Noble By Deed - Casting Off Convention - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The march proved to be exactly what they expected - a long lazy walk. Raptor set a slow pace, because he knew that the weakened sisters would have a hard time keeping up with the fit mercenaries, if they moved out at full walking speed.

The company followed a small stream - the water crystal clear and only a couple of feet deep. The shallow brook flowed from a tract of woods that steadily loomed larger in the eyes of the company as they approached. A cooler breeze stirred the hot summer air, making the journey far from an unpleasant one. Since they were earning pay as they traveled, it only buoyed their spirits more.

Corrine whispered to her sister for a moment once the woods was within a few more minutes of walking. When Corrine finished, Celeste nodded before turning to her brother and whispering in his ear as well. Cordain in turn, gave a short nod and said, "I will go speak with Raptor."

When he increased his pace to catch up with the Captain of the company, Christi asked Celeste, "Something wrong?"

Celeste shook her head and answered, "Nothing. We simply hope to bathe in the pool that feeds this stream before we continue on. I wish we had been able to retrieve our baggage, because we will be forced to put back on these soiled garments."

The dresses that the women wore were indeed filthy, and certainly smelled none too sweet. Only some creative pinning prevented Corrine's from becoming indecent. The sleeve had torn at the seam and would have almost revealed the swell of her breast, were the material not pinned closed.

Rochelle looked at Christi for a moment, and then said, "Some of your things might fit them, Christi, if you have anything to spare."

Christi shrugged, and then turned to the other pair of women. "I should have enough for you to get by, but it's not going to be anything you're accustomed to, I'll tell you that."

"If it is clean and not falling off of me, it will be an improvement," Corrine disputed. "The pins holding my dress together are pricking my bosom."

Celeste smiled and admitted, "We only dress as we do because of our caste. In this situation, I believe it will be acceptable for us to be a bit more daring. The two of you and our brother will protect us from unwanted advances, I'm sure."

Christi winked and teased, "What about wanted advances?"

Both sisters giggled and their cheeks flooded with color. Corrine exclaimed, "Don't talk so when Cordain can hear. I would die of embarrassment."

"I promise," Christi agreed, coming to a halt with the rest of the company just short of the trees. She could barely see sparkling hints of the pool that the sisters had mentioned through the thick foliage and undergrowth.

Raptor called out, "Our guests wish to bathe, and this spot is as good as any to make camp. You lot of stinking dogs could probably do with a good washing as well. You men follow me, and we'll start setting camp. Crimm, Rochelle... take the ladies to the pool."

The two mercenary women waved in acknowledgment of the order, and then led their wealthy counterparts toward the wood. The rest of the company moved a short distance away to set camp.

A barely visible, winding trail snaked from the entrance of the woods to the pool, which was spring fed, and just as clear as the stream the company had followed here. The pool was shallow on one end, gently sloping into a deeper spot. In the deep end of the pool, the water churned from the source beneath the surface. It looked like a perfect place for bathing.

Rochelle knelt down and dipped a hand into the water, but she immediately snatched it back. "Damn... that's cold!"

Already removing her dress, Celeste explained, "We have bathed here before. It is quite shocking at first, but if you stay in the shallows near the edge, it is actually quite invigorating."

"If my smell wasn't turning my own nose, I'd skip a bath until we found a nice warm lake out in the sun, or a tub somewhere," Rochelle remarked as she loosened the straps on her armor.

Christi laughed as she took clothing out of her pack that she and the sisters could put on once they had bathed. She chose the most modest tops and longest skirts she had - things she didn't often wear anyway - for the sisters. "I'd rather have a nice warm lake in the sun too, but I'll take what I can get."

Having needed to remove only their dresses and underclothes, Celeste and her younger sibling were nude long before the two mercenaries could get out of their armor and the clothes beneath. Celeste held her dress at arm's length, wrinkling her nose. "If mother would not be cross with me, I would burn this." Tossing the garment over a rock, she turned to the two mercenaries. "You would bathe in the open, with so many men about?"

Rochelle shrugged and replied, "You normally don't get much allowance for modesty in our line of work. You just get used to it."

She then pulled off her blouse and revealed her breasts, which despite their size, sat high and proud, thanks to her musculature. Dark nipples and areoles blended with her tanned skin, the firm globes obviously having seen their share of sun. Christi finished removing her armor and turned to look when her comrade-in-arms spoke. The sight caused Christi to wonder just what had prompted the woman to be topless beneath the sun.

"I fear I would have to endure my smell, were I forced to bathe in full view of any prying eyes," Corrine admitted.

Christi turned toward Corrine and her sister, both of whom were stepping into the pool now, and said, "Well, you're lucky you knew about this place. You won't have to worry about that here."

Both sisters had small nipples and large areolas on their large, somewhat pendulous breasts. It was obvious that Corrine's breasts would match her sister's in time, as she was not much smaller up top, even at her younger age. Both women's labia were puffy, hiding the pink middles between them, with carefully manicured, closely cropped hair surrounding their sex.

"Let's get this over with. I'm already shivering," Rochelle declared as she stepped out of her skirt. Her mound was shaven bare, save for a thin strip leading from her hood to just below her navel.

Christi felt a little tingle run through her body, and closed her eyes tight for a second as she pulled off her blouse. She didn't know what caused her eyes to drift toward other women's bodies, but it disturbed her. Those thoughts were rapidly chased away by a twinge of embarrassment. She would be a stark contrast to the other women, with the wild tangle of dark hair between her legs.

The two sisters settled into the pool with a sigh and a shiver as Christi pulled off her pants and panties. Rochelle simply strode into the pool and sat down with a sharp gasp, not wanting to prolong the experience by easing into the water. Christi did much the same, but as an effort to hide her untamed patch of hair, rather than reluctance for the cold water of the pool.

Once she settled into the water, she realized her haste was useless. The water was so clear that every inch of the four women was visible, with only the ripples from their movement masking what lay beneath the surface.

As they bathed, Christi kept finding her eyes on the other women's bodies, no matter how hard she tried to avoid it. She was thankful that none of them seemed to notice, because she had no idea what she would have said if one of them had confronted her. She couldn't explain her actions, because she didn't remotely understand them, herself.

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, Christi turned all of her attention to scrubbing the grit off her body, and out of her hair.

Continued in Chapter 5