's body shook and she screamed out in ecstasy, as she came in her lover's eager mouth, before she collapsed onto the straw-mattress.
"I...I haven't felt like that since..." she gasped, waiting for her heartbeat to slow down.
"Since last time we were together?" Merees, who had moved up from her position between Risha's legs and were now lying next to her, asked.
"Mmmm."
"I'm glad to hear it. So, are you ready to make me feel good now?"
In response, Risha wrapped her arms around Merees and kissed her passionately on the mouth. And so, they continued making love, the bed shaking with the force of their passion. Until, fully sated, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
****
Upon entering the tavern, Risha and Merees immediately found themselves the center of attention from the rest of Kyros' party. As they made their way up to the counter, various ribald comments were thrown at them. Feeling herself blush, Merees dug her claws into the palm of her hand. She glanced at Risha; to her surprise, the lynx seemed completely unaffected by this rude treatment, even firing off a few retorts at some of the men, causing them to laugh uproariously and slap their knees.
"We'd like breakfast" Risha said to the panda who was standing behind the counter, polishing a glass. "What have you got."
"Green tea and rice porridge" came the answer. "Take it or leave it."
"Is that OK with you?" Risha asked.
"I'm not really hungry."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Suit yourself: Breakfast for one, please."
Risha paid and the two of them sat down at a corner table, where they could have some privacy.
"What a bunch of ill-mannered louts" Merees said, lowering her voice, something which was quite unnecessary due to all the noise in the establishment. "Are they always like this?"
"Almost".
Merees sighed in exasperation.
"Frankly, I don't know how you can stand it."
"I suppose I've gotten used to it", Risha shrugged. "Besides, they aren't so bad. After all, they helped to bring us together again."
Merees had to concede that this was true.
Soon, Risha's breakfast arrived and the lynx immediately sampled some of the porridge.
"Not bad" was the lynx's verdict of the meal. "Could use a bit more salt, but I've had worse fare."
Her appetite roused, she proceeded to dig into the bowl, washing each spoonful down with some the tea. Merees watched her.
"So, how long have you and they been travelling together?" She asked.
"Since I left that place. Let me think, it must be five, maybe sixth months?"
Risha did not mention the name of the country where she had been enslaved, but she did not have to: Merees already knew. Last night, during their lovemaking, she had spotted a mark in Risha's armpit. She had only seen it for a brief second, not letting her eyes linger on it, but Merees' education had allowed her to identify it as a Guanacan letter. A 'B' to be more specific.
Whatever hardships Risha had gone through during the past five years, it was obvious that she wanted to leave that period of her life behind her and Merees intended to respect that and not pry into the past. Still, she wondered how exactly Risha had managed to free herself and if the people she had been travelling with had something to do with that.
If so, that's another thing I owe them my gratitude for, she thought, taking a sip of her tea. No doubt I'm being uncharitable, but I can't say that I cherish the thought of being indebted to these people.
"Risha, there's something I wonder...."
"What is it?"
"Its a sensitive subject. I don't wish to upset you."
Risha pushed the now empty bowl aside and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.
"Let me guess" she began. "You want to ask if I, when travelling alone with all these strange males, if I one of them molested me, am I correct?"
At first, Merees was caught off guard by the bluntness of the lynx's answer and so, for a moment, all she could do was stare. Then, she nodded slowly.
"When I joined the party, the leader introduced me to the others. He said: 'This is Risha, she'll be travelling with us from now on. Now, I know that we haven't had any female members before and that some of you may find her presence in our midst, a source of temptation. I must warn you that if any of you succumbs to this temptation, will answer to me and believe me, you will find that the brief pleasure you may have gained from committing such a vile act against one of your comrades, will not be worth the punishment that awaits you.'
I had no doubt that the leader would execute his threats, but that did not make me feel at ease. Some males are completely ruled by what's between their legs, even if obeying it would be detrimental to themselves in the long run and I saw no reason to doubt that some representatives for that type of male would be among my soon-to-be travelling-companions. Thus, whenever I did not have the watch, I'd sleep with one eye open and with my blade close, like a security blanket. Waiting for what I thought was the inevitable."
Risha paused in her recollections and clasped her paws together. Seeing that they were shaking, Merees put her hand on them.
"You don't have to go on" she said in a soothing voice.
"I'm fine. Anyway, despite my fears,nothing happened, fortunately. Early on, some of the men tried to proposition me for sex, but I always turned them down as gently as I could and eventually they left me alone. Every once in a while, we'd happen upon a town or village that had a brothel, to which my fellow travelers immediately went to gain some relief. At first, they invited me to join them..."
"They had figured out that you are a lesbian by then? Or did you tell them?"
"No, I believe they came to that conclusion themselves. Something to the effect off: 'well, this chick isn't into any of us; The Gods' gifts to women. There can only be one reason: She must be of the sapphic persuasion.' Which, to be fair, is actually the correct answer."
"So, did you ever take them up on their offer?"
"Never, though I must admit there were times when I was sorely tempted."
"Did you decline for my sake? Hon, if I discovered that you had slept with someone else while we were separated, I wouldn't have held it against you. After all, there was no way for you to know whether or not I was still alive."
"True, but I had to believe that you were and that I would find you. There were times when that belief was the only thing that kept me going.
Besides, Risha continued, her face lit up by a bright smile. "My belief was not misplaced, for here we are: Together again."
"Yes" Merees said, returning the smile. "Together again. And this time, nothing and no-one will tear us apart."
Almost immediately after she said that, a groaning noise escaped from the Princess's stomach.
"So, I guess that means you've changed your mind about breakfast?"
*****
"Thanks for paying for me too, Risha" Merees said, after she had finished her meal.
"No need to thank me. What's mine is yours. Besides, I remember that you used to pay for me and Leorin when the three of us together."
"By the way, I think you were wrong about the porridge: It did not need any more salt than it already had."
"You think so? Well, we're just going to have to disagree on that one."
"You mentioned something about Leorin being a playwright now. I take it that's why the Troupe is here?"
"Yes, they're giving a performance of a play he and Sara wrote. Do you remember her?"
"Of course, she's the porcupine-girl, right. So, how is their play?"
"The Kids definitely have talent. Than again, I am the sister of one of them, so perhaps I'm biased in their favor."
"I should like to see it, if there's a time."
"Oh, I'm sure we can find some."
"The Mountain-Lion I met briefly last night. What was his name again?"
"Kyros."
"He's the leader, isn't he?"
"That's right."
"Tell me about him. He seemed...different from the others."
"Oh, he definitely is" Risha agreed. "Kyros is a man of class and culture."
"Has he told you anything about himself?"
"No and I haven't asked, but I suspect that he is of gentle birth, maybe even royalty."
That would make two of us, Merees thought.
"I didn't see when we came in." She said.
"Come to think of it, neither did I".
The Lynx frowned, momentarily puzzled by Kyros' absence. She then realized that he must still be at Fuchul's place.
"You'll see" she said to Merees, having informed the dragon about this. "I bet he'll come in through those doors, any moment now."
As if on cue, the tavern-doors swung open. However, it was not Kyros who entered, but a goblin. The Goblin stood in the doorway, throwing his eyes around the room, before landing on one specific table.
"Masster" the goblin whispered to himself and made his way towards the table in question.
