FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 1

Under the light of the sun, shining through the square hole in the ceiling, their sword collided once more, once again going into a bind from where she knew there were many options for an attack. Her opponent knew so as well though, so there was not much time to think. Along his blade she thrust her sword upwards and forward at the same time, her opponent lifting his own sword just in time for the thrust to miss his face.

"Careful princess." He said quickly through grit teeth as he took a step back. While she still stood there in battle stance he lowered his sword. The man sighed. "You wanted to train with dull steel swords this time so I expect you watch out so I may keep both my eyes." In response she slowly lowered her own sword, briefly glancing across the blade, then back at him again.

"Sorry Bernard." She apologized softly. With her sword held at her side she took a step towards him, trying to get a glance at his face. It didn't look like she even hit him so she didn't get what he was complaining about. He was a battle hardened veteran after all. "I didn't hit you though, did I?"

Bernard only shook his head as he chuckled. "No, I am just fine." He said, a smile spreading underneath his big grey mustache as he sheathed his sword. "I just thought I may as well warn you before it is too late and next time you do actually take one of my eyes out." The way he looked at her said enough already. It wasn't him who was really worried about that, it was her father. He always talks of how she shouldn't be training the sword at all since it is seen as very unlike of her status as princess. Not like she cared for any of those nobles who may look at her funny at court should their secret training sessions become public.

And yet at the same time, she knew that wasn't the worst of it. Her father ruled the kingdom of Nordholm but he did so under the rule of the Redorien empire, so he was not truly ruling it independently while at the same time doing just that. Explaining the way the Redorien empire works is a puzzle on its own. She never really understood it herself but that's probably because she cared little to learn about it. As far as she knew though the emperor held no absolute power like a true emperor. The empire was more of a loose assortment of petty kingdoms, city states and dukedoms that all had a very wide range of freedoms.

Despite her father ruling mostly freely, she knew that he had to uphold laws of the empire just as much as any other citizen. Unfortunately, while it was rather normal for a woman to pick up tools to help her man or a sword to fight alongside him in the realm of Nordholm, the rest of the empire saw different so they had to conform. These private training sessions were already a lot of risk for herself and her father, she knew that. But that risk, just like the risk of using steel swords had a certain thrill to it that she couldn't describe. Bernard understood, but her father didn't seem to follow his example most of the time.

She sighed, sheathing her blade as well. "You know..." She began but bit her lip before she could go on. Her hand was restlessly tapping against the pommel of her sword as she was thinking of what to say. At first she wanted to offer to go back to wooden swords but then reconsidered. They simply felt too fake, too unreal with no real weight and risk behind every strike. Instead she smiled and drew her sword again. "How about we stop talking and get back to it?"

Bernard put on a similar smile, taking his sword into both his hands again, ready for more. Both of them took in a stance again and were just about to continue their sparring when a voice from the side of the room stopped them in their tracks. "Tamara." Said a deep voice, calm yet clearly angry. "I think you should both sheath your swords again."

Bernard obeyed without a second thought, bowing as he did so. "Your majesty, I apologize-"

"It's not you who should apologize Sir Bernard." King Adolar said sternly, his gaze kept on his daughter. His eyes were as sharp as a sword, holding a green color unlike her own blue ones. A long red silk tunic with golden etching were his clothes of choice, along with a short blue mantle that only covered his left shoulder and half of his arm. Both clear symbols of nobility, or in this case royalty, the colors symbolizing those on their house's crest. "In fact, I think you should leave us two alone for a moment." Only when he gave that order did he gaze upon Bernard who bowed once again, leaving the room with quick steps.

Tamara watched him leave with an ill feeling in her stomach, especially as he gave her that 'you just screwed up' look just as he left the room and closed the door behind him. Once they were both alone there was nothing but silence for a moment. She glanced around the room, doing her best to look anywhere where her father wasn't standing. It seemed she wanted to drown her in the uncomfortable silence or perhaps he was waiting for her to speak first just so he could then interrupt her. Oh he so always loved to do that. When it felt like a whole minute of silence had passed she decided to speak up at last, immediately regretting it. "Father I-"

"What have I told you so many times by now?" Tamara huffed a sigh, her posture slumping as she was mentally preparing for another lecture. She looked away, her sword still held firmly in her right hand. "What I am allowing you here is already more than you are allowed by the public. I am allowing it because I want to see you happy, Tamara." He came closer as he spoke, the tension in his voice growing softer as he went on. "I enlisted Bernard even despite how many other duties he has as marshal of the realm. I would hope that you would finally begin to see how much of risk this is for me and you."

"Of course I understand father!" She stated loudly, though it was not screaming. Not yet at least. "I understand but it's just that-"

"That what? Wooden swords are too boring because they don't make those loud cling noises when they clash?" Now standing in arms reach of her, he matched her own tone by raising his voice too. She looked away, her brow furrowing at his mocking question. "What comes next? Sharp swords?"

"What?" She asked in confusion and frustration, insulted that he would think her that foolish. "I am not a child anymore father! I am twenty years old and not stupid enough to train with swords that could kill me."

"Oh really? Because I am not so sure anymore. Look at you!" He exclaimed, gesturing towards her whole form with his arms. With her brow still furrowed and eyes narrowed she looked down upon herself. Despite being a princess she did not fancy pretty clothing that much. They looked nice sure, but were very ineffective when it came to anything combat related. A thick gambeson colored in their families blue and red was covering her body all the way down to her knees. Her trousers were less expensive looking, nothing but a thin layer of wool along with nice looking brown leather shoes, laced tightly with black leather laces.

"What about me?" She asked, not even trying to hide how insulted she was at the moment. "A gambeson is more than enough for a dull sword. And I won't get anything but bruises should he actually hit me in the knee or leg."

"How about your head? Have you thought about-" He was unable to finish his sentence. Before he could get very far, Tamara burst in with an angry rant that she had been holding up inside of her for a while.

"Have I thought about it? Of course I have! I thought about it more than you were ever willing to do! I told you so many times that I wanted a helmet that actually fit me! And a pair of gauntlets! I wasn't even asking for a whole set of plate armor despite the fact that I know your coffers would be able to finance it!" She took a shuttering breath as she took a brief break, only then realizing how loud she's gotten. She didn't care though and continued just as loudly "But did you ever listen? No, of course not! You were too afraid someone could find out! You always are!" She sniffed once, twice, and realized her eyes were tearing up. She wiped away a single tear before moving on, her father standing there with an unreadable expression on his face. "All you do is... tell me that it's too risky! Why? It's not like the armor smith would ask questions on who it was for when the king commissions it, right?" Another tear ran down her cheek. "And yet... yet here you are." She grew more quiet, voice breaking. "Trying to turn it on me. Like-like it is... all just my... my fault."

It was then that her father had heard enough and gently put a hand on her shoulder. For a moment she was closing her eyes, awaiting the inevitable, like another lecture or even a slap. She felt like after what she just said he would probably slap her and then lecture him. None of that came to pass though and instead he pulled her closer and took her into a loving hug. Her breath caught in her throat as she was shocked by her father's sudden comfort. She couldn't remember the last time he hugged her like that. It must have been years ago. After a moment of sheer shook, she dropped her sword, the ringing of steel hitting the stone ground resounding through the room as she returned the hug, grasping onto his clothing like she was afraid he's leave as swiftly as he came.

For a simple, lovely moment they just stayed that way. She grasping onto his clothes as she sobbed onto his shoulder with her eyes squeezed shut while he rubbed her back with one hand and stroked her long red curly hair with the other. When she could already think she was dreaming, he said something he never expected to hear from a man as prideful as stubborn as her father. "I am sorry, my dear." He said ever so softly, causing her grasp to get even tighter. "I... deep down I knew you were right for so long but..." He sighed. "I never wanted to admit it to myself or anyone else."

Slowly he retreated from the hug despite the tight grasp on his clothes. Their eyes met and he smiled at her, lifting a hand to wipe her tears away. "I can say that... I will think about your request once more."

Still struck by her father's change in demeanor she only managed a single nod followed by a sullen. "T-thank you father." He then grasped her by her shoulders, his smile growing more genuine. The whole situation was just beginning to settle. The fact that she might be getting her armor didn't even register properly yet, and still he seemed to have something else for her.

"Do you remember how you asked me to go with Bernard on the hunt he had planned with a few of his personal servants and friends tomorrow?" Wiping a tear away herself, she nodded with more strength now that she was regaining her composure. "Well... I may have reconsidered my decision this very moment. You better go tell him that you want to go too before I have more time to think about it and change my mind yet again."

Tamara froze, sniffing just once as he stared at her father with her mouth agape, confusion in her eyes. "What did you just say?" Disbelief and confusion were slowly replaced by what could only be described as mad excitement as her eyes grew wider with each second. "You're serious? Are you serious?" She almost screamed at him in glee, the former rant and anger she felt all but forgotten. "Oh thank you father!" She cried out as she hugged him once again.

He laughed as she tried to lift him off the ground but failed, patting her on the back. "You better go find him now."

"Of course, yes! I should." With a bright and wide smile on her face she released her father from the tight embrace and made her way to the door that Bernard vanished behind. Just as she reached for the doorknob she gazed at her sleeve. She still wore the gambeson and those cheap trousers. "Ehm father I thought I shouldn't go around court with-"

"No matter, not today or tomorrow." He said with a smile. His daughter simply returned his smile before she vanished behind the door without another word. As soon as she was gone regret was beginning to set in. He had acted so impulsively just then, unable to overlook who she had mirrored so much in that angry moment of hers. With a sigh, he picked up the dull sword on the ground, inspecting the nicks and scratches it had on the blade.

He prayed to the gods that he would not have a reason to truly regret his rash decisions later.

---

It did not take her long to find Bernard, nor did it take long to convince him of the fact that she was allowed to go with him. Of course he was happy about the fact, still not happier than Tamara who jumped around the court for the rest of the day, telling all her friends that she was going hunting. None of them truly understood why she wanted to, of course they wouldn't. Those boring fools would rather stay safely indoors for the rest of their lives.

That night she could barely sleep as she was too busy thinking about the excitement the next day might bring with it. Finally, she could practice archery as well. She had only done so in the past a few number of times. Hopefully she could still remember the gist of it so Bernard would not have a reason to laugh at her. Only in private of course, since she was the princess in the end. When she finally managed to fall asleep she dreamt of the vast array of animals they would see. Deer, foxes, rabbits... those were all that she could think of from the get go. She didn't know the wilds as well as she wished, but at last she could get the chance to learn more.

Once morning came she got up earlier than any other member of the hunt, even earlier than the servants who prepared all the gear, the horses and the hounds. She waited eagerly in the courtyard of the castle, wearing the same clothes as she did in the training the day before. When at last the nobles arrived she had already been waiting for two hours, chatting with the servants all the while.

Bernard was the last to arrive, wearing a fine tunic in green with white stripes on the top right and bottom left, displaying his family crest like her gambeson was. His short grey hair was hidden beneath a hunters cap. "Good morning, princess Tamara." He greeted her with a smile. "I hope you are ready."

"Am I ready?" She asked, a bright smile all across her face as she took him by both his shoulders. "I was never more ready for anything ever!"

"Haha." He laughed, patting her on the back like an old friend rather than a princess. It was how he knew she liked to be treated by him. "Well I certainly like your enthusiasm. Let's hope we'll make good catch today."

The nobles all mounted their horses while the servants would follow on foot alongside the hounds. Tamara was glad to be allowed to ride alongside the men since woman weren't really expected to ride side by side with them like that. In Nordholm it was normal, but two of those nobles were clearly visiting from the south judging by their weird glances when they saw her. Not that she cared for their glances. Let them watch as long as she was allowed to have fun.

On the way to the forest she only grew more excited, watching the walls of the castle and then the city walls get tinier and tinier the further they moved out. For what felt like the first time in her life she was outside the city walls. Truth be told she was taken out as a child once or twice, but that was so long ago she could barely remember it. As the forest drew closer she took a glance around the area. Outside the city vast fields of crops filled the horizon. Small buildings were farmers lived and a windmill in the distance. She had always wondered what such a simple life would be like. Never having to worry about court intrigue and instead worry if your liege would leave you enough of your own grain to survive the winter. Come to think of it, she preferred the life in the castle above that despite how peaceful it may sound in her mind.

Once they reached the forest the hunt could truly begin. It even seemed that luck was on their side because only moments after entering the woods the hounds began to bark and follow a trail they picked up. Of course everyone followed the hounds deeper into the woods while keeping a sharp lookout for their prey. Tamara did her best to spot something too but to her the forest seemed as empty as it was vast expect for the sound of a bird somewhere up in a tree.

After following the trail for a while some of men began to think that the hounds must have lost the trail since there was still no animal in sight. Tamara did keep a lookout all the while until at last she spotted something moving behind the thicker underbrush but whatever it was it was gone before she could really confirm that it was not just an imagination.

"What the hell?" She heard one of the nobles call out in surprise. Tamara turned her his way as soon as he said it, keen to find out what they found. There, on the ground right in front of the bloodhounds lay a dead deer. For a moment she thought the dogs somehow brought it down until she saw the arrow imbedded right in its head. None of them had loosened any arrows though, had they? No, why would the noble be surprised otherwise. "Are there poachers here now? How great." Another noble called out.

Poachers, as it then turned out, would have been a far lesser evil. Not long after the deer was spotted by them several arrows came flying their way from the woods around them. Several of the servants fell with the first volley, as well as a noble's horse which had been hit in the neck and the head, falling over with a terrible cry. "Ambush!" Bernard cried out, taking his hunting spear in his hand. "Come out you filthy bandits and fight like real men!" He seemed to be only one not afraid since all the other nobles immediately tried to make a run for it.

The bandits however heeded Bernard's call and came out of hiding, charging at the hunting party. Tamara watched the scene with wide eyes. Never in her life has she been thrust into a real life and death situation. She thought she would try and fight or run at least but instead she just froze as she watched two nobles get picked of their horses as they tried to flee the scene. As she saw the men charge out of the woods on all sides she had no idea how they would get out of this alive.

They might live because no doubt they thought they could ransom them. And from the trap they laid they must have known somehow that there was going to be a hunt this day. The why and how did not matter at the moment however. What mattered was how the hell she was going to get away. After taking a glance at Bernard charging at the bandits with only a hunting spear in his hands she spurred her horse onwards to ride through the mass of bandits that blocked the way back to the castle. It was the only way.

For simple bandits they seemed strangely well equipped however, wearing chainmail and even part of plate armor, as well from the looks of it well crafted weapons. The horse did its best to charge through but the bandits held their ground, holding out spears. In the face of getting impaled on the spear the horse decided it would be better to stop and so the horse raised its forelegs, neighing in fear. The sudden stop caused her to fall off, landing on the forest ground with a thump. Ignoring the pain as best as she could she got up quickly, watching the bandits slowly closing in on her.

That was when she saw that in the middle of the chaos and the fighting that ensued between the few servants that remained alongside sir Bernard with the bandits that there was an opening in their bulk of men. Thus without a second thought or glance to the bandits she made a run for it as quickly as her legs could carry her. Thank god she wasn't wearing a cursed dress at this moment. The bandits that were after her yelled out in a foreign tongue that sounded northern, perhaps it was norse. She didn't care at the moment. All she wanted was to get the hell away from those men.

The sound of the fighting still rang in her ears and the smell of blood filled her nose as she ran. Behind her she could hear them following her, hear the rustling of mail and their voices calling out to her. She was kind of glad that she did not understand whatever they were saying. Not all of them seemed to wear mail though, since soon one of them managed to catch up with her. She cried out as he rammed into her, throwing her to the ground. She thrashed as best as she could but the man on top of her. "No! NO! Get off me you fucker!"

The man on top of her just laughed, soon followed by the rest. "Watch your language, my lady." He said in very heavy accent. he turned her on her back, keeping a hold onto her throat. The man glared down on her, smirking as he stared deep into her eyes. "Oh, she is a pretty one!" Tamara looked at him with a mixture of anger and fear, even more so disgust as he leaned down to whisper into her ear. "Have you ever been fucked, girl?"

Her eyes widened. He couldn't possibly be serious. Surely they meant to ransom her and couldn't harm her in any way. He held onto that hope until the man had his hand between her legs. "Get your hands off me!" She cried out right away, trying her best to shove him off of her. He called out to his mates, apparently telling them to hold her down because two of them moved in to hold both her arms steady. "No! Nooo!" She did not stop crying out, even trying to kick at the man despite her legs being rendered immobile by the weight of the man on them. She felt him fiddling with her pants and in her mind she prayed to a god that she only vaguely believed in to save her from these heathenness Vikings.

To her shock just as much as to the shock of the men trying to rape her some higher power must have listened because it was right when the man began to pull her pants down that a keening cry send every men to their feet. It sounded similar to the cry of an eagle of some sorts, but way louder and also somehow different. Before she even knew what was happening a blur of brown and black colors send two men tumbling over, one of which did not get back up, a pool of blood building under him. She barely had to time to look up when whatever creature attacked the bandits came swooping back, this time landing after another bandit had his throat slit by its claws.

The men all called out to each other in norse, reading their weapons as they charged at the beast from sides. All Tamara could see before the blur of colors began once more with red mixed in this time was a head that resembled that of an eagle in a way, but way bigger and with piercing yellow eyes. What followed was a massacre. The men stood no chance against the beast. They fell one by one. One got his throat cut open, another bitten open by the sharp beak. One man who tried to flank it was kicked square in the chest with such force that it reminded her of a horse kick. The men fell to the ground, coughing, and was then finished off by a fix blow of the creature's claws. Tamara watched as the last man fell, his head getting half bitten off by the beast, blood gushing all over its head and the ground.

When it was all over the creature stood there surrounded by dead bodies, allowing her a first full look at the creature. She couldn't believe her own eyes. A head resembling that of an eagle, with feathers covering the back of its neck, the biggest and longest resting just behind his head. The rest of his body seemed to be covered with fur instead except for the two big wings that were folded close to his body. His beak was a slightly brighter shade of black than most of his head, almost grey, two rather pointy ears positioned on top of it swiveling in her direction. The feathers on the back of his head and those on his wings seemed to have been dipped into white paint, but only the very tips. His chest as well as both his forelegs were completely black while the fur on his stomach and his hind end turned into an earthly brown with tiny black speckles here and there that were at the moment accompanied by blood as well. His hind paws were black just like those in the front, looking like a pair of black gloves, the left one slightly longer than the other. The last thing she noticed was its tail, almost lion like in appearance with a tuft of fur at the end of it that was a slightly darker shade of brown.

Tamara stared at this creature with total disbelief, like she was seeing a creature from a fairy tale. Which is basically what this being was, there was no doubting it. It was a gryphon.

Gryphons were a huge part of the history of her ancestors as far as she knew, one of them adorned her family crest to this day after all, but she only heard stories here and there. Those stories never really proved their existence or claimed that they moved somewhere else. This though, was no doubt one of those fabled creatures who unlike dragons were thought to be all gone from this land. It seemed they were wrong about-

"Are you just going to stare at me for the rest of the day or will I at least get a 'thank you, noble gryphon for saving my life'?" The voice caught her totally off guard and her already widened eyes widened even further, a miracle that they did not pop out of her skull at this point. That voice sounded so strange, somewhat deep while being a bit rasping and still pleasant to listen to. What shocked her so was the fact that she had never thought that anything not human could talk.

"What's the ma- oh, right." The gryphon rolled his eyes and sighed. Such a human-like emotion. It was shocking and also deeply fascinating. "Yes, I can talk and no I won't try to eat you or lock you up in my tower." He stopped, tapping a single claw against his chin where his beak met fur. "Wait, the last one is a dragon thing, right?" Tamara simply stared, unable to answer except with a slow and uncertain nod. "Ah right, totally forgot. You humans have weird stereotypes about foreign races, you know?"

Tamara stared on still, frozen in place. Part of her told herself that she should run but she couldn't even if she wanted to, at least not until the shock died down.

The gryphon rolled his eyes again at the lack of response and went on talking. "Anyway, while I won't lock you up in some cave or tower, I will take you with me. As the only woman in a band of hunters you must be someone very special. I assume that means there will be a high ransom for you."

It was too good to be true, wasn't it? To be saved by some heroic cat-bird, no of course not. It wanted to take her with him to whatever place gryphon's lived in and ransom her. It was just as bad as those Vikings. At least he wouldn't try to rape her as well, or so she hoped with all her heart. As the shock slowly died down she moved her head to take a glance between the gryphon's hindlegs. What she saw shouldn't have surprised her, and yet it did. The beast was clearly male, his genitalia closely resembling those of canines from what she knew of reference animals that she knew, with a furry sheath that contained his member and a set of balls sitting snug in their pouch. Those were certainly befitting his overall size, being about as large as a great warhorse, if not a bit larger. In her head she could not help but fear how big he might be down there and what that could mean for her.

Her thoughts were then interrupted as the gryphon sat down on his haunches, lowering his head to meet her gaze, a smirk twisting on the sides of his muzzle. Weird, it seemed while most of it was hard the part closest to his face seemed to be not. Very strange and intriguing. The nature of the gryphon's smirk however made her face turn slightly red. "Not such an innocent girl as I assumed, are you?" He asked in what she could only describe as a seductive tone.

She turned even redder opening her mouth at an attempt to finally speak. "I... I..." She swallowed audibly. "I only... wanted to know if you'll try the same as... as them." She pointed towards the dead bodies, looking at him with uncertainty, her fingers shaking.

"What?" He squawked, sounding almost insulted. "Me? I would not rape someone, no matter how pretty they may be." He smirked again, causing her to turn her face away. "Anyway, enough talk for now. It's time we leave before your friend there gets back up." He looked over his shoulder and indeed, Bernard was still alive and well alongside one servant who stared at the gryphon in the same manner as Tamara. Nothing else seemed to move aside from one noble who seemed to be injured terribly. Bernard too was wounded however and did not seem to register the gryphon was even there.

"W-wait!" She slowly got of the ground. "My father can pay you handsomely if only you deliver me there right now. I am sure he would give whatever you desire." In response, to her disappointment, the bird only laughed. A cackling laughter that sounded unlike any sound a human could make. Bird-like and yet sounding so human to her.

"You really want me to believe that? I'd be nothing but a monster to them, not a hero. I'd much rather play it safe." With that said he got up from the ground and strode towards her. She took a step back which in turn made him stop in his tracks. "Don't!" He said with a rather soft voice. "Don't make this difficult, my dear."

Tamara looked behind herself, seeing how the trees were standing so close together. Surely it would be difficult for a creature of his size to fit through there. Another step back, and then she had no time to regret what she did next. The moment she turned around all she managed were two running steps until two great furry paws grabbed her. She cried out in terror as she got grabbed and even louder as the gryphon spread his wings and took to the skies in one swift motions. She closed her eyes shut and continued to scream. "Tamara!" She could hear Bernard's voice from underneath them but the second time he called her name they were already too far away to properly understand.

She forced her mouth shut, not wanting to give the damn creature the gratification to know that she was scared more than she ever was in her life. She squeezed her eyes shut as tight as she possibly could, holding onto the gryphon's paws for dear life. "You stopped screaming faster than I expected. Impressive." The gryphon joked as he bet his wings to fly onwards faster.

"Fuck you!" She called out, kicking her legs up towards his stomach, which was different since she was facing away from his belly.

"Ouch, very harsh, my dear." He acted insulted and hurt, even folding back his ears despite the fact that he was sure she could not see it. "Is that how you treat you heroic savoir-Ahh!" He let out a soft cry, more of surprise then pain, when she managed to kick back so far that she managed to hit one of his testicles, although it was barely more than a nudge. "Stop that!"

"Why would I? Do you want to drop me? Hard to ransom me when I am dead, you know?" She called out to him, her eyes still tightly shut. That slight hit she got on one of his balls she kept in mind as well. It was surely good to know that those were surely as sensitive as those of a man when they were back on solid ground. "And it is far from heroic if you safe me just so you can kidnap me yourself!"

"How am I as bad as those bandits?" He called back to her, lowering his head to look underneath him. "Have you still closed your eyes? What is with you humans and flight? It is an experience you don't get often, if at all as a human. You should cherish it."

"Like fuck I will!" She responded, trying once again to land a hit on him, one that would hit harder this time. "Just get me back on the fucking ground!"

The gryphon looked down at her again, an amused smile forming at the edges of his beak. "You do seem to like the word 'fuck' a lot. Have you not been taught manners at court or are you just trying to imply something?" Just as he said another kick landed its target, again barely hitting the furry pouch. "Ack! I said stop that!" Having decided that he had enough of her attempt to crash them both somehow, he pulled her further up his chest where she was far away from anything vulnerable. "Just hold steady and stop squirming or I might decide it's not worth the money after all!"

Tamara grunted and tightened her grip on his paws, listening to the bird's words for the time being, afraid he might actually act upon his words. The gryphon flew onwards without speaking any further words on his own, giving Tamara a lot of time to think of terrible scenarios that may await her once they landed. Her fear only got worse as her fantasy came up with ideas of what the gryphon could do to her once they landed, wherever that may be. She simply held her mouth and eyes shut during the rest of the flight as to ensure that the gryphon wouldn't get second thoughts about her worth to him.

The flight went on for quiet some. It went on for so long that she was beginning to wonder if her father would ever find her in order to pay the ransom. While she did not open her eyes really she could see how the sun was beginning to set as she opened one of her eyes to a tiny slit for just a second. Alongside the setting sun she could also see mountains that he was apparently flying towards. They were either further north or much further south. She hoped for the first option.

"Where are you taking me?" Tamara asked him as calmly as she could manage in this situation, doing her best not to curse the bird. Although she did not open her eyes she could practically feel his eyes upon her form as he bent his head down.

"Open your eyes, my dear. You'll see." The gryphon said in such smugness in his voice that it made her almost as sick as being in carried through the sky. Hitting that smug bird right in the marbles would be so satisfying, she thought as, despite telling herself not to, she slowly opened her eyes. What she saw made her suck in a breath, the only thing filling her vision as she looked forward being a mountainside that was getting rather close. She squeezed her eyes shut again, doing all in her power not to scream. That would satisfy the bird way too much.

Suddenly they made a sharp upturn that left her already sick stomach lurching. After the rapid turn up the mountain they came to a sudden halt, the gryphon beating his wings in the opposite direction of his former flight to take the speed out of his wings. And thus, at long last, they landed, the gryphon walking a few awkward steps on two legs until he just dropped Tamara on the ground. She let out a soft cry and a groan but staid silence otherwise, too sick to her stomach to hurl insults at him at the moment and her legs too wobbly to attempt anything else.

"So here we here, my dear, make yourself at home." She could hear the bird speak but barely acknowledged his words. She took a deep breath in, trying to calm her stomach but it was too late. Before she could try and hold it she emptied the inside of her stomach all over the ground. "Eww, do you have to?" The gryphon asked with a tone that was a mixture of annoyance and amusement. "You could have at least leaned over the edge."

Just when she spit out the last remainder of her last meal she opened her eyes to see what he meant. They were not just in a cave entrance but rather on a slope high up on a mountain, about as high as her father's castle. She sucked in a sharp breath as he stumbled back, almost falling on her back, supporting herself with her hands just in time. Near the edge of the slope she looked over the world underneath with widened eyes. It was mostly shock she felt at first when staring into the distance but the more her stomach and nerves calmed down she began to see beauty in that landscape. Rolling hills in the far distance, an enormous forest sprawling at the foot of the mountain into all directions she could gaze at. There was no city in sight, not even a village or a farm side. 'The untamed northern mountains' she could hear her father say in her head. A part of their land that was so barely inhabited by humans that it was still very much considered wild. Now that she saw it with her own eyes the name made all the more sense to her.

"Enjoying the view?" Tamara swung her head to her left side to find the gryphon's head on her eye level, so close that her nose was almost touching his beak. She jumped back with wide eyes, careful as to not stumble off that edge. The way that damn bird cackled laughter as she stumbled back only further heated her already hot temper.

"Get away from me!" She yelled at him, looking around for anything to throw at him. All she found was a small rock which she threw at the Gryphon's head right away. The Gryphon though did not even flinch as the tiny rock flew right past his head only tilting his head as his beak twisted into a smirk. "You should work on that aim, my dear."

"Shut up!" She yelled at him again, throwing another slightly bigger rock. This one managed to hit the Gryphon right between the eyes as he continued to smirk at her.

"Ack!" He flinched, shaking his head. "Better aim, I admit, but stop that!"

"Then bring me back home!" Once again she wanted to throw a stone but could find no more near her so instead, she resorted to questioning the bird. "How the hell do you expect anyone to find me up here anyway? It doesn't look like there's any way up here for anyone without wings."

"Oh, worry not. We won't stay here." The Gryphon explained as he pulled out a few loose feathers on his wing. "First thing tomorrow we'll make it to the camp. You may make yourself at home here until then."

Tamara glared at the Gryphon with narrowed eyes. Her stare was so filled with heated anger that the damn bird's feathers could have went aflame any moment now. It was an amusing thought until she realized that without Gryphon there was no way down from this mountain. That meant she was truly at his mercy. No escaping, no running. "You're a vile beast." She snarled at him. "Exploiting people's misfortune in such a way. It makes me sick!" He did mention a camp however. Whatever he meant by that remained to be seen but sounded easier to escape from than this cave for sure.

"You call it exploiting I call it a clever way to make lots of gold very fast." The Gryphon walked by her with a smirk on his beak. "Anyway, you make yourself at home while I clean all this blood out of my fur." He said to her as he made his way deeper into the cave.

The princess stood up and just watched him walk by her with the angriest glare she could muster. It was unbelievable that the gryphon held such a disregard for basic morals. When he swooped from the skies and killed all those Norse raiders, some part of her saw him as a hero as if in some fairy tale. That only lasted very shortly though until he scooped her up and brought her here. She growled in anger, punching the stone wall in a fit of rage only to regret it right after.

She opened her mouth in a wordless scream, holding her fist with her other hand. "Son of a- Ah god dammit!" She cursed through grit teeth as she sat down on the ground, her back leaning against the wall. As pain coursed through her hand she let out a trembling sigh. The situation she was in was only really beginning to set in now that she was alone and the bird was not around to further agitate her.

Alone and stuck in a cave with only the gryphon to keep her company. That line of thought ran through her head several times as she sat there. She kept her legs close to her body, wrapping both her arms around them as she stared at the stone ceiling. Sure, he said that he'll take her away to some camp in the morning, but what if he was lying just so she would calm her nerves.

For all she knew the gryphon was keeping her, unreachable without wings, so that he could so all manner of things to her. She didn't know the first thing about gryphons so all she could do was guess. The fantasies her mind could come up with terrified her. The gryphon may have said that he wouldn't harm her but how could she know that he wasn't lying. What if his intention was to use her to fulfill his primal desires?

That thought brought images of those northmen flashing through her mind, followed by the gryphon atop her, ripping off her clothes. She clenched her fists as she shook her head to try and get rid of that mental image but it stuck, as did all the other memories of this day's events alongside unanswered questions. What would her father do now? Was Bernard injured? Was he going to be alright?

When all those images and memories flooded her mind all at once a wave of uncontrolled emotions overcame her. While still staring at the ceiling she felt tears forming in her eyes. She desperately tried to control herself but with all those events crashing down upon her she simply couldn't.

Leaned against the cave wall in a tight position that allowed her to rest her head on her knees, princess Tamara broke down in tears.

Her deep sorrow plagued her for what felt like hours as she sat there leaned against the cave wall, crying her eyes out. Really it was only minutes until she could cry no more and instead just sat there, sniffing now and then. If only she had stayed inside the castle this wouldn't have happened. That sudden line of thought made her chuckle although she couldn't quite point out why.

After sitting there for another minute, she took a deep breath. No, she wouldn't have preferred to stay inside. Even if she was now a prisoner, it was no different from being trapped in the damn keep all day. Unlike her younger brother who got to go out with father often. Her brother. She hadn't thought about him at all until now. Young Wilhelm was only seven years old and adored her and the stories she tells him. Who would miss her more, she wondered, father, mother, or her brother?

She shook her head, resisting the urge to punch the wall again for she knew it would only end badly. Instead, she took another deep breath and let it out slowly again. Those dark thoughts couldn't get to her now or she'd stay with her back to the wall for the rest of the day. If she was smart about this she could try to get some information out of the gryphon even if she idea of talking to that smarmy cat-bird made her fists clench. If she wanted a chance to escape she needed to know more about this place she was taking him to and also about the gryphon himself.

A sigh followed another deep breath she took as she got back up on her feet. The gryphon was still deep within the cave somewhere. It was time to find out exactly where he went. With all her courage gathered she advanced into the cave, her hands held close to her body. There was a gloomy light source deeper inside that she could see but part of the path before her was almost pitch black. What was strange however was that nothing seemed to be in her way. The ground she walked on seemed even, almost smooth in a way. She frowned and leaned forward and indeed, the ground felt smooth. Even smoother than the stone her father's keep was made of.

It made the cogs in her head turn faster as she tried to come up with a scenario in which it made sense for men coming up this mountain to carve the floor into smooth stone. Nothing that really made sense in any way, at least no way that she could think of. She got up again and felt the wall as she walked. Smooth, just like the floor, except for tiny lines she could feel here and there. Some sort of carvings, perhaps. "What is this place?" She whispered to herself as she neared the gloomy light.

The path the walked upon got brighter the further she advanced, making her all the more curious to see whatever this light source was. For it did not seem to flicker softly like a flame and had a persistent output of light. She could see now what the ground and walls looked like and indeed, there were carvings upon them. Many parts of the walls were covered in runes of some kind that she could not even begin to try and recognize. Alongside those runes there were extravagant carving of what looked to be a great hall on the wall which she used to guide her. As her eyes widened she stepped away from the wall to get a better look at the great carving.

It was a highly detailed carving of a great hall indeed. There was a long table at which many people sat and drank and laughed. Grand pillars held the hall of stone in which these men feasted. It was breathtaking how detailed it was. She could see the hairs on each one's beard, showed by tiny lines. It stretched across the whole part of the wall that was illuminated by the light which was now behind her. She had become so mesmerized by the carving she had forgotten about the light source she was looking for. When she at last tore her eyes of the wall carving and turned to find the light source her eyes widened anew, except this time her breath caught and she froze.

What she was looking at was the light source that she had been searching. Only it was not at all what she expected. She wasn't sure what to expect to begin with, but surely not this. There was a candle like object, at least in appearance, sticking out of the wall. Only it was no candle, the flame not flickering at all. Glass surrounded the light source like a shielding shell and from the bottom a copper pipe ran down towards the ground form where it ran deeper into the cave. As she got closer she could hear a faint and very strange hissing sound emitting form the lamp.

She stepped back from the strange light source and stared at it with suspicion. It had to be some sort of technological advancement that she never heard of for she could not explain to herself how that thing worked. IF it was truly a flame inside the glass shell then how did it get supplied with hair? The pipes maybe? But why not just leave the glass off and use the open air? As she turned her head away she remembered why she was in that place to begin with. Sighing, she pushed onwards, passing a second light that was also connected to a copper pipe. The wall was covered with detailed carvings all the way through and she passed two more of those strange lamps before she saw a slightly brighter light at the end of the tunnel. The whole passage was big enough for the gryphon to fit in with his wings spread and he already was as big as a great warhorse. Despite that she still felt claustrophobic in the tunnel and was glad to see a way out.

The exit to the tunnel was market with an archway in which runes were carved alike to those she saw earlier. Intricate images of warriors bearing shields and spears sprawled over the stone. Two more lamps lid up the relatively big room that lay beyond the tunnel. In between those two lamps was yet another carved image, the meaning of this one quite clear and impactful. It was the image of a throne room. At the very center of the image lay said throne upon which a man sat with a beard nearly as long as his torso and a crown sat upon his head. The throne sat upon a set of stairs that were guarded by several heavily armed guards with great halberds. Just above this king more runes were written into the stone. She wished she could read them to find out what they meant.

The closer she got the more she felt like she was being watched by someone, or something, almost like the king in the image was staring at her, telling her to leave his realm now before his guards jumped at her. It really looked that near to life. "Who are you?" She whispered to herself as she touched the stone carving, frowning to herself as she did so. As if the damn stone would answer her. "What is this place?" She repeated her question from before, except louder this time.

"Good question, girl." For a second her eyes went wide and she jumped back from the image as she got an answer. Soon she realized though that the answer came from her gryphon captor standing in an archway into some other room or hallway. Her face turned red in embarrassment as the damned bird sat there laughing at her. That cackling laughter made her glare at the gryphon with such fiery anger that she thought herself she may try and attack him. It would obviously fail miserably but at that moment she almost did not care. All the wonder and curiosity from before were now once more replaced by the feeling of dread and anger as the reality of her situation crashed down upon her yet again.

"Your face! Haha!" The gryphon squawked out in between his laughter. "Like the stone itself just spoke to you. Haha... ha..." He slowly regained his composure, smirking down at a very angry Tamara standing there with her fists balled. "Aww, come on, can't you take a joke?"

"You..." She took a step towards him. The growling tone in her voice almost made the gryphon flinch back although he knew she had no way of harming him. "Kidnapped. Me!" She yelled out the last word, pointing at her chest. "Do you expect me to be on good terms with you? After what you've done?"

"After what I've done?" He jabbed back, frowning. "I saved you from rapists, did I not?"

"Only to kidnap me yourself! What you did was not noble but simply out of self interest!" When she yelled that at him something shone within the gryphon's eyes for a brief moment. Guilt maybe, but more likely something else. Whatever it was, it could be her one chance to get some answers to her many questions. Now or never, she thought. "You just dragged me here without any answers as to where we are or who you are." She forced her temper to cool down a bit. She needed to go about this diplomatically if she wanted him to comply. "Could you at least answer some of my questions? Or do you lack any form of courtesy?"

For a good moment the only answer she received was silence and a glare of an unreadable nature. Slowly he lowered himself onto his haunches and heaved a great sigh, his eyes never leaving hers. "I apologize, my dear, I know my manners can seem strange to humans." He bowed his head slightly. "Ask away and I shall see if I have the answer."

Now she was outright confused instead of angry. The same gryphon who kidnapped her, laughed at her and was simply rude to her suddenly talked like a servant at her court who just spilled some wine on her without meaning to do so. She was so taken aback that the gryphon must have realized for a small grin reappeared on his beak. He said nothing more though and left her to stare into his unreadable eyes as her mind tried to recollect all her thoughts.

"I..." She cleared her throat, a question finally coming back to the forefront of her mind. "Where are you bringing me?"

He ceased his bowing and glared down on her in an almost threatening way. "To a camp where my allies reside." He simply said. She really expected there to be more as she waited for solid 10 seconds for him to continue. All he did was stare at her though, tilting his head after a while like he was confused at her confusion.

"That's it?" She sighed. "Can't you be more... specific?"

"Perhaps I could but truth be told, I cannot." He answered simply yet again.

She sighed again, stroking her forehead. Damn bird was giving her a headache. "Can't you just..." She grit her teeth, feeling some of that initial anger returning. "Just bring me home? I don't understand why you can't just bring me home right now and earn a reward for saving me?"

That all too familiar smirk returned onto his beak while a serious tone marked his voice. "My dear, do you have any idea how they would react when seeing a gryphon fly towards their castle carrying the princess?" He paused briefly but gave her no time to come up with an answer. "They would all think I kidnapped you and-"

"Which you did!" She chimed in quickly, glaring at him angrily. In the back of her mind she wondered just then how he knew she was a princess. She never told him.

The gryphon sighed but otherwise continued on. "-and they would attack me the first chance they get. Once I get you down on the ground the only reward I get will be a spear in my belly."

Despite how angry she still felt in that moment even she had to admit, he was probably right. The gryphon in her eyes was nothing but a wild animal before he began to talk. If it weren't for all the many other things swirling through her head she'd probably ask him about that. More important than her curious mind though was her freedom so she had to try her best to achieve it. Still, she could not argue with the gryphon on that one point.

"So what do you achieve by bringing me to this camp of, I am guessing, bandits? Do you want them to do it for you and then share the gold with you?" Just when she asked that another question bumped into her mind. "In fact, what do you do with gold? Buy yourself a house somewhere?" She asked sarcastically.

"Sorry but I can't answer that." He answered, his voice low and almost threatening, his eyes narrowed. "All you really need to know is that no harm will come to you from here on out as long as I am watching you."

"Oh, how nice of you." She remarked, her voice practically dripping with sarcasm. She held her hand against her forehead, acting as if she was about to faint. "Oh, my hero."

The gryphon narrowed his eyes further, his glare so sharp she was almost afraid to meet it with her own. He looked away and once again had this strange unreadable expression on his face. His face overall was so difficult to read. His ears were pinned against his head, his gaze slowly softening as she stared into a dark corner. Before she could even take a guess what he was thinking about he glanced at her with one eye, speaking strangely low and annoyed. "Whatever. Go and take a bath. It's that way." He pointed with a wing behind himself and got up on all fours. "You still smell of vomit and blood."

There was something in his voice that she couldn't point out. Was it simply annoyance or anger? Maybe even sadness for some reason? The fact that she couldn't tell only annoyed her in turn and brought up even more questions. Was he hiding emotions from him or was it just the fact that she couldn't read the gryphon? With those questions and many more she was left to stand there on her on as the gryphon just walked off in the direction she came from, taking a different archway into another unknown hallway. He was really a strange creature. To give him credit where it is due, he was better than those bandits for sure even if she would never admit to such a thing in front of her kidnapper. He might have saved her innocence but he still kidnapped her.

And yet her anger for the damn bird seemed to sap away more and more, being replaced by curiosity piece by piece. She wouldn't just forgive the him after he showed her some level of courtesy of course, but it nonetheless changed her first impression of him.

She sighed again and turned her head towards the hallway that the gryphon claimed lead to 'the baths'. Usually she would have been insulted by the straight forward nature of his description of her scent but one look down was enough to confirm what he claimed. Her gambeson was stained with blood of those bandits who tried to rape her.

A shudder ran through her body as the images came back to her. Her mind had received so much input all in one day it felt as if it did not happen the same day as the gryphon's kidnapping. It felt so distant and yet so close at the same time. Perhaps she should be more thankful of the gryphon for sparing her that horrible experience. To have her first time like that, being raped, or to be raped at all, was something she would gladly do without.

When she began to wander down the hallway, lid by several of those hissing lamps, all her questions came back to her. Who was he? Why was he there? How did they know there was going to be a hunt? The gryphon had called her a princess before so how did he know who she was? It all seemed so very strange. Maybe after the bath she would get more answers out of him once she collected her thoughts and questions and went about it calmly. Yes, that was what she would do. Go about it calmly and try to get on even ground with the creature. It was the same plan as before really only this time she would have more time to prepare and more patience.

It really was all she could do after all…