Will’s breath was hot on Illicia’s neck as his massive hands gently caressed her body. She knew what she was doing, or at least she had thought she did until she felt herself responding to his touch. It seemed that her body was betraying her, desperately trying to submit to him, as one of his hands grabbed her waist, pulling her closer to him, his other hand snaking around her neck to gently hold her there.

Ilicia was going to speak but Will beat her to it. “Ilicia, I need you to know that if you want to stop, you must tell me. Despite all of the fantastical things that I can do, I cannot read minds. Do you understand?” 

His tone told her he was genuinely asking, but the heat spreading through her body at the idea of Will telling her what to do was intoxicating. He asked if she understood once more, pulling back from her. 

She nodded frantically. “Yes, I understand. If I want you to stop, I need to tell you. Now for the love of all the divines, please don’t stop.” 

Will smiled and pulled her back close again. He could tell that she was very much into what was happening, but he had a sneaking suspicion that she did not have any experience with this sort of thing. Will decided that despite his lust being at a fever pitch right now, he would take it slow. To ensure that his ardor did not overtake his commonsense, Will focused on his breathing, taking slow deep breaths as his hands began to slide across Illicia’s body.

Ilicia knew she was in over her head, and had known that from the moment Will had pulled her waist to him. She wanted to be in over her head. But a small part of her was panicking. Before this, no man would dare lay their hands on her in such a way even if she had wanted, and now she was moaning as Will's fingers tightened ever so slightly on her throat and his other hand, which had been holding her hip, was now sliding up the front of her shift, the cloth bunching above his fingers and rising up her thighs. 

Ilicia could feel the heat building in her body as his hand slipped up her stomach and began to caress her breasts. The sensation was exquisite. Ilicia found herself wanting Will to be more aggressive with her. 

Will hand slid across the tight skin of Illicia’s stomach and moved to cup the firmness of her breasts, he began to breathe harder, and he felt Ilicia’s hand on his thigh, questing for something to hold onto. Will pushed his hips forward without thinking. Her hand rested on the pants that Will usually slept in, which were now straining to contain him. 

Will smiled at the quiet squeak the princess emitted as he began to move his hands in concert with hers. As her fingers moved delicately along the bulge that was Will, Will moved his fingers in a similar motion across her erect nipple. 

She explored, her hand tracing the length of the shaft and Will teasing her chest equally as much. As she moved to slide her hand under his waistband, Will leaned down gently to bite the nape of her neck. His hand slid from where it cupped her left breast and moved down to rest just above where her thighs met. 

Ilicia was panting uncontrollably. Her mind seemed as if it was sequestered to a corner of her head, where it was watching her actions from a third-person perspective. And even this part of her mind was excited. She was almost drooling with anticipation, her hand reaching to grasp the head of Will’s shaft, and his hand slipped down her body. She almost cried out when his hand stopped before its final destination…but then the part of her brain that seemed to be watching balked.

Her body seemed to betray her then, acting to provoke him further, but in her mind she was thinking furiously. “What am I doing? Do I really want this? If this is just the result of everyone pushing us together…” 

She seemed to respond to herself. “I am about to sleep with this beast of a man, and yes I want it. If it were really the result of people pushing us together he would not have this for me…” As she finished the thought, she squeezed the throbbing rod that was Will’s manhood and got a primal growl out of him.

She went back and forth with herself for what seemed an infinite number of times in a split second until finally, the part of her that was sequestered away, took control. She let go of Will and reached with her hands, one placed on his hand around her throat, and the other moving to interlace his fingers that were about to delve deep.

“Will.” She panted. 

“Yes, Princess?” He asked, biting her neck once more. The sex that dripped from his voice and the way his body seemed to crave hers nearly made her give in and let him have her.

“I…I can’t.” Ilicia said, and it seemed as if suddenly someone threw an off switch in Will. His hands gently but quickly withdrew from her, and he pressed back into the wall giving her as much space as he could without one of them falling off the bed that was not made for someone of his size.

Illica let out a disappointed sigh and turned in the bed so that she could face Will. She realized how comfortable she had grown with Will and how much she desired him. She didn't even try to adjust her shift, laying with her breasts exposed and her thighs barely covered. 

“I…I am sorry…I do want…I…” she said, and then suddenly, her emotions went haywire. She started crying. She was not sad but confused.

“Hey, hey, hey. What's wrong?” Will asked and then let Ilicia wrap her arms around his neck and pull herself close. “Are you okay?” 

“Will, please, just hold me.” She said almost pleadingly.

Will smiled and wrapped his hands around her, pulling her close. She wiggled closer to him, tangling her legs in his and pressing every inch of herself against him. He held her until the tears stopped. She was breathing evenly, and he thought that she had fallen asleep when she spoke once more. “I’m sorry.” 

“For what?” Will asked, letting her pull herself away from him to wipe her eyes. 

“For not following through, I got you all excited and then panicked, and I…” Ilicia was about to start crying again. 

“Hey,” Will said sternly with compassion in his voice, “did you want everything that happened up to that point?” 

She looked up at him, nodding, and Will had to restrain himself from letting his eyes wander lower to the unstrung top of her shift. 

“Okay, did you enjoy it?” Will asked.

Ilicia nodded with almost feverish enthusiasm. She even bit her lip at the thought of his hands running oh so gently yet firmly across her nipples… she shook her head to focus it. “Yes, I did enjoy it. I would very much like to do that again.” 

“Well, I am glad because I enjoyed it too.” Will said with a smile, pulling her close and giving her a hesitant kiss on the lips which she leaned into. 

“But I didn’t finish… I didn’t go through with it.” Ilicia said. 

“No one said you had to,” Will said with a gentle laugh. “You don’t have to do everything all at once. Tonight was more than enough if that’s all you wanted.” 

Will lay his head down, pulling her close and draping his left arm over her. His right supported his head. He closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply but opened them again when Illlicia guided his hand to rest on her nearly exposed butt. She looked up at him sheepishly, “I mean, I want more of the kissing and your hands on me now if you're up for it.” 

Will smiled, and they both fell into their passion once more.

The next morning, Will extricated himself from the tangle of clothing and curves that was Ilicia before going into the other room and performing his morning stretches. “Why did you do that, Will! Things were simple! All you had to do was keep the princess alive, and not try and fuck her.” 

Will continued berating himself as he stretched and went through various training exercises in silence. Ilicia walked in, still mostly nude, with her slip undone up the front. “Good morning.” She said and then went and began dressing, first slipping out of the slip. 

“Good morning,” Will said and then took a good long look at her lithe form. “You knew exactly what you were doing.” He said this to himself, smiling, and finished his morning exercises. 

Within an hour, they were dressed and down in the common room of the small village inn, eating warm bowls of broth with bread and cheese. As they finished their meal, the village elder approached slowly, navigating the busy common room with his cane. 

“Ahh, young Will, it is good to hear that you are back in the Gob’Ran.” The elder said.

“And it’s still a shame that you left.” Will said with a kind smile for the old man. “My grandfather still says that your old rooms are yours for as long as you live.”

“Well, when I feel as old as I look, I might move back in and see about having some of those fine young orc women look after me.” The elder said with a slightly maniacal laugh.

Ilicia blushed at this and looked at the old man, wondering if he would even survive a night with an orcish woman. The elder saw her looking at him and spoke again. “I don’t think I would survive the night either, young lady, but it would be one nice way to go out, don’t you think?”

Ilicia could only imagine how red her face was as the old man burst into gleeful chortles. “Ohh, forgive me, young lady, but getting smiles and blushes out of young women like you is the only thing that gets me out of bed some days. My name is Yord, and I once trained this poor excuse for a mountain,”  the old man jabbed his cane playfully at Will, “in all that I knew of medicines, poisons, and everything in between.” 

Ilicia smiled and stood to give the elder a curtsy. “I am Ilicia Ter Koltshelg, Princess of Kolt. It is a pleasure to meet you, Yord.”

Yord’s eyebrows shot up, “Well, know me for one of the grand fools, the princess of Kolt, and you’re traveling with this lout on a diplomatic mission? I thought I had seen a lot, but now I guess I have seen it all.” Yord laughed again. 

“So what’s got you out of whatever hole you call a home, Yord?” Will asked the old man.

“Well, early this morning, two Grenga turned up and politely knocked on my door and asked after you. They still wait at my home.” Yord turned a questioning eye to Will. “Are the rumors true of an entire city of them to the north?”

Will nodded solemnly. “It is.” Will looked at Ilicia, “Well, princess, I guess it's time. Are you prepared to begin our mission?”

Ilicia nodded and stood with Will and Yord. “Let us begin then.”

Ilicia and Will left the common room, following Yord to meet their first contacts within the Grenga, both of them wondering what strange things awaited them in the coming days.