Chapter Twenty-Seven
YAVARA
Brock and I stood in his tent, pouring over the war map as we discussed our next move. It had been two weeks since our victory, and the elven army was far from broken. Despite inferior numbers, Field Marshal Deltian had fought us to a draw three times, and entrenched himself just at the edge of The Tundra.
“Deltian is smart,” Brock sighed, “he’s constructed three forts twenty miles apart, and divided his army between them. He put them right on the plateaus, so we would either have to go around for a hundred miles and expose the forest to his army, or scale the cliffs, and lose half our men doing so.”
“This fort right here,” I said, pointing at the fortress furthest to the south, “it’s right on the path to Alkandra. Should I be worried?”
“You should,” Brock said, “he put it there to threaten an attack on Alkandra, forcing us to stretch our line thin. He’ll force us to account for a possible attack on Alkandra while he reinforces the northern two forts. When the time is right, he’ll launch a second invasion front to the north.”
“It sounds like we should operate in kind,” I replied, “build fortresses on favorable ground, and wait him out. A stalemate is a victory for me.”
“That will be a hard sell for The Ten,” Brock replied, “we’ve pushed the elven army back to edge of The Tundra. They see Deltian’s tactical retreats as weakness, and will want to press the attack. Entrenching and waiting will draw this war out indefinitely, and every day we sit idly, the clans grow restless. We could win this war with a single strong push; sustain the losses of scaling the cliffs, and then push through their lines to Bentius. It would be a gamble, but I’m betting Deltian uses his southern army to chase us, and not attack Alkandra. His armies will be too slow, and we’ll win.”
“We are not invading The Highlands,” I said, “our trade relationship with Ardeni hinges on it.”
“You told me you thought about sacking Traughtius to supplement our income,” Brock said, “it would still be tactically advantageous to do so; it sits just twenty miles northwest of Castle Thorum. We wouldn’t need Ardeni gold then.”
“And my credibility as a ruler would be gone,” I said, “and I would be a tyrant.”
“The Ten would follow a tyrant,” Brock said, “you don’t want them to think you have sympathy for your formal people.”
“You are their Froktora and I am your queen,” I replied, “their desires are noted, but will not affect our strategy.”
“Then you’ll need to find a way to keep them complacent.” Brock said, “Give them land, titles and wealth.”
“You’re telling me to make my kingdom a feudal state,” I said, “it might work in the short term, but in the long run, I’ll be beholden to the whims of orc lords.”
“Alkandi reigned for five hundred years doing just that,” Brock said, “she managed.”
“And immediately after her death, her kingdom fell apart because of squabbling and infighting.” I replied, “I don’t intend to leave a legacy of civil war.”
“The root of the problem,” Brock sighed, “is that orcs are tribal people. I deal with their pettiness on a daily basis, and it’s wearing me thin. You need to find a way to homogenize them. Make them one people under your rule, and your reincarnation will not have to deal with the same mess Alkandi left after her death.”
“How do we break the cycle?” I asked, “How do we strip The Ten of their tribal identities and merge their people?”
“Centralization of power,” Brock said, “we’ve unified the orcs under my leadership, but I’m only The Froktora. I can lead them into battle, but I still must recognize the chieftains as leaders of separate clans. I am the chieftain of chieftains, not the king of orcs.”
“I am the queen of orcs,” I sighed, “but I still don’t have the influence to break these clans up. Even after everything we’ve done, we’re still just a loose conglomerate of clans. The Ten are asking for separate plots of land in Alkandra, as though they were setting up embassies in their own country. I agree with you, Brock, centralization is key, but how the fuck do we concentrate power in Alkandra, when The Ten plan on returning to their territory in The Tundra after the war is over?”
“How does The Highlands keep their power centralized?” Brock asked.
“With tactical marriages.” I replied, “The members of the noble court are always looking for a way to advance their position. If one gets too powerful for the crown to ignore, a marriage unites the two families and neutralizes the threat. I was to be married for similar reasons.”
“Marriage…” Brock said slyly, “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“That’s an interesting idea,” I said, completely oblivious to his implication, “I suppose a series of inter-clan marriages could entangle The Ten enough to make them more monolithic.”
“That wasn’t what I had in mind.” Brock said, looking up at me from the war map.
“And what do you have on your mind?” I smirked with crossed arms.
“A permanent bond between the orcs and the crown,” Brock said, moving to me from around the table, “a seat next to yours in the great hall of your castle.”
“Is this a proposal?” I giggled at Brock’s audacity.
“I don’t have flowers or a ring,” Brock smiled down at me, “but I have an army.”
“My sister,” I said, turning to Brock and resting my hands behind me on the table, “warned me that you might be too powerful and ambitious for me to control. And now you’re proposing marriage, without even taking a knee?”
“You don’t want a man that will bend to you.” Brock responded, looming over me.
“No,” I smiled, “I want a man that will bow to me. You’re forgetting your place, Froktora.”
“My place is by your side,” Brock said, stepping closer, “and you need a king.”
“Do I?” I laughed, “And why should you be that man? You said you have an army, but isn’t it my army?”
“It is your army,” Brock said, leaning forward and resting his hands on the table on either side of me, “but you will live for hundreds of years, and I will die well before that. When I’m dead, the chieftains will want to elect a new Froktora, and you may not be able to control who is chosen.”
“And if I marry you,” I said, opening my legs tactfully, “how does that guarantee me consolidation of the clans?”
“If the Froktora becomes king,” Brock said, placing his hands on my hips, “then the position of Froktora is absorbed into the monarchy, and ceases to exists. I will die as the last Froktora, and only the crown will remain.”
“That’s an enticing thought, Brock,” I said, pushing my ass onto the table, “but I can’t help but wonder: is your little power-play in my best interest? How much power do I really want to give you?”
“Are you suspicious of me?” Brock grinned as placed a thumb on my waistband, “Did your sister sew words of poison into your mind?”
“My sister is manipulative,” I said, undoing the lacing on my corset, “but she knows power better than anyone. She knows who seeks it, and she knows the dangers of giving someone too much.”
“I seek power for my selfish reasons,” Brock said as he pulled my thong down my legs, “but I have always been loyal to you. I was loyal the moment I realized who you were, and I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me since. I will remain loyal to you until my dying breath.”
“Then propose to me as a suitor,” I said, pushing him back with my boot heel, “just because I’m a slut, doesn’t mean I don’t like a little romance.”
Brock smiled at me and dropped to a knee.
“Queen Yavara Alkandi,” he said with hopeful eyes, “will you marry me?”
“Froktora Brock Terdini,” I smiled, “I will marry you.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brock stood up, grinning from ear to ear. He leaned forward and ripped my corset down the middle, sending my full, bronze breasts flying out.
“You know it’s going to be an open marriage,” I gasped as I turned over on my stomach, “right?”
“Of course,” Brock said, sliding his cock between my ass cheeks, “but I’ll still need to put a daughter in you.”
“Not now,” I smiled back lustfully, “I’m still on birth control; let’s do it like we did the first time.”
“In your ass?”
“That’s right,” I giggled, “in,” (twerk) “my,” (twerk) “ass.” (twerk, twerk).
“God, you’re an anal whore.” Brock ginned.
“That’s a hell of a thing to say to your future wife,” I laughed, “but you’re right.”
I moaned my need and spread my asshole with both hands, prepping myself with my middle and ring fingers. Two of Brock’s fingers joined mine, prompting a delighted gasp to burst from my lips as his thick digits drove into my tight rim. I took my fingers out and placed them in my mouth, sucking my ass from them as I looked lustfully back at my fiancé. Brock pushed two more fingers in, stretching my ass just right, forcing my sphincter to expand delectably. I hummed a moan around my fingers and stared my desire into his eyes. He held his hand in place, and ginned. I smiled over my shoulder and slid my ass back, taking more and more of him deeper until I was to the knuckle. Brock pushed his thumb in my ass and drove to the wrist.
“Oh, fuck!” I cried out. My hips shifted up and my hands pressed against the table. I recovered from the lustful shock, and then moved my body further back, greedily consuming his forearm, my tight rim constricting around him as it stretched. I found my depth and then slid forward, shuttering as my insides pulled from me and clung hungrily to the orc’s arm. I pulled all the way until I got to his wrist. I looked back with a furrowed brow and a gaping mouth, and then lurched forward. My insides came out in a tight, red ball, sending a shock of pleasure ripping up my spine. I yelped in delight and shook my hips, moaning as I felt my sensitive insides exposed to the elements.
“Push me back in.” I whispered lustfully.
Brock’s hard tip pressed against my tender anal pedals. My inner-flesh was so sensitive, and the way his tip was pushing into it was driving me insane. I moaned with a trembling lip, my pussy gushing in readiness, eagerly awaiting my anal defilement. Brock grabbed my hips, and then pushed all the way in. My back arched with an increasing angle the deeper he went. When his pelvis pressed against my ass, I was practically bending backward in pleasure. My neck strained from the unnatural tilt of my head as I screamed out. I faced my fiancé upside down, my eyes quivering in delight and my mouth panting in excitement. Brock smiled back at me and pulled out slowly. I kept my back in its uncomfortable arch and shifted my knees below my hips. He pushed in again, faster this time, sending my body lurching forward. My head snapped down and my shoulder blades protruded from my back. I gritted my teeth and tightly closed my eyes, my body overcome with the beautiful pain of sodomy. My mouth finally yielded a gasp, which intensified to hoarse cry.
“Harder!” I screamed, ready to be brutally taken.
Brock grabbed my wrists and pulled them behind me, leveraging my body against his. He pulled out and pushed in again, thrusting with increasing force. My breasts jiggled violently and my ass rippled with the blows of our colliding bodies. His cock ripped through my tight rectum with ease, each motion sending sharp rips of pain and unbelievable shocks of pleasure. I backed my ass into him with each thrust, my slutty body demanding to be filled as quickly as possible.
“Are you my little whore-queen?” Brock sneered.
Fuck yeah, I love being degraded.
“Yes!” I squealed, “I’m your little anal bitch! Use me!”
“I’m going to fuck you like this every night,” Brock growled, pulling roughly on my wrists, “I’m going to ruin this little shit-hole until you can’t walk!”
“Do it!” I cried between lecherous pants, “Break this pathetic whore-queen open! I’m nothing but a hopeless slut! Do whatever you want to me!”
“Whatever I want, huh?” Brock said, pulling my upper body to him until my back was pressed against his torso.
“That’s right,” I whispered hoarsely as I gazed into his eyes, “we’re getting married; I’m your little bitch now.”
“So if I do this,” Brock sneered as his hand drove between my quivering thighs and pushed three fingers into my cunt, “will you like it?”
“I love it!” I moaned, my asshole clenching in pleasure as my dripping pussy was violated.
“And what if I do this?” Brock asked as his other grabbed a nipple piercing and pulled outward.
“Yes!” I sobbed as my breast stretched agonizingly, “I love it when you hurt me! Hurt me more!”
“And if I choke you?!” Brock growled as his hand left my breast and wrapped around my throat.
“Yes!” I squeaked out in pleasurably agony, my pussy gushing in delight around Brock’s fingers, and my asshole twitching around his cock.
“You really are just a whore-queen, aren’t you?” Brock sneered.
“Yes!”
“I bet I could pass you around my men,” Brock laughed cruelly, “and you’d let every single one of them fuck you at once.”
I couldn’t speak anymore around the choking, and just nodded submissively.
I’d fucking love to be passed around by the whole army. Line them up and have them take me ten at a time until I’m ruined.
Brock berated me with more insults as he drove into my ass. He kept his hand around my throat just long enough for the pleasure to be unbearable. I squirmed desperately, my body oscillating in a writhing wave as my gaze was held forcefully by my fiancé’s. I slid along Brock’s body in this frantic manner, my hips gyrating aggressively and my bronze, glistening torso flexing in a perverse belly-dance. Brock finally released my throat, and I gasped gratefully for air. My eyes were wet with tears, sending makeup smearing down my pleasure-warped face.
“Maybe I should get The Ten in here and share my bride to be?” Brock whispered.
“A smart move,” I gasped, “let our-(AAAAH!)-subjects know that they’re-(oh fuck!) efforts are appreciated.”
“A smooth transition of power,” Brock groaned in my ear, “share your body with them,” Brock pushed hard into my ass, “while we strip them of power day by day. They’ll think just because they’re fucking you, they still have control.”
“Distract them-(GAAAH)- with my lust,” I moaned, “so they don’t see-(HNGGGG)-the marriage for what it really is.”
“The end of their reign.” Brock grinned.
“And the beginning of yours.” I smiled sluttily back.
“Hurok,” Brock called to his guard, “send The Ten in.”
The Ten appeared at the entrance of the tent, laughing and whistling at my vulnerable state. I arched my back and smiled sluttily at the new cocks I had to play with.
“Brock and I are getting married,” I moaned as I pushed back against my fiancé, “and as a wedding present, you’re all going to fuck me.”
“A wedding present for whom?” Gorlok laughed as he whipped his cock out, “Us, or you?”
“For me.” I smiled wickedly.
They didn’t even question the marriage. I thought, Fools.
The ten orcs undressed as Brock picked me up and placed me on the ground, his cock still thrusting violently into my ass. I stayed pressed against him, my fingers locked behind his head, giving The Ten a full view of my beautiful, stretched body. Draifak knelt in front of me and guided his cock into my pussy. I smiled with a gaping mouth, and lowered our bodies until I was on top of him. Gorlok came over and pushed the tip of his cock against my luscious, trembling lips. I wrapped them around him, sucking him ardently and pushing my head forward. Kanglar and Vultar both moved to my sides, and I grabbed their cocks and began to furiously stroke them.
I was ravaged from the inside, Brock and Draifak’s cock pushing against the skin between my holes, grinding together and sending blasts of pain and pleasure into my pelvis. I moaned my lecherous euphoria around Gorlok, passionately taking him into my throat and looking into his eyes. He sneered down at my defiled state, and I reveled in his judgement.
I’m just a filthy slut, Gorlok. Come by any time and fuck your queen.
I was passed around from orc to orc. Brock moved from my ass and shoved his dirty cock into my pussy. Gorlok used my spit as lube and drove into my ass, ferociously pushing me forward with deep, heavy thrusts. I moaned and choked around the men in my throat, moving my head from side to side to give everyone a turn in my mouth. Eventually, I just took two of them in my mouth at once, their cocks grinding together in my throat, their girth puffing my cheeks out, and their length forcing gags from my esophagus and tears from eyes. I was stuffed to capacity, and my slutty body welcomed it, and soon reveled in it. My holes stretched wide, but no longer yielded pain. I adjusted to the intensity of the penetration, euphorically surrendering to the fullness of my violation.
My muffled moans rose to gagged cries. Gorlok pulled out of my ass, and Kalgan and Vultar both pushed in. I screamed around the cocks in my mouth, my back arching viciously as I delightedly writhed. The men in my mouth gave me encouraging pets on the head. I was a good little whore. Brock stayed beneath me, fucking my pussy relentlessly, stretching me open wide so that I was only tight for him. The idea that he was changing my body to suit his needs turned me on even more. I impassionedly stroked the men at my sides, wanting them to feel just a portion of the pleasure I was enduring. I don’t how many times I came, but every orgasm was sending me deeper into my sexual insanity. As the event went on, I was forced to suck the men who were just in my ass. They thought I wouldn’t want to do it, but I just hungrily smiled and tasted my ass on their cocks.
“Holy shit, she’s dirty!” Vaklori exclaimed.
“You thought I wouldn’t like it, big boy?” I moaned as I pulled him out, tonguing his tip, “I love the taste of my ass on a cock.”
My holes were gaping like wider than ever, allowing me to easily take two cocks in my ass, but I wanted to try something new. I eventually convinced Brock to let him share my pussy, but he insisted on staying in.
Perfect.
Unfortunately, the ergonomics didn’t allow for two in my ass and two in my pussy. I was rolled on my back, getting beautifully sodomized by Beflara, as Brock and Jertalk positioned themselves at my font entrance.
“You ready, Yavara?” Brock asked.
“Just fuck me!” I screamed desperately. They laughed, and pushed in as one. I shrieked out as the new pain came over me. I pressed my palm over my mouth and begged for reprieve, but they just sneered. They knew that I’d like it eventually, and they were right. My shrieks of pain turned to gasps and pants. I watched in aroused fascination as the skin beneath my pelvis was stretched with their length and girth. Soon, I was screaming in pleasurably delight, squirting my juices all over myself in yet another orgasm. I was taken over the edge of sanity, and my mouth stopped yielding words. Guttural, carnal tones of lust seeped from my gaping lips, their sounds unintelligible, but their meaning clear to all; I was fucking loving it. I hungrily took cock after cock into my mouth, gratefully gazing up at my defilers as they raped my throat. Vultar stepped in and pushed his cock between my tits, making me lick his balls and taint as he rapidly fucked my chest. The degradation was amazing; I was a little fuck toy for everyone to use.
The brutality of the orcs was relentless, never giving me a break, always beating my body into submission from the inside. My pussy stretched wide open with the two cocks, my inner cunt skin dragging out of my body, the pink, wet flesh of my insides singing with pleasure. I leaned my head backward on Beflara while Vultar fucked my breasts, and I let every orc who wanted to viciously throat-fuck me. The orcs not fucking my pussy, ass or tits took their turns in my mouth, holding onto my pointed ears and driving deep. I felt my neck deform with their thrusts; thick bulges in my skin frantically sliding up and down my throat. My spit hung from my defiled mouth in glossy, creamy strings. I desperately stared my orgasms into each man as he took his turn, my eyes quivering as muffled screams marked my climaxes.
I didn’t want it to end, but it had to eventually. Brock ordered the men to cum in my ass, one at a time. I bent myself over the table and gazed back at each man, crying out gratefully for their load. After three orcs had blasted their seed inside me, it began to drip from my quivering gape and onto the floor. I lapped it up like a bitch, and the remaining eight orcs showered me from above. I moaned in euphoria as their hot spunk drenched me, seeping into my skin and matting my hair. I caught what I could in my mouth, laughing with the orcs as I held my tongue out. I finally collapsed in an delirious euphoria, lying in a puddle of spunk as it deliciously spilled from my holes. The orcs bowed to me one at a time, saying their thanks and blessing my royalty, before departing, and leaving me staring up from the ground at my husband-to-be.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“You need a bath.” He said.
“Nooooo,” I moaned with a pleasant smile, “let me just…stay here, just for a while.”
“C’mon,” he said, picking me up by the armpits, “let’s go.”
Brock filled a large tub with steaming water and lowered my body in. His gentleness in caring for me contrasted starkly with the ferociousness of his lust. He scrubbed my body carefully, tenderly blotting the sponge on my back and hair. Our relationship was more of partnership than a romance. We both liked each other, even loved each other as friends do, but we weren’t in love; and that was fine with me. I had Elena, whenever she came back, and Brock was still suffering from Sherok’s death; though he hid it better every day. We’d be mutual partners in our quest for an empire, and fuck buddies until the day he died. I would gladly bare his daughter.
“What should we name our girl?” I asked, pulling my hair back so he could clean my neck.
“I have to get you pregnant before we think about that.” Brock said.
“I wonder what traits she’ll gain from you,” I said, “she’ll inherit her physical form from me, but some of your abilities will be passed on.”
“Hopefully she gets my strength,” Brock said as he cleaned my hair, “and your beauty.”
“D’aww,” I laughed, looking up at Brock, “you’re a sweetheart.”
“Hopefully she doesn’t inherit your personality.” Brock grinned.
“Ouch,” I smiled, “and you were doing such a good job of wooing me.”
“Wooing usually happens before the sex,” Brock chuckled, “not after a gangbang.”
“I got it all mixed up,” I smirked, “maybe that’s because my first sexual experience was getting raped in the ass. I wonder whose fault that was?”
“I like to think of it as aggressive persuasion,” Brock smiled, “not rape.”
“I’m not even sure if I’m capable of being raped anymore,” I said, “ever since you changed me that night, I’ve become a slave to the desires of my body.”
“You’ve changed quite a bit,” Brock said as he washed my breasts, “more on the inside than on the outside.”
“You’re right,” I sighed, “I’ve done things I never thought I would. I had no idea I was capable of such…cruelty.”
“What you did to Adriana was justice,” Brock replied, “not cruelty.”
“I’m not sure,” I said, “is it justice if you enjoy it? Shouldn’t it be dispassionate punishment, not enthusiastic torture?”
“I’m hardly the man to be asking such questions,” Brock replied, “orcs don’t differentiate between right and wrong, just strength and weakness. After you left that meeting, when Elena was captured, The Ten thought you were weak. They thought you were weak because you refused to attack The Highlands, and they thought you were weak because you showed too much compassion for the elves. You dispelled that perception with your cruelty, because it showed strength.”
“Can I tell you something in confidence?” I asked.
“Of course,” Brock said, cleaning my torso, “I’m your future husband and your loyal friend.”
“I’m afraid of what I’m becoming,” I said, “I had this idea in my head of being a peaceful, kind ruler. But every day, I become more and more of a tyrant. I’m afraid that I was always this way, and never realized it until I had the power to express it.”
“You are who you are, Yavara,” Brock said, “you are the reincarnation of Alkandi. Alkandi was a good queen, a strong ruler, and very much a tyrant. Those stories about her you read as a child, they weren’t propaganda; they were the truth. They were the stories orcs have passed down from generation to generation. Alkandi split the elven kingdom in half, and she didn’t do it by being nice.”
“Alkandi went on a path of vengeance,” I replied, “her tyranny was brutal, but morally understandable, if you look at it under a certain light. My cruelty isn’t born of vengeance, or reprisal; it’s born of a desire for power. Elena worried that I was becoming my sister. After the things I’ve done, the only difference between us is that I didn’t fuck my dad.”
“I was sorry to hear of his death.” Brock said, completely full of shit.
“No you weren’t,” I smirked, “and neither was I, which makes me feel even worse.”
“You won’t attack The Highlands,” Brock said, “but Leveria has no compunction about invading The Great Forest; that’s the difference between you two. I know you’re using trade negotiations as an excuse, Yavara; you’re just too kind to bring death to your former people. From what you tell me of her, Leveria is a psychopath who will do anything to gain an edge. You won’t, you have limits. Despite your self-perceived villainy, you are merciful and kind.”
“Brock,” I said, turning to him in the tub, “I’m not, and that’s what scares me the most. When I transformed, Zander told me I had the choice of living out my days in peace in Ardeni Dreus. I chose not to, because I desired power, just like my sister. I decided not to invade The Highlands, not because of my love for my formal people, but because it was the easiest path to gain the power I coveted. Now I have an army, and it would be tactical advantageous to use it to invade. I want to follow your plan, Brock. I want to gamble, and charge my entire force right into Deltian’s line. I could overwhelm his divided army, hedge my bets that he won’t launch a counter-invasion, and storm right to Bentius.”
“What’s stopping you?” Brock asked.
“Elena.” I said, “Elena would never forgive me.”
ELENA
“…the losses sustained in this war are disastrous,” Lord Ternias said, “and we have been more than willing to give you men and arms. We were promised plots of land in The Pines and The Maples by autumn. Autumn is here, my queen, and our army is erecting forts in preparation for invasion.”
Leveria listened to the grievances of the noble court. She nodded and tilted her head empathetically, but I could see her jaw twitching with impatience. She was beginning to show her pregnancy now that she was a month in; just a slight inflation of her belly that told everyone she was expecting. Her husband sat beside her, the useful fool that he was, and simply stared blankly as each member of the noble court complained. Leveria was on her heels after her army had been pushed back to the plateaus that bordered The Tundra and The Highlands, and the nobles were freaking the fuck out. Leveria needed to quell the panic in Bentius before it turned into a full-scale riot, which is why I was here. I was presented to the court as the master spy, and my job was to assure Leveria’s noble subjects that Yavara would not invade.
“Ambassador Straltaira has operated in a deep-cover state within Queen Alkandi’s inner circle.” Leveria said, gesturing to me, “She has been loyal and truthful to me, and she has maintained that Queen Alkandi does not intend to invade.”
“What degree of certainty do you have, Ambassador?” Lord Ternias asked.
“I’m one-hundred percent confident that Queen Alkandi is acting simply as a nation-builder, and not as a conqueror.” I replied, not even close to that certain. I loved Yavara, but I sure as shit didn’t trust her anymore, not after what I saw her do.
“And what about the attack on Castle Thorum?!” Lord Xantian yelled, “That was an assault on sovereign soil!”
“Queen Alkandi was being harassed by rangers,” I responded, “ranger attacks on orc tribes were prompting internal hostilities that culminated in a vote by The Ten to invade,” (I made that up, but who the fuck here could prove it?) “and Queen Alkandi defused tensions by taking Castle Thorum instead. It was a tactical maneuver to maintain her defensive strategy.”
“As you have no doubt noticed,” Leveria cut in, “we’re all still alive right now. If Queen Alkandi truly desired to break our lines, she would have done it by now.”
“Then we should make peace!” Lord Huntian yelled, “If the Dark Queen only wants to build her nation, we should sign a treaty and end this war!”
The hall erupted with cries of ‘coward’ and ‘traitor.’ Leveria smiled at me. She was right; the lords of The Highlands were almost unanimously opposed to peace. They saw Yavara as a threat, and her lands as theirs by right. Leveria wasn’t the only warmonger here. I was afraid that Yavara might have to threaten an invasion just to get them to capitulate.
“We should send assassins!” Lord Ryreian yelled, “We’ll kill the bitch in her bed just like Alkandi!”
“I assure you,” Leveria said, “we’ve tried that. Queen Alkandi is not only guarded by an army, she has arcane abilities that make it next to impossible to kill her with conventional methods.”
“And the next person in line after Queen Alkandi is Brock Terdini,” I said to Lord Ryreian, “and he has no compunction about invading The Highlands.”
“Elena,” a voice I hadn’t heard in two years cut through the crowd, “you are certain that Queen Alkandi will not invade?”
Lady Gwendolyn Straltaira, my mother, stood up from the crowd. She beamed at me, finally proud of the daughter she had so often scorned. I smiled back. At least Leveria had given me something, even if it was a lie.
“Yes, Lady Straltaira,” I replied, “I am sure that Queen Alkandi does not intend to invade; she desires her kingdom, and peace.”
“My queen,” Mother said to Leveria, “you said you trust my daughter’s words and hold them as truth.”
“I do.” Leveria smiled back.
“Well, then…” Mother said, “should we not attack Alkandra?”
Murmurs of agreement spread throughout the hall. My heart jumped in my chest. I looked nervously at Leveria, and she looked back with equal concern. We both knew I wasn’t even close to one-hundred-percent certain that Yavara wouldn’t invade The Highlands. If Leveria attacked Alkandra, which our scouts said was mostly an undefended city of Ardeni immigrants and tribe civilians, it could force Yavara to invade. The Ten would demand retribution, and we would all pay with our blood. For the first time in her life, Leveria was forced into the role of peace-keeper.
“Lady Straltaira,” Leveria said, “attacking Alkandra is our ultimate goal, but we must put it on hold until reinforcements arrive.”
“Nonsense,” Mother replied, “you said Queen Alkandi’s army is stretched thin trying to cover all the possible invasion points of our army. Field Marshal Deltian’s third army sits right on the old military path to Alkandra; they could break through the lines, and take the castle in days.”
The murmurs of concurrence rose to rabble.
“If Queen Alkandi is too weak-willed to attack us,” Lord Feractian yelled, “we should exploit her! Attack her castle, force her armies inward, and then we invade with from the north unopposed!”
“Yes!” Lady Fueltian cried, “with the Dark Queen’s fortress occupied, we could cut off her silver exports to Ardeni and kill the lifeblood of her army!”
“The armies of The Great Forest have put their wives and children all in one spot,” Lord Xantian joined in, “take them as hostages and force the Dark Queen to surrender!”
“Nay,” Lord Ternias said, “kill the orc pups and bitches where they nest! Break the will of their men completely!”
The crowd roared their approval. Even my mother cheered and clapped, smiling and nodding to me for my supposed contribution to this atrocity. Leveria looked at me nervously and held up her hand for silence.
“Before we go any further with this,” Leveria said, “I will need to consult with Field Marshal Deltian on the validity of this plan. We will reconvene in two days when he has a strategy in place.”
The crowd dispersed in jubilance, excitedly talking of their new plots of land in the Great Forest.
“Go dear,” Leveria said to her husband, “frolic with the nobles and smooth over any concerns they have.”
“Yes, my queen.” Leveria’s moron complied.
“Shit,” Leveria said to me when to hall was empty, “that backfired.”
“We need to convince them to hold off,” I said, “and we need to warn Yavara.”
“Elena,” Leveria sighed, “I will not tell my enemy my battle plans. Your mother’s strategy is sound, but I need more men to defend the northern front. If I go through with this now, Yavara will overrun my armies in the north and march straight for Bentius.”
“You’d massacre women and children?!”
“You’re goddamn right I would,” Leveria said coldly, “and you know that about me. But I can’t commit this war crime now, not when only forty-five thousand men would be left to defend our border. By the time I get the men I need, Yavara will have closed the gaps in her defenses and reinforced her line, making the entire plan moot.”
“She’s trying to force you into a stalemate, Leveria,” I said, “you’re the queen; you can still make peace.”
“Oh, Elena,” Leveria smiled, “your persistence is admirable, but you saw how it is with these people. Even if I wanted to make peace, which I don’t, the lords are nearly unanimously for war. I’m powerful, but I can’t deny a united court.”
“So, what now?” I asked.
“First we talk with Field Marshal Deltian. I’m assuming he’ll dismiss the plan as moronic and ask for more troops; he’s very straightforward that way.”
“Will his opinion be enough to sway the court?” I asked.
“Doubtful,” Leveria said, “even with his experience and tactical genius, the court still sees him as the man who was pushed back to our border, and not the man that single-handedly saved our army. We’ll have to convince them ourselves.”
“They don’t seem very receptive to other options.”
“As a group, no,” Leveria smiled, “but there’s a royal ball tomorrow, and everyone will be in attendance. We’ll get a chance to isolate them one at a time, until we have enough people on our side for me to comfortably kill your mother’s proposal. She’s a war-hawk, that one.”
“She always was a xenophobic hard-liner.” I grimaced.
“I could still have her killed.”
“Fuck off, Leveria.” I smiled, “Why am I going to the ball?”
“You’re my ambassador to Alkandra,” Leveria said, before ginning mischievously, “but most of all, you’re a mysterious master of subterfuge, with the beautiful body of a woman, and the extraordinary gift of a man. The high lords of Bentius are notorious perverts, and you are an exotic curiosity. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice them leering.”
“You want me to whore myself for votes?!”
“I want you to use your diplomatic skills, your talent for seduction, and your physical assets to secure the future of our nation.” Leveria smiled.
“I thought you loved me.” I frowned sarcastically.
“I do,” Leveria smirked, “but that doesn’t mean you can’t be useful.”
“Fine,” I said, walking behind Leveria and placing my hands on her shoulders, “but before I become your little sex-negotiator, I have conditions.”
“What are they?” Leveria asked.
“The Highland queen will be my date,” I said, running my hands down her chest, “and she will participate in all activities.”
“I can’t lower myself to that,” Leveria said, “it would damage the crown.”
“Will it be a masked ball?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Well then,” I said, taking a nipple in each hand and pulling, prompting a whimper from Leveria, “you’ll have plausible deniability. You’re barely showing your pregnancy anyways; no one will know it’s you.”
“Elena…” Leveria moaned as I twisted her nipples, “I can’t.”
“Are you scared?” I teased, “Don’t worry, your highness, I’ll guide you through it. You’ll be glad that I did; high-class debauchery sounds like so much fun.”
PLOT POINTS
Field Marshal Deltian of The Highland army has fought Yavara's forces to a stalemate three times since the battle of The Tundra. He now sits along a sixty-mile line on favorable ground, with his force divided into three separate forts. One of the forts is placed in the old military path to Alkandra, threatening an invasion to force Yavara's army to spread.
Brock convinces Yavara to marry him so that they can consolidate The Ten under centralized rule, thereby avoiding the creation of a feudal state that could threaten the empire in the future.
Yavara uses her body to distract The Ten from the fact that she and Brock are using the marriage to strip them of power.
Yavara tells Brock of her concerns over her own behavior. She tells him that she would invade The Highlands if Elena wouldn't hate her for it.
Leveria and Elena convince the lords of The Highlands that Yavara will not invade. Leveria does this to avoid panic in the streets. The plan backfires, and the lords vote almost unanimously to attack Alkandra. Elena and Leveria both know that Yavara will invade if Alkandra, a city composed of only civilians, it attacked.
Leveria and Elena devise a plan to convince the nobles to withdraw their support for an attack during a masked ball. Leveria tells Elena that Elena will have to use her body to garner favor.
