THE GIRL ON THE BRIDGE

By Trisha Monks

(MF cons anal rim Msolo magic)


"Boring guard duty again!" Pablek complained.

"Better than a patrol in the high hills, comrade," said 
Gremnu. "And anyway, I reckon this duty might be a short 
one. Standing guard at the door of the drill hall should 
be easy enough."

Pablek shrugged, leading the way as he and Gremnu climbed 
a narrow spiral stair. It brought them after many winding 
steps to the upper tier of the fort's great citadel. 
There, at the end of a wide echoing corridor, they saw 
the huge doors of the drill hall. Two young recruits, no 
older than seventeen, stood in silent vigil on either 
side of the doors.

"Crotho and Amzer," Pablek muttered as he and Gremnu 
walked along the corridor. "They look suitably bored and 
weary."

"Stop moaning!" Gremnu replied.

Pablek pointed to a framed painting hanging on the wall 
near the end of the corridor. "What's that? It wasn't 
there last week."

Gremnu halted to gaze at the picture. It was a large 
canvas, sixteen feet square, set in a richly-carved 
mahogany frame. In vivid colours it depicted with great 
artistry a scene of deadly combat: a young woman standing 
alone, wielding a broken sword, her raven hair flying in 
the breeze. A swirling mob of savage foes surrounded her, 
but she stood undaunted, piling corpses at her feet as 
she calmly held back the enemy.

Gremnu peered at the letters deeply engraved into the 
frame. Pablek, who could neither read nor write, nudged 
his comrade's shoulder and asked: "What does the 
inscription say?"

Gremnu stepped back a pace to gain a better view of the 
picture. "It says 'The Girl On The Bridge'. The date on 
the canvas is fifty years ago, but there's no clue as to 
the battle it depicts."

"My guess is that it commemorates the Battle of Falcon 
River," said Pablek.

"Of course!" said Gremnu, with sudden recognition. "The 
woman in the picture is therefore Jennet Orshak."

Pablek grinned. "I've heard the legends of her valour, 
but they did not tell me she was so beautiful. I wonder 
what became of her?"

Gremnu shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe she still lives."

"Indeed she does!" said a voice. It was Amzer, the 
smaller of the recruits guarding the door. He and his 
companion walked over to join Pablek and Gremnu at the 
painting. All four stared at it solemnly, almost 
reverently. For a long time none of them spoke, but 
eventually Gremnu broke the silence with a wistful sigh.

"She lives still?" he said. "That is good tidings. A girl 
so lovely and so brave deserves a long life. I wonder 
where she is now?"

"Did the sergeant not tell you?" said Amzer. "Jennet 
Orshak is here at the fortress, as a guest of our 
Captain."

"She arrived last night," Crotho explained. "She sits now 
in our drill hall, enjoying the adulation of many 
important folk. Our Captain invited them here to 
celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the great victory 
at Falcon River. This fine painting was presented to him 
by Jennet's daughter, in token of the family's gratitude 
for his hospitality."

"Jennet's heroism won the battle," said Amzer, pointing 
at the picture. "Today the generals are gathered here to 
honour the memory of her lone defence of the bridge, and 
to congratulate her on reaching her seventieth birthday."

"We haven't seen her," Crotho added. "I hoped she might 
come out, but the generals and their cronies are still 
keeping her busy with endless speeches. I did so want to 
meet her." 

"You'd better take up your duty," said Amzer, to Pablek 
and Gremnu. "We're off to the barracks for some well-
earned ale. Guarding the drill hall on a warm evening is 
thirsty work, comrades!"

Gremnu patted the shoulders of the two departing recruits 
while he and Pablek took up position on either side of 
the door. From within they heard a volley of applause as 
a deep male voice began to speak.

"That sounds like our Captain," Pablek observed, and 
Gremnu nodded.

The door suddenly opened and a very pretty woman with 
long black hair stepped out, closing the door quietly 
behind her. The two guards stood to attention, for they 
saw on her short blue dress the embroidered emblems of 
her rank. She seemed to them no older than forty-five.

"It's too hot and stuffy in there!" she commented, wiping 
sweat from her brow. She smiled at the young soldiers, 
both of whom were so tall that they towered over her. "My 
name is General Orshak," she added.

Gremnu and Pablek clenched their right fists over their 
hearts in salute, and Gremnu said: "Lady, you seem so 
young. How can it be ...?"

The woman frowned, then gave a kindly laugh, realising 
the young man's error. "You mistake me for my mother, the 
girl in the picture. I am no warrior so renowned! But it 
is true that I share her likeness, so do not reproach 
yourself. How old are you, soldier?"

"My comrade and I are both eighteen," Gremnu answered, 
his cheeks still burning with embarrassment at his 
foolishness.

The captain nodded, her finely-chiselled features 
softening in a smile. "This is a weary task for two fine 
warriors of Sorkin. I relieve you of your duty. Go inside 
and get yourselves a drink and some food. The ceremony is 
nearly ended, but there's plenty of fodder left."

"But, lady ...," Gremnu stammered. "Our Captain will 
forbid it."

She shook her head. "I outrank him, so have no fear. Tell 
him that I now guard the door, if he questions you."

The two recruits bowed courteously and saluted again, 
before nervously entering the hall. It was indeed airless 
and stuffy, and also noisy, for the assembled throng 
numbered in excess of fifty people. Everyone stood 
chatting in small groups, while servants in white weaved 
among them with trays of food and jugs of wine. Many of 
the guests wore full military dress, but others appeared 
to be civilian dignitaries from the border towns. Gremnu 
recognized at least two mayors and several guildmasters. 
One of the latter, a portly middle-aged fellow in a green 
velvet coat, saw the two young soldiers skulking near the 
door and immediately walked over to them. 

"Good evening, Gremnu!" he said, his chubby face 
broadening in a grin as he poured three glasses of red 
wine. "Do you remember me?"

Gremnu bowed. "Indeed I do, Guildmaster Bryn. I trust 
that you've had no more trouble on the highway."

The guildmaster laughed. "Not since you skewered that 
bandit with a well-aimed spear! My wagons now journey in 
safety, even after nightfall."

Gremnu nodded, introducing Pablek to the guest and 
thanking him for the gift of wine. Bryn began speaking 
again, but noticed that both soldiers were now staring 
blankly into the throng, their attention drawn by a small 
woman in a long gown, who flitted gracefully from group 
to group like a butterfly. Her gown was white as snow and 
her hair hung down her back in a shimmering silver mane. 
She shared laughter with each group as she spoke briefly 
to them, and they in turn bowed reverently to her, the 
military folk saluting.

Bryn smiled at the transfixed faces of his young 
companions and sipped his wine quietly until the silver-
haired woman vanished into the crowd. As if a spell had 
been broken, the two soldiers seemed to return suddenly 
to the present world.

"A very beautiful woman," Bryn observed. "A vision of 
loveliness, like a bright angel of the heavens."

"Who is she?" Pablek inquired.

"Do you not know?" the guildmaster asked in surprise. 
"This ceremony is in her honour. She is Jennet Orshak, 
the Girl on the Bridge."

Gremnu and Pablek looked at each other, and Pablek said: 
"She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Bryn chuckled quietly. "So say all who meet her. Even 
now, with her raven hair faded to grey and her face 
patterned with fine lines, she still draws admiring 
glances from men of all ages."

Pablek swallowed a mouthful of wine and gave a long sigh. 
"That gown clings to her sleek body like a white glove. 
How does a woman of her advanced years preserve such a 
remarkable figure?"

"Jennet's beauty shines from within," Bryn answered. "Her 
body is merely the visible form of a pure spirit. And 
today, as she marks her seventieth year of life, she 
remains the very essence of loveliness."

Gremnu and Pablek caught each other's glance and shared a 
smile. No description so poetic was turning in their 
eager young minds, and Bryn was wise enough to realise 
it. He laughed with gentle self-mockery at his own words 
.

"Thus speaks a bumbling old guildmaster!" he said. 
"Perhaps I should have commented instead on her fine 
breasts and her cute little ass?"

The young soldiers shared the joke and supped their wine. 
Bryn stared at them keenly for a while, his searching 
eyes making them feel somewhat uneasy. Then, nodding 
thoughtfully but saying no word, he left them with a 
half-full jug and wandered off into the throng. In the 
midst of a circle of generals he found Jennet Orshak, 
deep in talk about old wars, but with a tug on her arm he 
took her to one side and began whispering in her ear. She 
began to giggle, putting her hands to her mouth to 
conceal her mirth.

"Don't be so silly, Bryn!" she scoffed. "What interest 
would two handsome boys have in a wrinkled crone? Stop 
teasing me!"

"I'm not teasing you, Jennet!" he protested. "I mean it. 
They're drooling over you."

"Fifty years ago, maybe," she retorted. "But not now. I'm 
just a worn-out old sack. And besides, their eyes only 
followed me because I remind them of their dear 
grandmothers back home, who I'm sure they miss terribly."

Bryn stroked his chubby chin and shook his head. "Just 
suppose that you were twenty again. Would you not feel 
flattered by their staring?"

"I might," Jennet replied.

"And would you be tempted?"

"I might!" she answered, her blue eyes twinkling.

"Then why not be tempted tonight?" he whispered in her 
ear.

"Because I'm not twenty anymore," she said ruefully.

Bryn put his arm around her shoulder and held her close. 
"Jennet Orshak, my dear friend! I think you should take 
those two young bucks to your bed."

She raised her eyebrows and grinned. "Those two baby 
warriors? Have you gone completely mad?"

"Take them to your room," he continued. "Treat yourself 
to a night of joy. You've been widowed these past five 
years. Surely you miss the affection of a good man?"

"Yes, I miss it," she replied in a soft voice.

"Then wait here, my friend, and leave this to me!"

************

"I need a favour from you both," said Bryn as he refilled 
his glass alongside Pablek and Gremnu.

"We are at your service, Guildmaster!" Gremnu replied 
courteously.

Bryn nodded and took a sip of wine. "Do you consider the 
Girl on the Bridge to be beautiful?"

Gremnu nodded, and Pablek voiced their joint reply: 
"She's exceedingly lovely, sir!"

"Well, my young comrades," Bryn resumed. "Tonight she is 
not only lovely, but also exceedingly lonely. It is my 
belief that a woman so fine and brave should not spend 
this night alone." He took another mouthful of wine and 
paused to stare at the two recruits. "Fifty years ago she 
could take her pick of any handsome man in the army. I 
would like her to be able to celebrate that memory 
tonight. Does that not seem fitting to you both?"

The young men exchanged a glance, and Gremnu asked: "What 
do you wish us to do?"  

***********

One hour later saw Bryn leading Jennet by the hand 
through a lamplit corridor on the far side of the fort. 
Doors ran along it on one side, and at one of these they 
halted.  Jennet hung back, biting her lower lip 
nervously.

"Oh, Bryn!" she whispered. "I can't do this. I feel such 
a fool!"

"Nonsense!" he hissed, opening the door and pushing her 
gently inside. He closed the door behind her and looked 
up and down the corridor, before scuttling quickly back 
to his own guestroom.

The room was small and cosy, with only a chair and a 
small table as additional furniture. Jennet stood near 
the door, staring at the two young soldiers who stood 
beside the bed. She gave a faint smile, and the men 
returned it, bowing their heads in greeting and clenching 
their fists on their chests.

Jennet chuckled. "No need to salute. I retired from the 
army twenty years ago."

"But you are the Girl on the Bridge," said Gremnu. "Your 
renown has not faded in the long years."

"Nor has your loveliness," Pablek added. "If anything, 
you are more beautiful than your image in the picture."

Jennet laughed and walked over to stand before them. They 
were tall and dark-haired, with soft brown eyes and 
tanned skin. For a brief moment, as she stared up into 
their faces, she felt like a teenage soldier flirting 
with her fellow recruits. But then she remembered that 
she was more than half a century older than them, and she 
gave a weary sigh.

"I'm old and wrinkled and worn out," she said sadly. "I 
fear that my friend Bryn has placed you both in a 
ridiculous position. Go back to your barracks, dear 
comrades, for I release you from the promise that you 
made to the Guildmaster. His intention was honourable, 
but he has made fools of the three of us."

"Lady, we do not wish to leave," said Gremnu, and he 
placed his hands on her shoulders, drawing her close.

Jennet closed her eyes and murmured softly, allowing 
herself to be held by this handsome young warrior and 
enjoying the comforting warmth of his strong arms. Her 
resistance crumbled, and she put her hands on his waist. 
She felt his finger under her chin as he tipped back her 
head, and her lips parted to receive his kiss. His tongue 
entered her mouth, and she moaned in response, kissing 
him hungrily, tasting the wine on his hot breath.

Her hair cascaded like a silver waterfall down her back, 
and Pablek came behind to caress the gleaming mane. The 
rich tresses felt soft to his touch, like threads of 
silk. His fingers stroked the full length of her spine, 
making her slim body squirm in delight. He placed both 
hands on her tiny waist before letting them roam 
leisurely over her hips and buttocks, his eyebrows 
lifting in surprise at the firmness of her body through 
the close-fitting gown.

"You still have the flesh of a young warrior," he 
observed, when Jennet and Gremnu broke from their long 
kiss.

She twisted her head to look over her shoulder. "I thank 
you for your flattery, young man. But you have not seen 
the horrors that lurk under my dress!"

"Show them to us, lady," said Gremnu, caressing her face, 
his fingers tracing the fine lines at the corners of her 
mouth and eyes.

"I'm too ashamed," she protested, and for the first time 
she seemed in real distress. Moisture sprang in her blue 
eyes, but Gremnu smiled, wiping the tears from her pale 
cheek.

"Show us, I beg you," he repeated. "More than anything 
else, my lady, we desire to see you unclothed."

"Hellfire!" she whispered through gritted teeth as Pablek 
slipped the gown off her shoulders. He pulled it down her 
body, slowly revealing her pale skin. The garment fitted 
so closely that he had to kneel on the floor in order to 
ease it down her legs. She stepped out of it and Pablek 
flung it aside, his eyes feasting on her nakedness. In 
acute embarrassment she wriggled and writhed in Gremnu's 
arms, but his strength held her close while his voice 
reassured her with softly whispered words.

Pablek remained kneeling at the rear and watched her 
sleek white body squirming, the sight greatly arousing 
him. He ignored the small creases and wrinkles that in 
places marred the smoothness of her skin, considering 
them a feature of her wisdom and of her long years of 
renown. Other delicate lines patterned the flesh behind 
her knees and beneath her buttocks, or pinched the skin 
at her waist, or ran along and under her arms. But Pablek 
barely noticed them, observing instead the neat shapely 
contours of her ass, the well-defined muscles in her legs 
and the flawless silver gleam of her hair. 

Gremnu smiled at Jennet as she gazed up into his eyes, 
for she seemed to him like a beautiful white nymph, 
caught helpless and terrified in a deadly trap. He had 
seen her cheeks blush a faint pink when the dress was 
stripped from her body, but now he hugged her to his 
chest, kissing her finely-chiselled face to calm her 
fears. Wide-eyed in wonder he stepped back, for he wanted 
to look at her, but her arms instinctively covered her 
bosom. He saw, nonetheless, the dark triangle between her 
thighs, and it made him grin, for it recalled to his mind 
the raven-haired girl in the painting.

"What's the matter?" she inquired, wondering if his grin 
was made in mockery. "Are you laughing at my ancient 
carcase?"

Gremnu shook his head. "On the contrary, lady. I am 
admiring its beauty. And I see that the years have not 
turned all your hair to silver!"

Jennet relaxed, her face creasing in a smile as she gave 
a resigned sigh. "I guess it's pointless to hide myself 
from such inquisitive boys, especially two so courteous 
as you."

And with that she lowered her arms and inhaled deeply, 
filling her lungs with air so that her bosom swelled and 
her spine arched. Gremnu heard Pablek's whistle of 
appreciation as her buttocks tightened, but he himself 
had eyes only for her breasts, which were as pert and 
shapely as those of a young woman.

"Very fine indeed!" he muttered under his breath, though 
Jennet heard it.

"Are you blind?" she said with a resigned grin. "Can't 
you see my wrinkles?"

Gremnu shook his head. In truth, he indeed saw the 
wrinkles where her bosom joined her body, but he 
dismissed them from his mind. Instead, he admired the way 
in which the breasts sat high on her chest like those of 
a breathless girl. A few fine lines fanned out from her 
dark-pink nipples, but so full and rounded were the orbs 
that the age-marks were barely visible without close 
inspection.

He caught Pablek's eye and nodded. Quickly, while Jennet 
stood watching intently, the two young soldiers stood in 
front of her and undressed. Her eyes narrowed when she 
saw their stiff erections and she licked her lips at the 
prospect of being explored by such eager flesh.

"You flatter me, comrades!" she whispered.

"No, my lady," Gremnu replied, as he and Pablek drew 
close to her. "It is you that flatters us with your 
awesome beauty."

With a nervous gasp, Jennet allowed herself to be laid on 
the bed. There she lay naked, stretched on her back, with 
a handsome teenage soldier lying on either side. Their 
cocks brushed her thighs as eager hands explored every 
inch of her body. Her silver tresses framed her face on 
the pillow as she grinned up at the ceiling.

"I am surely the luckiest grandmother in these lands!" 
she said, feeling a hand gently squeezing her breasts 
while skilled fingers caressed her hips and her flattened 
belly.

"And the loveliest!" Pablek added, his fingers roaming 
from her navel to stroke the soft dark hairs at her 
crotch.  

He blew on her cheek and she turned her head to meet his 
lips with hers. At once he became aware of the wrinkled 
skin at the corners of her mouth and it reminded him that 
she was a woman of seventy, but it did not detract from 
the intense excitement he felt when he kissed her. She 
was old, older indeed than his own grandmother, but she 
was venerable and beautiful and incredibly sensual. Both 
he and Gremnu revered her as they would a timeless 
goddess of ancient legend.

"That feels so good!" she whispered, as Pablek's 
forefinger stroked along her moist slit. Breaking from 
the kiss, she lay gasping and purring, her eyes closed 
and her dark eyelashes fluttering on her pale cheek. Her 
breath came like a hiss when Pablek's fingertip touched 
her clit, for she had almost forgotten the sensation. 
Arching her back, she clutched the bedsheet tightly. 

Gremnu noticed for the first time that her hands had been 
ravaged by age, the skin dry and wrinkled and the fingers 
like gnarled bony claws. But it mattered little, for her 
breasts felt marvellously firm as he squeezed them, and 
her nipples were so sensitive that even the slightest 
touch of his finger made the teats harden like spikes. He 
leaned over her body and licked each nipple, bringing a 
low moan from Jennet's throat. Then, with a nod to 
Pablek, he eased himself on top of her, supporting his 
weight on his arms as he manouevred his hips and legs. 
Pablek rolled aside and snuggled close to Jennet, 
watching her face as her eyes opened suddenly.

"Blood of the gods!" she whispered, as Gremnu's long 
smooth cock slipped slowly into her cunt. Her flesh 
savoured every inch of the hot shaft as it pushed deeper 
and her senses reeled in a daze of delight. She smiled 
when she heard him gasp, partly in her astonishment that 
a handsome teenage boy could find such pleasure in a 
woman of his grandmother's age. Despite the praise and 
flattery of her young bedmates, she still felt like a 
wizened crone.

"You old fool!" she muttered softly to herself, even as 
her hands reached around Gremnu's body to grasp his firm 
buttocks. A wide grin creased her face when she felt the 
ass-cheeks move in her fingers as he pumped her with the 
energy and eagerness of youth. Beside her, Pablek licked 
her neck and ears, sending tender thrills down her spine 
and heightening the climax that began to quicken in her 
body. Gremnu's thrusting became more rapid, more urgent, 
and a rhythm of groans and moans issued from between his 
gritted teeth. Sweat glistened on his brow, dampening the 
dark hair that hung over his forehead.

Pablek waited for Jennet's orgasm and caressed her 
quivering eyelashes when it came, his gaze transfixed by 
the climax of a woman so old and so beautiful. The vision 
aroused him intensely and he barely restrained his hand 
from touching his aching manhood. 

Gremnu gave a final gargled groan, throwing back his head 
as his muscular legs stiffened. With a long deep sigh he 
ejaculated, smiling at each pulse of ecstasy as his cock 
squirted its juice inside Jennet's soft warm cunt. The 
shaft was still hard when he withdrew it, dripping and 
glistening, from her slit. He rolled away to lie gasping 
alongside Jennet, wiping sweat from his face as he 
watched his friend take his place on top of her.

"She's fantastic!" he said, and Pablek acknowledged the 
comment with a nod.

Jennet lay panting and breathless, her head spinning and 
her eyes blinking. The orgasm had barely faded when she 
saw Pablek's excited face peering down at her. His hard 
cock effortlessly entered her oozing cunt and once again 
her spine arched and her body stiffened. As with Gremnu, 
the thrusting was tender but very eager and strong. 
Pablek's manhood felt even harder, like a rod of hot 
steel probing her innermost flesh. He murmured her name 
over and over as he pumped her and again she felt 
immensely flattered. Her hands squeezed his neat round 
ass and her forefinger probed between his buttocks, 
exploring deep within the tight cleft until she touched 
the little puckered hole. To her delight, Pablek gave a 
sudden yelp and his ass-cheeks squirmed in her grasp.

"Darling boy!" she whispered, feeling almost maternal and 
matronly. A tinge of guilt flickered briefly in her mind 
and for a moment she felt like an old whore seducing an 
innocent boy. But the guilt turned to a sense of mischief 
which excited her, giving her a boldness and a confidence 
that she had not known for many years. She looked up into 
Pablek's face, watching his expression change as her 
finger wormed its way inside his asshole.

That was too much for him, and he climaxed immediately. 
Jennet clasped his buttocks, feeling the muscles tighten 
as he ejaculated. He gave a small whimper at each spasm 
of his cock, and Jennet raised her head to kiss his 
sweat-soaked chest. Jets of hot fluid spurted deep within 
her cunt until she felt that her flesh would drown.

"You're so beautiful!" Pablek whispered, kissing her 
grinning mouth as he slowly eased his body aside.

Jennet gave a murmur of surprise when Gremnu rolled her 
gently onto her belly. Parting her thighs, he knelt 
between her legs and began massaging her white buttocks, 
shaking his head in astonishment at their firmness. 
Jennet closed her eyes, moaning softly when his fingers 
stroked along the dark cleft of her ass. His fingers 
probed deeper until she felt his touch upon her rear 
hole, and then he paused, hesitating. Pablek knelt beside 
her, stroking her silken silver hair and murmuring her 
name.

"Lady," said Gremnu. "If you want me to stop ..."

"Don't stop," she whispered into the white pillow.

She relaxed the muscles in her abdomen, making it easier 
for Gremnu to push his finger inside her asshole. But she 
winced in discomfort, for she knew that her rear passage 
was too dry. Gremnu realised it too, and he crouched low, 
putting his head between her thighs. Holding her buttocks 
apart with his hands, he saw the pink puckered hole 
staring back at him as he peered between her ass-cheeks. 
The hole glistened with semen that had trickled down from 
her cunt when she lay on her back. Gremnu's face burrowed 
into the cleft, his nostrils flaring at the mingled odour 
of sweat, cock-juice and a faint scent of jasmine. He 
smiled, for he had never before met a woman who perfumed 
her ass.

"Oh my!" Jennet said softly, when she felt his tongue 
licking the skin around the rim of her sensitive hole. It 
was a sensation she had once enjoyed, more than thirty 
years earlier, with her secret lover, a friend of her 
husband. The memory was brief and distant, for her 
husband had not shown a similar interest in her 
hindquarters. She barely remembered how delightful it 
felt, and she gave a sigh of pleasure when Gremnu's eager 
young tongue probed deep inside her flesh.

The sight of Jennet's buttocks squirming and writhing as 
her asshole received a thorough lubrication so aroused 
Pablek that he began to masturbate, rubbing his erect 
manhood as he knelt beside her. Hearing the slurp of his 
foreskin and his shortening breath, she twisted her head 
on the pillow to look at him. His long stiff cock bobbed 
near her left shoulder so she moved her arm to clasp her 
hand around the gleaming shaft. Pablek threw back his 
head and gave a shuddering gasp. Jennet gasped too, for 
in the same moment Gremnu slowly withdrew his wriggling 
tongue from her moistened rear orifice.

"Tell me if it hurts ...", he whispered in her ear, as he 
leaned over her, supporting his body on his right arm 
while his left hand eased his throbbing erection between 
her buttocks. 

Saliva dribbled from her asshole as his bulbous cockhead 
penetrated her flesh. Jennet cried out, in pleasure 
rather than in pain, although her rear passage had almost 
forgotten how to stretch for a well-endowed young man. 
Gremnu thrusted slowly and gently, believing that this 
slender woman of seventy would be far more fragile than 
the hardy peasant girls whom he regularly took to his 
bed. He saw her hands clawing the pillow and feared he 
might be hurting her, for her ass felt exceedingly tight 
around his cock. But Jennet reassured him by sighing 
softly and making small moans.

"Hellfire! This is just too much!" hissed Pablek, as he 
worked his manhood to orgasm. Leaning forward, he knelt 
upright and ejaculated onto Jennet's buttocks, spattering 
the skin with white fluid. The writhing movement of her 
ass-cheeks sent sticky rivulets trickling down her hips 
and onto the bedsheet.

Gremnu gave a huge gasp and tensed his muscular arms, 
savouring the exquisite climax that shuddered through his 
body as he squirted his juice inside her rear hole. He 
pumped himself dry before withdrawing slowly, his manhood 
lying slimed and flaccid on his thigh as he sat back.

"Oh, Jennet!" he said, reaching out to squeeze her 
buttocks. "You are indeed the most delicious woman in the 
Heartland!" 

She laughed, shaking her head and rolling onto her back, 
her silver tresses framing her face as she smiled at the 
two young soldiers. They gazed down at her with a 
fondness that made her heart leap, but she still could 
not accept their adoration as genuine and real. She was 
enjoying their attention immeasurably and felt happier 
than she had felt for many years, but she could not 
understand why they had chosen to spend a night with an 
old woman thrice their age.

"Well, my young friends," she said softly. "You've done 
the deed that Guildmaster Bryn asked of you. Are you now 
departing to your dormitory in the barracks?"

"If you wish us to leave, we'll leave," Gremnu replied. 
"Perhaps you wish to sleep, dear lady?"

He nodded to Pablek, and the two sprang from the bed and 
began collecting their discarded clothes. Jennet watched 
them for a while, biting her lower lip nervously while an 
anxious expression flickered in her blue eyes.

"Don't go!" she pleaded, leaning up on an elbow and 
letting her silver mane drape around her shoulders. "Will 
you not stay until the morning?"

The soldiers halted, hesitating at the foot of the bed as 
they stood clutching their garments. Gremnu suddenly 
threw his clothes aside and leapt onto the bed. Pablek 
did likewise, grinning as he returned to lie alongside 
Jennet. 

She stretched her arms and lay back, closing her eyes as 
strong hands began roaming over her skin. "My handsome 
boys!" she said.

**********

Gremnu woke in the brightness of a clear morning, 
startled from sleep by a soft tapping on the door. He 
yawned, rubbing his eyes against the pale sunshine that 
gleamed through the small window of the guestroom. 
Creeping quietly from the bed he tiptoed towards the 
door, fearing to wake Jennet and Pablek, both of whom 
were sleeping deeply and peacefully. The tapping grew 
louder.

"Alright!" Gremnu hissed. "I'm coming!"

"Is that you, Granny?" a female voice inquired urgently.

Gremnu froze in mid-pace. With bleary eyes he scanned the 
floor for his trousers, but it was too late. The door 
opened and a teenage girl with short black hair and 
bright blue eyes peered into the room. Her mouth opened 
in astonishment when she saw the naked young man staring 
at her, but then her mouth curled in a wry smile and she 
put her finger to her lips.

"Hush!" she whispered. "I'll not disturb them. But tell 
my grandmother I'll be waiting for her when she wakes. 
Our carriage departs at noon."

Gremnu blushed and gave a swift nod. The girl winked at 
him and chuckled, and then she was gone, closing the door 
silently behind her. Gremnu stooped to pick up his 
trousers and put them on, then picking up his shirt and 
boots he left the room. In the corridor he dressed 
quickly, cursing the ache in his bladder and the lateness 
of the hour. He hurried through many echoing passageways 
and across a wide courtyard until he reached the armoury, 
outside which a burly sergeant sat grumpily in the 
sunshine, flicking an iron key against his chin.

"Late again, Gremnu!" he growled. "Did you forget your 
armoury duty this morning?"

"Yes, Sergeant," came the red-faced apology. "Forgive me. 
I overslept."

A whistle from nearby drew their attention to a scrawny 
corporal who seemed to be rearranging the display of 
enemy shields and captured trophies on the armoury's 
outer wall. Gremnu and the sergeant walked over to see 
what the man was doing as he stepped back to admire his 
handiwork.

"There!" he said triumphantly. "I told the Captain 
there'd be enough space for it."

Gremnu noticed that the corporal had fixed a large glass-
fronted case to the wall, some five feet from the ground. 
The morning sun glanced off the glass, dazzling the three 
watchers, but they saw that the case held a painting in a 
wooden frame.

"The Girl on the Bridge!" the sergeant observed. 

The corporal whistled again, nudging Gremnu and pointing 
at the picture. "Now that's what I call a pretty wench! I 
reckon I'll be dreaming about her tonight."

Gremnu smiled. "Me too!" he replied.

THE END

The Girl on the Bridge. Copyright 2004 Trisha Monks.