Rest for the Weary

I climb the temple steps one at a time, slowly, supported by my walking stick. My legs tremble, my back is hunched, though I am no wizened elder. This is only my fifty-first year. No, my body creaks under the scars and fractures taken in decades of battle. The old wounds ache even now.

Around me the forest is peacefully quiet. This temple may be better labeled a ruin, but I can feel her power here, strong as it's ever been. The mossy steps give way to a flat platform. On this old foundation a few columns remain. Other features are overgrown and obscured, save the immense dais at the far end. A thick mat of moss and vines covers it, but it is too large to hide. It sits empty. I approach.

Before the dais I prostrate myself. I open my mouth to call her name, but hesitate. Today I have not come to honor her, but to make a request. I wonder if I am worthy to do so, but I cannot dwell on it. Energy surges in the air as she materializes. The ground trembles as she moves. Skin slides on stone and moss, then stillness. I keep my head down.

A pleased sigh curls into my ears. "Good to see you, knight. Stand, please. I wish to see your face."

I struggle to my feet, but remain bowed. "Lady Karya," I greet, before standing straight.

Karya lays on her side, facing me. Her voluptuous form dominates the dais, many times the scale of a mortal woman. A patchwork of vines and leaves adorns her skin like scant clothing, and she wears a wreath of flowers like a crown. Her presence invigorates me, like a soothing balm.

"You have been away for some time, little one. I'm glad you have returned. Do you wish to talk?"

I look up at her face to reply. Her expression is unreadable. Her beauty is mesmerizing. Her dark green eyes pierce me. I know why I came, but standing here my request seems beneath her. I would be a fool to demand something of this being. Would I not?

Karya shifts on the dais, propping her head up in one hand to look down at me. "Oh, always so dutiful. To a fault, even. It's cute."

Her words embarrass me. Am I really so transparent? Nonetheless I find my voice. "My lady, I... I'm..."

"You're tired."

"Yes."

"And you want to rest."

"Y-yes."

"Is that all?"

I nod and avert my eyes.

She chuckles softly. I don't even care that she's laughing at me. Her mirth is great reassurance.

"Of course you may rest, my dear. However long you like. You've earned that much."

Relief washes over me. My legs become weak and I allow myself to fall slowly to the ground.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet, little knight. We need to get you settled in first."

"Settled in, my lady?"

Karya sits up and stretches languidly. "Yes. That old body of yours won't do. You'll rest much better within me."

Her words confuse me but it's not my place to question them. Though my trust in her is great, I feel a small prick of worry in my chest. "I... I see."

"Good. Then take your armor off. You won't be needing it."

I do as she instructs and lay the pieces in a neat pile with my sword.

Karya lowers a hand to my level and gestures with a finger. "Come."

I shuffle over. Without my walking stick I nearly fall but she catches me in her palm. Cupping her fingers around me she whisks me up to a dizzying height. She holds me before her face and inspects me for a moment. I sit still and avert my eyes from her penetrating gaze.

"You know, of all the servants I've had, you are one of my favorites."

I'm taken aback at this, but the less humble part of me loves her approval. "S-surely you have many greater servants than I."

"Greater? Perhaps. But you are a special one. I'm going to enjoy having you around."

I have no reply, but I think I'm blushing. Her plump lips twist into a smirk that dominates my peripheral vision.

After a moment of silence she speaks again. "This will be a strange experience for you, but I promise it will not be painful. Have trust in me and it will all make sense in the end."

I can't imagine what she is planning. My worry grows. It's not quite fear, but apprehension. My body tries to tense up, but the reaction is crushed by exhaustion. I close my eyes, deflated, and accept my fate.

"That's right. Calm and relaxed. This will be over before you know it," she coos to me.

Karya's warm, moist breath washes over me. It smells faintly of wildflowers and honey. I realize she must have moved me closer to her face. I tiredly peek my eyes open, just in time to see her yawning mouth engulf my vision. Her hand tips me up and I fall inside, right onto her tongue. I should be startled, or even afraid, but I can't muster the effort. I remember her words and brace myself for what comes next.

Her mouth closes. I'm a tight fit, but she manages to slurp my legs in all the way. Heat and sticky saliva surround me everywhere. Her tongue shifts in odd ways, tickling and tasting me. I resist it half-heartedly as she tilts her head back and begins to swallow. The throat's slimy grip pulls me down and I begin my descent into Karya's belly.

Her muscles ripple around me, drawing me deeper, until I am deposited into a warm, tight sack of flesh. I struggle to right myself, my limbs sinking into the soft stomach walls. Eventually I find a comfortable position and relax once more. Though I cannot see, I can hear the workings of Karya's body. All around me her heart beats, her blood pumps, her stomach moves and gurgles. It is strange and marvelous. Comforting, even.

I soon hear her voice. It's slightly muffled, but very near. Is she using magic to speak with me, or merely talking to her stomach? I cannot tell.

Karya purrs with pleasure, "Mmm, it's been too long since I've done this." I feel a gentle pressure along one wall of her stomach as she rubs it.

"You've done this before?" I reply. I don't have any company in her stomach, as far as I can tell. Did she release the others she had eaten?

"Oh, yes. And not always so gently," she chuckles, "Not that I need to eat, of course. But my curves do not come from nothing."

At first I am embarrassed to hear her speak of her beauty so casually. It takes me a moment to parse the full implication of her words.

"Am I to be digested?" I blurt out.

She laughs gently, "Yes, dear. You are in my tummy, after all."

"But..." I protest.

"Oh, digestion is far from the end for you. Just wait. You'll see."

Now at a loss, I lay back against the stomach wall. I notice that it's more wet than before. But if this is acid, it does not sting.

My surroundings abruptly contract with a rush of air. Karya lets out a soft belch. "Excuse me little one," she mutters.

The stomach is even tighter now. It's becoming uncomfortable. I squirm, pushing away the cloying, slimy flesh. Karya reacts immediately. She must feel me.

"Shhh, shhh, relax," she coos, rubbing my body through the stomach walls. Her touch calms me. I force myself to ignore the discomfort.

The acid is higher now. My legs feel strange. My body is becoming numb. Am I melting? My body no longer aches so much. It's nice.

Karya speaks again. Her tone is comforting but I can't understand the words. I'm drifting off. My body isn't solid and my mind is even more scattered. The only constants are darkness and warmth.

-----

I awake smothered by soft skin. But it's different than inside Karya's stomach. It's dry and the air is clean and cool. I cast my eyes around and see I'm laying against her soft belly. Her hand covers me like a blanket.

When she feels me moving she peeks her eyes open and sits up. I tumble into her palm but stand back up easily. It's then that I realize my body is changed. I glance at myself in confusion and Karya answers my unvoiced question.

"Just as you were when you pledged to serve me."

"I wasn't older than twenty then, I'm practically a child."

"You mortals are all children to me. I like you best this way. Young and fit and so very cute."

I do my best to ignore her lascivious words. Instead I look to the surroundings. We're indoors now. The room is high vaulted and opulent. The only light comes from torches and reflections on the marble.

"Where are we?"

"Think of it as a shared lucid dream. This is my memory of the temple before it fell. You're with me in my mind, but in reality I'm still in the ruins digesting what's left of you."

"Am I dead?"

"Not exactly. You're... retired. There are others within me. Some are waiting, some will stay permanently -- for one reason or another."

"But... how?"

"I added your soul to mine, just as my stomach is adding your body to my body."

She speaks of consuming me so candidly it's almost disturbing. Nonetheless this body is a miracle. My pain is gone. I can run. I could even fight. Yet I am not born anew. My memories still weigh on me. I do not leap at the thought of battle. There is a tiredness that goes beyond the physical.

"Will I stay here permanently?"

"Not if you wish to return. But I have a feeling you don't. Not yet at least."

My weariness only seems greater as she acknowledges it. "I don't... but if I am needed..."

She laughs. There's a bittersweet air to it. Does she pity me?

"Oh, little knight. If I need you I won't hesitate to call upon you. That day may come sooner than you think. But for now..."

"I may rest?"

"Yes," she smiles, "You may rest."

As her body freed me from pain, so to do her words free me from duty. It's so blissful I barely notice the hand that holds me rising towards her face. Close enough that I can feel her breath.

Softly, she says, "Just remember. Now that you're all mine, we're going to get more comfortable together." Before leaning in to engulf my upper body in a kiss. Her lips are softer than anything I've ever felt. Though it seems wrong I even find myself enjoying it.

Eventually Karya pulls out of the kiss. I'm far past the point of words but she doesn't seem to mind. She lays back down and places me on her chest. The dim light and the sound of her heart gently beating makes me drowsy almost immediately. An idle finger brushes my hair and I hear her whisper, "Now you're settled in."

I don't have the energy left to thank her before I doze off. But there will be plenty of time for that later.

For the first time in years I sleep peacefully.