“Keep your head down,” Alexis sternly commanded to the mass of cloth she pulled along. It made no sound aside from the quiet furrowing of its cloak and the clip-clap of their exposed soles on the cobblestone street. As it did not seem to resist neither her command nor her pull, she took its silence as agreement.

 

Midnight was nothing but a fleeting dream by this point; even the gods themselves would never be caught awake at this time of night. Overhead, the full moon illuminated the skies above and what light was not filtered out by the clouds and fog blanked Underhill, as if tucking the entire country in for a terrific slumber. One particular beam of white glow seemed to snake its way down to the planet’s surface with the sole intention of highlighting the silent pair. It followed them as they winded through the graveyard-silent streets as if they were waltzing across a stage. The eager crowd anxiously awaited their next move while the orchestra held pause, filling the auditorium with a vacuum that caused all within to hold breath. Despite the street being completely devoid of life at this ungodly hour, Alexis could feel their countless eyeballs travelling across both her skin as well as the figure behind her. Feeling a sense of urgency, she tugged her compatriot to move quicker.

No matter how far she seemed to walk, her destination only seemed to grow agonizingly further away with each step, making her growl without explanation. The guardswoman yanked along the woman behind her, away from Sonol’s bar as they waltzed towards the unknown location she had in mind for them. When they had first departed, the figure behind her whispered endless questions to Alexis, yet gave up after receiving no response except further urging pulls. The brown-haired woman was less concerned with the robed girl’s pestering and more concerned about what dangers lurked within each shadow they passed. She constantly scrolled her eyes about, worrying that someone may broadside her at any moment. Normally, she would welcome the unexpected excitement and revel in the ability to kick someone’s skull in – but she now had a charge that needed protecting, and the eerie silence was sickening. No lanterns were lit along the streets, all the shops were closed, and on occasion she heard a person snoring as they passed by a cracked open window. Two and three-story buildings went by as unimpressive as identical trees in a forest, while the cobblestone path they travelled upon may as well be a deer trail they chose to follow. Alexis knew every single inch of Underhill’s capital like the back of her hand and knew exactly which alleyways and darkened corners to avoid. She could handle herself in a tense situation but feared she may not be able to keep the other girl safe, so she stuck to the streets.

Of course, it would only be a matter of time before she came to regret her decision of walking so defenselessly down the middle of a wide street. Her vision honed in on something happening up ahead – and cursed under her breath as an orange glow began creeping around a street corner. There was no chatter from its direction, so she knew the figure was alone. There was no drunken rambling, so she knew it was not another bar patron who was kicked out after too many mugs. Alexis most certainly knew it was not some ruffian or brigand – as they would never announce themselves by carrying a lantern in the middle of an otherwise dark, silent night. The only option it possibly could have been was obvious – it was one of her fellow guards, and they were on a direct collision course with him. Her suspicions were confirmed when the man rounded the corner, scanning his eyes over the street until his snout was glaring directly at the approaching pair. His eyes shined heavily in the lantern he carried while a spiny, scaled appendage behind him whipped the air slowly. The man trod forward a bit as Alexis approached, bringing the light up to illuminate both her face and his own as the two met and ceased in place. He leaned back a bit, glaring at her for a few moments as he got his words in order.

“Sylvaini? What the hell are you doing out so late? Your shift would have ended hours ago,” he grumbled loudly. Hints of both annoyance and confusion were mixed into his tone.

The guardswoman sighed as she spun her tale, “got a bit carried away with time at a bar… you know how it is." She gripped into the forearm of the woman she pulled along, telling her it would be best to keep her mouth shut and let Alexis do all the talking.

The man raised his brow and rolled his eyes off Alexis’ face and to the figure behind her, even bringing his lantern over to see them better. Given it was just a small person in a cloak excessively large for them, his suspicions grew faster than bamboo. He scoffed through the holes on his snout, “you seem to have a package there,” he motioned with his lantern, “who might that be?”

Alexis leaned into him a bit, as if trying to ward him off and escape this conversation before it truly took root, “no one you need to be concerned with, scaly. Let me through.”

The man tutted with his tongue, “ah, now you’ve piqued my interest. Your shift ended a lifetime ago while mine is just beginning. Everyone on the street, familiar or not, is most certainly someone I need to be concerned with. So, are you going to tell me who that is, or can they speak for themselves?”

He leaned in a bit towards the hooded figure, making Alexis’ protective feelings heighten, “they’re just some idiot who got too rowdy for my liking. Pissed me off while I was trying to unwind, and now they get to pay the price. Guess it was good I stayed at the watering hole late as I did… but now I get to book this little thing.”

Almost as if ignoring her words, he brought his lantern closer to the figure Alexis pulled along, making the guardswoman’s unoccupied hand white with frustration. His black slitted eyes could see all of the minimal details the person had to offer. Short, wide, and above all, they were most certainly trying their best to keep their face hidden from the man inspecting her. The only skin he could see was their pale thin arm as Alexis gripped it tight. He had planned on leaning in even closer to remove their hood, but a rank stench suddenly clogged his ears and he reeled back, causing the lantern in his claw to bounce a bit.

He glared back up at Alexis, given she was a fair bit taller than himself, “you still haven’t answered me as to who this person is. Some kind of dwarf?”

She stepped directly between the man and the girl, “they are none of your business. Move aside, Katan.”

At the mention of his name, Katan’s maw opened a bit, showing off a few rows of sharp teeth in intimidation, “why all the secrecy, Sylvaini? We both know you’re off the clock. While it’s not against the rules to do this off-duty, you’re acting weird. Something spooked you good, looks like.”

“I am acting completely within my duty,” she puffed herself up a bit, using her superior height to her advantage.

Yet Katan was not the slightest bit bothered, and instead a cocky grew ripped along his maw like a blade through fabric, “tell you what, I can take that dwarf off your hands for you. It would save you the trouble, and it would let you get home nice and quick. Whaddya say?”

Her grip tightened around the woman’s wrist defensively, “I can do it myself. Move along, asshole.”

A hot fog blew out from his lips, “what are you hiding, Sylvaini? Normally you would throw your responsibility away just as soon as breathe. Why are you so interested in this one person? If they’re someone special to you, you have no reason to hide them. We’re both dredging along here, given Trinas and Marianne have us working double duty looking for that little shit elf. You’re not the only one stressing here, and I’m bored as shit. You’re just trying to have some fun by yourself, aren’t you? Have you really become so out of it, that you snapped back to being alert?”

The guardswoman grew a set of lines on her nose when her lips parted to snarl down at him, “I suppose I have gotten a boost in morale recently. You should even be congratulating me on being so diligent. Now move the fuck over – I’m taking them in whether you like it or not. That is, of course, unless you want to tell the captain you held me up for nothing? That would look poor on you, given how involved we are all supposed to be.”

Katan leaned back and let air go through his lips. With an unflinching, dragonlike gaze he waited for Alexis to drop her false attitude and shove the individual into his arms as if she were joking this entire time. But as he stared into her brown eyes, it became increasingly clear that tonight was not the night Sylvaini decided to put on a ruse. His head shook side to side as he gave in, “suit yourself; I was just trying to be helpful, Alexis. You have a good night,” Katan spoke in one breath as he sealed the conversation shut. He started walking forward, patting the guardswoman’s shoulder a bit as he passed. Katan got one last eyeful of the stout person Alexis was pulling along, seeing their pale arm glimmering in the moonlight. Both the figure and the guardswoman silently waited for his clawed feet to traverse further and further behind them. As he waltzed away, the pair could almost hear his thoughts over the clicking of his talons:

 

I pray to the gods you know what you’re doing, Alexis. There are some holes you just can’t dig yourself out of.

 

As he had finally left them be, the cloaked woman took her only opportunity to gaze upon him as he went. She was surprised to see the man wrapped in the city guard armor incredibly similar to what Alexis wore, as well as the sheathed blade at his waist that seemed almost anxious to be wielded. But was even more surprising was the man himself – in the place of skin almost seemed to be a soft coating of stones. Where his hair should be was nothing more than a set of small spikes protruding out of his skull. He was short, further accentuated by how he was hunched in a lean that made him look as if he were going to surge forward at any moment. His arms and legs were thick with meat, each capped off by triple-pronged claws the size of knives. Finally, a hearty trunk of a tail exploded out from the base of his spine, swishing slowly back and forth with each step the man took. The little woman watched it sway in awe until the very moment he passed around the corner.

“Come on, I don’t want to run into anyone else,” Alexis surged forward from her standstill. The girl was caught off-guard by the woman’s pull and exclaimed loudly, causing the guard to slow back down for her.

“What was that?” the girl asked in a loud whisper.

Officer Sylvaini scoffed, “What, Katan? He may be a bit of a hard ass, but he and I go way back. He was even my senior at the guard academy, and we would spar a lot. Since then, our shifts haven’t overlapped much, but I still see him a lot. I would gladly entrust my rear to him in any circumstance, and I would protect his ass the same way. Oh, and forgive his rudeness, he was just looking out for me… I am acting different than my normal self, after all,” she laughed a few times.

“N-no, I mean… what is he? I’ve never seen anything like him…”

Alexis laughed a bit louder, “oh, I see. You’ve never met a lizardkin before, have you?”

“Lizardkin?”

“The scaled men and women of our world. Some say they descend from dragons. Others say they’re just overgrown snakes that learned how to walk. Even others say the gods got horny one night and found some… n-nevermind. Regardless, they are a lot less numerous than us humans, or you elves, even. Even dwarves are more common. I guess living in one place your entire life, you’d never see people like that. Katan is an excellent soldier, and the rest of his kind are hardy and fair folk. I trust them."

The girl cooed, “wow… I had no idea there were people like them in the world… do you think there are other other crazy races like Katan’s out there?"

"There most certainly are other crazy races like Katan’s. Someday, I promise to show you all of them, even those furred and hooved creatures. Then your mind will really start to spin."

"Who?"

The guard laughed even louder, “I'll tell you later; now keep your mouth shut.”

 

They kept walking along the stony path with Alexis as their guide. Now with heightened senses, the guard did her best to avoid further confrontations from fellow guards by ducking into alleys and around corners whenever the tell-tale lantern light or clanging of armor drew near. As guards would pass their hiding spots, Alexis would joke to the other girl that she never imagined herself hiding from her fellow guards. The cloaked one laughed lightly.

 

After repeating this process so many times that the little woman became disoriented, their destination was finally in sight. The guard sighed in relief and released the little woman’s arm, which she rubbed a bit after it had been held so tightly. Alexis then came to a sudden stop and turned to face a row of buildings, bumping her cloaked friend twice as she did so. She reached up and took off her hood, allowing her bright blue hair to be turned almost snow white by the overhanging moon. She scanned her vision along the empty street and then along the buildings, yet none of them stood out to her.

Zenna drifted her red eyes up to her friend and pined, “what is it? Why did we stop?”

Alexis beamed, “this is my home. Welcome,” she said quietly but with enough cheer it sounded akin to a restrained cry of pleasure.

The elf’s eyes drifted from her friend and to the shop Alexis seemed to be looking at. Although it was closed at the time and the light was minimal, she could see inside well enough to tell it sold some form of wooden furniture. A rocking chair as well as a cabinet occupied the front window, while the establishment’s name was hung from a sign perpendicular to the building itself. The front porch had crates and dusty barrels piled high, as if trying to hide the building behind them. Zenna kept staring at the building with wild fascination on why Alexis claimed to live in a furniture store.

She gulped a bit, “you… uh, live in a furniture store?”

Alexis laughed, “no, that’s just the first floor. Look there,” her finger pointed to a darkened doorway to the right of the shop. In the bare moonlight Zenna had neglected to notice it. “I live in an apartment on the second floor. The owner of this shop was a friend of my mother’s, and he used to use it as storage. When I found out he was cleaning it out, I hounded him to let me rent it out on the cheap. I’ve been living here ever since Samson divorced me.”

Zenna blinked, “oh, well, that’s very nice of your friend to help you out.”

Alexis nodded, “it was indeed very nice of him. Come on, now,” she walked to the door and Zenna followed.

 

The guardswoman dug through her pocket for a few moments until she heard the familiar jingling of her keys. She played through a few of them for a while until she found the one for her front door and put it in the lock. Unlocking the door, it opened inwards and she motioned Zenna inside. After the guard followed her in, the elf watched as Alexis stuck her head back outside and scanned the street rapidly, as if checking for someone following in pursuit. Satisfied they were alone, she sealed the door shut again. In the dark environment, now further accentuated by the lack of lanterns and moonlight, Zenna could just barely make out they were at the base of a narrow staircase. To her side, Alexis had to squeeze between the elf and the wall to begin making her way upstairs.

Alexis laughed defeatedly as she brushed by the elf’s burgeoning cloak, “sorry about that, the stairwell is really cramped.”

The elf shook her head back at her, “it’s fine. Although I have to be honest, when you said you were taking me home, I figured you were going to take me back to the palace. I had no idea you were actually taking me to your home.”

Although she had already taken a few steps up the staircase, Alexis turned back around and stared at the elf with a look that seemed to question the little woman’s sanity. “Gods, no. Why the hell would I take you back there? Those shits in their ivory towers have done nothing to deserve you. Call me greedy if you want, but I can’t lie about wanting you all to myself, Zenny. Now come on up.”

 

Creak, creak, creak, each stairstep went on their way up, as if they could splinter into pieces at any moment. Alexis wandered up the staircase without a second thought, but when she reached the top and glanced back down at Zenna, the elf seemed to be struggling with each step as if she were an old woman without her cane. Her microscopic hands pulled themselves up the railing as if she were climbing a rope.

The guard cleared her throat, “uh… do you need help?”

Zenna ducked her head down in embarrassment, “n-no, sorry. Stairs and I do not agree with each other very well… I’ve never really ever climbed them until recently, anyway,” she grumbled sheepishly. Although Alexis was confused as to what the elf meant by her explanation, the mortification in her voice caused her to not pine for answers.

By the time Zenna had reached the staircase’s zenith, Alexis had lit a few small lanterns around her apartment. With all the rooms combined, it would hardly be a few hundred feet in size, and found itself in a dark, dusty, dilapidated state. Her furniture was worn out and beaten, while old bits of food and cooking utensils were strung across the floor. The air stung at the elven nostrils as if a skunk had released its spray. She could see there were windows nearby, but they were closed to entrap the odor. Off to her side, there was a small kitchenette with a wood stove and some counter space covered to the brim with books and clothes. There were three open doors, one of which seemed to lead towards a bedroom, but the others were too dark to tell.

Alexis read the displeasure on the elf’s face, “sorry if my house is a bit destroyed… I was not expecting guests… ah shit!” she shouted and dove forward suddenly. There was a pile of her unwashed undergarments stuck in a lazy pile on the floor, and she scooped as many of them up in her arms and hurriedly carried them out of the room before her elven visitor noticed. Coming back into the living room, she watched Zenna slowly walk around and touch various objects and surfaces with a neutral look on her face. With the billowing cloak obscuring her legs, it almost looked as if the elf were a ghost floating across her apartment.

She huffed loudly and went up to scratch her head, “I know you were probably expecting better, but this is really how I live… sorry if it’s not up to the palace’s standards,” she said, imagining the elf must have been treated like royalty during her tenure in the monarch’s home.

Zenna looked over at her and gave a tiny warming smile, “I mean… I was only there for a day or so, but…” she shook her head around, “I wasn’t expecting such amazing treatment anywhere else in the world. If anything, your place reminds me a bit of home.”

The guard perked up and latched onto the elf’s positivity, “really? How so?”

“You really have to think about how I lived my whole life in a forest. We didn’t have paved roads, stone streets, guards keeping us safe at night… my family of seven lived in a house not much bigger than your home here, and it was hardly more than hand-cut wood glued together with mud for mortar. To anyone from my village,” she swung her arms out to emphasize, “your apartment may as well be a palace. It’s so comforting to have a solid roof over my head.”

Alexis’ eyes bloomed with light and her mouth opened a bit, “then welcome to my palace, my fair elven princess,” she said cheerfully, making Zenna giggle. Sylvaini had almost forgotten what it was like to have a normal, joyful conversation with someone up until a few weeks ago, and how heartful it was to make someone laugh with genuine sincerity.

“But, um…” Zenna cut in and let her eyes wander while her nose bounced, “is there any chance we could open some of these windows? There’s a bit of a smell.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Alexis wandered over and threw open a pair of windows, and the elf could almost see vapors beginning to fling outside, “I guess living without someone to regulate my filth just means it gets out of hand,” she chuckled, “and I’ve also gotten used to my own smell, I suppose.”

She turned back to the elf and stared at her for a minute. Zenna stared back at her, even matching her stance so both women were on equal footing. Alexis squinted her eyes while a mischievous grin grew on her lips, followed by her waltzing forward and taking the elf’s arm again, pulling her along. Zenna followed her through a doorway and the guard released her, wandering over to light a set of candles. As the room illuminated, it became clear they were in the guard’s bathroom. There was a sink along with a Victorian-style bathtub, while an unremarkable latrine hung in the corner. Remarkably, this room smelled far better than Alexis’ living room, and was disturbingly clean, save for some mismatched clothes sitting in a pile.

“What are we doing in here? I don’t have to go to the bathroom,” Zenna asked sheepishly.

Alexis wandered back over to the elf and put her hands on her hips and huffed worriedly, “w-well… you were mentioning how my apartment smelled a minute ago, right?”

Zenna glazed over her friend, “y-yes?”

“W-well…” Alexis took one hand up to rub her neck so she didn’t have to stare into the elf’s eyes, “gods I feel embarrassed to say it, but… you smell worse, Zenny.”

The guard then watched as her entire pale face reddened and crinkled, as if vulnerabilities bloomed out of thin air, “w-what?”

“Even Katan seemed to notice it when we were on our way here. I’ve been avoiding it since I first started smelling it a few days ago, but you have serious odors coming off you. I just didn’t want to embarrass you. Have you not been bathing at the shelter?”

The long-eared girl cocked her head to one side as she mouthed out the guard’s words. Then she suddenly gasped and darted her eyes around a bit in an effort to stay out of eye contact, “n-no, I haven’t been bathing there… o-or staying there, even…”

Alexis cocked her head in equal measure, “Huh? You’ve been staying at the homeless shelter since you ran away from the palace, right? I figured you had to be staying somewhere each day… that would be as good of a place as any. Where have you been sleeping, then? Have you been staying with someone else?”

The elf began to nervously rub her feet and hands together as her face was continually obscured by the blue hair falling over it, “I’ve just… f-found places here and there, I guess…”

Alexis felt her heartbeat quicken, her skin grow sweaty, and her pupils expand out towards her skin, “w-what do you mean? Here and there? Y-you’ve been staying with different people?”

Zenna shrunk down further, “n-no… not people… just… you know… corners… doorways… crates… bales of hay… stables…”

A gust of air the size of a gale was sucked through the guard’s lips, pushing her heart down into her stomach, “y-you’ve been s-sleeping on the streets!? N-no! How!?” she leaned forward to better hear Zenna.

Instead of looking up at her, the elf shrunk further even down into her shoulders and spoke in barely a whisper, “Alexis, you know why. The whole city is looking for me… if I went to a shelter the guards would find me immediately… and if I just followed someone to their home I would…”

 

“ZENNY!!” the woman shrieked, lunging forward and taking both of the elf’s arms in her palms and shoving Zenna backwards. Zenna, in her surprise, shot her head upwards while her lungs sucked down all the air they could. Alexis’ weight and strength forced her to become flush with the bathroom door behind her while the guard banged their foreheads together, ensuring she had the elf’s unnerving attention. Brown eyes watched red eyes tremor in terror.

“How could you do that!? How!? I would have taken you in the first night we were talking if you just asked!? How could you!? What if something happened to you!?”

“B-b-b-b-because I was scared! I thought you would have turned me in if you saw who I was! How could I have known if I could trust…!?”

“Bullshit!” Alexis interrupted, even yanking Zenna again by her arms and slamming her back against the wall, “don’t you give me that bullshit! What if some scumbag came across you one night, all alone and defenseless and just stuffed you in a bag and took you away forever!? What if someone tried to hurt you!? What if you starved to death!? What if you froze to death!? Huh!? HUH!?” she shoved the elf against the door again, “then I would walk into the bar and find you not there at all!? Where the fuck would I be then!? I would have never known what had happened to you and blamed myself for not being there to protect you!”

Hydration began leaking out of the elf’s eyes as her throat made endless gagging sounds. But really, it could just be the guard’s own tears and battered throat, but she had difficulty discerning the difference.

“How could you have thought it was better to risk yourself every night, sleeping like a fucking rat than to ask for my help!? I care about you, you stupid little elf! I would never make you sleep on the streets just because you didn’t trust me! Why would you think it better to just… just… just… fuck!” her head fell down into her chest as she could no longer stare Zenna in the face. She rasped heavily as her growly voice tore her throat like a sawblade. “Just… Zenny… what the fuck is wrong with you? No… no, no no, no, what is wrong with me? How could I let you do that to yourself…” she sobbed a bit, letting her tears splatter down the elf’s cloak like rain, “now look at me… I’m just a mound of shit for not seeing you needed help… I was just so happy to have you as my friend… I got blinded by your light and couldn’t see it… please forgive me… please…” she shook heavily, coughing on occasion as mucus ran back down her throat.

Minutes went by as she found it was easier to hide her face than to let the elf see her weak. Finally, a weak voice cut through her self-pity, “L-Lexie, p-please let go of my arms… you’re hurting me…”

The guard snorted a bit as the simple sentence caused her to bring her head up, only to see Zenna’s melting, anguished face. She had heard the elf speak, but did not quite hear what was said.

“H-huh? What? What did y-you say?”

“Y-your arms… please take them off me… it hurts…”

 

Although confused for a moment, Alexis began to think back through her previous actions. The guard’s mind had been so preoccupied by emotion she had neglected to see her body was still fulfilling their most recent command – hold the elf so tightly that nothing could ever tear her away.

 

Alexis shifted her vision down to her hands, seeing them coiled furiously into the elven arms. Her fingers had sunk so deeply she was nearly pressing into Zenna’s bones, and her forearms were considerably paler than the rest of her body. Alexis screamed and took a few steps back, crossing her arms over her chest so they would be further away from the girl. “Oh! N-no! I’m so sorry… I didn’t even realize I had grabbed you, Zenny… g-gods, I’m so sorry… I didn’t… d-didn’t m-mean to…”

Zenna’s hands came up to rub her arms with a sniffle. It tore Alexis open to see the elf crying again, knowing she was the cause of the girl’s anguish. She took her hands away from her own chest and glared down at them, furious that they had harmed her friend. Sylvaini then balled them up into fists and brought them up to her own forehead in admittance that she was the one who hurt Zenna – and her fists were just the tools used to implement that.

As she continued to rub the blood back into her forearms, Zenna could nearly see Alexis’ heart twisting in grief. She sighed, “it’s not your responsibility to take care of me. If you put yourself in my shoes you can only imagine how terrified I was. How terrified I still am. Reaching out for someone to help me isn’t a choice I can take lightly… how do I know who to trust?”

The guard shook her head even as her face was still hidden behind her hands, “I’m sorry, Zenny. I really am. There’s no way I should have so blindly trusted your fate to chance,” she pulled down her fists and let the elf see her tear-stricken face, “but you can trust me now, little elf. I’m still trying my best to prove that to you. You know I would never hurt… hurt you intentionally, right?”

 

Zenna wrapped her arms defensively around herself, “I don’t know that.”

 

Alexis walked forwards and delicately cupped the elf’s face, “and I’m sorry you feel like that. I know people have treated you poorly before, but I promise that I’m not going to repeat their mistakes. You can’t go the rest of your life expecting everyone to have it in for you. I want what’s best for you. When you reached out to me, I was in the same position you are now. I hated just about everyone. My husband. My friends. Even my bartender seemed to only want me at arms-length. But you came up to me and refused to be part of that crowd. You wanted me in the same way I needed you. Don’t you feel happy around me, little elf?”

As Alexis still held her head, Zenna only blinked, “yes… I do feel happy around you,” she spoke in a tone that hid all emotions. Yet in her red eyes the guard saw she was genuine, making her smile.

“And just imagine if you open your heart to more people. You’re such an amazing girl that all I want to do is hold you tight and never let go. Even thinking about going back to how I was before you walked into Sonol’s bar terrifies me. How could I let myself fall so far down into that hole? I’m just lucky such a beautiful elf threw down a rope to get me out.” The elf opened her mouth to speak, yet Alexis cut in, “but now imagine you do the same for others. This whole kingdom is full of people like me. Tired. Angry. Hopeless. We all need a savior, and I believe you are as good as any.”

The elf bit her lip a bit and whimpered, “but that’s so much for me to handle… how could I do all that? And what even makes you so sure that I’m the person everyone needs? Shouldn’t it be someone who is strong? Someone who can face the world with open arms and stand tall as it pushes against them? That person exists, Lexie. It’s just not me.”

 

Alexis said nothing for a moment, allowing Zenna to explore her mud pits for hours on end. The guard then tilted her head a bit and closed her eyes, taking the elf by surprise when she slowly, tenderly laid her lips against her own plush red pair. She went deaf as the world sucked away all sound so they could embrace longer. Slowly, Alexis pulled herself off the elf’s lips, but not before tasting them once more with her tongue. With her eyes back in the elf’s vision, she softly spoke to her as if consoling her child, “I know you’re not that person. Not yet. But she’s in there somewhere. Buried inside that heart big as the sky. She’s a woman more ferocious than the world has ever seen… and I’ll be there when she finally breaks free from that prison of fear you’ve erected around her.”

 

The elf’s searchlights glowed and her mouth hung open in utter amazement. Under Alexis’ palms her skin even seemed to heat up considerably, transmitting warmth straight down into the brown-haired woman’s core. Finally she blinked, taking the last of her tears out of her eyes, “do… do you really think so?”

“I know so,” the guard answered in a baritone voice that commanded the elf’s fears to vacate the room, “I also know you desperately need a bath. Being this close to you is nauseating. A lady should take better care of herself, but luckily you have me here to help you.” Alexis slid her hands down from the sides of Zenna’s face and towards the neckline of her cloak, making the elf shudder.

“W-what are you doing?”

Alexis began to unwind the many layers of the elf’s cloak, given how enormous it was, there were many to untangle, “what does it look like I’m doing? I’m taking your clothes off. Unless you want to bathe with the cloak on?”

“I can… do it myself, please… I know how to work a bath, you know…”

“Nope,” the guard promptly swatted her comment out of the air and continued fighting around the elf’s cloak, “my house, my bath, my rules. You just sit tight and let me take care of you, okay?”

 

To the elf, it was most certainly not okay. Just like everyone else in Underhill, Alexis seemed compelled to ignore what the elf wanted. The closer the guard came to undoing her armor, the more vulnerable she felt. So, two choices presented themselves to her. One – say no. Be fierce and turn the guard, her friend away. Seal herself away again. Keep the armor up. Let the walls grow taller.

In the back of her mind, Zenna felt someone cackling away, knowing she was going to choose to stay inside.

To stay safe.

To stay alone.

To keep her heart closed forever.

 

Yet, another option seemed to glow just in the corner of her eyesight. As she turned to look at it, it bloomed brighter and brighter until her pupils shrank down to grains of sand. It was something so beautiful and clear it took her breath away. It was something that did not laugh at her or want to hold her down. It was not something that wanted her to run and hide. And most certainly, it did not want to hold her back. Instead, it asked her to do everything she had taught herself to never do.

To take risks.

To take a chance.

To take a step forward.

To open her heart, even just a little.

 

Even as that cackling, ugly voice in the back of her mind shouted endless threats, she ignored it and allowed herself to simply speak.

 

“Okay.”

 

“Good girl,” Alexis commented, oblivious to the war that had just waged between the elf’s long ears. “Damn, why the hell do you have this so tightly wound?” she whispered as she dropped down to her knee, bringing her eye-level to the girl’s chest. Zenna had brought the enormous cloak around her body in layers to keep it as dragging as much as possible, and so her form would be hidden from all eyes that dare dissect her. She watched Alexis pull endless strands of fabric out as she undid all the knots and folds that kept her armor in place, gulping as the last few layers began to fall apart and cascade rapidly down her chest.

 

Alexis beamed as she finally got the elf’s clothes to come off, “ah that’s more like it. Now we caaaaaaaannnnnnn…?” the guard’s voice shattered and mouth fell open when her expanded eyeballs pushed her jaw downward. The valves in her heart seized shut, and she felt her mentality seeping out of her ears.

 

Something was wrong with this scene, yet Sylvaini couldn’t figure it out at first. There were, however, a few hints. Zenna’s chest was much closer to her face than it should have been. Alexis leaned back, yet it was still closer to her than it should be. The definition of her bosom was far greater than it should be, as evidenced by the mountainous cavern splitting it in half. Directly in front of each of Alexis’ eyes was another pair staring right back at her – pink, like candy or a flower blossom. But also little, so cute you just want to nibble, not bite them. Hanging high above them, Zenna could see the guard trying to piece together what her eyes saw, and gulped at what her reaction might be.

Alexis fought to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide in her lungs while her eyes continued twitching. No matter how many times she tried, Zenna’s breasts were still directly in front of her face, occupying nearly all of her eyesight as they bobbed around. She did not believe it possible – yet the elf had dumbfounded her yet again. No matter how many times she tried disassociating Zenna from the motherly pair before her, they pulled themselves together again.

 

A bell rang in Alexis Sylvaini’s head as she figured out what was happening.

 

Minutes went by as the guardswoman was humbled down into nothing more threatening than a newborn babe in a manger. She swayed back and forth a bit as her mind dumbed down to her basic instincts. To Zenna, seeing the strong-willed woman so docile was disturbing. Clearly, she would need to start getting used to the range of reactions her chest elicited. When a line of drool began to run down Alexis’ chin, the elf cleared her throat and pined, “are you okay?”

 

The guard’s face twitched as she regained control over it. She craned her face up to look at Zenna, yet her disobedient eyes remained firmly locked on the nipples staring back at her. “O-of course… I’m okay… m-more than okay… but I think you can already tell what I’m thinking about, yeah?”

Despite her insecurity, the elf smiled a bit, “you mean, these?” Zenna pushed her arms together, making her immense orbs bob. A wave rolled across her flesh like surf rolling across a white sandy beach. Seeing not only the size of her breasts but their perkiness despite that, Alexis’ disobedient tongue felt across her lips. In her mind, she made a wish that she would revert to a baby at any moment – anything if it meant being cradled against that bosom so powerful it would protect her from everything.

“Y-yes… I had no idea… how the hell… you seem so tiny, yet you have these… your dwarf dad was a very lucky man if your mother blessed you with her genes… gods…” she began drooling more as her mind took flight.

Zenna laughed, making her breasts bob again, which only made them more appealing to Alexis, which only made her drool more, which resulted in a cycle that never seemed to end. “I’m actually not sure where these came from. My mom and my sisters were all normal. Even my brothers didn’t look like me at all. Same with my hair, my eyes… my everything, really.”

The guard gulped as she endlessly wished to de-age at any given moment, “w-wow… lucky you, I guess… gods, you keep getting more unbelievable all the time. I don’t think I can take many more surprises… but I guess I can deal with one more,” Alexis reached out to the elf’s waist and lightly grabbed the fabric holding her cloak in place. This time, Zenna absolutely knew which choice to make and grabbed the guard’s hands, telling her to stop.

 

Alexis looked up at her blushing face, “I’m scared, Lexie. I don’t know if I can do this,” Zenna pleaded.

The guard smiled warmingly, “I know you can do this. You trust me, right?”

The elf’s vision fell until she looked at Alexis through the gap in her breasts, “I think I trust you… but I don’t know if you’re ready to know the real me.”

Alexis shot her scarred eyebrow up in an exaggerated, almost joking manner, “are you saying I’ve been talking to the fake Zenny this whole…”

 

 

“Please, I’m being serious. I need to know you’re not going to run away or scream at me. You can handle my chest, sure, but what about the other half of me? What about the thing that really sets me apart? The thing that makes everyone hate me, use me, hurt me? The thing that controlled my life from the moment I was born? The thing that I’m enslaved…?” the elf was interrupted when Alexis suddenly shot from her kneeling position and grabbed hold of Zenna’s head, bringing her into a kiss far deeper than the two that came before. In her surprise, the little woman let go of her cloak and it fell down to the floor, leaving her completely exposed and naked in the guardswoman’s dimly-lit bathroom in a house she was unfamiliar with, with a woman she had only just met, in a kingdom she failed to trust, in a world she never allowed herself to properly understand.

 

 

The guard pulled back and said, “I’m not afraid. Are you?”

Although Zenna did not know who answered, she simply heard the word, “no.”

 

Alexis smiled and released the elf, closing her eyes and backtracking across the room. She stopped in the middle and stood there, hands balled up into fists as she psyched herself to be ready for what she was about to bear witness to. She gulped a bit, as much as she tried to hide her own apprehension. Finally, she exhaled a massive breath of calming air and opened her vision to see the real Zenna.

 

Her head bobbed back and forth a few times, as if blood was no longer being pumped into her cranium. Her eyes went sideways. Longways. Up-and-downways. Every which way possible as they raced uncontrollably over the elf, absorbing every detail at an astonishing rate. The fingers at her waist twitched if one inspected them enough. Had her legs not been so stoutly positioned, they would have buckled and allowed the guard to fall across her floor. Her tanned and beaten skin began to leak sweat like wet cardboard. As if draining the color out of her, Alexis grew impressively pale.

 

Most importantly, her head began steaming as it tried to decide what part of the elf she wanted to look at the most.

 

Was it the pair of small but oh-so-amazing legs that would be the envy of any model? Was it the milky-white thighs that would make someone want to rest their head upon them while their hair was lightly stroked? Was it the painfully fat, red, veiny orbs bigger than a person’s head which hung from the elf’s crotch? Was it the sleeping serpent that comfortably rested upon that warm, pillowy bed? Was it the wide, flat belly so soft and womanly it would make people fight over who gets to nuzzle it first? Was it the mindboggling pair of breasts that could be seen across the city like a beacon of hope? Or was it the goddess’ face staring back at her, desperately awaiting the guard to make a move?

 

The answer was simple – it was everything. Every inch of Zenna’s body was a work of art.

 

Alexis pursed her lips and nodded her head in approval, “yeah… I would say you certainly do have a chance at beating the curse in my body. No doubt about it. Hell, I’d say something was wrong with me if you couldn’t do it. I’m very impressed, little elf,” she smiled a bit.

 

Zenna’s eyes bulged out at her. Slowly but intently her eyes scanned the guard for a hint she was lying, but found nothing but resonating approval. She opened her mouth slowly, but then jaggedly shut it. The elf tried again, tenaciously prying her lips apart for them to only slam shut this time. Her neck twitched and her face spasmed as it awaited her command on which emotion it should display. Finally, she gagged out and was able to whisper through a gap in her face, “w-what… what?”

“What, what?” Alexis mocked her with a cheerful tone. To her, it was obvious that Zenna was beyond flabbergasted, and yet she felt warmed at how stumped she had made the elf.

“I don’t… I don’t understand… you’re not afraid of me?”

Without even taking a moment to think, the guard scoffed “no, should I be?”

The elf leaned back in further surprise, “y-yes? You should be?”

Alexis shrugged, “and why would I be afraid? You’re very beautiful, girlie. The most beautiful woman in the world. You have to be.”

Unexpectedly, the elf’s head began to fling left and right at a ferocious pace, making her blue strands struggle to keep up, “t-t-t-that’s not true! No! You’re wrong!”

“And that’s because…?” the guard leaned in and raised an eyebrow at her.

 

“Because I’m… a freak.”

“No, you most certainly are not,” Sylvaini took a step towards her.

“I-I-I-I’m a thing then! A thing! A thing,” the elf began to bark as her normal ways of warding people off were failing spectacularly.

“Where? What thing? I only see you, girlie,” the guard kept advancing forward.

“T-then… a monster! That’s what I am! That’s what you think I am, right!?” Zenna began to panic.

Finally, she got the guard to stop, yet her eyes went wide and she began to furiously scan the bathroom as if something were lurking in each shadowed corner, “monster? Where!? Where’s the monster!? I’ll have you know I’ve killed plenty of your kind, you foul creature, now show yourself!” she shouted out with her fists balled at her sides.

“ALEXIS!” Zenna called for the guard to take her seriously, “why are you…!?”

 

“Zenna,” the guardswoman reached her and put a hand on each shoulder to have the girl’s attention, “just shut up and listen for a moment. Back in the bar, when you had me squeeze you through your clothes, I already knew what I was going to feel. I knew it was coming from the moment you said they thought you could break the curse. ‘The strongest man,’ as the sage’s words go… it can only mean so many things. In this case – it means you. You are the strongest. You. You are no freak. Or thing. Or even a monster. You need to stop hiding behind all those labels people have given you and start to accept that you are… you’re just you.”

“But I’m…!”

“Dirty? Yes, you are. Let me get this bath started,” she released the elf and sauntered over towards the bathtub. She turned the water on and plugged the drain so it would begin to fill. For a few moments Zenna just stared at her back while Alexis had her finger under the faucet, ensuring the bluish liquid was at a perfectly comfortable temperature.

Yet the elf could not care less about bathing. She was more concerned about asking the guardswoman, why are you ignoring this freakish thing between my legs? And so, she began, “Alexis, why are…?”

“Just a moment, Zenny… the water is coming in,” the guard shut her down.

“I don’t understand… why are you…?”

“You’re dirty? I told you, you need a bath?”

“N-no! I mean about… me! How are you not freaking out about my…!?”

 

“As I just said,” she looked at the elf through the crook in her arm, “I knew you had a cock from the moment you said that you could supposedly break the curse. Never would I have imagined our savior would come in such a beautiful package. To be honest, it makes the pill immensely easy to swallow. Every part of you is gorgeous, Zenny – even your cock. Especially your cock, if that makes you feel any better. Hell, you’ve got to be as huge as all the men I’ve ever slept with combined. You should be proud.”

 

The elf was unable to summon up any comment. Now, Zenna was left completely speechless. In her entire life, this was the first time someone has seen her body in full nudity and has had a completely, if not overbearingly, positive response. Back in her forest home, people would shout, scream, or become violent in just her mere presence. She was seen as more of a punching bag or a curse than a living creature. Even those she was forced to share a cage with would rather pack themselves together then be near her. The maids that were supposed to care for her ended up caring about no more than themselves. Even Marcus viewed her as no more than a means to an end. Now that she has someone appreciating her… Zenna the elf had no idea how to respond.

“Water’s ready, come in,” the guardswoman popped the elf’s thought bubble and motioned for Zenna to approach. The elf wandered forward slowly, cautiously, as if someone had a spear to her back, pushing her towards a cliff. As she approached Alexis fought against her eyeballs but lost as they continually went down to the elven sack, seeing it pushed left and right when each corresponding womanly thigh pushed against it. The flaccid foot-long cock, thick as her wrist, was taken along for the ride on each step, and Sylvaini took note of the stretchiness of its flesh – she wondered how big it could get, and it began to light a fire between her legs. Zenna took full note of the guard’s prying eyes yet made no comment.

She reached the tub and put one leg over, cooing at its warmth. Given that she was only introduced to warm bathing recently, she still found it a thrilling experience each time – as if bathing in a hot spring or even a pool of magma. She decided to open up just a bit to the friendly guardswoman and relaxed herself. A tiny smile encroached on her face and she presented it to Alexis, who smiled back. Zenna slipped deeper inside until she was sitting on the floor, her back against the tub’s side. Her eyes came up to the guard, who was nearly foaming to get started.

“Now then, just sit there and let me do my best work. Gods, you don’t know how excited this gets me; the last time I cleaned someone was my mother. Sorry if I’m a bit rusty…”

Zenna laughed, “I’m sure you’ll take good care of me.”

 

The guardswoman most certainly took good, even excellent tender care of her friend. Taking her sweet time, Alexis cautiously poured water from a pitcher over the blue hair of the elf, watching it travel between each individual strand as if they were riverbeds. Running her hands through them, she marveled at its silky smoothness, as well as how straight it was. Each of the strands nearly seemed to grab at her when her digits ran through them. Shampooing it was a different measure, where the soap suds nearly seemed to fight each other in an effort to cling to her the longest. The more Alexis washed her hair, the brighter it grew, to the point that the candlelight was reflecting off them. Even after washing her hair once, Alexis went back two more times “for good measure” as she told the elf, but really – she was simply overjoyed at touching her friend. Basic human contact was something she had once taken for granted – yet she now deeply desired to experience it at every possible opportunity.

“This is so amazing,” the guard sighed out and reached for a brush to clean up Zenna’s strands, “your hair is so soft… any chance you could grow it out so I can make a sweater out of it?”

Zenna laughed, “I’d rather keep it on my head.”

 

Alexis pouted, “seriously? You’re so mean, girlie. Sometimes, you just have to…” the guard’s throat suddenly collapsed, and the brush she had been using fell to the floor with a clatter. A pitiful high-pitched squeak just barely made it from her mouth and down the elf’s pointy ears. Given how she was still holding onto the blue hair and shaking slowly, Zenna knew exactly what had happened. The smile that was on her face only moments ago now fell away into despair at what was happening. Still, she decided it best to kill the conversation as fast as she could.

“What is it?” the elf grumbled.

The guard gagged, “Z-Zenny… what is t-this?”

“What is what?” she answered dryly, as if trying to make Alexis lose interest.

“Y-your back… there’s scars all over your shoulder blades as if someone whipped you… s-so many of them… I can't even count… how did you get these? Who would dare do this to you…” the guard nearly felt tears fighting each other on their way out of her ducts, seeing the lattice of red showing brightly on Zenna’s back. Although they had darkened with age a bit, they could still be felt if someone were to run their fingers across the elf’s otherwise soft, flawless back. It looked almost as if someone scraped a group of asterisks across her skin. Each time the elf took a breath, they would expand and contract slowly. Marcus had seen these same scars the day he met Zenna yet made no comment. When Sienna saw them, she was hopelessly worried, yet Zenna was able to end that conversation easily. Now with the strong-willed guardswoman, she knew it would be a tougher battle.

“I don’t want to talk about them. Please move on.”

“N-no! Who hurt you!? P-please tell me!” Alexis started panicking, as if someone were going to bust into the bathroom at that moment and stab the both of them. She sat up a bit, as if protecting the elf with her own body. She already had enough scars; a few more wouldn’t hurt.

“Lexie, please… ignore them.”

“I… I just can’t! How can you say to ignore them? Who would treat you like this!? Did someone in the palace do this shit to you!? Was it the man who enslaved you!? Please, please just tell me who did this! I’ll go fucking get them right now!” the guard tensed her body to run faster than she ever had.

“Alexis, I said…”

“ZENNY!! JUST TELL ME WHO…!?”

 

 

“...my brother.”

 

 

Her throat. Her hands. Her mind. Every valve in her heart - they all seized shut at once. Alexis felt her blood run cold, imagining a maniacal, cackling laughter as an elf threw a whip across Zenna’s back while she was tied to a post. How the little woman sat there, bawling her eyes out as her skin was ripped into ribbons relentlessly. The sight was only compounded as she pictured the elf’s brother, the man who was supposed to protect his kin from all harm, was now the one acting out those harms. Even picturing such a scene made her nails cut the skin of her palms open – she blamed herself for not being there to protect her friend.

“H-how? Y-your brother? How could… how could he?”

The blue hair Alexis still held flailed and shifted as Zenna shook her head furiously, "I shouldn't have said that. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Move on now."

“How are you asking me to move on past this!? This is not something you can just…!”

 

“Alexis,” the elf growled and stared at the guard over her shoulder. This time, it was the guard who went silent as the fire blazing in Zenna’s eye commanded her to obey. “I said no. I don’t want to talk about it and that’s final. You told me you want me to be more ferocious, and here I am. Ignore them and move on or I’m done being bathed by you. Are we clear?” the elf asked, but it was more of an order than an inquiry. Alexis shuddered a bit as she buried her feelings and simply nodded in agreement. Zenna set her head forward again and the guard continued. She picked the brush back up, finished the elf’s hair before moving onto her body.

For a few minutes the pair sat in uncomfortable silence, except for the rubbing of Alexis’ sponge on the elf’s back and her quiet shifting on the floor. The elf felt a bit uneasy to be the one with the stronger voice, yet also felt strangely relieved someone had listened to her for once. As the guard diligently washed her back twice over, taking care over the elf’s scarred skin, she moved around to the front and began to softly pad the elf’s breasts. The feeling of them squash under her fingers was unlike anything she had ever experienced and she began to drool again. For one moment she glanced up at Zenna’s eyes and then darted her vision back to what she was doing.

“Tell me about your family,” the elf spoke suddenly. In that one moment they locked eyes it was clear both desperately needed some conversation to fill the air, lest the two go crazy from the maddening silence.

Alexis was grateful for the question and sighed, “ah, where’s this coming from?”

“Just something to talk about. You’ve told me about your husband a little and you mentioned your mom once or twice. It’s pretty obvious we’ve both avoided talking about our families over these last few weeks. Tell me about them, please.”

The guard nodded a bit as she moved down to wash the elf’s belly, “well, my dad died when I was young and I don't remember much about him. I have a brother, Jodie, who is a few years older than me. He and I got along well but he moved away years ago. The last time I saw him was when he came to my wedding to Samson,” she paused to laugh for a moment, “and I guess you know how that relationship ended up. Jodie and I used to write to each other every few months, but a few months now turned into a few years of silence between us. I need to see what he’s doing now. He had a wife with a kid on the way, the last I talked to him. I’m a pretty bad aunt if I’ve never met my own niece or nephew, huh?” she laughed defeatedly.

After that, Sylvaini fell into silence for a bit. She was more focused on washing the underside of Zenna’s breasts and was too busy marveling at how heavy they felt against her hand as she lifted them up. The ocean of virgin elf underboob made her drool in two lines this time as her mind emptied into a stupor. As Zenna watched from above while Alexis’ eyes went blank, she genuinely smiled at how the guard was enjoying herself – and for once, felt proud that her body was bringing someone happiness.

 

“What about your mom?” the elf pined.

The guard’s face fell a bit even as she continued playing with the elf’s doughy chest, “ahh… I actually lost her a few years ago.”

Zenna shifted under the guardswoman’s hands, “oh, Alexis… I’m so sorry.”

Alexis shook her head, “it’s alright, she was getting old. To be honest I think losing her is what really sent me down into a pit. After my dad died and my brother moved away, she was all I had. Even after Samson had left me and the country started going to shit she was still my rock. I could come visit her after a long day and cry into her chest as if I were just a kid still. She would rub my head and say how proud she was of me. Sometimes I would wash her just like I’m doing to you, now. As she got old she couldn't move much anymore so I had to help her more and more until one day her body finally gave out. After her funeral I dredged into Sonol’s bar and lost myself for a few weeks,” she shook her head, “fuck, a few years, honestly. Without her to hold onto I just started spiraling. That’s why I’m so afraid to lose you too, Zenny. I’m never going to get a chance with someone else ever again.”

The elf sent her hand down and touched Alexis’ cheek, wiping away the tears that had fallen down them, “she’s still proud of you. I know she is,” she said in a calming manner.

Alexis reached up and held the elf’s hand to her cheek for a moment and smiled at her, “I’m not sure if I believe you quite yet, but I’ll make sure she’ll be proud of me next time I see her.”

The two smiled at each other for a minute before Alexis returned to washing her friend. Moving on from her belly and chest she had Zenna raise her legs up so she could bathe them too. Marvelous was an understatement as the guardswoman admired her short but perfect pair. As she moved along their length, she pined back to the elf, “tell me about your family now.”

“My family?”

“I want to know about those who lived around my friend. Earlier you said ‘family of seven,’ so you should have at least a few things to tell me about them. Who all lived with you? Aunts and uncles?”

 

Zenna shook her head, “I’m the youngest of five children.”

 

Alexis paused for a moment and glanced up at her, “damn, dwarf daddy got around, huh?”

The elf laughed heartily, “he was always loyal to my mom. My oldest brother was fifteen years older than me. My parents actually had me really late in life. By that point they already had enough kids going around, but maybe I was just a bonus.”

The guard laughed back at her, “pretty good bonus, then. Tell me about them.”

“My parents were the product of an arranged marriage. Villages throughout the Hallowmire forest typically have clans or families that do such things to boost their social standing. My dad, Terre’nal, was stern and commanding. He was a natural-born leader everyone looked up to with a high-class family background. If anything, it was my mom Merri’bel who married up. She was always the nicest person you’d ever know and would give the shirt off her back to help someone. Whenever my siblings acted out and got punished by my dad, they would always run to her for comfort,” Zenna paused to think, “I guess I always ran to her, too. Up until recently she was the only person in the world I felt safe around.”

“Your mom must have been so beautiful to turn out a daughter like you,” Alexis complimented, making the elf blush, “now tell me about your siblings. I’ll need names with so many of them.”

Zenna scanned the ceiling, “well, my oldest brother, Zach’ariel, was a woodworker. Unusually tall and a handsome elf boy. He was married to a girl and he had two sons and a daughter.”

“So you’re an aunt too, huh?” Alexis quipped as she cleaned the elf’s toes.

This time the elf took a pause, “I’m not sure anymore. After my village was attacked, they killed most of us. I still don’t know who made it out or not. My parents are both gone because they defended the rest of us…” Zenna crushed her face a bit, “and they were old. No sense trying to enslave someone that aged. Do you think they take children as slaves, Lexie?” her voice weakened a bit.

The guard gently massaged Zenna’s toes but tried her best to refrain from eye contact, “I don’t know. Probably. They’re young. No sense in…” she shook her head, “fuck, I’m really sorry, Zenny. I don’t want to think about it. Can we move on?”

Zenna sniffled back tears as she felt interested in moving on as well, “okay… umm… my second sibling was my sister Evan’gila. She was kind of short but had blonde hair and blue eyes that attracted men like magnets. She was so beautiful and could sing like an angel, so of course the boys were always fighting over her. Evan was actually engaged to one of them right when we were stolen away. In all the chaos… I don’t know what happened to her.”

Alexis wasn’t sure how to respond, so she just nodded and waited for the elf to continue.

“Then there were the twins who came after her – my sister Molli’han and my brother Nerra’zara. Molli was pregnant with her first child and my brother was too much of a ruffian to ever settle down with someone. He would have rather spent his days climbing trees or stealing rather than impressing someone. Nerra would always be scolded by my father, and then go right back to his mischievous ways. Molli tried her best to steer him straight but he was just a lost cause.”

The guard laughed as she continued working on the elf's second leg, "good on her, twins should always look out for each other more than anything." Sylvaini paused for a moment as her eyebrows scrunched, "hey, why does everyone in your family have a different kind of name than you?"

The elf opened her mouth to give the answer, but then just laughed instead, "being the youngest means my parents got lazy. They were too busy dealing with all my other siblings to bother with me. Especially Nerra… so much of a handful he was almost as loathed around the village as I was," she laughed again despite herself.

As she finished, she and Alexis met eyes. The guard seemed to have stopped washing her and was instead communicating through eyesight alone. Although she felt pained at admitting it, her heart convinced her to simply whisper, “yes. It was Nerra who did it… if you just have to know,” she snarled.

Alexis stood up from beside the tub and leaned in to encase Zenna’s head with her arms. As she pushed the elf into her bosom she spoke softly into her hair, “I am never going to hurt you, Zenna. That is my promise to you.”

“Lexie…”

“No, fuck that. I’ll do you one better,” she leaned back and stared so closely into Zenna's fiery searchlights their their noses kissed, “I will make sure no one ever hurts you again. How does that sound?”

A feeling erupted in the elf’s heart, but it was not something she could describe. It was twisting, but also holding, like a mother bear protecting her young. Her eyes wanted to throb, but she held them back and smiled instead.

“I… I think I would like that, Ms. Sylvaini.”

“Hey now,” Alexis scrunched her face, “don’t be calling me that… I’m not my mother,” Alexis laughed, causing Zenna to follow suit, “anyway, while you were talking I finished cleaning you. Must be some of my best work, even. Go ahead and hop out, and you’ll find some towels over there,” the guardswoman motioned to the side. Zenna nodded and stood up slowly, yet each of her movements were closely calculated and memorized deep within the guard’s mind. From how her overly-feminine body swayed to how the water clung to her so tightly, to even how her hair perfectly framed her face – Sylvaini nearly shot up and grabbed the elf with how beautiful she was.

As the sopping-wet elf waltzed across the bathroom to a pile of towels to dry herself, she heard the guard begin to undress behind her, evidenced by the loud clang of whenever one of her armor’s pieces fell to the floor. The amount of buckles and latches to keep the contraction in place mesmerized the elf like a symphony as each piece fell into an ever-growing pile at Alexis’ feet. Yet the elf’s mind finally clicked and she stared over her shoulder at the half-naked guard, “w-wait Alexis, what are you doing?”

The guard stared at her blankly, “taking my clothes off?” she answered sarcastically, as if the answer should be obvious.

“W-why?”

“Because this is my house? I can be naked in my own living quarters, yeah?”

“B-but why in front of me?”

“Because I need to bathe, too? I just did you first because you reeked, you filthy little elf,” Alexis spoke in a mischievous tone, making Zenna blush and turn away from her. Suddenly she began to realize how defenseless she was, naked and wet in someone’s bathroom as the person watched her intently. With a renewed fervor she began drying herself more rapidly. Minutes went by as she tenderly patted herself dry while the guard behind her began to breathe raggedly.

 

“Gods… you have a fantastic ass, Zenny,” a voice suddenly spoke, making Zenna squeal.

 

Her face reddened as she spun around rapidly to Alexis, whose eyes followed the ocean of elf flesh as it bounced around, “w-w-w-what!?” Zenna stammered, even as her breasts and genitals continued rocking side to side.

“Your ass. I’m jealous. It looks big and plump and I couldn’t stop staring. You must be very comfortable sitting with that cushion you're always carrying around. Gods, you really are too gorgeous… it’s not fair at all. If I was even half as beautiful as you are…” Alexis motioned to her own naked body. It was perfectly adequate for a woman of the early thirties. Her breasts were not too big, but not too small with just a hint of sag. There were light wrinkles across her entire skin, which had marks in some places – gifts from violent encounters. Her legs were a bit thin for her shape, but she still had decent muscle tone through her chest and arms, so she could defend herself in most situations. Her womanhood was hidden as the guard held her legs together, yet her foot seemed to shift slowly as she gazed upon the elf.

Still with a reddened face Zenna responded, “w-well, I think you’re very pretty, Lexie. Your body is very nice. You should c-compliment yourself more.”

“Ahhh…” the guard swooned, falling against the tub loudly, “w-wow… sorry… like I said, being complimented by you is an absolute honor… my heart thumps just from you looking at me… b-be careful with your words… they’re so strong when you use them just right.”

Zenna smiled, “you are welcome then,” she nodded as she set down the towel. With her newly-dried body she began to move out of the bathroom, “I’ll see you soon, Lexie.”

 

“I look forward to it. Make sure you’re ready for me, my precious little elf,” the guard answered more succulently than a succubus. Although she wanted desperately to shudder, Zenna held it in until she had left the bathroom. After all this talking and prep work, she still knew that look that peeped out from behind Alexis’ eyes. She knew that voice that was hidden beneath her tone. She knew that body language as it marionetted how the guardswoman moved.

 

After all this, Zenna knew full well the guard was buttering her up for what was to come.

 

Her head hung a bit low as she meandered into Alexis’ bedroom. It was sparsely decorated with a messy bed and two side tables. Off to one side there was a table with a single chair and a rack of the guardswoman’s clothes. Unsure of what to do, Zenna neglected to light the nearby candles and instead settled for the moonlight coming through a window over the bed. Minutes later, Alexis came in and found Zenna sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at her with fiery yet cautious eyes. The moonlight emanating from behind her turned her blue hair white and gave her a holy aura when the light glistened off her skin. The way she was leaned over, her enormous breasts covered her belly and her genitals obscured much of her legs. Alexis picked up on how uncomfortable Zenna looked, being so nude.

“Sorry, I guess you can borrow some of my clothes,” the guard spun around and began digging through the rack of linens behind her. Given that the guard was taller yet far thinner than the elf, she had difficulty discerning what might cover her appropriately. She picked up one shirt that seemed overwhelmingly large and decided to give it a try.

“Here you go, try this on,” Alexis tossed the shirt at Zenna over her back. Behind her, she could hear the elf putting the shirt on as she picked out some clothes for herself. The guard shimmied her own pants up her legs and then put a shirt on over her arms, popping her head through the collar. She patted herself so the clothes would mat to her body and wiggled a bit to be more comfortable.

“Umm… Alexis? I uh… I don’t know about this shirt…” came a mousey voice behind her back.

“What about it?” she asked, spinning in place to see the elf’s blue scalp staring at her.

 

Zenna’s eyes were focused down at her chest, watching the shirt Alexis provided her be hopelessly stretched out by her bosom. Both orbs pulled the fabric unto bursting, each seam screaming in absolute agony as they tried to keep from breaking. Her nipples, although small, poked visibly through the cottony material. Given how immense the girl’s chest was, the shirt only came partway down her breasts – providing Alexis with a delicious view of her underboob and belly. Each breath the girl took in stretched the fabric audibly. Even lightly shifting her arms caused small tears.

 

Zenna awaited the guardswoman’s comment, yet it never came. The elf looked up to see Alexis’ eyes spinning like spirals, her mouth open and visibly watering as she imagined herself suckling the elf. Her brown bob of hair rolled side-to-side as blood no longer reached her brain. It took every ounce of willpower the guardswoman could coerce into existence to not run over and not worship every inch of the elf then and there. Instead, she slowly came down from her high and wiped the drool from her face. She sauntered over to Zenna and patted her head in an apologetic manner, “hah, sorry about that… guess you’ll have to go naked. I have nothing bigger for you. Especially for downstairs. Hope you like the fresh air.”

The elf smiled, “it’s okay… I’m used to clothes not fitting me, anyway,” Zenna attempted to pull her arms back through the shirt as she tried to undress herself, but the shirt finally had enough and ripped a massive tear from the collar down to the arm’s seam. What remained of it fell into a pitiful pile down at Zenna’s waist. Blushing redder than a tomato, the elf pulled it off in utter embarrassment and handed it back to Alexis.

“S-sorry… ruined your shirt…”

The guard's scarred eye twitched, "w-well… you gave me quite a show, so I’ll forgive you. After trying to fit over your girls there, it was too stretched for me anyway. Move over,” the guard commanded, tossing aside the shirt and flopping heavily onto the bed. All the exhaustion that had built up over these last few hours suddenly came at once and she slipped under the covers. Alexis stared at Zenna, who took her sweet time in sliding under the covers next to her. Her nude and heavy body sunk deeply into the guard’s mattress.

 

Both women sat their heads upon a pillow and stared at each other in silence for over a minute, as if waiting for the other to say something first. Both of them were thinking the same thing, but neither wanted to act first.

 

After this trend continued for seemingly forever, the elf could take no more and asked with a gulp, “w-well?”

“Well, what?” the guard answered with confidence.

Zenna’s eyes, illuminated by the moonlight over them, danced around nervously, “d-do you… um… want to… get… started?”

Alexis blinked, “started with what?”

 

 

Flaming eyes travelled back into Alexis own pair, and the elf quietly asked, “s-sex?”

 

 

The guard had to force her heart to keep beating as her brain digested the elf’s guttural question. Every fiber of her being was internally screaming to jump Zenna then and there and bury herself in bodily contact so wild and so repulsive it should never be witnessed. Hairs on every inch of her body stood on end and she had to keep from sweating through her own clothes. The very, very empty hole between her legs nearly threatened to implode if it meant being stuffed. It convulsed back and forth and readied itself to spew copious amounts of lubricant in order to house the elf’s godlike cock. Even her tongue wanted to explode out from behind her teeth and taste everything Zenna had to offer. Every piece of flesh. Every liquid. Every bloody, gory detail of her immaculate body.

 

Yet despite all that, Alexis simply gave Zenna a disinterested look and bluntly said, “nah.”

 

Confusion completely conquered the elf’s pale face, “but… isn’t that why… we’re here?”

“No? It’s way too late at night anyway; we’re both exhausted. Can’t we just sleep?”

“I… I don’t understand… you brought me to your house… bathed me… gave me so many compliments… put me in your bed naked… and you just want to sleep?”

Alexis nodded in disagreement, “Zenny, did you really think I brought you home because I wanted to fuck you? Surely you don't see me as being so shallow!”

“Umm… y-yeah… yeah I did think so. W-well… not that you were shallow… but that everyone wants me to share my body with them…”

“Well… maybe I do also…” she slid closer to the elf with a devilish look on her face, “maybe I do want to fuck. Want to fuck good. Long. Hard. Deeeeeeep,” she growled as she leaned in closer and closer to the elf’s face, making the girl shudder, “maybe I want to fuck until I don’t think I could ever walk again. Maybe I want to fuck until this bed breaks, and then the floor beneath it, and finally the whole building comes down as you and I fuck into a frenzy so powerful it burns the whole city to cinders,” she came impossibly close to the elf – so close in fact, that all Zenna could see was that crazy maniacal gaze in Alexis’ eyes staring back at her. So close in fact, that both women could hear the other's heart pound like a thousand bass drums at once. So close in fact, their skin had become one, single, inseparable entity.

 

Then, Alexis dropped her head suddenly down onto the elf’s boob, using it as a doughy pillow that conformed around her skull. “But not tonight. Tonight, I just want to sleep here on your chest while you hold me tight. Is cuddling enough for you, girlie?”

Although clearly stunned and still apprehensive, Zenna relaxed a bit as she realized the guardswoman had been stringing her along, “oh… sorry… that’s fine…”

The guard picked up light hints of disappointment in the elf’s tone, “ah, sorry if I upset you by not putting out on the first night, my horny little elf.”

 

Not only could the guard see Zenna’s entire body go red, but she heard her heart begin to pound so heavily it resonated through the entire breast she was pressed up against, “w-wait no! I’m not…”

“It’s alright, Zenny. Our time will come. Let’s just sleep for now, yeah?” the guard asked, but really she was answering her own question by pulling Zenna’s arms up around her body so she would be confined to the elven boob all night long. Having this woman so close to her breast awoke a set of feelings inside the elf – feelings she would one day come to see as her maternal instinct. Those feelings told her to hold the guard tightly so she would feel protected and nurtured, making her eyelids run heavy. Content, Zenna’s eyes began to shut also.

 

“Good night, little elf,” Alexis whispered as she fell asleep at an alarming pace.

“Good night, Alexis,” Zenna whispered back.

 

To be continued.