An Alchemist’s Love

Mist clings to the floor as night begins to settle in, howls echo from the forest and the moon shines weakly in the sky. A new moon had just passed three days prior, so the night was barely illuminated. The darkness seeps into the edges of the forest, blurring the boundary between the castle walls and the wilderness. On nights like these, Teresa of Vern remembers why she founded this kingdom. Twenty years prior, Teresa and her lover had eloped from their home town. Their secret love was forbidden by the local knights order. Her lover, Lynk, was the son of the Silver Knight - an honourable title given to warriors who proved great valour on the battlefield. Rumour had it, that the Silver Knight had single-handedly annihilated an enemy village in one night. There was no way that Lynk's father would ever accept Teresa, a low-born farmer, as his daughter-in-law. The fear that he might find out and, in a rage, kill her, made Lynk keep the relationship a complete secret. After riding horseback for two days straight, they stumbled across a meadow in the forest. In the middle of the meadow, beside a grand oak tree, was a cabin. The building looked like any cottage home, except the middle was pinched in, as though a giant thumb had pushed down the roof until it was only 5 feet from the ground. At the narrowest point was a wooden door with a stained glass window beautifully mounted in the frame. Teresa and Lynk dismounted and tied their horses to a nearby tree at the edge of the clearing. They examined the cottage further. It seemed harmless and the windows were illuminated by a warm light from within. Lynk, had taken her by the hand and cautiously approached the cottage. He took a deep breath, looked back at Teresa, squeezed her hand and then knocked firmly on the door. Almost immediately a voice croaked "The door is open loves, just come on inside." Lynk pushed the door gently, and it creaked on its hinges slowly revealing the cottage's interior. At the entrance of the cottage was a strange hallway that ran to the opposite side, around 100 feet long. About halfway down the hallway, on both sides were two double doors made entirely of the same stained glass that was on the entrance door. Both doors were brightly illuminated from within , casting shadows of green, blue and red dancing into the hallway. They were both so mesmerised by the colourful lights, that they were startled when the hunched figure of an elderly woman shuffled up from further down the hallway. She was hidden in the shadows at the far end of the house, until she stepped in between the two glass doors. The glass doors cast red across her face, blue across her blouse and green at her feet. It was an odd spectacle to see, as she seemed more an illusion than reality. "Well, stop staring and come inside!" the elderly lady chided. "Sorry madam, I was just taken aback at finding a home in the midst of the wilderness" Lynk replied. The old woman let out a hearty laugh before shaking her head and beckoning them further inside, "No need for formalities dearie, I'm just an old hag in the forest" she coughed, before continuing, "minding my own business, making but trinkets and teas." Teresa spoke for the first time since leaving their hometown, "Is it just you here?" Her voice trembled softly, as she began to realize how afraid she had been over the last two days. The old woman, who had begun to turn away to enter the doors on the left, curiously looked back at her. Cunning shinning in her red illuminated eyes, "Do you see anyone else?" she replied. Teresa shook her head. "Well then, come on in. Let me go get'ya a cup o' tea." she offered, as she shuffled into the room on the left. Lynk, still holding her hand, guided them to the stained-glass doors, now ajar after the old woman had entered. The room opened up into a breath-catching space. Hidden from the outside perspective, the cottage had sunken floors that were dug 10 feet beneath the ground level. A beautiful oak mezzanine floor circled around the perimeter of the room looking down into the centre. The walls on the upper and lower floors were covered with bookshelves, with books disorderly placed in every direction. The oak floor seemed to meld with the roots of the neighboring oak tree, which broke through the bricks on the furthest wall. In front of them was a staircase around 12 feet wide, that majestically descended to the ground floor which was swathed in gold and purple velvets. The elderly woman had disappeared but Teresa could hear her tinkering away downstairs, out of sight, preparing the pot of tea. Lynk turned towards Teresa, eyes wide and mouth agape. "This is insane!" he whispered. Teresa, equally dumbfounded, nodded slowly, eyes still scanning across the volumes of knowledge and history that adorned these walls. "Its all smut!" cackled the older woman. They both realized that they had been standing at the top of the stairs marvelling at the sight long enough for the old woman to have finished brewing the tea. "Oh hurry on down already - both of you have your heads in the clouds! Quick now, quick." She scolded. Teresa and Lynk came down the steps, and sat where the old woman pointed (a mass of emerald and purple cushions heaped on the floor, atop a deep violet rug). "Well, let's get an introduction from you both - what's your names?" the old woman asked. "I am Lynk, and this is my.... betrothed, Teresa" he hesitated, before continuing, "we have been on the road for nearly two days, and have yet to rest. Your warm hearth and tea" he gestured broadly to the room, "are deeply appreciated!" "Well, I'm Agatha." The old woman replied succinctly. "You both reek of sweat and dirt, so drink quickly and I will point you in the direction of the baths." Agatha passed the two mugs to Teresa. "Your is the red one," she gestured at Lynk, "It's made of Bander roots. Great for reinvigorating weary muscles. As for you sweet flower, your's is the blue tea. It's made of the Lily of Vern. It's calms the nerves and gives you a coolness of heart. Wonderful for relieving fear and stress." She emphasised the last few words with a gentle pat on Teresa's back. Teresa sipped the tea, it had an acrid sweet taste, but the more she drank, the more delicious it became. The sweetness began to mellow, and a warmth similar to when you drink whiskey, began to build within her. By the time she was finished drinking the cup the coldness of the last couple days had vanished - in its place was a pleasurable warmth resting within her gut. The warmth dulled all the other feelings, and the cocoon of numbness was the first comfort she had in years. Ever since meeting Lynk, she had lived in constant fear of being caught. Warm buzz still pulsing through her veins, Agatha ushered them both back across the hallway to the other side of the house. The area was similarly sunken, however the floors were clearly divided. In the center of the room was a circular table with six seats evenly spaced around the circumference. At the middle of the table was one large vase with a single fern curled in on itself. From this center point, the room was clear,y divided into four corners. Closest to the door was a kitchen made of clay ovens and red granite counters. In the middle was a peculiar glass contraption filled with water, constantly bubbling under a low fire. The steam rose up into a woven basket filled with flowers, which let off a fragrant smell of roses and ylang ylang. Following my gaze, Agatha remarked, "Ah yes, this curiosity is my distilling apparatus." She tapped the glass with a ringed finger. Noticing Agatha's hands for the first time, they were gloved and covered in little crystals. Curiously, the crystals were on the palms of the gloves, rendering them invisible and pointless for vanity reasons. Along with the crystals on the gloves, there were two large gemmed rings on her pinky and middle finger. Both holding sapphires the size of a quails egg. An obscenely extravagant accessory for an old woman in a cottage in the woods. Agatha then pointed to the remaining three rooms, stating their use. "Closest to the door, with the front window, that is my smoking parlour. The two rooms on the opposite side are a pantry and a guest room. My room is back on the other side, more to my liking to be near my books. And down below," she beckoned to beneath the oak flooring, "is the bathing pools." Beside the smoking parlour was spiralling staircase that seemed to be carved from the trunk on one tree. They all descended into a lowly lit cavern. The room was dotted with peculiar blue lights that made the room appear submerged in water. The light radiated from jars that were filled with an aquamarine elixir. They sparkled like a bush filled with a thousand fireflies. A gasp of amazement escaped Teresa's lips, which Agatha recipricated with a proud smile. "This is my little treasure," she whispered, "there are eight pools in total. Four hot, two room temperature and two cold. There are no labels or indications otherwise, so make sure to dip a toe in first before you jump in." She stressed "jump in" while making direct eye contact with Lynk, who was pacing excitedly. Agatha walked back towards the staircase and opened a small closet that was off to one side. There were several silk robes hanging, and a few hair ribbons as well as slippers. She pulled out two robes, two sets of slippers and a hair tie for Teresa. She gently laid them behind two vanity screens made of a tinted white glass. Afterwards, almost as if out of thin air, Agatha produced two bars of soap. She palmed them into each of their hands, Lynk's smelt of sandalwood, whilst Teresa smelt of lilac and lavender. "Behind each of the screens is a a small wash basin, please wash well with soap before entering the baths. It's a b***h to clean otherwise. As for the robes, they are designed for soaking. I think I chose the right size, but feel free to change for another in the closet should I have misjudged. You can also find some fresh linen ware in the closet over here" She said while gesturing to a small alcove with a changing curtain and vanity mirror. "Well then, enjoy!" She was already halfway up the stairs by the time they turned to thank her. Immediately Lynk began taking off his shirt while rushing over to his partitioned pool. As he pulled his shirt over his head, the muscles on his back rippled like a strong river current. Running in parallel with his muscles, up and down his back, we're three heavy keloid scars. It was a beastly marking that must have taken months to heal. Rumours around town were that he had gotten them from a feral animal whilst hunting in the woods. However, Lynk had confided in Teresa that the true nature of the scars were from his fathers wrath. He had not gone into details, but Teresa didn't think she could stomach them anyways. Before turning behind the tinted glass, Lynk smiled back over his shoulder at Teresa, his dazzling hazel eyes catching the blue glow. His smile was infectious and she couldn't help but forget her worries. She watched him step behind the glass, and then blushed profusely as Lynk suddenly unbuckled his pants and stood stark naked, his exposed body perfectly silhouetted. His father's reputation for competence was not only on the battlefield, but also in the bedroom. Rumour around town spoke of women fainting merely at the sight of the Silver Knight's "other sword". Teresa had always thought the rumours to be vast exaggerations to boost his reputation. However, Lynk's shadow cast her doubts aside, "Like father like son" she caught herself thinking. Teresa and Lynk had never spent a night together, let alone seen each other naked. Therefore this revelation left her simultaneously nervous and excited. As quickly as Lynk's manhood had been exposed, it disappeared as he jumped into the wash basin and began vigourosly cleansing his filth covered body. Audible sounds of relief echoing across the chamber. Teresa sheepishly turned back to her own partition and disrobed - she looked down at her own body for a while. Observing her own curves, the swelling of her breasts and the meat in her hips and thighs. She was not slight, like the ladies of the knight's court, but instead muscled and meaty. Her pectorals were toned, pulling her honey dew sized breasts upright and perky, and her thighs held the strength of a calf. Powerful enough to ride a horse for two days with little sign of fatigue. She had yet to be deflowered and had never received a formal education - she told herself then that should she have any daughters she would be certain to teach them well. It was unnerving not knowing what to expect. With that final thought she climbed into the basin that was already filled with warm water and began to wash off the last couple days of travel. After around fifteen minutes, she heard Lynk knocking on the glass. "You about done?" he queried. "Just finishing up" replied Teresa, stepping out of the basin. She approached the glass where the robe was hanging and heard a sudden gasp and Lynk stumbling on the opposite side. "Ah s**t" she yelped, instantly grabbing the nearby robe and covering her body. She realised that her body must have cast a similar silhouette as Lynk's had earlier. She hesitated a moment before poking her head around the corner of the partition. Standing several feet away, eyes averted toward the opposite side of the pool, Lynk stood blushing. Teresa could not help but giggle. It was relieving to know they were both very new to the idea of intimacy. There eyes locked and the giggles soon rippled into a tear inducing laughter. "I am going to venture a guess and say you saw everything too?" Lynk asked. Teresa replied by laughing twice as hard. After a few moments on the cool rock floor of the bathing room, Lynk propped himself up on his elbows. He gazed at the different pools, lost in thought. Teresa watched him intently, seeing emotions play across his eyes, but his facial expression remain the same. She wondered, for the hundredth time, what he was thinking about. She reached over and placed her hand gently in the crook of his arm. He stirred from his day dreaming and looked back at Teresa. That infectious smile creeping across his face again. She felt herself swoon and if she would have been standing, perhaps her legs would have trembled. He slowly leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, then the forehead, and lastly on the lips. He pulled away slowly, allowing their lower lips to linger, the soft texture wet against one another. Lynk could feel the warmth of their intimacy spreading from his lips down through his body. He knew he would need a cold plunge or else he would be wholly consumed with desire. He swiftly rose to his feet, offering a hand down to Teresa, which she gingerly accepted. "Shall we explore?" Lynk asked "We shall" replied Teresa. Teresa stepped over to the closest pool that had steam rising from its surface. The water was translucent but with a slight green colour. There was an organic scent of lavender with a hint of sulphur rising from the pool. As she descended, she turned around to see Lynk diving into a nearby smaller pool of deep aqua blue. The look of it alone sent chills down her spine. Lynk re-emerged a few second later, his stunned expression confirming it was one of the two cold pools. As she watched him, she observed that the robes Agatha provided did not cling to the skin, like typical silk, but instead seemed to repel water. She was secretly dissapointed as she was hoping to catch a glimpse of Lynk's body beneath a translucency of wet white fabric. She took in a raspy breath and exhaled deeply - there was time for fun later, for now they would relax and recover. She closed her eyes and felt her muscles loosen, as well as the sound of Lynk joining her in the hot pool. Together they floated, hands intertwined, blissfully ignorant to whose house they had stumbled into.