It took time to bring the two corpses of the monsters, along with the hunter that died back to the village. When Adrian stepped out of the castle after his report, night had fallen, but their achievement kept the village up and about. The Lord had declared he would burn the monsters remains to show the village there was nothing to fear and to give blessings to those who had died.
Adrian was greeted with enthusiastic questions about what had happened. He would have been happy to tell them if he didn't know he'd just be repeating his story again and again for every curious person, he decided to save the tale for the burning later. He managed to pry himself away from the eager crowd and back into his home.
It wasn't that he didn't want to mingle, but he felt a bit sick. They hadn't just hauled two monsters back to the village; they had also carried the body of a hunter who had perished. He had seen and killed animals, but never a person, at least, not until today. He was actually amazed he hadn't puked the whole way back...
"Ugn..."
Until he was home. Adrian wiped his mouth as he looked at the vomit on the ground. "I'm going to have to clean that..."
He washed it away with water, changed his clothes, and drank some water to settle his stomach. He was wiping his body down when there was a knock at his door. Not in the mood to deal with excited villagers, Adrian tried to ignore it, but the knocks were insistent.
He sighed and opened the door. The figure outside, small and draped in a cloak, pushed it wide and stepped in, quickly closing it behind.
Through the torchlight, he recognized her face. When she took off her cloak, he spoke.
"Bell? What are you doing here?"
Bell smiled at him, leaning against the door. "I came to say my thanks to the person who killed the monster and saved the village."
"Saved the village? Isn't that a bit much? I simply helped Sir Cordell and some more experienced people," Adrian laughed wryly.
"That's what I like about you, Adrian," Bell grinned. "Any other guy would have bragged about it to death, and here you are..."
"Maybe you just haven't heard me bragging yet?"
Bell chuckled, then smiled at him in an odd way, making Adrian raise a brow.
"I'll give you a reward for saving the village."
"Reward? What do you-" Adrian's words died in his throat. He gaped as Bell lifted her skirt. Even in the flickering torchlight, he could see her clearly, the small bush of hair in the area between her thigh. He felt his cock twitch beneath his trousers. Was he hallucinating?
Bell smirked, finding his reaction adorable. "Well? Aren't you going to take me?"
"Well-I, uh..." Adrian stuttered. Pondering how the situation suddenly turned to this, and complicated emotion rose inside him, he didn't know if he should be happy or bewildered about this. Probably both.
Bell chuckled. "Don't tell me you don't know how to do it? Do you want me to teach you?" she teased.
"..." For a second, Adrian was speechless before he quickly shook his head.
"No, I know... I know..." Adrian's hesitation vanished.
He told himself this was a welcome distraction from the day's horrors, and that, he was truly curious and finally wanted to become a "full-fledged man."
As the saying went, one only became a man after lying with a woman.
Tonight, it seemed he was about to become a man. He pulled cock out, already hard and straight.
"Oh... quite the size, aren't you?" Bell crooned, spreading her legs wider. "Push me against the door and do it. Don't worry... I prepared myself before coming here, so it should slide in with no problem."
The blatant talk made him swallow hard. He stroked himself once before stepping closer, until he felt Bell's inner thigh pressed against his.
"Come on then... don't be shy."
Adrian shivered at the warmth of her skin. "This is free?" he asked, despite having earned another shilling from the Baron.
"Before I change my mind, yes." she smirked.
He took another step forward, the tip bumping against her entrance. He shivered again.
"Lift me," she commanded. Though he was inexperienced, instinct took over. He placed his hands on her waist and hoisted her up. She pressed against him, wrapping her legs around him so she wouldn't fall. The position pressed the length of him firmly against her entrance, and he nearly groaned in pleasure.
He moved his hands to her buttocks, lifting her a bit higher until he was aligned. Bell panted now, her breath hot against his neck. Adrian couldn't focus on anything but the wet warmth of her as he pushed slightly.
"Wait," Bell said suddenly, placing her hands on his shoulders to stop him.
"What?"
"Make sure you release outside... you know what I'm talking about, right?" Bell was serious now, the sultry smiles were gone.
Adrian nodded. He was only fifteen, he wasn't eager to become a father just yet.
"Good. Now hurry up, the celebration is about to star- uhp!"
Bell's head snapped back against the door as Adrian pushed deeper, penetrating halfway. Adrian's eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head. When Bell's legs tightened around him, it pushed him the rest of the way in, until he was fully sheathed inside her.
"Ugn..." He couldn't resist the moan. Her walls were wet, warm, and squeezing him all at once. He felt like he could stay like this forever. But he knew time was short. Keeping one hand on her bottom, he pulled back and began to thrust in and out of her.
It was awkward at first because of the angle, but he soon found his posture and began sliding in and out at a faster rate. His other hand found her breast as he pounded against her.
The sound of their hips, flesh colliding echoed in the small house, followed Bell's suppressed moans.
He wanted to get lost in the sensation and never wake up. He pressed himself deeper against her body, squeezing her against the door, wanting to melt inside her fully.
But since it was his first time, he quickly he reached his limit, his thrust now powerful, each earning a groan of pleasure and pain from Bell.
An urge to release inside her came to him, to claim her, but a final grain of reason entered his mind. He pulled back, bringing himself out just as the sensation of heaven took over. His body shook as he released over her dress. His energy snapped out of him, and he sagged against her.
Bell's legs dropped to the ground, her knees so weak she almost slumped to the floor. She was just as flushed as he was.
"That was... good..." Bell said, trying to catch her breath. Adrian felt a surge of pride before she added, "For a young man."
Adrian rolled his eyes. Now that the fire had dimmed, his clarity had returned. He stepped back, looking at himself and then back at Bell. He felt cock twitch, he could go again if he wanted, but reason won out. He tucked himself back into his trousers.
"Thank you for this."
___________________________________
"I hurled my axe at the monster, and its last bit of strength disappeared just before old man Colby finished it off. That's when another roar resounded. When I turned around, I saw it, another one, with a ripped-off arm hanging from its jaw."
"Did you really wield a knight's sword and pierce through the monster?" Tatum and the other kids were the most enthusiastic listeners in the crowd.
"Of course! After Sir Cordell sliced the limb off the beast, I-"
Adrian recounted the tale to his audience gathered around the bonfire. Earlier, the Lord Baron had appeared to offer words of perseverance, mourning the lost souls before quickly departing. He left the villagers to their massive fire, where they talked, danced, mourned, and celebrated in equal measure.
Adrian was in a much better mood following the situation with Bell, who he found acting as if nothing had ever happened.
'Truly, a woman can wear many faces.' He thought.
That night, Halsey, the huntress he had saved, gave him a new coat as a token of her thanks. Between that, the shillings he'd earned, and his time with Bell, the night proved so wonderful that he almost wished for monsters to appear again. Almost. He didn't actually have a death wish.
________________________________________
Soon, the village returned to its usual rhythm. As the days passed, Adrian honored his deal with Willy, immediately setting to work on the requested rocking chair. Because of his newfound coin, he wasn't too eager to take on extra labor, instead, he spent his free time training to improve his physique.
A day after the Day of Light, more than a week since the hunt, Sir Cordell found him in his yard fixing a wheel. The knight's face was healing well, though it will not be marked with scars.
"Sir Knight... what can I do for you?" Adrian asked, quickly setting aside his work as he noticed Colby standing behind the knight.
Sir Cordell smiled. "From now on, you will come to the castle every morning. There, you will be trained and taught how to properly fight."
Adrian gaped at him, stunned. "Uh... wait. Why?"
"Because you now have the profession of a soldier... by order of my Lord."
Adrian went pale. "I'm being conscripted? To... to war?"
He knew the Kingdom of Sunhaven was locked in a nine-year conflict with its neighbor, Kingdom of Breakstone. His father had been conscripted into that same war and never returned.
In fact, of the hundreds from this village that was sent, which once had hopes of becoming a town, only a few had ever come back alive. Even the Lord's own sons hadn't made it home.
Living in a remote village, Adrian didn't know the current state of the front lines, but he had hoped that after so long, the fighting was over.
'It should be over right?' Adrian asked himself.
Sir Cordell shook his head. "Don't overthink it. There is no calling from the Crown yet, but wouldn't it be better to be prepared if one came?"
Adrian couldn't respond. It was a relief to know he wasn't heading to the front lines, but it was hardly comforting to be trained as if a battle were imminent.
As he watched the backs of Sir Cordell and Colby retreat, he consoled himself with one thought...
At least he would be able to better defend himself.