France, 1626
His brown eyes watched her as she walked, her steps heavy yet graceful. He let his eyes rove up and down her frame as she confidently marched ahead of him along the busy cobblestone Paris street, the swinging of her hips causing his fingers to itch with the urge to hold them. She stopped and looked back at him curiously when she felt him dropping behind her, her water blue eyes sparkling. She offered him a small smile and waited as he caught up to her and they stood there with people parting around them like a stream around a rock.
“Is something wrong La Buissoni??” She asked, tipping her head to the side in a puppy like fashion. He clenched his hands to stop from reaching up to brush off a lock of curled light brown hair that had fallen across her fair skinned face and smiled back.
“No Miss Ren? Everything is fine.” She nodded and started to march again, heading towards an exit in the city walls that led out to a forested clearing which they had discovered on another of their walks.
They had not met that long ago. She had disguised herself as man, or rather a boy just come of age, and in order to support a living for her and her dearest companion, the duchesse d’Aquitaine, she had to take on work. The work she had chosen was as a stable boy for the King’s stables. She had been placed within the stable where the guards of the Cardinal obtained their horses and he had chosen to strike up conversation with her one day, then thinking her to actually be a male.
“Good morning Monsieur!”
“Good morning… I do not believe I know you.”
“I am new here sir. I was hired today.”
“Is that so? Well I have need of a horse.”
“Then you shall have one Monsieur if you will wait but a moment for me to prepare one.”
“It is a fine horse. I thank you Monsieur… I am afraid I do not know your name.”
“It is Ren?onsieur. Ren?oseBriar.”
Suspicion about him had flourished within him of course when he would distinctly avoid looking him in the eyes or even lifting his head to reveal his face. He had grown puzzled as to his living quarters and followed him one day to find that he lived with a girl, a bit younger than himself. Although he had known it to be wrong, he had peered within a window in a smelly, filthy alley between a couple of apartments and had come to his discovery of his ‘secret’. The room he had looked in was a boudoir and when the young girl had left the room, having followed him in there to talk about his day, the ‘stable boy’ had removed his shirt to reveal a chest heavily bound with greying, dirty bandages.
He had gaped open mouthed as she, for now he knew that it was indeed a female, removed them from around her lower torso and up, slowly untying them and peeling them from soft pliant flesh. The moral implications of this struck him dumb but he did not move, gripping the edge of the window and digging his nails into the stone. His eyes went wide and his face flushed as red as the uniform he wore as she unwrapped her chest from the restricting bandages, the skin bountiful and pale and ending in tips of rosy pink. He ducked lower below the window, removing his hat, with only his eyes staring through the glass with all modesty forgotten. He licked at his lips, as if tasting the sweet spring air, when in actuality his mind was imagining the taste of something possibly much sweeter.
She turned suddenly towards the window, shirt half buttoned with the creamy valley of her chest exposed, her eyes narrowed into vicious fiery blue slits. He panicked, realising that he may have been spotted, and removed himself with all haste and tripping over his own feet multiple times as he did. He was covered with patches of unknown human substances on his uniform and boots but he did not notice the horrid stench with his thoughts still on the girl he had left behind.
However, now that he had revealed that he knew of her secret and after many oaths upon his honour that he would not breathe a word, he was able to freely spend time with her and admiring her. Their feet had silently taken them past the walls of Paris and out into an open field off the road where a wooded patch surrounded it. It was secluded and quiet, a place where no sounds from within or without could be clearly heard. He smiled when she stopped in the center of the clearing, in a brilliant patch of sunlight that pierced through the trees and stretched catlike within it. Her fingers were folded together and reached over her head, a contented smile across her features, her hair gleaming as the light caught the strands of blond and red interspersed in the brown. His breath caught in his throat when she bent over to stretch out the muscles within her back, her body all rounded curves. She peeked at him between the sheen of hair that had fallen across her eyes, a playful shine to them.
“La Buissonni? you seem awfully pale.” She said worryingly as she straightened. She walked up to him and stood close, raising a hand to feel his cheek to which he pulled away before she could. She frowned and pulled her hand back, crossing her arms across her chest. “Are you feeling alright? Perhaps we should head back.”
He shook his head and closing his eyes, he gave a nervous smile. “I am fine.” He drew his sword and took a couple of loose swings. She giggled, a tinkling little sound which caused a shiver to rush down his spine, and heard her also remove her sword. But he also felt the heat of her eyes watching him and turned to see her look away just as fast, cheeks flushing a sweet red. He could not resist letting out a small smirk and turned again to face her, sword at the ready. She met his blade with her own in a close pressing strike and the blades slide along each other until they were seeing eye to eye.
He smiled at her and turned suddenly to the left and causing her to stumble forward a bit. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held the blade up to her throat. The flesh beneath the white cloth of her shirt, she having foregone wearing a doublet on such a warm day, was also rather heated to his touch. He laughed a small rumbling laugh and leaned his head forward just a little to whisper in her ear.
“Do you surrender?” She gulped against the blade that hovered before her neck and he held her there for a moment, taking in her distinctive scent which was a mixture of hay and roses and sweat and air. He resisted the urge to press his nose, his lips against her neck to memorise the smell and to taste to see if it was the same as the scent. “Yes.” She whispered back. He released her with a slightly stabbing pain in his heart and the desire to simply hold her against him once more. She turned on him swiftly and attacked, thoroughly startling him and forcing him on the defensive. She attacked with her rapier, aiming for his stomach to which he blocked with his own and flicked out with a counterparry against her shoulder which was blocked. She drew close to him again, her breath upon his face as they reached a standoff once more, pressing hard against each other with their blades.
He curled a foot around one of hers and jerked hard with his leg. But this threw him off balance and when she leaned back to escape his ploy, he fell backwards. He reached up and gripped tightly to her arm, pulling her with him as he hit the ground. She landed on top of his chest, her breasts pressing against him and their legs intertwined, both breathing heavily.
“Are you alright?” He asked, craning his neck up to stare down at her. She crossed her arms upon his chest and rested her chin on them, watching him with twinkling eyes. “I’m fine. But I did just fall on you so should I not be asking if you well?” She quipped back at him. He chuckled and gently ran a finger down her slightly hawkish nose playfully. “I do not mind you falling on me so long as you are not hurt.”
She sat back on to her knees, his legs spread around her, so he could sit up. He held himself upright by his hands pressed backwards against the grass and stared at her with a thoughtful expression. He pulled his legs to him and stood, offering her a hand up. How he regretted wearing gloves that day! Hand in his, he led her a little ways into the trees into a small shaded patch and sat, pulling her down next to him. She gave a small grunt when she hit the ground and removed her hat only to rest it in her lap and play with feather plume.
He shifted a little closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. She settled against his side and looked up at him curiously. He smiled down at her and she smiled back, snuggling against his side and into his shoulder with a sweet sigh. He played with the delicate locks of hair, slipping them over and through and around his fingers thoughtfully, watching her as she relaxed. His eyes took in her face hungrily, playing on the oddly long, dark lashes that fringed her eyes like a curtain and deep pink lips that formed such a tempting mouth. He licked at his dry lips as his heart jumped in his breast and his breathing grew shallow when she shifted and snuggled deeper into his shoulder, the smallest of smiles gracing her features.
“Ren?” He whispered quietly, giving her a soft squeeze about the shoulders. She hummed and blinked her lazy eyes slowly, looking up at him. He became entrapped in the deep blue orbs that showed beautiful innocence yet also frightful experience. He raised a hand and slowly trailed it along the sharp jaw then cupped her cheek, stroking delicately with his thumb as she leaned into the touch. His hand left her cheek and his finger traced her lips, her nose, her eyes as if he believed he was in a dream and thought her a simple figment of it.
“I have something I must tell you Ren?” He said breathlessly. She peered at him with unusual patience. He looked down at her and came to a decision. “Perhaps it would be better if I showed you…” He trailed off, drawing close to her and holding her chin, pressed his lips to hers in a slow sensual movement. She made no response at first but soon pressed back nervously. He nipped gently at her full bottom lip and soothed it with a slow teasing swipe of his tongue before pushing questioningly with the muscle against her mouth. Feeling it open beneath the pressure, he slipped his tongue in, tasting her indescribable flavour. Her tongue flicked almost anxiously against his and he rubbed his against it, playing and fighting and sucking the very air from her lungs.
His hands slid down along her sides and wrapped firmly around her hips and his kiss grew more insistent. She pressed against him, mewling softly into his mouth. When air became scant between them, he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, listening to her erratic shaky breaths and feeling her tremble lightly beneath his fingers. He pulled back to look into her eyes and saw that they had darkened to an almost sapphire from their usual watery shade.
“La Buissonni? –” She began but he stopped her with a small chaste kiss. “No. My name is Jacques.” He whispered against her mouth before stealing her breath again. He moved from her mouth and down along her neck, pressing with his lips, nipping gently with his teeth, tasting her with his tongue. She whimpered and wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head so that he could get to more. “Jacques…” She whispered, testing the name on her tongue. He breathed a heated sigh against her moistened skin when he heard it. His hand slipped under the leather of her baldric and lifted it over shoulder and tossed it away. He then pressed her shoulders and leaned her back slowly so she as resting in the grass, him straddling her leg.
His hands moved up and down her sides and ran along her stomach and hips as he tried to feel every part he could as he sucked at her pulse point, eliciting more little whimpers from her throat. He pulled at her shirt that was tucked into her breeches and slipped his still gloved hands underneath the edge of it, ghosting along the skin of her stomach and causing her to squirm. Her leg shifted and rubbed against his nether regions and he bit back a groan. He lifted his hands to his mouth and pulled off the gloves by the fingers with his teeth then threw them aside. She ran her hands up and down his arms and shoulders as she watched and waited with heated eyes and pursed lips swollen by his kissing.
He hastily removed his doublet and baldric and threw them off to the side with his gloves before he began to slowly undo the buttons of her shirt, continuously kissing and nibbling at her neck until he had opened three. He kissed down along her throat and through the opening in her shirt, following his progress on the buttons with his licks and kisses. He kissed all over her stomach, feeling her shudder and pant under his touch then he licked a trail back up to the valley between her still shirt covered breasts. He slowly kissed his way up the side of one of the heavy fleshy mounds, pushing the folds of the shirt away as he continued up. Her breathing became erratic as he kissed around the hardened tip, teasing her until she gave a small keening whimper and he then latched his lips around it, suckling like a newborn babe.
A high pitched moan came from her as she twined her fingers into his dark hair and dug her nails gently into his shoulder. He groaned around the bud when her leg again brushed him and he suckled a little harder, deeply inhaling the sweet milky scent, feeling her arch towards him. His free hand seeked out her other breast and brushed the shirt covering from it and he began to massage and roll the flesh in his calloused palm.
“J-Jacques… ohhh…” She stammered weakly between her moans as he abruptly switched to the other side of her chest to suckle and play and tease. He smiled and sat back, still gently rolling the two mounds in his hands as he watched her. Her cheeks were flushed a pale pink and every time she moaned, her nose would crinkle and she would flip her head from side to side. He stopped and pulled his hands away and she looked up at him, eyes wide and round and mouth slightly parted, chest heaving with her panting. She blushed heatedly as she saw him staring at her and covered herself with her arms, looking away. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her arms back roughly, pinning them flat against the ground.
“No Ren? Never do that.” He growled, eyes dark with lust and glowing with another strange light. He pulled her up to him, holding her close and running his hands up and down her spine, caressing her shoulders and lower back with ghostlike fingers. His eyes went wide as he felt patches of lines along her back, scars from wounds unknown. He clutched her to him tighter, burying his face into her hair. She rested against his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat, and felt a flash of heat rush to her lower body as she felt something hard against her stomach. Her fingers played with the top buttons of his shirt and once she loosened five from their slots, she slipped a nervous shaking hand in to feel along his chest.
He gasped at the sudden touch of her hand, callous in some places yet somehow still soft in others. Her other hand undid the remainder of the buttons and he shrugged the shirt from his shoulders. He was not big by any means but he was decently muscled, as most men of the sword are, and offered many places for curious hands to wander. And he felt her do just that, running down his torso and along his stomach, which caused another body part to jump, and back up where she nervously pressed kisses as light as butterflies over his heart.
He gave a surprised pleasurable moan as her hand gently touched the bulge of his breeches and he squeezed her shoulders. She pressed it with her palm and rubbed her hand up and down, looking down with a deeply blushing yet absolutely focused face. His breath hissed between his teeth as he felt her ministrations, her hand ever moving up and down along the cloth covered skin but would sometimes squeeze gently and unpredictably. He could feel a pressure building within and he let out a moan as she gave a particularly hard press.
“Ren?stop!” He yelled suddenly, grabbing her forearms. Before she had a chance to speak, he kissed her with a kiss hard and wanting, sparing nothing as he duelled with her tongue. She moaned as his hands became rougher and arched against him. The two of them fell back again and he looked at her questioningly as he fingered the drawstring of her breeches, brown eyes burning with want. She panted and nodded, turning away with a blush and wrapping her arms about herself again. He turned her face towards him, smiling and shaking his head.
“No more hiding my lovely rose,” He cooed softly. “You have nothing that deserves to be hidden.” He slid her breeches down past her hips and took a shaky breath as more was revealed to him. Her ankles crossed as he reached them, trying to shield herself somehow. He removed her boots and parted the ankles and slipped the fabric over and off, tossing it over his shoulder without second thought. He trailed his hands slowly up from her smallish ankles and along her muscled calves. Her thighs were soft with a woman’s flesh but he could feel the power underneath. She trembled nervously as he reached her lower regions.
He offered her a gentle smile, running his hands slowly along her thighs until one hand reached the top of her coarse dark brown curls then began to slip downward. She whimpered, biting at her lower lip, then let out panting gasps as he passed over a spot that sent intense shudders though her, giving it a slight subtle press with his two fingers. He peered up at her from between her legs, watching her every reaction as he caressed her slowly, her moans ringing in his ears and causing his breeches to feel even tighter around him.
“J-Jac… ahh… Wh-What’s happening? I feel so warm…” Her voice trailed off again into another moan as he pressed on the spot he knew drove her closer and closer to the edge. He stopped his caresses and crawled up so he could kiss her, this time only pressing lips in chaste soothing touches. “There is nothing to fear.” He whispered, stroking her sweat soaked hair from her brow. “Do you trust me?” He asked, kissing her slowly. When he let her free, she nodded shakily. “Yes.”
He nodded and returned to his position between her spread legs and began to untie the drawstring of his own breeches. She watched with eyes wide with apprehension and some excitement as he removed his boots and the final article of clothing. She blushed, her cheeks a bright red, and she looked everywhere else but at him. He frowned, slipping his fingers into her entrance to test and felt her wriggle and whimper. He rested his hands flat on the ground beside her shoulders, holding up his upper body as he slowly rubbed his hips against hers teasingly, causing her to throw her head back and whine.
He laughed quietly and reached down to position himself appropriately and began to push, watching her face as he went deeper. She scrunched up her nose and narrowed her eyes, her breaths erratic and short. He stiffened his body and forced himself to relax, ignoring the temptation to simply push harder and quickly. He moved a little further in and she tensed fearfully, reaching up to hold his shoulders.
“Jacques it hurts…” She muttered, eyes wide and frightened. He felt a piece of his heart crack at the look of pain and fear upon her features and gave her a look of purest apology. “I know it does dear rose… But I promise it will be over soon.” He stroked her cheek and traced along her neck to her breast with his fingertips, trying to sooth her to make it a little easier. He felt her body loosen slightly and pushed himself through her barrier, her gasp of bitter pain and surprise like a knife through his heart. He remained still and as a small amount of tears began to fall from her eyes, he kissed them away and left light ghostly kisses on her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, and around her mouth before meeting her lips hungrily, trying to take away her pain.
His hips shifted slightly and she let out a small squeak, squeezing his shoulders. He smiled and pulled back a little only to push in again and was rewarded with heated whimper. He continued his slow rhythm as he planted more repeatedly soft kisses on her lips until he felt her suddenly move back against him and he groaned. His thrusting grew a bit harder as he felt her hips meet him in time with his movements and he drank the breath from her lungs, moaning into her mouth.
She dug her nails into his shoulders as he moved faster against her, panting as she writhed under him, her hair flying from side to side and eyes squeezed tight shut as she revelled in the feeling. He moved only slightly and she moaned loudly, arching her body against his. He moaned as he felt her growing tighter around him and pushed harder to continue going through.
“Oh gods Ren?..” He panted, kissing her again as if she was his dying breath.
“Jacques I-I…. ahhhh!” She screamed out, clinging to him and sobbing at the intensity of the feeling as it crashed over her as he continued his movements. He moved faster and shortly afterwards, cried out his own blissful release and stilled. She lay back upon the grass, shivering in the chilled spring air that passed over her sweat drenched frame with him resting over her on his bent elbows. His eyes filled with a warm light, he pressed his lips to hers again one more time, gently and sweetly before pulling away.
He cleaned himself up, pulling on his breeches quickly, and wrapped his overcoat, which he had not noticed had been discarded earlier, around the shivering Ren? holding her entwined within his arms and breathing in the scent of her hair as she rested against him. Leaning them against a tree, he gave a sigh of contentment and adoration as he ran his fingers through her damp hair. At last, his rose, his Ren? his love belonged to him.