Past Loves Ch. 04d: Haneha and Behn

Gordion, Achaemenid Persian Empire. Modern day Yassıhüyük, Turkey: 550 BC

The rolling tide of sunset raced Behnaz as she thundered down the King's road towards the next waypoint. She had hoped to reach the little inn on the outskirts of Gordion before the night overtook her. Both she and her horse were in desperate need of both a rest and a drink after their relentless ride eastwards from the regional capital of Susa. It had been a while since she had been required to ride through the night and she tried to avoid it as much as possible, especially on nights like this one when clouds obscured even the dim light of the moon and stars above.

Over the hill to the east she could see the plume of smoke which signalled the presence of a large town or city up ahead and knew that she must be close to her destination. And just as well as the sun behind her had descended below the cloud line and was just starting to kiss the horizon, staining the sky a dark bloated orange colour which faded through into red then deep blue ahead of her. As she crested the hill, she paused her horse for just a moment to look down into the valley below. The beast snorted and stamped its feet irritably, clearly as keen to be at the rest-stop as she was.

In the valley below, there indeed lay the city of Gordion, with the citadel mound at its centre and the large fort to the south. The massive earthen ramp that the Persian King Cyrus had ordered constructed to break the siege could still be seen leading up to the breached walls, although it had now started to sprout grass. What Behnaz was looking for however was on the outskirts of the city, beyond its walls. The traveller's inn or Chapar Khaneh was one of many such buildings constructed along the King's Road to cater to Messengers like Behnaz and the other agents of the Royal Post. She and the rest of the king's messengers carried news, correspondence and decrees from one end of the empire to another in only nine days. A journey which would normally take a caravan travelling by camel, donkey and porter over ninety days.

Thankfully though, for now Behnaz could take a rest. She would hand off her satchel of papers to a fellow messenger and get a good meal and a good night's sleep in one of the inn's beds. No doubt in the morning she would be required to ride on, or perhaps back the way she had come with yet another satchel, but for now, that could wait until dawn.

As she approached the inn her mouth already began to water at the scent of cooking meat and spiced wine that she could smell wafting out of the kitchens. Although what she really wanted after a long day's ride was a drink and a long soak in a bath. She had of course stopped off in this inn many times before and knew that they had an especially lovely bath-house.

As soon as she had thundered into the courtyard at the front of the building, her horse headed straight for the large trough of water which waited by the stables and dunked its full head into it, taking large thirsty gulps. Behnaz dismounted and gave the creature an affectionate pat on the flank to acknowledge a job well done. Clearly alerted by the sound of the hooves, one of the inn's stable-boys hurried out to meet her and she gladly handed off the reins to him before heading towards the main part of the building herself.

The inside of the inn was alive with the noise of conversation, singing and music from the small band of musicians which were playing in the corner. Clearly this was a popular rest-stop this evening for more than just the King's Messengers. From the look of things there was a whole gaggle of merchants playing at cards as well as mercenary bands who were drinking and singing along to the bawdier of the songs, also locals who eyed everyone with equal suspicion and of course numerous companion girls weaving their way between all of them. Behnaz hoped that with all of the extra bodies in here this evening that there would be room enough for her as well, she had no desire to sleep in the stables, which she had needed to do more than once.

Keeping a close hold on her satchel in case of pickpockets, Behnaz headed over to the board on the wall which was set aside specifically for members of the king's messengers and rang the small bell which hung next to it. A few heads looked up as she did so, but most looked away again, although their gazes probably lingered a little longer than they would have done if it had been a man who had rung the bell. Even though it was a job which could be done just as easily by either gender, the number of women in the king's messengers was still relatively small and so Behnaz had become used to being something of a novelty in the organisation.

Even as a novelty though, she was still an agent of the king of kings and therefore a figure of respect and even fear across the empire. And so thankfully she didn't tend to get approached by many men who were looking for more than just a friendly conversation. Before she had joined the messengers this was something that had terrified her. She was timid and withdrawn by nature and she had run out of excuses to tell her mother about why she was not yet a married woman. The truth was that she had little to no interest in hitching her saddle to the lead of a husband and seeing as joining the army was closed to her, she had chosen the next best thing and joined the messengers.

Many of the young men in Behnaz's home village had been just as disappointed as her own mother had been at this development. Even though her looks were considered somewhat plain by some, she nonetheless had plenty of features to be jealous of. She was medium height, and had soft rounded features, with a small nose and full lips. She had strong arms and legs from many hours in the saddle and her hair was thick and curly so she usually kept it tied up as tightly as she could beneath her head scarf.

Removing the dusty hot scarf now that she was inside, the other messengers in the inn seemed to regard her for a moment or two. They discussed things between themselves for a moment before one of the older ones was finally shoved forwards by his peers and approached her sullenly.

'You looking for someone to ride on eastwards?'

He asked, as he flashed the stamped leather badge that all king's messengers carried to identify each other.

'Yes,' Behnaz replied as she flashed her own badge. 'Sorry you'll be riding at night.'

The man shrugged as he accepted the satchel from her, as if it made no difference to him. Night-time riders were often paid more for their efforts so it was usually considered worth the risk for some.

'You know how it goes,' he said with a wry smile, 'neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, am I right?'

Behnaz nodded, she was familiar with the messenger's saying. They rode in all weathers and at all times of day and night. Whatever the weather, the post would always get through. She was lucky this time though to have been spared the night-time ride and be allowed to relax a bit.

- - -

A few coins later and a brief conversation with the young lad behind the bar got Behnaz a full bowl of stew from the pot as well as a healthy pitcher of beer and a small empty table away from the noise of the musicians. The baths here had indeed been very pleasant and she had that comfortable warm glow around her that one gets after getting clean after a long day. The boy behind the bar had also told her that thankfully there was one room left available so she wouldn't have to share the stables with the horses again that night. She sat quietly on her own and allowed the warmth of the stew to fill her stomach with some much needed relief. The beer was weak but pleasant enough and gave her a gentle soft feeling in her head to match the one in her body as she ate.

She wondered, as she sometimes did, about what had been in the missives that she had been carrying that day. Perhaps it was simple boring stuff like tax accounting or the records of one family's marriage to another. But perhaps it was something more exciting, like the orders to execute an un-favoured courtier, or perhaps orders for troop movements that heralded the next campaign to expand the empire even further. Behnaz sometimes wondered how much of the empire's future depended on the messages in her satchel and how much things would turn out differently if her horse trod on a scorpion mid-ride, or she was accosted by bandits while crossing the mountains. This, she supposed, was why the king had built the roads and the inns. No matter what, the post must always get through.

Behnaz was broken out of her musings by the sound of the door opening again and the whoosh of cool desert air and the distinct smell of horse that heralded the arrival of yet another messenger. She looked up to see if she recognised who it was, for messengers often crossed paths with each-other on the King's Road. When her eyes clapped onto the figure who stood dusting themselves off in the doorway she did a double take as, like the men who had blinked at her earlier, she saw that it was another female messenger who had entered the inn. She knew that such creatures must exist out there on the roads, but despite having heard of them she had never seen another woman who wore the messenger badge in the flesh.

And not only was the other messenger a woman but she was also very beautiful. She was probably around the same age as Behnaz, somewhere in her early twenties, but much taller, by at least a head-height. She wore a simple pair of baggy men's trousers, like Behnaz did for easier riding, and like her she wore a tunic on top, except that her neckline was open almost all the way down the middle of her chest in a very open and nearly scandalous display. As she looked around the inn, Behnaz saw that her features were high and delicate, with a pointed nose and chin, sharp cheekbones and a pair of dark, heavy lidded eyes which seemed to pierce the gloom of each corner of the room.

Overall the effect was quite striking and the woman drew many an eye as she walked through the crowd to address the large burly man behind the bar, who Behnaz took to be the owner. She couldn't hear what the two of them were saying but the man was doing a lot of nodding and pointed over to where the notice board for the messengers was located near where Behnaz was sitting. When he did, Behnaz realised that she had been staring at this beautiful unique woman who shared her profession and quickly looked down back at her meal as the taller messenger walked by her to ring the bell by the board.

She didn't have to wait long for someone to come and take her satchel from her, several of the other messengers who had ignored Behnaz before almost fell over one-another to introduce themselves to the newcomer. Watching out of the corner of her eye Behnaz could see that the other woman messenger politely also showed them her messenger's badge before handing over the satchel and turning away, although she could tell that the man wished the moment had lasted a little longer. Behnaz didn't blame him.

For a moment it looked as if the newcomer was about to walk out again but she paused for a moment near Behnaz's table before coming over and saying,

'Hello. Do you mind if I sit down?'

For a moment Behnaz was sure that she must have been talking to someone else, she even looked up from her drink in shock and glanced behind her for a moment, before she realised that yes, the woman had in fact been talking to her.

'Erm, no, that's fine.' she stammered, 'please sit down.'

The woman smiled and pulled out the chair to the right of Behnaz and held out her hand in greeting.

'My name's Haneha, nice to meet you.'

'Behnaz,'

Behnaz replied, her hand automatically reaching out to take Haneha's. Her skin was rough but warm and her smile was strangely hypnotising, it drew the eye like the sun sparkling on water.

'I wanted to come over and introduce myself, it's not often that I see another woman who wears the badge. How long have you been riding?'

'Two years,'

Behnaz replied lamely. She found herself slightly stunned by Haneha, like a deer who had just seen that it was being sighted by a hunter. She wanted desperately to engage in conversation with this woman and to see that intoxicating smile more. But she found that her mouth felt like it was filled with wool and her hands were shaking and clammy. She realised that she was still holding her hand and she withdrew it quickly in embarrassment.

'I've only worn the badge for about three months now,' Haneha continued, 'I think I've travelled further in those three months than I ever did in my life before. It's wonderful, isn't it? Seeing new places and meeting new people every day, getting to travel the world. Although I wish there was a more comfortable saddle.'

Haneha laughed a little at her own comment and Behnaz found herself joining in with the laugh, so infectious was her wide smile and dazzling dark eyes.

'It's something you get used to,' she managed to reply at last, 'I recommend more cushioning, or, you know, just have a rear like mine.'

Haneha raised an eyebrow at this and Behnaz realised that she might have said a little too much a little too fast, the beer must have been lowering her usual shyness. She blushed deeply and took another big swig to try and hide her embarrassment. A small smirk played across Haneha's face and she tilted herself sideways around the table they were both sitting at to get a view of Behnaz's lower half. She smiled broadly and raised both eyebrows at her as she straightened back up.

'Behnaz, a behind like yours is something that many women dream about having. A real peach! Now there's a cushion I know I would get the best night's sleep on, if I were to rest my head on it.'

The drink stayed perfectly still, pressed to Behnaz's lips, as she soaked in that last sentence. Was this woman flirting with her?! Not that she minded, what with Haneha being one of the most beautiful women she had ever laid eyes on, but surely not, surely she was just joking and being friendly.

Haneha broke Behnaz's moment of tense confusion by winking at her playfully and making to stand up.

'It's nice to meet you Behnaz. I'm going to have a wash, I hear the baths here are pretty good, but perhaps I'll see you later tonight? We can swap road stories, Peach.'

She said with a wink.

'I... Yes! You too!'

Behnaz stammered, still confounded and flustered by this woman's mere presence so close to her, and the cute nickname left her utterly flummoxed. She watched her walk away towards the bath house and thought, as she watched her hips sway with every step, that Haneha really didn't have anything to be jealous of where rear ends were concerned. She was not as plump as her for sure, but size wasn't everything.

For a brief moment she considered following Haneha to the baths, there would be nothing untoward about two women bathing together, and she very much wanted to see what her new acquaintance looked like beneath those dusty road clothes. But she quickly thought better of it, she had already bathed and it would be very impolite of her to intrude on another's bathing time, especially if it was just so that she could ogle at her naked. The idea did excite her quite nicely though and there was a growing warmth inside her stomach which had little to do with the weak beer she had consumed with her meal. Perhaps she would retreat to her room for a little while, just while Haneha was bathing, and 'dream' of her. Then she could return and hopefully get to know this dazzling fellow messenger a little better when her head was clearer.

- - -

When she got up to the small room that she had booked with the boy behind the bar earlier, she found that it was small and simple, but clean. There was a bed with a wool-stuffed mattress and a single washbasin with a jug of water already provided. She closed the door behind her, collapsed gratefully onto the bed and lay there for a moment or two just staring at the ceiling. She could still hear the distant sound of the musicians in the main room down below which was joined by the steady low rumble of many voices. By comparison this room felt very peaceful and serene, a rare small haven of private solitude. Many of the other Chapar Khaneh along the King's Road simply had one large dormitory for their overnight guests, so a single room was something that Behnaz rarely had the opportunity to take advantage of.

The small oil lamp that she had brought with her flickered its dim yellow light across the room as she began to slowly disrobe. As she did, her thoughts returned to the enigmatic Haneha she had met downstairs. To the curve of her neck and the flash of her smile. As each garment dropped from her hand and fell to the floor, she wondered what it would be like to have Haneha removing them with her rough fingers, rather than her own, how it would feel to have her tips of them lightly brush against her skin as she pulled at her clothing. She felt herself warming as she imagined it, closing her eyes to more clearly picture this gorgeous woman in her mind.

As the last of her clothes fell away, Behnaz let the relative chill of the night-time air through the window shutters linger on her skin. She felt her nipples harden slightly at the touch of the air, spurred on by her arousal and she imagined that it was Haneha's cool breath softly caressing her. She got under the blankets to get comfortable and with slow but deliberate movements began to explore her own body with her hands, caressing first her own hips and sides before reaching one hand up to cup lightly on an exposed breast, her fingers working delicately on the hardened tip.

Her other hand worked its way downwards over her navel until she buried her fingers in the short wiry patch of dark brown hair which nestled between her legs. As she cupped the warm mound there she bit her lip lightly and her closed eyelids fluttered. Her two forefingers pressed down lightly on the sensitive area at the crux of her slit and began to move in slow delicate circles, stimulating a small glimmer of pleasure with their movement. She sighed softly and continued to imagine the touch of the enticing messenger woman, currently in the bath house not far from where she currently lay. A small part of her felt weird and perverse for engaging in such a fantasy about a woman that she had just met, but the louder more insistent part of her begged her fingers to continue.

All her life Behnaz had been sure that women were the more attractive gender. As she reached maturity and many of the other girls of her age pursued the men and boys of a similar age, she had never seen the attraction. There had been times when she had lusted or yearned after another girl, but the affection was very rarely been returned in the same way. There had been a few times when she had kissed another girl, and even more than that. But these fumbling forays had usually been very brief encounters, experiments as both of them tested the boundaries of what they were comfortable with. Inevitably, the other girl would usually decide that they had gone as far as they wanted to, and Behnaz was left wanting more.

It was for this reason and others beside that Behnaz was often responsible for her own pleasure, and was usually very comfortable with that idea. The life of a messenger was not one which was suited for forming long-term relationships, as they were always on the move. But sometimes, like tonight, she found that she yearned for the touch of another person, even briefly. And so her body and mind had latched on to the one other woman whom she had even spoken with for more than a month. The fact that Haneha had been both beautiful and charming were also things which made the fantasy that much easier for Behnaz to indulge in.

Her fingers were now becoming slick with the wetness which had bloomed between her legs and her cheeks were flushed with warmth as the tempo of her hand increased slowly. Although she was still very much relaxed and softy enjoying herself, her limbs writhed a little under her own ministrations and a small involuntary moan of pleasure escaped from her lips as she plucked delicately on her nipple with her other hand. Behind her closed eyelids she could see the sway of Haneha's backside as she walked away from her, the narrow form of her hips and the long luxurious sweep of her hair. She imagined her voice, soft and breathy and tried to imagine what she would sound like if she were also in the throes of pleasure.

She was so lost in her fantasy that she did not even notice the footsteps in the corridor outside until she heard the wooden key in the door and the bolt being pulled back, then the quiet creak of the hinges as someone entered the room. In a moment of panic, her hands went to the bedsheets and pulled them up securely around her to hide her nakedness and she let out a cry of alarm. The person entering also jumped in surprise, clearly not expecting to find someone already in the room and Behnaz saw with a moment of elation and horror that it was Haneha herself who had entered.

She was wearing a simple cover-all gown rather than the dusty road clothes that she had been in earlier and her hair was pulled up into a loose woollen wrap atop her head, to help it dry. Even in this simple and informal garb, she still somehow managed to appear enticing and alluring. Her expression though was one of bemused surprise, as if unsure how to proceed, finding Behnaz in the room she had just entered. Behnaz herself was utterly petrified. Why was she here? Had she seen what she had been doing? Had she got the wrong room? What should she do?!

'Erm... hello...'

Haneha finally managed to say as she frowned her pretty eyebrows at Behnaz, still mostly hidden by the bedsheets.

'I'm sorry darling, not that I mind so much, but I think you might be in my bed.'

She continued as she held up the simple wooden key that she had used to unlock the door. Behanaz's eyes went to the duplicate key that she had laid on the small table beside the bed, just next to the oil lamp and when she looked back up she saw that Haneha had noticed it as well.

'Ah...' Haneha said with a wry smile. 'When I asked for a room, the owner of this place said that there was only one room left. He gave me the only key he had. Said that his son must have lost the other one. I suppose you must have had a similar conversation with the son?'

Behnaz nodded timidly, still very much aware that she was completely naked under the sheets and that she had until very recently been pleasuring herself while thinking of this woman who was standing before her in nothing but a simple cloth robe.

'Oh curses, what a terrible mix up!'

Haneha exclaimed, although there was an air of amused acceptance in her voice rather than annoyance.

'This whole inn, all full up and only one bed for the two late arriving messengers. I will certainly have a word with that innkeeper, and his boy too if I can find him! But no matter, sorry to disturb you Behnaz, I'll sleep in the stable tonight. Good night.'

'No!' Behnaz cried out instinctively as Haneha turned to leave. 'No, you don't have to! Please, take this room, you've had a longer ride. I'll sleep in the stables, it'll be fine please! Just... erm... just give me a moment to get my things and you can have the bed!'

Behnaz didn't know why she was bending herself over backwards to try and please this woman even though the mistake had not been her own. But she knew that she would never be able to sleep a wink if she forced Haneha out into the cold stables for lack of a bed.

'Don't be ridiculous Behnaz, you sweet peach.' Haneha argued back, 'You were here first, the bed is yours, its fine really.'

'No, look...! Behnaz called out in one last impulsive plea, 'Look the bed's quite wide, I think there's plenty of space for the both of us, and it'll be warmer, and you won't have to... leave... and, erm.'

Her sentence stumbled to a halt as Haneha turned back into the room and fixed her with an appraising look, the yellow light of the oil lamp flickering delicately in her dark eyes as she stood in the doorway.

'You'd like to share a bed with me?' She asked after a moment's hesitation.

'No... I mean, yes, that's fine. If you're okay with that too, I mean.'

Behanz mumbled back, all of a sudden unable to meet this beautiful woman in the eye. She was once again very aware that she was completely naked and the memory of the fantasy she had until recently been indulging in rushed back to her and she blushed hard once more. This was a terrible mistake, but she had already said too much to go back on it now.

'Alright then sweet peach,' Haneha said after another moment's thought, 'move on over.'

With that Haneha loosened the wrap around her hair and untied the fabric sash that kept her simple robe covering wrapped around her, letting it fall to the floor alongside Behnaz's own discarded clothes. Behnaz gasped and she immediately averted her eyes when she saw that Haneha had been completely naked under the modest gown too and now she clambered into bed alongside her.

'Ah, a fellow nude sleeper I see.' Haneha mused with a small smile as she pulled back the bedsheets. 'Good. I always find it saves time, don't you?'

Behnaz's heart felt like it was in her mouth as she shuffled over in the simple bed, which was not quite as wide as her imagination had made it in her moment of panic. She could feel the body heat off of this woman radiating from her like a warm fire and she knew that if she were to move even slightly then their naked bodies would surely touch. Also what had she meant by 'it saves time?!' Her body had gone as stiff as a board in embarrassed panic and she lay there with her hands at her sides and her legs out straight as she stared at the ceiling in a mixture of fear, disbelief that this was even happening and also unquenchable desire. Beside her, Haneha seemed perfectly at ease by comparison and lay on her side with her head on the soft pillows, looking over at Behnaz with her sleepy heavy lidded eyes.

'Thank you for inviting me into your bed Behnaz, my sweet peach.' She breathed softly, 'I'm very glad that you did, it's not often that I get to share a bed with someone as beautiful as you.'

Behnaz was sure that Haneha must be able to hear the rampant beating of her excited heart. This was surely not real, this was a continuation of her fantasy, or a dream that she had slipped into. But if it was a dream, then it wasn't one that she wanted to wake up from.

With a slow, tentative movement, she turned her head to meet the gaze of Haneha laying naked in the bed beside her. She saw the lustrous heavenly shadow of her eyelids, the soft gentle parting of her lips, and the complete bare fullness of her shoulders and upper chest. With her pulse beating loud in her ears and her skin feeling like it was being licked by tongues of fire, she ever so slowly leant forward, and saw a small satisfied smile pluck at the edges of Haneha's gorgeous lips. There was no going back now. The two messenger women lay side by side in the single bed and as their heads leaned in towards one another, their hands reached up too, their fingers gently intertwining as their lips finally, softly met in a long nervous tender kiss.

To Behnaz the moment was beyond bliss, it was a release of a tension that she didn't even realised that she had been carrying inside her. She shivered slightly at the delicious warmth of Haneha under the bedsheets alongside her. She revelled in the wine-dark taste of her lips, the soft delicate feel of their palms pressing together, and the gentle happy moan of delight which escaped her lips as they parted.

'I really feared you were about to let me go there, sweet peach.'

Haneha sighed with a grin as she reached up with her free hand to gently cup the side of Behnaz's face.

Behnaz responded to the light teasing by diving back into place another more full-mouthed kiss on her lips and pulled her body in tightly to hers as they ground themselves into each other. Their lips parted and she felt the delicious invasive sensation of Haneha's tongue trying to bury itself down her throat. Her body felt warm and soft, and smooth, and delightfully responsive to her touch. Her rough hands played lightly across her back and reached down to cup firmly at her small perfectly formed behind. As she did, she felt Haneha respond in kind, the nails of one hand scraping a firm line down her back, making her moan into her mouth at the delightfully sharp sensation. She also felt her other arm reach around behind her and try to grab a handful of her own far more ample behind in her delicate yet calloused hands.

'Mmmm, such a delicious peach.'

Haneha moaned slightly as Behnaz broke their lips apart to trace a line of kisses down her cheek and across her jawline and neck. She was now no longer in doubt that this was really happening, for no dream or fantasy could ever have imagined just how wonderful it felt to hold this beautiful, delicious woman in her arms.

Both of them had now reached up a hand so that they could cup at the other's breasts and play delicately with the nipples which pressed lightly together as they embraced. Behnaz's were the larger and softer of the pair, while Haneha's were small and firm with a light brownish pink nipple which hardened to small raisins under Behnaz's fingertips. As soon as their fingers found the other's again, they held hands for a moment longer as their mouths also met in a long slow loving kiss, each languishing for a short moment in the other's arms.

Very slowly their entwined palms began to lower, each sensing what the other wanted as their kiss intensified and their breathing increased in passion. Their hands delicately parted and with small but inquisitive motions began to explore what lay between the other's legs. Behnaz of course was already sopping wet, both from her own earlier ministrations and the excitement of living out the fantasy that she had indulged in.

As she reached out and delicately cupped the space between Haneha's legs, she was suddenly unsure of how to proceed. She had been with other women in the past, sometimes, but never enough to truly master the art of bringing pleasure to another woman, and had mostly only had her own pleasure to worry about. The mound now nestling in her palm had less hair on it than Behnaz's own, and the hair was softer and downier, like that of a young lamb's. Her inner lips were also hidden within her slit, but even so Behnaz's fingertips soon felt the dewy slickness bloom under her palm as she began to gently massage her.

A small gasp came unbidden from Behnaz's mouth as Haneha's middle finger ploughed its way up the slick central furrow of her hole. She lost all concentration on what she had been doing with her own fingers between Haneha's legs. Instead she merely bit her lip and ground her hips forward into her hand as the other woman pressed the tip of her finger into the forgotten crux of vibrant pleasure at the head of her slit.

'Oooohh! You're so wet already.'

Haneha teased once more as her finger began to make small light rotations in a similar manner to what Behnaz's own fingers had been doing not long before.

'What were you doing up here in this cold lonely bed, all alone and naked, my peach?'

'I was thinking of you!'

Behnaz breathed out in a desperate confession as she felt Haneha bite down on her neckline.

'Mmmmmnn, that's what I thought. I saw the way you looked at me downstairs. I knew you wanted me, because I wanted you too.'

Behnaz finally recovered enough of her attention from what Haneha's fingers were doing between her legs, and she too continued to gently massage at the soft warm mound in her palm, trying to reciprocate the delightful feelings that this woman was giving her. She seemed to be doing the right thing as she felt a spreading warmth across her fingers as Haneha's own slick wetness began to flow and she heard her breathy moans join her own. All the while the two of them continued to alternately kiss, bite and nibble at each other's necklines, stroke their free hands over exposed skin, and let out little cries of pleasure under the other's attentions.

Slowly and steadily, matching the rhythm on her own tender mound, Behnaz teased apart the outer lips to Haneha's wet inner slit, feeling the hot slickness within and coating her fingers in it. She tentatively searched for the delicate and tender bud of flesh which lay at the head of her slit, so that she could match the glorious sensations that Haneha was currently rubbing out of her own bud. She knew that she had reached the right spot when Haneha let out a breathy moan and scored another line of her nails down her back. Finding the same spot again she pressed her thumb ever so gently onto it, before beginning to flick it slowly and softly back and forth.

All the while Haneha's hand had been grinding a steady rhythm like the wheel of a cart around the same spot between Behnaz's legs. The sensation was achingly wonderful, each rotation of her two middle fingers building a steady incline of pleasure which filled her whole midriff with a dark delight. The added scent in their air of their joint arousal combined with the warmth of Haneha's soft skin pressed so tightly up beside her and those hot short breaths on her neck overwhelmed Behnaz's mind and stripped her of all thought. There was nothing but the sensations she was feeling from her skin, her heart and the growing wild pleasure between her legs.

Acting almost on automatic impulse, Behnaz also extended her own two middle fingers and with persistent pressure, penetrated the now sopping wet hole between Haneha's legs, while all the time never letting up on her thumb's gentle flicking to and fro across her hole's head.

'Oh! Yes!' Haneha gasped with delight, 'Yes, your fingers feel so good inside me!'

Behnaz took this encouragement and began to firmly crook her fingers inside her, rubbing the tips across the ridged inner walls of her hole and making her grind her hips along with the motion. Her hand almost seemed to be able to perform this pleasure-giving motion without Behnaz even thinking about it, as her own thoughts were swiftly becoming deadened with the overpowering wonderful climb of pleasure which Haneha's fingers were eking out of her.

Her back arched and her brow furrowed in concentration, her breath came short and fast, as if she was gasping for air on a mountain pass. Her skin felt hot and all her muscles ached for release, a release which was building with each passing moment as those incredible fingers performed their inexorable dance across her responsive slit.

Yes! Yes!'

She moaned desperately, feeling like she was approaching the very crest of the mountaintop she had been climbing.

'Don't stop! I'm so close, right there... Oh!'

With this final plea uttered, Behnaz felt herself plunge over the horizon that Haneha had been driving her towards. She thundered forwards and down the long winding slope of pleasure which plunged down into the glorious dark abyss below. She felt her body bucking into Haneha's fingers like a galloping horse and she wasn't sure if the pent up cry of pleasure she released was out loud or just in her own head. She didn't know how long she cantered down that steep path into that gorge below, but eventually, the road petered out and she rolled over the last few smaller hillocks of her pleasure down into the plain beyond. Her ride continued but she found that her hand had been continuing its mission all on its own and was still moving in harmony with Haneha's grinding hips as the woman chased her own release.

With the bliss-induced fog fading from her mind, Behnaz was able to devote her full attention to the same completion of her surprise bed-mate. She continued to hold her tight in her arms and bit down harder on her neckline, causing her to cry out again and grasp the back of head tightly with her free hand. The gentle strumming motion of her fingers caused Haneha to let out a small insistent moan with each rotation of her thumb and crook of her fingers inside her. As she increased the tempo, the moans came more and more insistently and her breath became shorter and more desperate, as if she too were approaching the same crest of the mountain top.

The two of them were now glistening in sweat, their bodies grinding haplessly into one-another and their limbs intertwined like the roots of a tree until it became impossible to separate them. The two of them looked up into the other's eyes in the dying light of the oil lamp and saw the joy of the other filling them up as they pressed their foreheads together.

The motion of Behnaz's hand between Haneha's legs now felt like a blur, like the motions of a galloping horse. Her hips bucked in unison and she saw her eyes roll back in her head as her mouth opened wide and her whole body went briefly rigid before convulsing shakily in her arms. Behnaz buried her fingers deep inside of her as she came, her thumb pressed solidly into the quivering head of Haneha's sopping wet mound.

With several gasping shuddering breaths that were almost sobs, Haneha's body finally relaxed from the orgasm that had ripped through her and she went delightfully limp in Behnaz's arms. Basking in the afterglow of their sex, the two women lay side by side in the small bed as the last of the oil lamp flickered out, leaving them in darkness. Soon, the sound of gentle kisses filled the room once more along with tender mumbled intimate words.

Come morning the two of them would part once more and go their separate ways, Haneha heading north and west towards Susa, Behnaz collecting a new message and heading South and East towards Sardis. But for now they lay together in the other's arms, content and exhilarated to be sharing the bed they lay in tonight. And besides, tonight did not have to be the only night. After all, there was only one King's Road, and the messengers were ever traveling up and down it. Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night would keep them apart forever.