I had been given a new duty by my King: Escort the newly arrived Elven diplomat as she toured our kingdom. So here I waited, outside the castle gate—my polished armor gleamed. My knightly equipment had been replaced with brand-new gear; all to make a good impression. The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky. A gentle breeze blew through the trees lining the road leading to the castle gates, rustling their leaves.
Once she was finished with her audience with my King, the Elven diplomat would exit the castle and meet me here to be escorted around the kingdom—as if she were a tourist sightseeing. I could only hope that her personality wouldn't be conceited and overbearing, like some of the other diplomats from foreign lands; then again, it didn't really matter what sort of person she turned out to be. After today, we'd never see each other again.
"Oh! Sir Knight!"
I heard a voice calling for me and I turned around to face it. When did she arrive? As soon as my mind registered this thought, the woman came into view. Her golden hair swayed in the wind behind her, framing her pointed ears and delicate features—a smattering of freckles adorned her face. She wore a long green dress; it covered every inch of skin except where it met the ground. It fluttered gracefully in the breeze, revealing a glimpse of her stocking-clad legs beneath its hemline.
She's indescribably cute.
The thought entered my mind unbidden, but it was true nonetheless. This Elven diplomat possessed an innocent charm that drew you in like a moth to flame. And yet, there was an undercurrent of graceful beauty about her.
"Hello," she said, flashing me a smile before approaching. "You must be my escort. I am Shanella." She offered her hand to me; it looked like a flower petal floating on the breeze.
I reached out to take it—and she took hold of my arm instead. Then, with surprising strength, she pulled herself up onto the horse behind me. Her nimble fingers wrapped themselves around my armored waist.
"Thank you for escorting me today," she said, her voice gentle and polite behind me.
"Of course, I am Cedric by the way, " came my reply.
Her grip tightened slightly. "I'm looking forward to seeing your country."
I wanted to tell her that she'd find the Human kingdom to be impressive—but the words stuck in my throat; it seemed too presumptuous. Instead, we fell into silence as my horse began to move. We followed the main road towards the capital city of Varia.
As we walked along, Shanella gazed at everything with wide eyes. She even leaned over to look down at the flowers growing alongside the roadside. They were pink roses; their scent filled the air.
"It smells lovely here," she commented.
"Yes, it does."
***
I spent the day escorting Shanella between various shops, sights and places of interest—all the while chatting amicably, which I found a little surprising. For a foreign diplomat, Shanella was surprisingly down-to-earth and earnest; she wasn't like the other diplomats who'd come before her. She seemed genuinely interested in learning about my people's kingdom rather than just doing her duty. Still, despite her curiosity, she remained calm and polite throughout the whole experience.
When evening approached, I thought she'd return to the castle for the night, but instead Shanella requested an inn—she said she wanted to stay overnight in the town. So we made our way to the one that I knew was good; it was a popular place run by a kind old man named Gaius and his extended family. He welcomed us warmly, showing us to a table in the corner of the dining hall where he served us a delicious meal of pork stew.
"This is wonderful," Shanella said after taking a bite of her food. "Your cooking warms my body and soul."
"Ah, well, thank you kindly," Gaius replied with a smile before he departed to allow us to eat in private.
***
After dinner, Shanella insisted that she take care of booking a room. So, while I waited, she talked quietly to Gaius near the bar. It didn't take long for her to conclude the business before returning to collect me. She led me up the stairs and to our room—naturally, I entered first to check for any danger to the diplomat.
What I saw gave me pause. Instead of there being two beds, one for the diplomat and one for I—her knightly escort—there was only a single, large bed. A couple's bed.
Spinning on my feet, I glanced in askance at Shanella only to see her locking the door behind us. "Shanella?"
"It's exactly what you suspect," she said simply. "I would like your company in my bed tonight." With that, she turned to face me; then, without warning or provocation, she dropped her green dress to the floor.
My eyes widened. The sight of the elven diplomat's nude form caused my breath to catch in my throat—she looked incredible! Her skin was fair; it gleamed softly in the candlelight. Her breasts were small but round and perfectly formed; they jiggled enticingly when she moved. Shanella stepped closer to me until she stood within inches of my body and I could see that the freckles upon her face were mirrored by a speckling of them across her chest. Slowly, gently, she ran her fingers through my hair. "I want you to make love to me," she whispered shyly in my ear. "I would like to explore the pleasures of a human male and you have been quite the gentleman escort. Please, Sir Knight—be my lover this night."
"Of course," came my reply; not because it wasn't against my nature to deny her request—but because it would be wrong to refuse such an earnest plea from someone like her.
With that, Shanella kissed me full on the lips—her tongue darting out to tease mine. As if in a dream, she helped me to remove my gleaming armor and then my clothes until I was naked like her. After that, I let her draw me to the bed and we began to kiss passionately. Our tongues met and played with each other, exploring every inch of flesh between them while our hands roamed over one another's bodies; stroking, caressing and fondling.