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“Barkeep! A round for my crew!” The booming voice of Brunor rang through the building after the door was unceremoniously banged open, startling the patrons inside. Whether it was the noise or just the sheer presence of the warrior, everyone went quiet the moment he announced himself.

About the only person who didn’t seem to be overly fazed was the barkeeper, who had no doubt seen enough of Brunor’s kind before and knew how to deal with them. “Certainly, sir, as long as you can pay for it.”

“Of course! Our mighty crew has just returned from a bountiful quest! The powers of evil have been vanquished once again!” Brunor thumped his chest forcefully, letting out a cocky, bellowing laugh. “Tonight, we must celebrate our victory, for who knows what tomorrow might bring?”

“Fine, fine, just try to keep it down for the sake of my other customers.”

Brunor didn’t seem to be paying much attention, instead herding the group of adventurers into the tavern. It looked like a pretty motley crew overall, but beneath the grunge lied plenty of skill. To a point, they seemed the quintessential adventuring party - a slender, scarred thief, a prim and proper wizard, and a fair maiden archer, paired with the brash and rather thick-headed warrior.

The unusual part came with the other two. Bringing up the rear were two decidedly non-human individuals - a mountain of a minotaur, almost too big to fit into the doorway, and a lizardman who looked rather small next to his beefy companion, though he was quite imposing in his own right. Non-human adventurers had become more commonplace but it was still unusual to see them in human towns, much less with predominantly-human parties.

It quickly become obvious to everyone else that Brunor was the only one who was really a risk for trouble. The first sign was him ordering double the amount of booze that the rest of them got...combined. (Which was less impressive than it sounded, as only two of the others ordered any alcohol.) The second was his loud, brash, bombastic manner, which contrasted with every other individual at the table. And though no words were spoken, a palpable distaste for such behavior was not unnoticeable among the others.

“When you said you wanted to get a pint, I thought you were getting a pint, not an entire keg.” The thief, Wickly, said it in just the right way that the snideness of it was covered with just enough jokingness to fool Brunor. “You’re going to wake up with a splitting headache again, you know that right?”

“Bah, this stuff’ll hardly lay me low! It’s weak enough that I could outdrink Kuron!”

“I’d take you up on that challenge but I’d rather not be a party to your untimely death,” the minotaur grunted with a more genuine chuckle. “You get enough of that from our enemies.”

“Hah! You said it, being a hero is rough work! You should be thankful that I let your kind join in, make a better name for yourselves!”

“Ah, yes, of course, just like every other time you say it.” Kuron gave the lizardman a surreptitious eye roll, which was returned in an instant.

“Still, perhaps you want to be more alert for tomorrow,” Phrenn chimed in, quiet as usual. “I’d rather not waste my energy on spells to wake you up and make you able to stand upright. I’m sure Alekides doesn’t either.”

Brunor simply snorted. “Bah, just because you two don’t ever drink...maybe you could stand to loosen up! Live a little!”

“I find that intoxication and magic are a rather poor combination.”

“And I’d rather keep my wits about me in case someone decides they want to come after me for my heritage,” Alinia, the archer, said with a bit of tension.

“Peh, the princess has a good excuse, seeing as that’s already happened. What’s yours, reptile?”

The lizardman Alekides sighed, a long-suffering tone that suggested he’d been through this before. “Same as Phrenn’s. That, and I can’t stand the taste of the stuff, like I’m fairly sure I’ve told you a dozen times.”

“Try telling him when he’s not getting sloshed, maybe he’ll remember,” Wickly said with a snicker.

“Hmph, I should just order you to have a pint. You should try harder to fit in with the rest of us, you’ll never be a good match for us humans unless you follow the examples we set! I say you should suck it up and try it!”

Alek tried to keep from tensing too much at the barbs. “I’m following an example of a human’s behavior. It just happens that it’s Phrenn’s.”

“And a good example it is,” Phrenn said definitively. “Unless you want to be washing vomit off of you, or ducking and covering from an uncontrolled magical outburst.”

Brunor snorted derisively. “Wizards...well, you’re going to miss out on all the fun, then, but one of these days you’ll have to get the sticks outta your asses and join the rest of us in living it up! Maybe a nice magic seal will ease your concerns…”

“I think it’ll just give us new ones. Besides, that would leave Alinia as the only one not drinking, and I don’t think it would be a good idea for her to have to deal with five rowdy drunks all on her own.”

“There’s an easy solution to that,” Wickly chimed in again. “Clearly we need more women around here.”

The warrior scowled at him. “No way! We’ve got enough people in our group, and I’m not gonna take anyone who can’t pull their weight! We’ve got the most capable woman there is and she can only just keep up, anyone else won’t be able to handle this!”

There was a bit of twitching in Alek’s facial features, like he dearly wanted to say something particularly insulting. He bit it back, though. “I believe we’ve come across plenty of capable female adventurers. It would be prudent to offer at least one of them a fair chance, I think.”

“I think we’re just fine with Alinia here. She’s strong and beautiful enough for any ten of them! Hm, but maybe you’re right...should have some consolation prizes for the rest of you so you don’t get any ideas…” That line earned Brunor a few dark looks, and not just from their own party, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“I think we’ll be able to manage that fine on our own time,” Kuron said a bit stiffly. “Now, if I may, exactly what’s our next order of business? We retrieved that gem, now what do we do with it?”

“I think we’ll be best off consulting the library in Senedril,” Phrenn responded immediately, catching on instantly to the desired change in subject. “If anyone has information about the gem and how to use it, it’ll be found there.

The others all took to the new conversation quickly as well, save for Brunor, who grunted and sulked a bit at not being allowed to revel in the victory for longer. But his grousing earned little sympathy, and they couldn’t help but notice how much he drank as their discussions wore on...

---

Hours later found Alekides laying on his bed in the inn, mostly disrobed apart from his undershorts, doing some deep breathing and mental control. He didn’t like bars that much, and he especially didn’t like bars that had Brunor in them...that tended to be a recipe for chaos and discontent. The constant prodding at his lack of drinking got worse over the course of the evening, and towards him only. Trying to keep his temper in check was quite the exercise in control...he was lucky he’d had lots of practice.

That idiot really needs to shape up. He’s going to get one of us killed one of these days, and knowing my luck and his preferences it’s going to be me.

He hadn’t envisioned that being an adventurer would end up with him in this kind of situation. The stories he’d been told always had more glamor, more excitement and daring...true, he expected a lot of slogs in between that, but even the more intense moments weren’t nearly as glamorous. And while it was true that not everyone was going to have a great story, he was pretty sure the main culprit was the company he kept.

It hadn’t been his first choice; he would’ve preferred to go out on his own, or at least join a group that was a bit more respectful of him. It was kind of a shame when some of their rivals treated him better than his own partners...well, no, that was overstating it. Really, the problem was Brunor. Wickly and Phrenn, they weren’t totally at ease around him but they were respectful, they made an effort to be nice and try to bridge the divide between them. But they had to watch their step because of Brunor; being TOO nice would get them in trouble.

The self-proclaimed leader didn’t really think much of him. Him or Kuron, really, but at least with Kuron he found common ground in alcohol and size, and the minotaur was patient and easygoing beyond anything Alekides could have imagined. To him, having these “beastmen” on the team was a sign of his great benevolence and charity, giving them a chance to rise above the level of savage. But not too far - he rarely wasted a moment reminding them of their place, that they were beneath the rest of the group, and Alekides was especially beneath them. He was everything Brunor found offensive - a non-human, magically inclined, intelligent, quick-witted. All things that could be found in other group members, but not so concentrated...and being reptilian probably didn’t help, either. Brunor didn’t push the issue too much, as long as he toed the line and deferred to him...but deferring to Brunor was hardly advisable. The man had a knack for causing trouble much more than he solved it...were it not for the others on the team carrying him, he would’ve been killed ages ago. Any one of them would’ve made a better leader, but Brunor had might at his back...might and a title, he was an alleged “destined hero” and milked it for all it was worth. What destiny chose him, Alekides wasn’t entirely clear, as Burnor himself remained vague about it, but he wasn’t sure it was a destiny he wanted to trust.

Alekides rather regretted crossing paths with Brunor, to say the least. He’d been rather offensive towards him at their first meeting when he’d intruded on the lizardman’s business, and had remained so until Alek had saved their entire group from being sucked dry by giant spiders - something that should never have been a problem if it wasn’t for Brunor. When he’d heard about how Alekides was trying to help his village grow and prosper, he’d insisted on him joining...and Alekides hadn’t been able to say no, not with the prospect of being blacklisted weighing on him if he did. Now he was stuck there, caught between a rock and a hard place...Brunor treated him with the barest minimum of respect, but leaving would get him calling for blood, and many would listen. He wasn’t making as much progress with his goal as he would have liked, since his share of their spoils was pretty paltry...Brunor insisted that it was a fortune for savages, not bothering to listen to him when he tried to tell him that his village wasn’t much different from a human village. Nothing was going to change his mind.

And recently, there had arisen another problem. Alinia.

The problem wasn’t her, of course. Of all the others in the group, she was the warmest to him and Kuron, not just accepting but welcoming of them. In fact he was convinced that she was the reason Brunor had really invited him - he’d wanted to please her and make her happy rather than appreciating them for what they could bring. She was a princess of Gharel, the third of four daughters, uninterested in the throne but very concerned about evils in the world that threatened her people. She considered it her duty to help vanquish evil forces...it was a noble goal, much better than Brunor’s “because that’s what I’m destined to do.” She deserved better than this, but her father had insisted on her accompanying him - he bought into the hero of destiny argument wholesale.

Brunor had gotten ideas from that - namely, that he had some sort of right to her love and affection. He got immensely defensive any time anyone even hinted at any sort of appeal for her, and some of his most violent outbursts were at some of those types of people. He treated her poorly as well - when not diminishing her for being a woman, he acted like she didn’t get a say in her future, trying to control her and insisting that there could never be another man for her. It was clear that on this matter, crossing him was worse than anything else.

And Alekides was finding himself falling for her. Hard.

He gave no hint of it, of course. He wasn’t suicidal. But he couldn’t deny it to himself anymore...he’d tried explaining it away as just an aftereffect of her actually being decent to him from the start, tending to him and helping him recover from battle. She was the foremost in the party at rejuvenation, both he and Phrenn had some ability in it but none to match her, and she’d tended to more of his injuries than he had the entire rest of the party. For a while he thought it was just that...but over time it became clear that it was more. He was deeply attracted to her, her shining personality, her grace and beauty and skill, her relentless drive and courage in the face of danger, her deadly bow that had meant the ends of many a foe in their travels...pretty much everything about her appealed to him. The fact that she was human wasn’t an issue at all. Well...not for his attraction. It DID matter in other ways.

She is human royalty, you are not even her kind, it would be wrong

She is meant for better than you

You are NOT ALLOWED

Chanting the mantras in his head allowed him to keep himself in check, despite his feelings. It was a torment, but he couldn’t allow himself those feelings. It was nothing more than fantasy, from a social standpoint she’d be better with a brute like Brunor than him. What future would she have with someone like him? Humans deserved other humans, not having to debase themselves outside their kind.

He didn’t like thinking that way. He was proud of who he was, what he was...but the way of the world suggested that humans were on top, and he wasn’t going to change the order of that with anything he did. And it was best for him to accept that and not cause problems for anyone by complaining or starting a futile crusade. He could keep his pain to himself...the only thing that really bugged him was letting Brunor keep acting the way he did to her, but the last time he had tried to curtail that he’d nearly gotten his head torn off.

He’d held back, though. He was pretty sure he could take the human down fatally if he had to...but, that wasn’t his role, and wouldn’t get him anywhere. Whenever he felt his blood start to boil, he reminded himself of his role. Brunor was, after all, chosen by something, whether destiny or something else he had a leading role. And Alek’s role was clear - he was there for support, to grow himself and help the hero grow. The old stories told to him by his elders, many of those epics were structured that way...a hero whose quest opened their eyes and made them worthy of the mantle of destiny. At some point, perhaps he would change his ways, come to accept Alek and treat Alinia like she should be treated...and he was not to overstep his bounds and muck it all up.

If only that made it all easier to swallow…I guess a lot of those stories had those supporters get stressed out over the antics of the immature heroes, too, so I know I’m not alone. Still, it’s hard to wait around for that kind of epiphany...I don’t know if I can truly handle it...

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. It was rather soft, but fairly insistent. He wasn’t sure who it might be, it was rare to have visitors at an inn at night, and all his comrades should have been settled in their rooms. Curious, he pulled himself off the bed and opened the door.

“Alek?” It was Alinia. Suddenly his heart seemed to go at twice its usual speed.

“Alinia? What’s up?”

“I was...wondering if I could…” She hesitated momentarily, glancing aside into the hallway. “If it’s all right with you...could I stay in your room tonight?”

“In my...what? But...don’t you have your own room? You always have your own room. It wouldn’t be proper for us to make you share with one of us.”

“I’m glad you seem to recognize that...Brunor says he miscounted and only ordered four rooms for us rather than five. As much as I wouldn’t put it beyond him to not be able to count past three, the fact that he immediately tried to make me share a room with him makes me think that it was something rather more deliberate.”

“Come on, Alinia!” As if on cue, Brunor’s voice boomed from down the hallway. He sounded more than a little drunk and rowdy, hardly unexpected after the binging they’d observed over the night. “It’s not inappropriate if we’re destined lovers! You’ll be seeing me like this so much anyway! It’s an honor to share a bed with a hero like me!”

“I said no!” Alinia yelled back, sounding angrier than Alekides had ever heard her. “I’m not going to sit around while you try to pressure me into letting you violate me in a drunken stupor! If you cared about my dignity at all you would have given up your room, you selfish prat!”

Brunor scowled, but didn’t yell back, though Alekides thought he heard him grumble something about a “stuck-up bitch” before he slammed the door to his room again. After hearing that, it wasn’t hard to want to accept her offer...except, that was highly inappropriate, and putting her somewhere where he’d be much closer to her...at a time he usually spent trying to keep his emotions in check.

She doesn’t want anything, and you won’t do anything

You shouldn’t even be looking at her

You are NOT ALLOWED

He swallowed hard, trying not to let Alinia see any of his inner turmoil. “I...I’m sorry you had to deal with that at all. I could...certainly give up my room for you, I can go bunk with Kuron...or perhaps Phrenn and Wickly would have me in theirs…” He wasn’t sure about the latter - those two were the only ones to routinely share a room, and perhaps there was something going in between them more than just the sharing. They weren’t obvious about it if there was, but he did wonder sometimes.

“I don’t know, I think Phrenn and Wickly might, ah, prefer their privacy…” And apparently he wasn’t the only one. “And I know you don’t like sharing space with Kuron because of his snoring. I wouldn’t be upset if you stayed with me tonight...to be honest, I’m not so sure I trust Brunor not to try to force his way in in the middle of the night. And I don’t know if I could fight him off.”

It was hard to argue against that. Alekides wasn’t sure he could disable Brunor without doing mortal harm, but he stood a better chance against him than Alinia did. She was quite a capable fighter but her weapon of choice was a bow, close-quarters combat wasn’t her greatest area of skill, and the difference in size between her and Brunor made success even more unlikely. After a moment he nodded. “All right...hopefully he’ll think twice about anything he might be planning. He probably wants to stay as far away from me as possible anyway.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry to impose on you like this…”

“It’s fine.” It wasn’t fine, but not for the reasons she might have feared. His mind was yelling at him constantly, but he tried not to let that show. He moved aside and let her in, then shut and locked the door, listening for any signs of Brunor trying to come for them. He heard nothing, thankfully. “I think we’re in the clear for now. Um, I suppose you can have the bed, I can sleep on the floor.”

“That hardly seems fair...I don’t want to put you out because of him. Are you sure you’re all right with that?”

“Well, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to share a bed with you...and I certainly wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable. You were the one most put out by his actions, anyway…”

Alinia nodded, taking a seat on the bed, the lizardman sitting next to her after a moment of hesitation. “Thank you, Alekides. I very much appreciate it...I knew I could count on you, you’re always very respectful, I trust you much more than I trust Brunor.”

“Of course. I would...I would never cross a boundary you would deem inappropriate, not on my life.”

She smiled at him, just the tiniest bit. “I’m glad to hear that. Too many men, they seem not to feel the same way...I had hoped that a so-called destined hero would hold himself with a bit more decorum than that, but I suppose I was asking too much. You’d think he’d try to conduct himself with honor and respect if he was a hero...”

“I guess the idea of destiny went to his head...I always disliked that idea. Nothing in the future is for certain…it’s up to us to make things happen. When you get the idea in your head that you were chosen, that you can’t fail...it just makes it more likely that you will.”

“I feel much the same way. My father said that the most insidious poison is fate...the belief that things are predetermined. Many men have died by assuming fate had their back...many kings, in fact, who believed that the gods had chosen them for great things, have fallen quite easily because they didn’t try to protect themselves. He told us never to buy into that...and yet, he believes stories about legendary heroes.” She sighed. “I suppose it’s a bit different when it isn’t YOUR fate, but still…”

“Some people tend to turn to things like that when times are tough. I suppose they want to believe that a hero is out there, so they accept it when they think they have one. And that only fuels them…”

“Even so...a real hero should be honorable and kind. Much more like you than Brunor.”

“Ah…” Alekides averted his gaze. “You are too kind, Alinia. I’m no saint myself…”

“You’re much closer than he is. You’re respectful to others, you don’t act like you’re the center of the world, you hold yourself with dignity...you’re the one I’d rather have at my side, legends be damned.”

“I...I don’t know if that’s necessarily true. I have my own issues to deal with…it’s not something I want to let get in the way of anything, but it’s...not easy.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. There are few people who have no flaws or fears...and those that do, I don’t know that they can be trusted. The fact that you care enough to worry about your weaknesses is important...you’re working through them, and not letting them create friction. Brunor couldn’t do that...he doesn’t reflect and he doesn’t ever learn.”

Alinia put her hand on Alekides’ leg, a touch that he found much more desirable than he felt he should have...and then, he realized his state of dress. “Oh lord...I just realized...I’m sorry, Alinia! I...I’ve been so crude, sitting here almost nude like this...I should have covered up immediately, please forgive me!”

Alinia just smiled at him. “You don’t have to be so shy around me, Alek...we’ve seen each other in far less, you certainly must remember that.”

“Y-yes, I know…” That had been an experience, the entire party had been forced to go through a dungeon fully nude and unarmed to break a curse on the nearby town. He was certain Brunor had taken that mission on just to see Alinia unclothed, but it had backfired on him a bit when he’d seen what Kuron was packing...he’d spent the entire time feeling inadequate, which had made up for the embarrassment for everyone else. “But...this is a much less appropriate setting...I shouldn’t be like this when we’re alone like this…”

“Alek? Is something wrong?” Alinia was getting closer to him, concern on her face. “I...haven’t seen you like this before. What’s going on?”

“It’s...I’m sorry, Alinia...I don’t mean to worry you or make you uncomfortable...I just…” Suddenly his throat felt very tight, it was starting to get hard to get the words out, and that was without his mind screaming at him about how wrong this all was. “I...feel embarrassed...about certain...feelings I’ve had…”

“Feelings? You mean...about me?”

Alekides nodded very slowly. “I...apologize for springing this on you...I meant what I said, I would never...never do anything to cross any boundary that should not be crossed between us...my feelings are of no consequence.”

“Now don’t say that. You’re entitled to your feelings, I’m not going to tell you you shouldn’t feel one way or the other.”

“But it’s wrong. You...you came here for...for refuge. I...how can I provide...refuge when...I have feelings like this?”

“Because I trust you, you wouldn’t do anything to hurt me or make me feel uncomfortable.” Alinia leaned in closer to him. “You told me that yourself...and I trust you, because I know what you’re like, you have a strong sense of honor and respect. The fact that you worry about your conduct proves that you’re a better man...I would much rather have one such as you in my room than one such as Brunor.”

“Perhaps...I certainly would not behave like that boor. I...don’t understand, though. I...thought you would be disgusted beyond belief. This is...I am...not allowed…”

“Not...allowed?”

“To...to have such desires...to even imagine them...you’re a princess, a human princess, one who deserves the utmost of respect and honor, not to be lusted at by an inferior creature such as myself. That Brunor treats you in such a way is a travesty...it is those heroes who should have that honor, and to abuse it that way and show himself so utterly undeserving…”

“Ah, Alek...I never expected to hear things like that from you. You don’t really believe yourself to be an inferior creature? I thought you had pride in what you were…”

“Pride, yes...but...those thoughts have been eating at me, and it’s easier to deny them when I think of myself that way. I don’t like it, but I’d rather that than letting them get the better of me.”

“Well, I don’t think you should. The decision of who is deserving is mine alone...and I wouldn’t let such a trivial thing as your race be a deciding factor. The fact that you’ve been so honorable in your treatment of me means much more than the fact that you’re a lizardman. Besides, I wouldn’t put humans above the other races...their meddling is as much a hindrance as a help, they have done quite a bit to save this world but just as often have been the ones to put it in such peril in the first place. And their treatment of those other than their own kind is awful, one of the things I’ve long sought is a way to make them more humble and accepting of others. It’s not easy to find, for sure, but I won’t ever accept the notion of human primacy.”

Alekides nodded. “I...deeply appreciate your words, princess.”

Alinia smiled a bit; she could always tell when Alekides was uncomfortable around her, that’s when he started referring to her by title rather than name. “You don’t sound convinced...do you, perhaps, need a demonstration?”

“A...demonstration? What do you mean?”

“That I would accept you. That you are allowed.”

“That...A-Alinia! You...that’s...I wouldn’t…”

“But I would. Alek...you’ve always been so kind to me, you’ve put my feelings before yours, and you’ve always respected my wishes and my person. Brunor thinks he has a right to me...but I would much rather allow you to know me much more intimately than him, and you...you respect that decision, don’t you?”

Alekides swallowed hard. “You...you are the only one with the right to decide what you want.”

“And I decide I want you.” Her smile was genuine and calming as she started to remove her shirt, leaving no doubt as to her authenticity. Alek rather lost himself watching her as she disrobed, her upper garments being set aside on the bed; especially eye-catching was when she removed the wrappings that bound her breasts down, keeping them out of the way in combat. He rarely ever saw her full endowment, which already was not especially large; however, Alek rather preferred that, the mounds were a foreign thing to him and didn’t particularly strike his fancy. Not like Brunor, for sure, he made a habit of commenting on those for many women.

“You rather like what you see, don’t you?” Alinia’s voice was teasing, but with a hint of sincere uncertainty underneath.

Swallowing, the lizardman found his voice. “Y-yes, most...most certainly. You are a stunning example of a human lady...few others could draw my eye like you. I only hope that you feel similarly...”

“Oh, Alek...you have nothing to worry about. You’re a fine specimen of a man yourself. There are many human men who would kill to have half the muscle you have, and most of them don’t know how to groom themselves like you do. I…” Alinia paused, blushing a bit. “I have to...confess something. I...well, I was looking a bit more than I...perhaps should have, during THAT mission…”

“You were? I...never noticed…”

“I’m glad for that, I don’t know what the others would have said...particularly Brunor. But...I don’t know, there’s something about you, your shape being so...modest, compared to someone like Brunor or Kuron, that I like more.”

Now Alek was reddening, the compliments more than his spinning mind could process properly. “I’m glad you approve...even though it’s all covered in scales and such.”

“You know, the scales...they aren’t really a problem at all. I rather like them...never was all that fussed about hairy men, and you’re about as far as they get. Plus, they’ve got this...exoticness about them.” She ran a hand over his chest and arm, her fingers lingering on the ridges in his scales. “They feel nice...smooth, relaxing.”

“Ah...so is your touch.” It was such light contact, but it made him want to fall into her arms, lay on her lap like a pack animal allowing itself to be stroked...his face turned even redder at the thought, especially seeing that her lap was barely covered now, her body only clad in a thin undergarment covering her loins. No more dressed than he was…and she seemed interested in waiting for him to reveal himself first.

“There is one part that I never got to see then...you were able to keep it hidden from all of us. I’d very much like to get a look at it now.”

With a nervous nod, Alek stood up and drew down his undershorts, revealing his slightly swollen genital slit. He didn’t need any real effort to start revealing his member, his arousal was already sky-high and growing. A shiver ran through him as he erected in front of her eyes, anxiety building a bit as he awaited her reaction. It was like nothing she had ever seen for sure: long and thick, with a pointed head that rapidly thickened out, a spiny rear-pointing ring at the thick part of the head, and small nubs dotting the rest of the shaft.

“Goodness gracious…” Alinia’s breathless response made him a bit nervous. She was staring at it wide-eyed...he couldn’t tell if she was fascinated or repulsed.

“Are you...I know it’s not…”

“Don’t worry, Alek...I just...didn’t know what to expect. It’s so different...exotic, just like you are.” She reached her hand out to it, running her fingers along the sensitive shaft, making his fingers curl as tingles of pleasure rushed through him...she explored all the parts, the spiny ring, the nubs, the base, dipping just a fraction into his slit, driving him nearly mad with the feelings.

“Alinia...that feels...so good…”

She giggled a bit. “And we’ve only just begun...I can’t wait to see what you have in store for me with this. But I suppose I should be prepared as well…” Her hands retreated to her undergarments, dropping them down her legs and showing her already sodden vagina. The hair glistened with her fluids, clearly betraying her desires, proving to him that her words were true. “I don’t know what you might be...familiar with, but I hope I’m to your liking.”

“I’m sure there will be no doubt.” Alek didn’t really have much familiarity aside from a very general knowledge; he hadn’t really had any chances to lay with females, the culture of his village inclined them to be very selective about males and few females would take more than one male for a long period of time. In truth, his only sexual history had been with other males, for whom there was very little selectivity and few other options...while he wouldn’t claim not to have liked it, he also had clear desires for women and wouldn’t have hesitated to act given the opportunity. To think that it would be with a human female, rather than one of his own kind...he’d never have thought that possible.

There was no question he was liking what he was getting, though. Leaning down between her legs, he was able to catch her scent, something very unlike the females of his own kind, yet still quite tantalizing to his senses. His breath came faster, hot and heavy against her lower lips, making her moan quietly in pleasure, a sound that gave him a giddy thrill. Oh, yes, he wanted to hear more of that...and he knew how to get it.

Bringing his fingers up to her labia, he spread them just a little bit and went to work, his long tongue darting out and licking around the surface. Her taste was just like her scent, pleasant and powerful, making him almost dizzy, but not so much that he was going to be slowed or stopped in his quest. Eagerly he started plunging inside, swiping and slurping slowly deeper into her to get more of that taste and more of her moans.

It was working on both fronts, as Alinia’s voice rang out with heavenly dulcets. The lizardman’s tongue was quite a bit different from anything she’d ever had down there...admittedly, it wasn’t much, but she’d snuck away for romps a few times before, usually with a member of the castle staff. They’d been young, as she had been at those times, and inexperienced in how to please a woman, but they’d made efforts at least...Alekides was blowing them out of the water, though. His tongue surged deeper inside her than any human man’s ever could, and it moved around much more fluidly and flexibly to boot. Even the slightly forked tip was an adventure, snapping at different points within her to boost up the pleasure even further. Her hand went to his head, encouraging him to continue, pressing his snout as tightly up against her as it could go...she spread herself wider for him, trying to make access easier.

Alek took what advantage he could of the opening, pushing himself as far as he could and stretching his tongue almost to the point of ache. It was well worth it for the delectable taste, the wonderful gasps and cries coming from her, the knowledge that he was doing just as he should have been for her...his own need was getting achingly great, he wanted something wrapped around his cock as soon as possible, but honor and pride would not allow him to stop what he was doing until he had brought Alinia to the height of pleasure. Surely it was obvious how he was feeling from the heavy pants he was letting loose, the now-unabashed eagerness with which he lashed his tongue throughout her passage, the slurps and quiet moans he was letting out himself...he wasn’t holding anything back, and as her cries got higher and her body started to shake and shiver, he knew he was close to the payoff.

“Ah! Alek!” It was louder than either of them had expected, but neither cared. Alinia’s hands pushed him harder as she hit her peak, arching her back and letting a gush of her nectar onto his tongue and snout. The warm, slick fluid came at him faster than he was ready for, and he could only lap up what he could, letting the rest run over his face and onto the bed. Again it was dizzying, the taste of lust and desire, of pleasure unmatched, so much different from the heavy taste of maleness that he’d gotten most familiar with...superior in every way, though he couldn’t discern whether that was because she was female or simply because she was Alinia. At the moment, it didn’t matter.

Only after her body relaxed, her vaginal walls stopped clenching around his tongue and the rush of cum ceased did he finally extract his tongue from her. It slipped around his snout a bit, collecting what it could of the fluids left on him. “You taste divine, Alinia...everything about you is a pleasure.”

“Oh...goodness, Alek...that was amazing…” She was leaning back, panting hard, trying to catch her breath after the tonguing of a lifetime. “You...are most certainly a wizard of some kind, because that could only have been magic.”

“Your praise humbles me. Do you need a moment?”

“Alek...I need you. I want...to feel you, please…” Tempting as it was to ask a taste of her own, at the moment she wasn’t in the mood to put it off - his tonguework had lit the fires inside her, stoked them up to a boil, and even with the fantastic climax she could feel the need gripping her tightly within. Her legs spread further, inviting him to partake.

And he didn’t keep her waiting. Climbing over her, Alek put himself right in position, his exotic cock lined up with her needy pussy, his body shadowing hers as he loomed atop her. He seemed uncertain even at this juncture, wavering over whether she was truly ready for him...but it only slowed him briefly, he wasn’t wanting to wait at all either, and barring any objection from her he saw no need.

With care he pressed in, stretching her open slowly with the pointed tip, leading the way for the thick, bumpy shaft to push inside her. A strained cry escaped Alinia’s lips as she felt that tool for the first time, spreading her much wider than her previous experience had ever managed. It was another novelty indeed, not just the stretching but the odd rubbing of those nubs against her walls, stimulating her in ways nothing else ever had. And then, as she felt him pull out again slowly, that spiny ring raked against her passage, sending another very different buzz through her that made her cry out in ecstasy. He froze when he heard, his heart skipping a beat as he misread the sound. “Are you all right? Did I hurt you?”

“Gods, Alek...it’s incredible…please, keep going...”

Relief poured through him at the reassurance, and emboldened, he started stroking through her a bit more quickly. His place was still steady, not speedy, he didn’t want to rush it...especially not when it felt so incredible for him, the tight, moist passage a fair sight different from the ones he’d had before. Every part of his dick was being gripped and massaged, worked over in the most pleasant way...his bumps and spines flexed with every thrust, each one its own jolt of pleasure that added up to something so potent he had to fight every step to keep from losing control and blowing early. It had been good before, but never THIS good…

He was going deep, deeper inside her than any human had ever reached, and there was still more to go...he wasn’t sure what her limits were, and was hesitant to push them beyond her comfort. His tip reached a tight spot deep within her, a place he felt he could go no further, and he contented himself with that. He could hear Alinia’s euphoric calls, feel the way she grasped at his arms and writhed beneath her, smell the powerful scent of lust and pleasure radiating off of her...it was all working at his instincts and self-control, driving him to slowly speed up his thrusts and ramp up the pleasure for both of them. He wasn’t even fully aware of his own cries, loud and growing slightly more primal and reptilian.

It was striking a chord with Alinia; something about the way Alekides sounded drove home the exoticness of the whole experience, the sheer disparity between them that was nonetheless being bridged by their coupling. She loved every part of it, it fueled the rush through her, making everything seem extra intense and every part of her extra sensitive. She could feel him touching so deep inside her, the tip of his cock smacking so far inside her...she could hardly believe that he wasn’t fully entombed in her yet. Or that she was so desperate for more...between gasps and cries, she managed to get out a single word. “H-harder!”

Alek complied, mostly automatically, his thrusts picking up speed. He drove in harder and quicker, his shaft slurping in and out vigorously now as he felt his loins start to tighten. He wasn’t going to last much longer...neither was Alinia, her second climax approaching fast from all the stimulation. As they approached the finish, a brief, unconscious rush of magic mutually twisted between them, neither of them fully aware of it...moments later, Alek leaned down over Alinia, bracing himself as he drove in hard, entering the last few thrusts. The tip of his cock rammed deep, battering against her barrier once, twice, half a dozen times until, without warning, it relaxed just a bit, allowing him to drive in once more to the hilt. She sang out as she felt the force of that thrust get even deeper within her, and then louder as he pulled back slightly, the spiky ring catching her cervix and holding him in place inside.

The shock from that contact was the final straw for both of them, and with a pair of ringing cries they came, harder than ever before. Wet bolts of reptilian seed pulsed into Alinia’s innermost depths, each pump of thick fluid leaving a burst of warmth deep within her. Most of it stayed well inside, but a bit of it leaked back out around his cock, mingling with her own juices and dribbling out of her occupied passage onto the bed beneath them. She clung to him tightly as they both moved in tandem, him grinding slightly back and forth, milking himself on her tensing passage. His arms curled around underneath her and held her close to his body, the feel of his smooth scales all over her chest and stomach rounding off the wonderful cacophony of sensation she’d been granted.

They both remained at the highest height for quite a long time, at least it felt so to each of them...time almost seemed to stand still as he emptied himself into her and they both flew through the heavens of ecstasy. Finally, though, it had to come to an end...slowly his shots tapered off, and the tension in his limbs slackened, he slowly come down over her, gently rolling them over onto their sides. Both of them heaving from the exertion, panting harder than after their most fearsome fights, holding each other close as they recovered. Alek’s cock stayed firm within her for a while longer, the spiny ring keeping him locked in as nature had intended for his species; only several minutes later did he finally soften and the spines fold in, letting him pull himself out of her, a small amount of his spunk following him out.

There were no words shared between them...none were necessary at the moment, and their bodies needed the breath. But a look into each other’s eyes said volumes...briefly their faces met, and their tongues twined together, a semblance of a kiss the closest they could get with their different shapes, but a satisfying conclusion nonetheless. They tasted each other liberally before finally parting, one last mutual gaze passing between them.

Tired though they were, the bed was a mess; with unsteady legs they grabbed another blanket from a chest near the foot of the bed, tossing the soiled one aside. Once situated, they settled down earnestly, Alekides holding Alinia in his arms as the two passed off into slumber. He couldn’t ever remember being so satisfied and peaceful as he fell to sleep.

Maybe there’s room for a different story from the ones I’ve always been told...

---

When Alekides woke up the next morning, in bed with Alinia, his arms wrapped tightly around her, he almost forgot himself for a moment. The rush of negative thoughts surged into his brain, chastising him for his position...until he remembered what she had said and what they had done the previous night. Before they could spur him to do something unpleasant, he was able to banish them from his mind and get himself under control again. He allowed himself a private smile as his mood drifted in a much more positive direction. Yes, this was definitely better than brooding and pining and deflating himself.

Alinia woke up shortly after him, turning over to smile at him warmly, another thing that filled his heart with joy. The two shared a quick kiss before breaking apart, abandoning the bed and getting themselves properly presentable. They shared the washroom to speed up the cleaning, as well as a bit of enjoyment of each of their bodies one more time before having to return to the normal grind. It was an odd thing for Alekides to find himself desired or desirable...he rather liked it.

“You’ll definitely be the first one I come to if I have to share a room again,” Alinia remarked as they exited their room, dressed for action and ready for their journey. “Though hopefully, it’ll be more that I want to share rather than I have to share.”

“You’re certainly welcome any time you wish, but you have no obligation. I can certainly understand you wanting your space, no matter how you feel.”

“As I always believed you would. Certain other individuals don’t seem to have that sense about them…” Almost as if on cue, they reached the ground floor and had three hundred pounds of angry human warrior in their faces. Immediately Alekides put himself between Brunor and Alinia, preparing to take the full brunt of his wrath, while the rest of the party stood not far behind, ready to try to intervene if a real fight broke out.

“You! Lizard! How dare you! This is MY woman, you have no right to do what you did last night! She shouldn’t be spending any time with you!”

“She is not ‘your woman.’ And it was her decision to spend the night in my room.”

“You should have refused! Someone who knew their proper place would’ve done so...I don’t think you do, and I think someone needs to remind you where you belong!”

“No, I think someone needs to put you in YOUR place!” Alinia said sharply, stepping forward out of Alekides’ protection. “You’re a crass, boorish, rude, insipid, trashy lout, who would’ve been killed long ago if everyone around you wasn’t smarter than you! The thought that you could ever force me to love you is not only ludicrous but insulting! I am not your woman, and I will never be your woman!”

Brunor’s anger gave way to shock at those words. “Alinia! That’s just...you know that’s wrong, I’m a warrior of destiny, it’s my right to-”

“Fuck your destiny! If you’re the one we have to rely on in this world, then we were doomed from the start! Thank the gods I don’t believe in that garbage! You’re nothing, I don’t care what damned sword you have or who you spoke to!”

“But...you can’t...did that lizard tell you this? You can’t listen to him, with that serpent’s tongue of his!”

“That ‘serpent’s tongue’ has been a lot less poisonous than yours, Brunor. And unlike what I’d suspect with you, it DOES know how to please a woman.” That line dropped like a dead golem on the entire rest of the party. Kuron’s jaw dropped, and the other humans went wide-eyed in disbelief. And the warrior himself looked like he’d been slammed over the head with an anvil.

“Wh...what? You...you...you...engaged...with...with him?!”

“She did,” Alekides responded; it was too good not to pass up his own jab at the man who’d put him through such trouble. “And she asked me, not the other way around.”

“But...no...that’s...she can’t…”

“I very much can, you buffoon. You don’t own me...no one owns me. I decide for myself who I want, and I would always take a man who’s been nothing but a perfect gentleman to me, who’s always put me on the same level as him, and who knows his boundaries and would never overstep them, over someone like you. The thought of spending any time alone with you makes me sick...with Alek, I wanted to be there.”

“That can’t...no! This is...this is wrong!” Brunor was shaking, whether fury or anguish, or both, was not entirely clear. “I can’t...I can’t lose you to this...monster! I’ll...he’s not coming with us anymore! If I have to throw him out of our group by force, I will!”

“Actually, neither of us will be coming with you.” Now even Alekides looked surprised; he hadn’t seen this new declaration by Alinia coming, she hadn’t hinted at it at all. “I don’t want to spend another second around you. To be perfectly honest, I had wanted to leave quite a while ago, but stayed in the hopes that you might come around. But your actions last night, they showed me more than enough. I never liked you, but now I know I can’t trust you. I’ll be going my own way...and I rather suspect Alek would eagerly go with me rather than spend any more time around you himself.”

“Without question.” Blindsided or not, Alekides had no trouble with that answer; that idea was immensely preferable to any alternative, especially any that involved Brunor. “I’d say it’s been nice, but even you’d be able to tell that I was lying. I’m looking forward to not being put in death’s path quite so often trying to save your stupid ass.”

“But...ngh...you...gah...f-fine!” Brunor shouted, in a voice that anyone could tell indicated that he was anything but fine with that. “I don’t...I don’t need you! I’m destiny’s warrior, I’ll get through with my loyal party! I don’t need traitors like you around! I can lead just fine!”

“Ah, yeah, not a chance in hell,” Wickly spoke up almost instantly, and Brunor wheeled around so fast he almost fell over. “Sorry, Brunor, but I’ve seen your ‘leadership.’ We were barely surviving with her, we’re certainly not without her. I’ll take my chances with her in charge instead.”

“What?! What...what is this madness? You’d let a woman be in charge of you?! Women can’t lead! That’s the role of a man! Especially a destined man!”

“With how often you’ve almost led us to our deaths from your supposed ‘leadership,’ you certainly haven’t proven your case,” Phrenn said coldly. “I have much more confidence in Alinia than in you, she’s proven herself more capable in every way. But if you’ve got destiny on your side, then I’m sure it won’t matter, right?”

Kuron shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry, they’ve got a point...ain’t gonna say a woman’s worse at this kinda thing than a man, that’s just silly. I think it’s worth giving her a shot, haven’t really seen it from you.”

“Argh! You all...I’ve had enough of you! I’m done, I’m leaving, don’t follow me! If you don’t want to be part of this fellowship of destiny, then I’ll find people who will! You’ll see, you’ll regret not following me!” The warrior stomped out of the inn, yelling and hurling invectives at everything, with several choice ones reserved for Alekides as they faded out of earshot.

“You think he’ll last a week out there on his own?” Wickly cracked. “I doubt it.”

“He’ll probably find others to prop him up, some people are suckers for destiny,” Phrenn said. “Well, that’s their choice. Personally, I’m very glad to have an excuse not to be misguided by him anymore.”

“Same here, with the added bonus of not being treated like dirt on top of that,” Alekides agreed with a nod. “He can go rot...I think we’ll do better without him. We’re way better off with Alinia in charge.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Kuron said with a grin. “The Princess shoulda been in charge in the first place. Got the right soul for it, for sure.”

“Stop, you’re making me blush!” Indeed, Alinia’s face was going red at the compliments. “Still...I’m glad you’re all okay with this. I should have said something earlier, but...I wasn’t planning to spring it so quickly, he just...he pushed it, so I decided not to hold back.”

“I’m glad you didn’t, he’d’ve been insufferable,” Wickly stated. “We’re better off without him...we’ve got a good heavy warrior right here with us anyway in Kuron, and he’s got a working brain. But we should probably blow this place so that we don’t have a chance encounter with him, he might decide he wants us out of the picture for good.”

Alinia nodded. “You’re right...let’s get on the road, and start planning our next course. Perhaps we can start investigating some of those rumors in the kobolds’ caves...I know Brunor never wanted to go near there, but it sounds like they had some texts about some of the evils we’ve been facing. I think it’s worth looking into. We’ll want to get to Senedril eventually, but Brunor knows we were planning that, it might be best to wait on that until we’re sure he’s not paying attention.”

“Finally,” Phrenn said. “The best lead we’ve had, and we’ve spent far too long avoiding it. Let us commence.”

Alinia looked up at Alekides, and the two gave each other a nod. This was definitely going to be a much better adventure from here on out...and even better that they had more to share.