A Paladin's Mount
#1 of Fara & Alazar
This is the story of a paladin who summons a demonic mount and gets a little more than she bargained for. It is set in the world of Eberron, but can be read without any knowledge of the world or background.
The cover art was done by Rokemi and can be found here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14437111/
If you like it, feel free to check out her other work, too.
This is actually the first part of a small series. If you'd like to read a sequel, please let me know in the comments!
Story and characters © Dael ( http://www.furaffinity.net/user/dael )
Thumbnail © Rokemi ( http://www.furaffinity.net/user/rokemi )
The young paladin shifted nervously from one hoof to the other. A strand of red hair fell into her face, only to be pushed back by a swift hand and an annoyed snort. Her whole slender, cervine body trembled with excitement. Today was going to be her big day.
She had worked long and hard to get here, to finally claim her very own mount. Most paladins chose the finest breeds of horses to serve as their steeds. Some even looked for more exotic creatures, such as giant eagles, to become their companions. But she had other plans. She wanted something more powerful, something special, something to leave even her brothers and sisters of the church in awe.
"Is it ready yet?" she inquired anxiously.
"Patience, my dear, patience!" the witch answered and waved a hand at her dismissively.
She watched the little gnomish woman scurry through the windowless stone chamber, only illuminated by the circle of candles she had lit. The walls were covered with boards and drawers full of the most obscure reagents she had ever seen. Scrolls and books lined up alongside carved runestones, vessels filled with crystals, plants and small critters, both living and dead, and a jar full of eyeballs seemed to stare at her accusingly.
"Do you remember everything I told you?" The witches question shook her out of her pondering. The little woman had finally finished her preparations.
"Yes, I do", she answered and shifted again. "I even had the blacksmith show me the saddle was fireproof." Praise the gods he didn't ask what she needed a wrought-iron saddle for, as long as he got his gold.
"Very well", the gnome nodded. "Then we shall begin ..."
Unearthly tunes filled the chamber as the witch started her incantations. Her voice seemed to echo from every niche and every corner, being cast back manyfold. Smoke rose from the circle of candles, following the gestures of her wrinkled hands and flowing into a thick cloud in the center, a whirling and writhing pool of incorporeal tentacles. As her voice rose up to a crescendo, a blast of wind erupted from the brewing storm. The candles flickered and died, and it went dark.
Then, suddenly, there was light again. Two sparks lit up, glowing menacingly red in the pitch black room. They hovered there for just a moment, blinked once, before a roaring flame erupted, accompanied by the thunderous clatter of hooves. The creature that pushed its way out of the darkness looked like a large black horse, but it's mane and tail were blazing flames and it's eyes told of a far more malevolent intelligence. It reared up with a wild neigh, crashing it's fiery hooves down on the shocked paladin, but the summoning circle formed an invisible barrier it could not cross.
As it realized it could neither escape nor attack, the creature calmed down. Smoke curled up from it's nostrils with every breath and a smell of brimstone filled the chamber. In a dark, commanding voice it asked: "I am Alazar. Who dares to summon me?"
The young deer took a moment to collect herself. Her heart raced from the nightmare's arrival, but she forced herself to breath calmly. She straightened the coat of arms above her armor and raised her head to meet the nightmare's gaze. The white stag woven into her coat was tinted blood red by the flames.
"I am Fara!" She cleared her throat and tried to sound as self conscious as was expected from a paladin. "I summoned you to serve as my steed!"
The nightmare gave off a neigh that almost sounded like laughter. "Serve as your steed? Don't mistake me for a common mortal mare. What could you offer to make me humiliate myself and carry you on my back?"
She was prepared for this. "I don't have to offer you anything", she answered, reassuring herself. "Now", she commanded the witch, "cast the pact! I want him bound to my will."
The little woman wasted no time and unfurled the scroll she had prepared. In loud, clear words she read the magical inscription to bind the summoned demon. "Well then", she finished, "now state your condition!"
The paladin's expression slipped to perplexion for a moment. "Condition? What condition?"
"I have told you before, haven't I?" the witch scowled. "Every pact must have a condition to be fulfilled. If you can't meet it at your own accord, it doesn't work! I hope you already thought of that before, did you?"
The deer stammered and shut her mouth. A little detail like that must have slipped past her in her excitement.
"I see I am dealing with professionals", the nightmare mocked her. He began to slowly walk up and down the invisible barrier like a predator on the prowl, the clanks of his hooves echoing unnervingly from the chamber walls. "You could just let me out of here and maybe I'll go easy on you ..."
"Shut up!" she feebly tried to silence him to win time. Her mind raced, searching for a solution. She didn't want him to shrug off his pact and just leave her, or even worse, turn against her. It had to be a condition he was never ever going to be able to fulfill, something so remotely possible ...
"You shall serve as my steed until I carry your child!"
She was as surprised as the other two as the words burst out of her mouth faster than she could think. It just came to her mind, it was the must unlikely thing she could imagine at that moment. After all she was a virgin and had no intentions to change that fact. She wasn't even sure it was possible to mate with such a beast, but as long as he had a condition to fulfill, he would be under her command.
The nightmare let out an amused snort. "If you wanted a stud, you could have just asked in the first place. But if this is your wish, I will comply."
The paladin hesitated for a moment, suspecting just another mocking commentary by the demon, but when he remained silent, she sighed in relief. "Is it safe now?" she asked the little witch.
"As safe as I can make it", the woman answered. "The spell is in place, there's nothing more I can do. Everything else is up to you." She raised an eyebrow as she examined the nightmare. "Are you sure you can handle him?"
"I am sure", the paladin replied. She took a deep breath, then she stepped forward into the circle. The nightmare's eyes followed her, but he remained still. With one hand she reached for his snout and touched him, stroking along his neck and his flank to feel the powerful muscles beneath the coal black fur. He felt hot to the touch, but the heat radiating from his body and mane were just managable for her.
"What are you waiting for?" the demon asked her. "I thought you wanted a mount."
She gave him an irritated look for his sneer, commanding tone, but retained her composure. "I'll get to it soon enough", she explained and fetched the iron saddle and halter she had brought. She didn't want to get in touch with the demon's flames directly, so she had to make sure all the gear was fireproof. The nightmare frowned over being bound in such a demeaning fashion, but still he remained calm and endured the procedure, his tail flicking from side to side and sending out little embers with every movement. As she finally climbed into the saddle, she had to duck as to not hit her head on the ceiling. The creature was larger than she had expected.
"I hope you are ready for a ride", he teased her.
"You won't move until I sa-aaaaaah!" Her order turned into a scream when the nightmare suddenly burst into motion, lunging forward and galloping towards the surprised gnome and the chamber's solid stone wall. She panicked and tried to pull him back, but the moment before they hit the wall she could only shut her eyes and wait for the impact. It never came.
She felt light and dizzy as she opened her eyes again. Everything around her had turned pale and grey, swirling as if it was made out of smoke. The wall was no obstacle anymore, they just stormed right trough it. Her eyes widened in awe when they came out the other side. All around her the towers of the city jutted up into the sky. Deep below, the streets snaked their way through the tower's basements and foundries, many bridges crossing the gaps inbetween and connecting the buildings. The nightmare rose higher, galloping on thin air with incorporeal hooves, until they soared over the highest peaks and roofs.
"This is beautiful", she whispered to herself, lost in the feeling of flight.
But the ride wasn't over yet. The nightmare turned around, now gaining momentum as he lost altitude fast. He headed strait for one of the cliffs at the edge of town, that separated the city from the narrow bay. Her eyes widened as he wouldn't slow down even when they were about to hit the rock, but just like before they dove in like it was nothing but a cloud of thick smoke. She lost sight in the darkness that came with it, clinging to the nightmare's back and waiting for them to emerge. However, a sharp turn josseled her around, flinging her headfirst from her mount. She lost the grip on his reins, and suddenly the smoke around her thickened as if it was trying to crush her. She felt like she was diving deep in the ocean, an enormous pressure from all sides pushing her upwards, until the rock spit her out onto a small ledge high above the coastline.
When she came back to her senses, everything had returned to normal. The cliff was very solid again, barring the way back to the city, and without the nightmare's support she wasn't likely to survive a fall into the crashing waves deep below. She got back to her hooves just in time to see the demon appear on the ledge next to her.
"What was that for?!" she shouted at him. "I told you not to move! I said you should serve me as a steed -"
"You said you wanted to carry my child", he interrupted.
"That's not the point", she replied, irritated. "What I meant was -"
"It doesn't matter what you meant", he cut her off again. His voice had a lecturing tone, with a hint of malicious amusement. "You cast a binding pact upon me that can only be fulfilled when you conceive."
She gave off a short, hoarse laugh. "As if I would ever let that happen! I -"
"Everything I do that doesn't further this goal violates the pact. If you want to stop me, you are breaking the pact, too." He took a step forward and leaned his head in closer to whisper into her ear. "You're a paladin, aren't you? A paladin has to stay true to her word."
She gulped. In a wicked sense, he was right. A paladin had to keep her word once given, and she in fact told him he could only fulfill the pact if he got her pregnant. Even if that meant ...
She shrieked and jumped back, when she felt the nightmares snout press into her side, his teeth closing around a strap of her armor. With a sharp bite he ripped the buckle off and her breastplate came loose, exposing her undergarments. Quickly she wrapped her arms around her chest to hold it in place, darting a shocked look at the nightmare.
"Stop it!" she yelled in a higher pitch than she wanted to. "What are you -"
"Every minute I wait is a minute more I can't fulfill the purpose you summoned me", he explained to her.
Her eyes widened. "Y-you want to ... but ..." she stammered. "But we can't just ... not here, not now!"
"Why not?" he wanted to know. His voice took on a dark but playful tone. "We are alone, nobody to disturb us. You are as ready as you can get. Just free us from these strappings."
"N-n..." she tried to form an answer, but couldn't get out a word when the nightmare slowly circled her, blocking the way off the ledge with his flank and bringing his head close to hers. She felt his steaming hot breath on her neck and shivered.
"Oh, I see", he continued, a knowing smile in his eyes. "You're a virgin. You're afraid because you never tried it, because you blindly followed your churches unworldly rules. You don't even know what you have been missing."
Her body tensed as he stroked his snout along her neck, teasing her with tender bites, but she couldn't move a muscle. His scent was overpowering, the musky aroma of sulfur and smoke burning in her nostrils, but also stirring up a heat deep within her. "I promise to make it pleasurable for you", he whispered in her ear, nibbling tenderly on the twitching tip.
Her hands moved almost of their own accord. She reached out to gently touch his snout and his neck, to caress his ear and the fur on his flanks. As she slowly, hesitatingly loosened the halter and took it off, she had to admit to herself: She had never seen horses this way, but she admired his powerful build, his proud statue, and even his voice and demeanor, making her feel powerless, scared and sheltered all at the same time. When she followed up with the saddle, she darted a glance down on his member. It was as long as her outstretched arm with a flared tip rivaling her fist in size, and it only grew more and more erect with every touch she administered. She shuddered at the thought of him shoving that thing inside her.
"Good", the nightmare neighed and shook his head, finally freed from his bindings. "Now let me return the favor."
What was she doing? She put up with a demon, she was actually preparing to mate with a feral beast! She didn't want to think about it, just get it over with. She didn't want the demon to corrupt her, she had to keep her word and follow her codex, even if that meant a small sacrifice like her virginity. It was the right thing to do. Right?
Her mind wasn't convinced, but her body was speaking another language. A longing heat began to well up inside of her, dampening her nethers and flushing her cheeks almost as red as her hair, as the nightmare tugged off the chestpiece of her armor, discarding the white stag coat and leaving her chest bare. She started to help him strip her down, slowly at first but increasingly eager, removing one piece of armor after the other. Her body shivered in anticipation at each tender bite he teased her with, the chilling breeze on her naked body only amplifying the feeling.
Instinctively she leaned forward and steadied herself against the rock, splaying her legs and raising her hindquarters to the stallion behind her. Her stubby tail stood upright to attention, presenting her privates invitingly. His hot breath tickled her most intimate areas as he leaned in and sniffed at her, before a soft, wide tongue began lapping at her folds. She bit her lip to suppress a betraying moan, only accelerating her shallow breaths, her whole body stiffening. When his ministrations stopped, it took her a moment to realize and snap out of her trance. She turned her head, her eyes begging him to continue.
"Why did you - nngh!" She couldn't finish her question. The nightmare closed the distance and came side to side with her, biting her neck and holding her in place. She tensed and dug her fingers into the rock, lowering her head and straightening her back, knowing well enough what was about to follow. She felt his flank rubbing against her side, and then with a sudden jolt he was atop her. Her muscles trembled now that she had to support his weight resting on her shoulders, his large frame grinding against her back, but she clenched her teeth and bit through. His stiff member smacked against her belly, leaving a wet trail on her fur, before it found it's mark between her thighs. The blunt tip pressed against her, forcefully parting her lower lips.
No amount of training she received as a paladin could have prepared her for this. A sharp cry of pain rocked her body when the nightmare thrust forward and impaled her on his shaft. She felt like her insides were torn apart, stretched wide and deep by the invading member, more than she ever thought she was capable of. The flare plowing it's way through her nethers was scorching hot, sending searing ripples through her body as it rubbed her inner walls, almost lifting her off her hooves.
She shut her eyes hard to suppress a tear of pain. She still was a paladin. She was above fear, she was above pain. She wouldn't succumb to the demon, she would endure this, she would even enjoy this. Oh yes, by the gods, she would!
Another cry escaped her lips as the nightmare pulled back to the point where she could feel his flare pulling on her folds, only to thrust back in. But this time she pushed back. She rocked her hips in tandem with his own movements, grinding herself on his shaft and against his muscular body. Her heart raced, thundering like a drum in her head, spreading his heat all throughout her veins, until every single fiber of her body seemed to burn with the nightmare's fire. She arched her back against his belly, feeling his front legs clamp down around her shoulders, his snout pressed snug against the back of her head, snorting and breathing heavily with every movement.
For a moment, a proud smile snuck on her face. She was being mounted by a nightmare, she was taking him whole, she wouldn't go down even under such a relentless assault! But her thoughts were washed away by the very next thrust, each one numbing the pain and making way for waves over waves of burning hot pleasure. She felt like she was melting as her feral lover went harder and faster, her body becoming one with him, begging for his seed. A mixture of sweat and smoke, sulfur and sex was all that she could sense, his musk filling her as completely as the nightmare himself did.
Then it hit her. Liquid flame erupted deep in her womb, washing through her body like a flood, triggering each and every nerve to a firework of passion. Sparks danced before her eyes as the whole world tumbled away, leaving only her and the stallion joined in this incredible sensation. She cried out, not in pain this time, but in bliss, and her voice echoed from the cliffs as if answering. Her whole body was shaking, overwhelmed by the lust she had pent up and growing limp from sheer exhaustion. She wanted to say something, but all that her lips were capable off was an incoherent stream of gasps and sighs. Every time the nightmare moved on top of her and inside her, he sent another ripple of pleasure through the fire that had flooded her body, robbing her of her senses. Before she could even separate from her lover, she finally blacked out.
His eyes wandered over her sleeping silhouette, lying under him and still twitching a little whenever his breath tickled her fur. Their mating had taken a toll on her as spent as she obviously was, but still a blissful smile lingered on her face. She had impressed him with her endurance and resolve. A lesser female would have collapsed much sooner, but she had not only stemmed his weight but managed to take him right until the end. Even though the little white spots on her back betrayed her youth, small scars on her body and her cheek showed she was no stranger to battle and had lived through more than most of the sheltered church folk. Her lithe form was deceptive, she was much tougher than she seemed. And on top of that she even looked somewhat appealing ... for a biped, that is.
He lay down beside her, staying near to warm and protect her from the cool ocean breeze. He was done with her, he had fulfilled his pact. He could have left the instant she collapsed. But still he was with her. She was so easy to manipulate, so easy to break and play with, yet so convinced of herself. A mortal like that was promising. He would stay just a little while longer. At least, he would have his fun with her ... he was going to make sure she was pregnant with his child. Very sure.