100 Theme Challenge #89

89. Song (18+)

As Wilfrein entered the tavern of the small village he's set foot for the night, he was greeted by laughter and the smell of bile and rot. He was on a journey to deliver a message from the King, but his destination was far, and his mount couldn't endure the trip in a lone run, and neither could he. He wasn't the young knight he once was and his bones couldn't endure the bump and many obstacles of the road as much as before. Stares followed him and his shiny armor while he made his way to the counter, where the tavern owner was cleaning some wooden cups.

"What can I do for you, lad?" She asked him, smiling at him with decayed teeth.

"A pint of ale and some stew, if you please my lady," he searched his satchel for a coin of gold, which he pushed towards her. Her eyes glinted.

"Right away, sir," she hurried back to her kitchen, probably not wanting to lose that much money. Behind him, people's chatter began to lower, until silence reigned over the small establishment. Wilfrein turned around on his seat to know what it was all about. Installed in the middle of a small crowd was a bard with his lute, and as he continued to observe the man, he looked up from his instrument and began a soft melody. Wilfrein had the chance to see many bards in action, but never had he felt this entranced by the smile he gave the men before he began to sing with a deep, beautiful voice.

Troll sat alone on his seat of stone,

And munched and mumbled a bare old bone;

For many a year he had gnawed it near,

For meat was hard to come by.

Done by! Gum by!

[…]

Everybody exclaimed their joy at his performance and clapped their hands together, and the bard smiled in gratitude. He left with his lute and Wilfrein turned back to the counter to notice his food had been served. Surprisingly, it looked delicious (or his starvation helped in his delusion) and he began to eat.

"Marvelous, isn't he?" The woman said with awe in her voice, and he could only nod, for he had his mouth full.

"Thank you, Martha," a voice replied beside him. It was the bard who sat on the next seat. He eyed Wilfrein who swallowed and made a gesture for Martha.

"Could you give him a pint of ale, please?" He retrieved another coin and gave it to her. With a grin, she set off.

"Thank you, sire, but Martha gives me as much ale as I want for free."

He leaned towards him with a smirk. "I believe you've just been robbed."

Wilfrein shrugged. "Ï have more coins that I can spend, why not share them?"

"It's an interesting idea that I wished I could follow, but sadly life as a bard doesn't offer the same income than being a handsome knight."

"I'm simply a messenger," the other promptly corrected. "How much did you make for tonight?"

"A few coppers only, enough for a few meals."

The messenger pondered for a bit.

"Could I ask for a song, then?" He finally asked.

"Only for you, sire." The smile on the bard's face turned seductive, and Wilfrein noticed how his long lashed brushed against the top of his cheeks when he blinked.

"Then do you know Douce Dame Jolie?"

"Aah, a classical, so of course I do."

Wilfrein finished his meal, and the bard lead him to a room upstairs, where the noises from all those men were muffled. He adjusted his lute after he sat on the only chair.

"Feel free to remove your armor, sire. I wouldn't want it to burden you," he said with a wink. Something about his fingers running along the cords made Wilfrein's pant tighten, and he suppressed a pant. He removed his gauntlets to distract himself.

"My name's Wilfrein."

"Pleased to meet you, I am Gwilym. Now…"

He gently stroked his instrument, and there came his graceful voice.

Douce dame jolie,

Pour dieu ne pensés mie

Que nulle ait signorie

Seur moy fors vous seulement.

Qu'adès sans tricherie

Chierie

 [...] 

Wilfrein almost didn't listen to the lyrics as how interested he was by the movements of Y's lips, his burning eyes, the swept of his soft-looking hair. At the end, he smiled.

"Here, Gwilym, for your trouble," he handed him a few gold coins.

"It's too much, I couldn't accept it."

"As I said earlier, I have far more than I can spend."

Gwilym let his lute on the table of the small bedroom.

"You are too kind, Wilfrein."

---

Before he knew it, Gwilym 's arms were around him, his soft lips ravishing his. Wilfrein moaned low in his throat and pushed a hand against the back of his head, deepening the kiss as he took him by the back of his thighs and brought him to the bed. His armor was in the way, and so he began to work on the clasps and cords attaching it. With a few frustrated thugs it came undone, and Gwilym was watching him with amusement, taking his own sweet time to remove his tunic and breeches. Still, he was naked before Wilfrein and laughed with delight when Wilfrein finally crashed on him.

He set on exploring all those powerful limbs underneath his palms, their lips meeting again. The friction of naked skin was exhilarating, a sensation Wilfrein hadn't lived for many months now, and he'd missed it. He was lucky he'd found the prettiest bard in this small village to spend the night with.

Their bodies met after they finally found something to prepare Gwilym, which was a frustrating quest. Sinking into his heat, biting and sucking at his neck and collarbones while he gasped and pleaded for more, Wilfrein couldn't help but oblige. Gwilym's nails dug into his back, but the pain was dulled by his near completion. With a few more thrusts, he was groaning in his lover's ear, his hand stroking his shaft to help him reach the same end. He panted as the other purred his pleasure, wetness spreading over their lower stomaches.

(What is 100TC?)

Songs used are Troll sat alone on his seat of stone, by J. R. R. Tolkien, and the other one is Douce Dame Jolie, by Guillaume de Machaut. I wanted the bard to sing a happy song to people, but a most intimate one to Wilfrein, I thought it was more fitting that way.