The Untaming of Casavir

Casavir, the paladin, earned my admiration and respect during those early days when we traveled together near Old Owl Well. As time passed, though, I found myself more and more attracted to Casavir the man. His clean good looks, his sculptured warrior's body, his beautiful eyes…they invaded my dreams and disturbed my rest. I dreamt of being held in his strong arms, caressed by those long fingers, kissed by those sweet lips. More and more often, daydreams of Casavir tempted me, distracted me, and a distracted Knight Captain is a danger to all. Something had to be done, for the good of the keep.

I often felt his eyes upon me and that was part of the torment. He was attracted to me, too, I could sense it. Why did he not speak? He was a paladin, a leader of men, and incapable of fear. Surely he couldn't be…shy?

There is little privacy on the road, it's true, and constant exhaustion does its bit to keep the libido dampened down, but once back at Crossroad Keep, the situation didn't improve. Finally I could stand it no longer. I had to talk to him. I asked him to meet me up on the keep wall, where we wouldn't be disturbed.

"Casavir," I said. "I am a woman." He looked at me in some surprise.

"Yes, I am aware," he said.

"You are a man."

"Yes."

"We have needs."

"Are you speaking of spiritual needs? Material needs? Er, physical needs?" He lifted his brows politely but I saw a faint tinge of color on his cheeks.

"Physical needs," I said firmly, feeling a bit of heat on my own face.

"Do you want another sparring partner?"

"No!" I snapped. This wasn't going well.

"Casavir, I feel…I feel…well, hells, I accidentally brushed up against Ammon Jerro in the hall this morning and it was all I could do to keep from sliding my hands inside his robe."

Casavir bit his lip and looked away.

"Do you wish me to speak to him for you?" he whispered.

"NO!" I took a deep breath. "Casavir, surely you are aware that you are a very attractive man."

"I…"

"I am very attracted to you, Casavir."

"I…"

"I want to sleep with you, dammit."

"Knight Captain, I am flattered. I don't know what to say. I must…decline…this honor."

"What! Why?" He wouldn't even look me in the eye but just kept staring out over the fields.

"I am not worthy," he said in a low voice and then he left.

Hells, hells, hells.

I paced back and forth on the wall and felt the frustration grow in me. What was wrong with the man? And it wasn't like I was the only one hurting here, you could see the tension in his posture, in his face, in the way he moved. That man needed to get laid, by Tyr, and the sooner the better. And as for me…soon no one would be safe.

Suddenly I noticed Kana hovering beside me in that eerie way she has of showing up when I have a need. Well, not that need, but just about every other one.

"Kana," I said, thinking quickly. "Are you feeling up to a special assignment? A very confidential assignment?"

"Certainly, Knight Captain."

I gave her my instructions.

I was seated behind my desk when Kana escorted Casavir to my office. She waited for him to sit in the chair across for me, and then went to stand in the doorway in her usual expressionless manner.

"Is there a problem, Knight Captain?" he asked, rather warily and I knew he was remembering our earlier discussion. He glanced back at Kana and her presence seemed to reassure him.

"I have several questions for you, Casavir, and I hope you will answer me honestly and frankly."

He stiffened in affront.

"I am a paladin of Tyr," he said. "I do not lie."

"Very well. We shall begin. Are you physically attracted to women or to men?"

"What?!" I gave him a stern look.

"Answer the question, please."

"Women."

"I see. And do you find me, as a woman, physically attractive? At all?"

"Why are you asking me this?" he asked in a strangled voice.

"Answer the question, please."

"Yes." I could barely hear him.

"I see. And have you taken a vow of chastity to Tyr or any other god?"

"Knight Captain, this is very personal!"

"Answer the question," I said pleasantly.

"I have not."

"I see. Is there any, er, geas or physical impediment to you having a sexual relationship?"

"Knight Captain!"

"I'm looking for a yes or no answer here, Casavir."

"No!"

"Very well." During the interrogation, Kana's expression had not changed in the slightest degree, but there was a gleam to her eye that I found quite satisfying. "Casavir, you leave me no choice. Kana?"

She opened the door to my suite and signaled. The sergeants Katriona and Light of Heavens came in and closed the door firmly behind them.

"Casavir," I said. "I place you under arrest. Take his weapons and armor."

"What?!" He allowed the sergeants to take his sword belt and start unbuckling his armor, but he gave me an agonized look.

"Of what crime am I accused?" he cried. "What have I done?"

"Nothing," I said. "That is the crime."

He didn't say anything when Katriona removed his boots but he protested when Light of Heavens pulled off his shirt. I gave him a stern look.

"Casavir, they are obeying my orders."

"These cannot be lawful orders."

Hmm, well, he had a point. Maybe I shouldn't make them pull off his pants. Yet. I jerked my head and they dragged him into my bedroom. Before he quite realized what was happening, they lashed his hands to the bed posts. Kana quirked one eyebrow in a question, should they bind his feet? I shook my head.

"That will do," I said. "Dismissed."

"Yes, Knight Captain."

I closed my bedroom door and looked down upon my prisoner. You rarely saw Casavir angry but he glared up at me and I felt the full blast of his wrath. I was sorry for it, but...well, these were dangerous times and this was for the good of the keep. Really.

Dusk was falling and so I lit the lamps in the room.

"Do you intend to keep me here against my will?" Casavir asked. I just smiled at him and then slowly stripped out of my boots, my shirt, and my pants. And my underclothes. Casavir turned his head away but his face was flaming. When I was naked, I washed with water from the basin on my dresser. Although he wasn't watching me, he could hear the sounds of the water and the cloth. I hoped they tortured him. I was certainly torturing myself. I took the glass stopper out of the bottle on my dresser and began to stroke oil over my body.

"Do you like the scent of this oil?" I asked. "Elanee mixed it up for me." No answer. This had seemed like a good idea but he was so angry and embarrassed that I was starting to feel pretty guilty.

"Listen," I said. "I'm sorry. I lost my head. I'll make a bargain with you."

He turned his head to look at me, then averted his eyes from his naked Knight Captain.

"I want to rub you down with this oil," I said. His eyes narrowed, and I said, "Just above the waist, okay? When I'm done, I'll untie you and you can do what you please. You can kick my tail, you can tell me off, you can leave my service, if you must. But I want to do this first. Please." My voice broke a little. Was there the slightest softening in the taut line of his jaw?

"As you wish," he whispered.

I knelt on the bed beside him with the oil warming in my hands. His legs were free and he could have pinned me or kicked me, but he didn't. Then I straddled him. His startled eyes flew to me. I wiggled myself into a comfortable position on his, er, lap and unstoppered the oil.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No," he gasped. "But this is most unfair."

"Sorry."

I poured some oil in my hands and when I was sure it was warm enough, I looked down. Hmm, where to start? No bad choices here. His arms were tied over his head and his shoulders looked so tense that they seemed a good place to begin. Years of weapons training had made his shoulders and arms very impressive and I dug my thumbs in hard as I massaged.

"You might as well relax," I suggested. I took my time and worked from his right shoulder to his biceps. I would have loved to massage his hands but I couldn't reach them, the way he was tied. I love Casamir's hands. Calloused from weapons, strong and scarred from fighting, how I had dreamed of those hands holding me, touching me. I sighed softly.

I lifted my eyes from his hands to find Casavir watching me. The anger had faded from his eyes.

"My lady," he said, but I put my finger on his lips to silence him and started on his left shoulder. I felt his eyes still upon me but I concentrated on my task and did not meet his gaze. Again, I took my time, using a firm touch on his thick muscles. When I finally reached for the oil bottle, I saw he was still watching me, but his eyes weren't on my face. They were looking rather lower. I squirmed a little on his lap, as if to get more comfortable and poured oil on my palm. His breath quickened and he pulled at the ropes that held him.

"I think you should untie me now."

I felt my lips curve up and I began rubbing oil into the flat muscular planes of his chest. I leaned forward a little, which increased the pressure where I straddled him, and he gasped. There were definite stirrings from that region and I could feel my own pulse start to race as I moved a bit more.

I stroked my palms gently along his sides and he jerked.

"Ticklish," he gasped. I felt my smile turn wicked and I stroked even more delicately. I couldn't help myself. He bucked underneath me and I pressed my knees tighter at his waist to hold on.

"Oh, gods," he said and he pulled at the ropes again. "Let me up."

Here I was thinking he pretty much was up, hah, but maybe that wasn't what he meant.

"Oh, very well," I said. His back arched when I traced a line along his waist and I very reluctantly took my hands away and stood up. My hands were oily and the knots were pulled tight and I couldn't get them loose.

"Cut it," Casavir said urgently.

"My father would skin me for wasting a good rope," I said.

"Cut. It. Now."

There was a knife under my mattress (living in Crossroad Keep is enough to make anyone paranoid) and I used it to cut the ropes. I dropped the knife with a squeak when Casavir suddenly clasped me around the waist and threw me back on the bed.

"Temptress," he growled and it was his turn to straddle me. He grabbed my wrists and stretched my arms out in roughly the same position he had been. He stared down at me. I could already feel the strain begin in my shoulders. It was…exciting.

"Are you going to tie me up?" I asked languidly.

"No." Then his fingers ran slowly, delicately along my side from my waist towards my armpit and I gasped and jerked.

"Ticklish?"

"No!"

He chuckled.

"Don't lie to the paladin."

Then he scooped me up in his arms, and his lips covered mine, and then…and then…

And then he did his bit to make the keep a safer place.