EDIT: Fixed story formatting!

Hope y’all enjoy! For those of you waiting on Volume 2 of Aaron and Lauren , the first chapter will be up next week!

Hope y’all enjoy this new story! As always, feedback is appreciated!

Outside the Castle

Chapter 1: “Campfire”

The ground felt soft beneath the Prince’s feet. Not hard and unforgiving like the marble and stone floors of the castle. Every step he took brought an instant reaction from the living world around him. Within the woods, earth gave way to his boots, and the branches and leaves crunched beneath his feet His footsteps padded lightly against the earth, and his ears were not filled with the echoes of high halls. Every step forward brought the leaves of bushes and branches to his face, making his progress a constant battle, and with each stride he brought an arm in front of his face to push the foliage away.

Prince Aldwin’s escape plan was as basic as one could expect from royalty unlearned in the art of survival. His method of fleeing his castle was to simply wear a large cloak and stroll off into the surrounding woods. His primary goal upon entering the woods was to find “adventure.” His packed supplies included food and water for two days, money, a rapier, and a knife. Were his wanderlust replaced with common sense, he would never have left in the first place.

However, as Aldwin would say himself, “The most memorable princes were never the ones who waited for glory in their castles.”

As noon’s high sun began to shine overhead, Aldwin took a moment to think on his progress. He had regretfully refrained from bringing a map along on his quest (it was much too big to fit on his person, to be fair), so he could only estimate that he was about halfway to the nearest village. Hopefully by tonight he would be resting peacefully in some tavern bed, and in the morning, he would seek out some sort of quest. Surely there were people in the village with problems that needed solving. He could see himself now, cutting down the trolls and dragons that plagued the land. He imagined his arms as a whirlwind of blade strikes, blocking and striking at the foul beasts. He could feel the blood of monsters spraying across his brown hair and fair skin as they let out their death rattles. He could hear the cheers of the simple folk, screaming his praise as he returned home with the honor and glory he sought.

Now, Aldwin was certain that he had almost reached his destination. The plants around him were at their thickest, indicating that the forest he trudged through was of an old age. The village of Kull was one of the first areas settled by men in the kingdom. Around it, the foliage was so wild that men could barely tame more than what they had cleared for their village, and the beasts roaming its greenery were said to be just as uncivilized.

Aldwin was pondering how the first men to wander this part of the woods managed to make do when his left foot fell into a gopher’s hole. Rather than the soft purchase of soil, it sank down nearly half a foot, throwing Aldwin headfirst into a curtain of vines. He let out a “Whoa!” as his body tumbled and tangled into their locks. Aldwin felt himself suspended in mid-fall, his arms caught in the vines’ twists, and his foot still in the hole. He also noticed that his head was poking through the curtain, his vision unobstructed by leaves. In front of him he could see the base of a hill. He raised his head to the hilltop and noticed a figure sitting at a campfire. He could not quite make out any details, but they seemed to be human and wearing a cloak.

He thought on his options. On one hand, Aldwin could shout out to the figure for help. If they were friendly, they could free him from the vines and possibly guide him the rest of the way to Kull. Yet there was also the (more likely) chance that they would probably find some way to take advantage of his vulnerable state. He could just see himself being stripped of his weapons and gold. His heart began to pound at the thought of being killed in addition to being robbed. Beyond his possessions, what good was he to a common thief in the woods?

“Let’s assume the latter.” He thought to himself. Very quietly, Aldwin lifted his legs to his body and managed to get some semblance of solid footing. His left ankle ached with pain. It took him a while, but eventually he was free, and he began to slowly and painfully make his way up the hill.

Trying to walk with a pained ankle was hard enough, doing it quietly was a whole other battle. He trudged carefully, keeping his eyes lowered and watchful for crisp leaves and brittle branches. One loud snap could be enough to have the stranger come down on him from above.

He took a moment to breathe when he reached the top, quietly sighing with relief. The stranger was no more than fifteen feet away, and Aldwin could smell the smokey scent of the campfire. The Stranger sat still upon a mossy log, appearing to be lost in the glare of the flames. Aldwin could see they had a large sword and a bag at their side. He knew not how to tactfully approach without seeming like a threat, and he did not want to make his presence known while totally unarmed.

Aldwin carefully withdrew his rapier from its scabbard and pointed it forward. It was a sword of royalty. The blade was light but nearly unbreakable, and its point could pierce iron. The hand guard was intricately forged, and looked like a metal rose enveloping his right hand. The handle was roughly textured, easy to grip and hard to drop. He lifted the point just a bit to not look like he was ready to strike the stranger through, instead opting for what he hoped looked to be a more defensive stance.

“Excuse me.” He called forth. His voice carried power, but also a slight tinge of youth.

In the blink of an eye, the Stranger had risen to full height and pulled the sword from their scabbard. They whirled around, gripping their weapon with both hands and aiming it right at Aldwin, taking a very clearly offensive stand. In their rush, the figure’s hood blew off of their head.

Aldwin had to raise his eyes higher than he would have preferred to see their- no, her face. Standing nearly a head and a half taller than him, the face full of fear and surprise was clearly a woman’s. The campfire silhouetted her, darkening her details, but Aldwin could tell she was female and certainly not human. Most humans did not have skin the color of crimson, nor did they have horns like a cow’s emerging from their foreheads.

She leaned her head down closer to her sword, tilting it and addressing Aldwin with a deep voice. “Stay back.” She commanded.

Aldwin stated his business. “I do not wish you harm, I am simply here to ask for directions to the village known as Kull.”

She growled back, “You approach me silently, with your sword drawn, and expect me to believe that you mean no harm?” She began to step towards him. Her strides were long, only a few more would bring her close enough to swing her sword at him.

Aldwin tried to explain, “These woods are full of monsters and bandits and thieves. Is caution on my part unwise?”

The Red Woman took a few steps closer, now certainly within fighting distance. Aldwin saw a smirk climb up her face. “It is indeed wise to be wary of bandits and monsters.” She twirled her sword around and took a dueling stance. “You’ve just met both.”

With that, she whipped her blade over her head and leapt straight for him.

Aldwin dodged her initial overhead swing with a roll to the right. His shoulder took the brunt of the fall and he was up on his knees in no time. He had barely gotten to his feet when the Woman swung for him again, this time with a powerful strike aimed at his left shoulder. Aldwin caught her blade with his own now, feeling a shock run through his right arm as metal collided with metal. A loud CLANG stung his ears, and he could’ve sworn that he saw sparks flying from the meeting of their swords.

The Woman stepped closer to Aldwin now, putting more force behind her sword as she approached. Aldwin was able to keep her at bay, but he felt the effort of keeping her back was eroding the strength of his arm. She was simply too powerful. He looked up at her. Aldwin could see the Woman’s furious eyes were the color of yellow ochre. The hair flowing behind her horns and going down past her neck was raven black. “Such strange features.” He thought.

Aldwin’s thoughts were interrupted as the Woman brought her left arm up, backhanding him across the face. Her hand was gloved, but her knuckles still dug into his cheek. Aldwin went soaring backwards and dropped his rapier.

He landed in a puddle of mud and wet leaves, soiling his cloak. The wet and slippery ground prevented him from getting to his feet and distancing himself from his attacker, and all his legs could do was push the mud away. The Red Woman had almost fully approached him when her foot went out from under her as well. She plunged her sword into the ground in an effort to steady herself and not fall completely. This gave Aldwin enough time to pick up his rapier again. He pointed it at her as he slowly began to climb his way back to a standing position.

The Woman roared at him in frustration and began to charge him down, swinging wildly. They were on dry land now, and Aldwin was able to back himself up. Now able to stand and a bit better-oriented, Aldwin could begin to use his skills properly. He had learned swordplay from the masters at his castle, and now was the time for him to make them proud. For every step The Red Woman took towards him he moved two steps backward. Every attack she threw forward he would block and deflect. He was on the defensive, but comfortably so. He would meet her blade mid-strike and twirl it away, redirecting her force away from him. His attacks were small and measured, never leaving himself open to be swung at. When their blades locked together he would do his best to break them apart, not wanting to receive another strike from her hand.

Aldwin noticed that the duel had led them to a steeper edge of the hill. One wrong step could send either of them on a nasty tumble to the bottom, rolling over themselves and likely hitting rocks and trees on the way down. The Woman’s sword strikes were encasing him now, not letting him lean his stride in any direction parallel to the edge of the hill.

A rushed plan popped into his head. “When she pushes me to the edge, I’ll run.” He knew her strides would be longer than his, but he figured that at the very least he could get some form of a lead on her. On top of that he would have gravity on his side the whole way down, and maybe her size would get her ensnared in some vines. Aldwin continued to back up.

He allowed the Woman to keep pushing him back, retreating with every attack he blocked. After a few more steps, Aldwin assumed he was close to the edge. He leaned a heel back, dragging it carefully over where he thought the decline may begin. Alas, his foot met only solid ground.

Aldwin assumed that he had measured his distance incorrectly, and continued backing up. After a few final strikes, the Red Woman lowered her sword. She stepped back just a bit and grinned devilishly.

Aldwin was put off by her sudden surrender, but took it as a victory. He leveled his rapier with her face (which really was more of a tilt than a level given her height) and asked, “Do you concede and surrender, Thief?”

She laughed with condescending glee, “How’s about you look down and think on who should be asking that question.”

Aldwin turned his gaze downward slowly. He was standing upon a dead tree hanging off the edge of the cliffside. He was about fifteen feet away from the actual edge, and below him was a huge drop leading to the bottom of the hill.

Aldwin’s feet suddenly gave out from fright and he dropped to his knees. His arms wrapped around the tree trunk with all their might as the pace of his heart and breathing quickened. The trunk suddenly shook. His head shot upwards towards the Woman, who had one foot on the hill and another at the base of the overturned tree.

“Now then,” She began. “I wonder what could happen if I tapped this trunk with my boot some more.” She gave it a kick, and Aldwin felt the trunk lurch. “Better yet, I wonder what could happen if I cleaved it with my blade.” She lined up a swing with her sword.

“No no no no no!” The Prince cried. “I concede! Have my possessions!”

The Red Woman furrowed her brow. “I was only interested in your possessions until we began fighting. At first I thought you were another thief like me. After all, what young man in common clothing carries a royal rapier around these parts? I figured that perhaps you had stolen it off some nobleman’s carriage.

“And then you began to fight…” Aldwin could feel her yellow eyes stabbing into his own with accusation. “You fight like a swordsman double your age. Nobody knows such techniques at so early an age unless they are of great importance.

“So tell me…” She asked. “Who are you? And why are you of such great importance?”

Aldwin gulped.

…

After being granted permission to shuffle on all fours across the log and back to solid ground, the Woman forced Aldwin to throw his sword aside. As she began to tie his arms behind his back, Aldwin began his introduction.

“I am Prince Aldwin Avery of Northwood, the First of my Name, and third in line for the throne.” He attempted to say proudly.

The Red Woman’s look of accusation turned to one of pure curiosity now. “A prince? In this part of the woods?”

“I grew tired of the castle.” He explained. “I sought some kind of adventure, some way to earn glory through helping the common people of this land.”

She snorted loudly before bursting into laughter. “You think they need your help? A scrawny prince with a sword?” Aldwin blushed. “Clearly, you aren’t even ready to take on a bandit all by herself.”

“You tricked me!” He said angrily. “You led me off a cliff rather than trying to cross swords properly!”

He felt the bonds on his wrists tighten into place. “I’m a bandit. Do you really think I care about dueling ‘properly?’” She began letting out enough rope to comfortably drag Aldwin behind her.

“And who are you, Bandit?” Aldwin asked.

She chuckled and began to lead him back to her campfire. “I am Dusk.”

…

Dusk had been smoking some meat over the campfire when Aldwin had stumbled across her. Fortunately for her, the entanglement with this pitiful prince had only lasted a few minutes, and the meat was nearly ready by the time she had returned with her reluctant captive. Dusk sat Aldwin down in front of the fire and began tying his legs up. Aldwin did not resist, rather, his mind began to form a plan for escape. This strange woman had checked all his bags for weapons, but not his boot, which concealed his small knife. All he needed was the opportune time to use it.

Dusk sat across the fire from Aldwin, and the two of them took each other in. Upon close observation, Dusk’s mismatched clothing seemed to speak of her history as a bandit. Dusk was wearing a leather chest piece and white shirt under her cloak. Her arms were armored with iron, and the gloves she had smacked him with were brown leather. Below her waist she wore a pair of brown riding pants originally made for men. Most of it was likely stolen off some dead or particularly unlucky foe. Now Aldwin’s sword was the latest addition to this mismatched collection.

Surprisingly, there was beauty in her facial features under the history. Her red skin and horns were their most noticeable trait, and when Aldwin was done marvelling at them his eyes scanned across the scar trailing down her left cheek. Despite these, her face almost carried some kind of beauty to it. Her chin was strong, her eyes seemed to glow (despite their unnatural yellow color), her dark lips were full, and her raven-black hair was surprisingly not ratty.

Dusk looked across the fire and gazed upon Aldwin, still incredulous at the fact she had stumbled upon royalty. She had to give him credit: other than his obviously royal rapier, he had done a good job of disguising himself as a commoner. His trousers were plain, and the blouse and chest piece he wore were not uncommon for most living in the deeper parts of the forest. His fair yet pale skin was a giveaway to the trained eye, indicating a lack of sun. On top of that clue was his hair. It was shaggy, but still short when compared to the men of the woods, and his lack of a beard exacerbated his youthful (and thus inexperienced) look.

The two of them sat and waited for the meat to finish smoking while internally making plans for the immediate future. Aldwin had a full escape plan ready, and Dusk was coming up with how she could ransom her prince. Perhaps a band of thieves could take him off her hands for a price?

After removing dinner from the fire, Dusk set to work digging in. The meat was a haunch from some large animal. Too small to be a horse’s, and too big to be… whatever else had haunches. She chomped away at the meat, savoring its red flesh and smoky, crispy skin.

“I suppose you’ll need to untie me so I can eat?” Aldwin asked, his mind set on his knife.

Dusk burst into laughter. “You think I’m that idiotic?” She chortled some more before taking another bite. “Maybe your feet when we need to get walking, dear.” She mumbled through a full mouth. “For now, I shall feed you myself.” She smiled.

Dusk began raising the haunch to Aldwin’s mouth like a mother would feed her child. Aldwin could feel his royal cheeks flush. The closer her hand got the redder his face became. By the time the meat’s rich and smoky scent filled his nose, his skin could have nearly matched Dusk’s. Tentatively, he leaned over and took a bite. The meat was full and fatty, dripping grease down his chin. He chewed slowly, trying to place the taste.

Aldwin swallowed finally. He asked, “I have never tasted anything like that. What is it?”

Dusk simply smiled, “You don’t want to know.” Aldwin’s following bites were a bit more apprehensive.

By the time she had finished feeding him and had allowed him to sip from his skin of water, the sun had started to fade from the sky. It’s red and gold colors were beginning to give way to purple and black.

Dusk stood. “I suppose we can’t be traveling through these woods at night. We’ll just have to wait until tomorrow.” She looked down at Aldwin, “I have to relieve myself of that water. Do you need to as well?”

He nodded. Dusk untied his bound feet and tugged the rope around his hands lightly, signalling him to get up. His legs free, Aldwin’s escape plan was beginning to become reality. He followed her a little ways from the campfire. Far enough to where the darkness could shroud the details of their bodies. She tied the loose end of the rope to a tree, then turned to Aldwin, peering through him with her glowing yellow eyes.

“I can trust you to pull your own breeches down and relieve yourself. I’ll be back before you can untie the knot around this tree.” With that, she trudged about thirty feet away. Aldwin could almost make out her outline crouching by a tree.

He took a deep breath, then set his plan into motion. Aldwin crouched as quickly as he could and grabbed the knife from his boot. It was a Trickster’s knife. It’s body consisted of two handles that folded back to reveal the blade. The inverted handles could be pressed together in the user’s grip, allowing them to keep the blade out. It could also be used for fun tricks when spun around the user’s hands and fingers. Aldwin’s Trickster Knife had handles made of Elven Emeralds, and a bluish Dwarven-Steel blade.

In one swift motion, Aldwin cut the rope tying him to the tree, then freed his hands completely. He ducked down and began to scurry as quickly as he could through the brush, away from the fire and his captor. He was certain it wouldn’t be long before she either heard him escaping or saw he was missing from the tree. It was imperative that he put as much distance as possible between himself and Dusk in these first-

Crunchcrunchcrunchcrunch

The footsteps were already approaching faster than he could comprehend. Aldwin abandoned all pretenses of stealth and began to make a break for it, getting a few steps into a sprint. Hardly a second later he was pummeled to the ground, dropping his knife. His chest and face took the brunt of his impact with the dirt. Aldwin tried to crawl forward but a knee pressed forcefully into his back, keeping him down. Immediately his arms were jerked behind him and tied up with rope, this time tightly enough to dig into his wrists.

Dusk jerked him up by the armpits to her eye level and spun him around. Aldwin felt powerless with his legs dangling off the ground. He looked into Dusk’s eyes, they glowed bright yellow with rage.

“Think you can escape me that easily, Prince?” She growled. “You know nothing of demons.” Her eyes flashed for a moment, and Aldwin realized that she could see in the dark. His heart sank. Noticing the knife on the forest floor, Dusk dropped Aldwin. He fell onto his buttocks, and from down below was given an unforgettable sight.

Dusk had no pants on.

In her hurry to catch him, she must have forgotten to put them back on. Dusk bent over to pick the knife up, baring her bright red ass in the moonlight. Her face may have been scarred, but the bright, red skin of her rear was practically unblemished, nearly shining. For Dusk’s proportions, it was a normal size. Since she was larger than most humans, however, it seemed to be the largest that Aldwin had ever gazed at. Even though it was but for a few moments, the sight of such curves sent blood rushing back into Aldwin’s cheeks, and even more into his cock. He could feel it straining against his breeches. Dusk stood after grabbing the knife, and the light of the moon revealed her crotch, as well. Aldwin could not see her mound, but his eyes caught her pubic hair. It was hardly trimmed, and the color of her bush was almost blacker than her hair.

As she finished turning around, Dusk realized Aldwin had been staring at her. His face was redder than hers, and he was practically drooling. She let out an embarrassed, “Oh!” before feeling anger rise in the back of her throat. She quickly crouched down and grabbed Aldwin by the collar. With just one hand she lifted him up and turned him towards the campfire, then shoved him forward.

Aldwin did not fight on the way back to camp. He simply shuffled forward and replayed those two seconds of bliss in his mind. He had never seen a woman nude before. His only experiences with the female form had been the lewd stories held in the Castle’s restricted library and from seeing the more voluptuous women of the kingdom from his window.

Dusk tied Aldwin to a tree by the campfire and checked one more time for any weapons or tricks that may have been on his person. She quickly dashed away and recovered her riding pants before returning.

“I hope you enjoyed the view.” She finally spoke to him. She drew her sword out and began to clean it. “Because I doubt you’ll be seeing anything close to it anytime soon.”

Aldwin’s heart fell, and he felt his erection die almost instantly. Was she about to hurt him?

“I’m going to sell you.” She began. “I cannot ransom you back to your family all by myself. So I am going to sell you to a clan I know. They’ll decide what to do with you.”

Aldwin’s hope of returning home or making it to Kull was smashed to pieces. There would be no telling what the future had in store for him if he were sold off. Dusk rose. Thankfully, she put her sword away, but she did approach Aldwin.

“And I think we should even things between us, Prince.” She smirked. Before he could protest, Aldwin’s breeches were yanked down to his ankles.

His embarrassment was immeasurable. Dusk looked between his legs and feigned a pout. “I thought humans were bigger.”

Aldwin had no clue why he bothered to defend himself, yet he couldn’t help but let out a cry of, “It’s not hard!”

Dusk nearly chuckled and began to walk to her tent. “Sure…” She mentioned.

“It’s bigger when it’s hard!” Aldwin called again.

As she reached her tent and began to climb inside, she turned back around.

“Sleep tight, Prince.” She teased. With a wink, she disappeared.

Aldwin stood with his hands tied for a bit, trying to let the embarrassment leave his face before sitting. The forest floor was uncomfortable on his bare and smooth posterior. Worst of all, it was cold. He frowned and listened to the chirping and rustling of the forest before falling asleep.