††† Haylee †††

Haylee’s heart was beating something fierce as she stowed her new small clothes and a towel into the rucksack. Never before had she been so nervous about going out on a romantic date with a man she liked. Things were usually uncomplicated in that regard.

Not so with Siegfried.

The chiselled warrior had accepted her in all her forms, with all her flaws. She felt safe with him— not only in a physical way but safe from judgment.

The way he hurt after she nearly sacrificed herself was had touched her deeply. And it hurt her just as much when Siegfried suffered from his memories and nightmares. She wanted to cradle him, take away his pain and let him feel safe in turn.

But that made following her physical urges difficult. She was afraid to do something wrong, to push him away and hurt their relationship.

“Gahhh!” Haylee shrieked, clutching her head in frustration. “Buckle up, girl! He’s a man, and he obviously wants you too— nothing can go wrong with that!” she psyched herself up.

Fitz had presented her with the best opportunity she could wish for, and she wasn’t going to waste it.

With focus and determination, Haylee stomped through the corridors of the fortress. Siegfried was already outside together with Fitz— a small bag slung over his shoulder. When he turned to Haylee, his features lit up. His intense gaze and the faint scar running over his right cheek gave his smile a unique, dangerous quality.

Haylee unconsciously added a spring to her step, and a smile bloomed on her face. Her worries seemed forgotten as she bounced up to his side, and Siegfried put his arm around her waist— just like when they went home from drinking with Fitz last time.

She had wondered before if it has been just the alcohol that had made him bolder. Today he alleviated her fears, pulling her close and kissing her forehead.

A cat-like purr rose from Hayley’s chest and made him chuckle. She couldn’t help it—it was part of her nature, and Siegfried seemed to find it endearing.

“Ahh, young love!” Fitz sighed dramatically

Haylee blushed while Sieg laughed it off—though he didn't correct the old lizardman.

“Reminds you of old times?” Sieg asked with a smirk.

“Sure does,” Fitz nodded. “I’ll have you know— I was kind of a legend among the girls in my prime! My masculine charm was irresistible!”

Haylee snorted. “I’m sure it was, Fitz,” she patted him playfully on the shoulder.

“Have I told you the story of Sweet Balinda already?”

Fitz happily started to spin his tales of beautiful maidens and daring conquests.

Haylee enjoyed the exaggerated, funny stories. Walking arm-in-arm with Siegfried, throwing in the occasional quip and laughing at Fitz’s retorts— it was a good time.

They reached an enormous, damp cave which their guide called ‘The Green Fields’. In truth, ‘The Yellow-Brownish Fields’ would have been a more apt description. Everything that grew down here — mostly root vegetables like potatoes — thrived without sunlight.

The rock walls curved to the right on the far side and shrunk together into a passage with a heavy wooden gate. On the right side, a stairway was leading down. Fitz explained that the stairs led to an outlet where they would fetch the water they needed.

“The gate itself should always remain closed,” the lizardman told them with a conspiratorial wink. “I’m the only one who has access to check if the reservoir stays clean,” Fitz stated with a smug grin.

The gate sported a big iron lock, and Fitz fished out a massive iron key from his vest. His old muscled strained to turn the key inside the lock, producing an audible click.

“I believe that’s the first piece of metal I’ve seen down here,” Siegfried remarked.

Fitz regarded him with curiosity. “Of course it is. The water reservoir is worth the expense, and iron is only mined at the Dread Mountain.”

“Show me, show me, show me!” Haylee jumped at the spot, diverting Fitz attention.

The old lizardman went slack-jawed for a second, his gaze following the movement of her chest. “Of course, my lady!” he bowed theatrically and opened the door. “Behold the grand wellspring of life!”

Haylee’s eyes went wide as soft, blue light revealed the magnificent grotto behind the gate. A sea of clear water spanned over a length of maybe three times the grand fortress. Blue crystals littered both the ground of the lake and the ceiling of the cave, emitting a soft glow.

“Can’t tell you what those crystals really are,” Fitz admitted. “But it’s said that the Green Witch conjured them. The reservoir never goes dry or stale, so I believe those things are responsible for it.”

Before Siegfried could ask, Haylee intermitted. “Thanks for everything, Fitz. This is grand!” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “We will be careful and close the door behind us.”

Taking the hint, Fitz bowed again and closed the door from the other side.

“Green Witch?” Siegfried asked, raising a brow.

“It might be just a myth,” Haylee answered. “No one alive has ever seen her as far as I know. But in the far west of the forest, a lot of strange things happen, and it is said that no one ever leaves the woods there alive. Some think it is genuine magic. Others believe that an unbelievably mighty ability holder resides in that part of the forest. Whatever it is, it stayed there for a very long time without expanding its territory, so everyone leaves them alone.”

“I see,” Sieg answered, dropping the bag from his shoulder to the ground. He calmly grabbed the bottom of his shirt with crossed arms and started to pull it over his head. The casualness of the action took Haylee by surprise. One moment they talked about the green witch, the next, he started to undress, and her gaze was glued to his ridiculous physic. It was the absolute confidence that accompanied his action which made Haylee’s stomach tingle.

“You’re just going to watch? Or will you change too?” he asked with a smug grin as he caught her staring.

Haylee narrowed her eyes. “Maybe turn around and give me some privacy, then I will.”

Sieg let out a disappointed sigh and turned.

“Maybe I would have let you watch if you weren’t so damn smug,” she added with a satisfied grin.

“Okay, I guess that was fair,” Sieg laughed.

Well, two could play that game, so Haylee used the moment to quickly shuck her clothes, shift into her human form and don the smallclothes she had prepared. To make the most of it, she turned sideways to him with one leg slightly bent, and the other stretched out to better showcase her assets before she told him to turn around.

††† Siegfried †††

Siegfried turned around, and his jaw dropped. He had become so accustomed to Haylee’s feline form— looking at her smooth, white skin felt kind of indecent now.

She had opted for a set of white cotton wraps that bound her chest in a way that pushed everything up instead of flattening it like her old linen bandages. Contrary to what he assumed before, her bosom sported a bit more than a handful. Her narrow waist flared out into the round shape of her behind, barely covered by a too-small piece of white fabric.

Haylee’s pose pushed up one of her buttocks a bit higher, making the view even more enticing. It was clear that she did it on purpose, but by the gods— it worked.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” Haylee smirked knowingly.

“You little minx,” Sieg growled playfully. “I’ll show you what a sassy cat gets!”

Haylee’s eyes widened, and she bolted with a squeal as Siegfried gave chase. She sprinted along the lake until she found a spot that was deep enough and dove into the cold water with a graceful plunge.

Siegfried jumped after her, although with far less grace and a far bigger splash. And he sunk to the ground of the lake like a stone.

He wasn’t a good swimmer— there had not been many opportunities apart from sneaking into the aqueducts as children. But it should have been enough to stay afloat. What he didn’t account for was his additional weight.

On the plus side, it didn’t feel like he was wading through water at all. The resistance was feeble, and his feet gripped the ground just fine. So he walked back to the shore underwater until his head breached the surface again, and he heard Haylee shout.

“Siegfried! Everything okay? What happened?” she called out while swimming towards him.

“I’m okay, don’t worry… I just forgot about a little something.”

When he explained his predicament, Haylee doubled over, laughing. It was such a sweet sound that Sieg almost forgot that she laughed at his expense. Almost.

Before she could get her bearings, Sieg ducked back into the water, bent his knees and shot from the ground in Haylee’s direction. He caught a slender foot in his hand and pulled the mischievous girl down. She struggled and tried to swim away, but there was no escape.

Siegfried casually walked back on the ground, his catch in hand, until he breached the water surface again. Haylee was still flailing, so he reeled her in slowly.

He pulled at her ankle before gripping her calf with the other hand. He pulled on her calf and grabbed her thigh, which elicited a squeak of mock terror from the playful girl. When he finally reached her waist, Sieg pulled Haylee’s back into his chest.

She was struggling fiercely, which had the, not unwelcome, effect of her behind grinding against Siegfried’s briefs which promptly got a bit tighter.

He locked his left arm across her chest, trapping her completely, before playfully biting into her collarbone.

“Ahh,” Haylee shrieked. “I yield, I yield!”

Sieg laughed, releasing his grip just a bit. “You should have thought about… that—“.

His words got stuck in his throat when Haylee turned within his arms.

The crystals’ blue light was reflected in the water and bathed Haylee’s face in a magical light. Her wet skin had an ethereal shine to it, giving her exotic features an otherworldly glow. As words failed, Siegfried settled for a kiss instead. It was a slow, soft kiss full of affection.

Until Haylee put her slender hand on his neck and started evading his mouth with her tongue.

He felt her need for him in that kiss, and his desire spiked. But more than anything, he felt the absolute need to love this woman. To show her with every kiss and touch how much she meant to him.

When they separated, neither spoke a word as they lost themselves in each other’s gaze for a while.

Sieg could have just stared into these emerald green eyes forever, but Haylee had other plans. She glided away from him gracefully, walking up towards the lakes stone ledge until her hips were at water level. The glistening wet ran down her upper body as she propped herself up with both hands, pushing out her chest, which was now hardly covered by the soaked-through cloth.

The challenging glint in her eyes stirred something deep within Siegfried, and he found himself walking towards her as if compelled by magic. And he would make sure the next hours would be as magically for her.