"The League of Creatures" (closed)

[Alice2015]

Ellie/Eric with Marcus; they meet Sir Herbert:

The Sergeant's Squire was delighted to find his Master's body already in a layer of clothing by the time he'd returned with freshly washed, deodorized, and dried leather armor and other clothing that Marcus had mussed up so horribly in the sewers of Twineward. Ellie was shocked at how nice and clean the protective outfit was, almost disappointingly so; Marcus had given her extra silver coins to pass on to the laundress, and he'd planned on actually keeping one or two of them for himself, but after finding the armor looking like brand new, even she was impressed enough to part with the coin.

Marcus gave Eric a quick learner's course in not just how to don and adjust leather armor but in what the symbolism of its markings meant. It wasn't as hard to understand the first part as she'd expected, and the second part led to her wondering if perhaps such a training wouldn't be good for her. Of course, places like the Order of the Shining Path didn't take girls, she imagined quietly to herself; she would have asked Marcus such, but -- believing that her cover story of being a boy was still intact -- she kept silent instead.

When Marcus spoke of the bracelet he wore to honor his affection from a Lady, Ellie's first thought was that it had been given to him by the Lady Brittany. Lady Heather's Handmaid had done her best to keep the knowledge of her relationship with the Sergeant within her tightknit group, but everyone knew.

After having seen her Master's cock dangling before his thighs earlier during his bath, Ellie would have envied Lady Brittany. Despite it being an inappropriate topic of conversation, Caroline had sometimes come home from work to speak about the men who fucked her for coin or other valuable things, and one of the things the older sister had told the younger was that size mattered.

Ellie wouldn't know, thankfully. The Stablemaster had always been too drunk to put his cock inside Ellie, thankfully, and while he'd groped her body and probed her womanhood, he'd never actually gotten to fucking her. Ellie was still a virgin, yet she still felt as though she had been violated, shamed, and sullied such that no descent man would ever take her for a wife.

Marcus led Ellie out into the village, where he inspected the work that the residents had begun, and the new prisoners had joined. Ellie was actually quite surprised as what had been done in just over a day's time. The wood wall that had separated the Keep from the village was gone; ditches were allowing the built-up water to flow off, drying the streets; and wood and other supplies were being gathered to repair old structures and build new ones.

When they came across Sir Herbert, Ellie heard him telling Marcus about the school that would be built on the site where a pub had existed prior to a lightning storm fire that had destroyed it a few years earlier. Ignorant of the concept, Ellie asked the Personal Bodyguard to Lady Heather, "What's a school?"

Sir Herbert smiled to the Squire, asking, "You don't know what a school is?" When Ellie shrugged her shoulders, Sir Herbert explained that it was a place where young children were taught to read, write, and count. "Some schools teach other things, too: philosophy, faith, even combat. Our school will not get to that, I would think."

"I thought parents taught those things," Ellie said, clarifying, "Reading, writing, counting things."

"Some do," he responded. "But even some parents don't read, write, or perform mathematics beyond the simplistic ... counting the number of sheep in their field ... the number of potatoes they trade at the market. A school can teach you greater things."

"Such as...?" Ellie persisted. This topic of education was very interesting to her. "And what is math-er-a-ma-tiques?"

Sir Herbert was intrigued by the boy, and -- despite having better things to do -- continued the conversation, "Mathematics ... counting and calculating ... planning with numbers and manipulation of equations."

Sir Herbert may have looked like just an old soldier to people who didn't know him, but he'd been educated in the School of Warfare back in the capital of the Frenkish Empire before taking on his duties as Princess Allison's Personal Bodyguard. He gestured toward the damaged city wall and continued, "Knowledge in mathematics can teach you such things as ... how to build a wall twice the size and ten times the length of that one, with tall towers and impregnable gates..."

The irony of what he was saying came next as he spoke of how to defeat those walls and gates. "Such as how to calculate precisely where the payload of a trebuchet will land, based upon both the tension of the trigger mechanism and the weight of the stone or burning missile you are throwing, such that you drop it on the head of the enemy you are fighting and not your own forces who are in the same vicinity doing that fighting.

"Such as how to plan a battle ... to calculate the amount of time your cavalry has to circle far and wide around the field of battle to flank the enemy before the infantry in the middle is wiped out ... how long before the arrows you spent a fortnight creating are expended at the beginning of that battle, which I can tell you from experience, if often far less time that you'd thought it would be ... in addition to what elevation and strength of pull those arrows need to be loosed to hit the enemy and, again, not your own forces."

Ellie's face must have been filled with wonder at all of these things because Sir Herbert looked to Sergeant Marcus Stormbow and said, "You better keep a tight grip on your Squire. He might sneak away one morning, and you'll only be able to find him sitting on a chopping block in the new school."

Ellie's face flushed, and she backed away, lowering her head. "No, M'Lord. I would never abandon my Master or my duties. Though ... if I may be so bold ... I would be honored to learn some of these wondrous things about which you speak if permitted one day."

"A seat will be made available to you, young Squire," Sir Herbert said, adding quickly, "If and when your Master can spare you for a morning or afternoon."

After that, Marcus and Ellie headed off to the Armorer to arrange for more gear for the Squire. It was difficult for Ellie, of course, as the Armorer was her uncle and knew all to well who and what Eric was. Marcus told the Uncle, “As quickly as you can, please. And if you need an apprentice, just let us know, and we’ll send a candidate to you. After all, even a prisoner can pump a bellows.”

"I can see your Squire tomorrow morning, M'Lord," the uncle said. He needed a time to see his niece when Ellie could be measured without Marcus seeing her shed of the outer layer of clothing that hid her body. Ellie was petite and not overly rounded, as was her popular and well-liked whore of an older sister, and they'd begun binding her bosom to flatten it and wrapping cloth around her waist to hide what little hourglass shape she had. But stripped of those things and her outer layer of clothing, her identity as a female would surely be exposed if Marcus was to see her that way.

Returning to the Keep, the pair went to the Anteroom of Lady Heather's Quarters. Ellie remained outside the door, but as the Guardsman outside it wasn't signaled to close the door, she was able to listen in on the conversation taking place inside.

(to be continued in my next post).

 

[Alice2015]

Heather, Brittany, and Rachel, with Marcus and Ellie:

“Lady Heather, Lady Brittany," Marcus began after entering the former's quarters and performing his greetings per tradition. "The mission was successful.”

"So, I am told, Sergeant," Heather responded. She gestured him toward one chair near the roaring fire and took a second one; Brittany could have taken one of the other chairs, but she chose to stand behind and a bit to the side of her Lady so that Marcus could see her, but Heather couldn't. "From everything Sir Herbert has told me ... and from what I have heard from some of the hostages you freed, you are to be hailed a hero."

Heather was tempted to tell Marcus that in less than 24 hours, he would be knighted. But she decided to keep that to herself for now. She asked him specifics about the mission, and he told her what he felt she should know. She asked more questions during the conversation as they came to her. Heather had always played a significant part in those things that affected her back on Little Gull Rock; she'd had a hand in and kept abreast of the economy, intelligence gathering, governance, and much more, living her life as a leader, not just another pretty face counting her coin and marveling at her shiny trinkets.

She asked Marcus about his force's capabilities and shortcomings, promising him all the resources he needed to create an army that could and would be able to not just defend Hillview and its population but expand Heather's control into a growing area of control.

"I'm not naive about what is ahead of us or about what dangers we face, Sergeant," she told Marcus. "Our force is tiny in comparison to those that surround us to the north, east, and south ... to the west even, as evidenced by the fleet that the League put together to stop me ... to stop us.

"We will have to work surreptitiously, I know," she continued, gesturing her Handmaid to pour the three of them hot tea from a pitcher delivered by a House Servant. "I will confess: I put the Quest in danger by attacking the peat works without better knowing the situation into which I was throwing us. Things worked out for us this time. They might not in the future, and if they do not, that is on me.

"I wish for you to take on more responsibility, Marcus," she said, now using his given name. "Sir Herbert is to remain in Hillview when we move onward north to the Great Steppe River delta in search of the Elven force. I will need a new Commander ... and while I have other officers who have been with me for quite some time, Sir Herbert feels that you are the right man to lead our growing army."

Heather sipped her tea while studying Marcus, then asked, "Would you be willing to take on that responsibility, Sergeant?"

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:

“As you wish, so I desire.” Marcus replied. Members of the Order did not seek greatness for themselves. To brag and expound on their own accomplishments was not the way of the Path. “I am honored to be chosen for this responsibility and I will serve until my last breath, or until I fail you and I’m replaced.”

There were several individuals that had served longer, but they lacked initiative and would rather follow so they wouldn’t be blamed if things went wrong.

 

[Alice2015]

Heather and Brittany, with Marcus:

“As you wish," Marcus said dutifully, "so I desire.”

He swore his service and life to her, leading Heather to smile with delight and tell him simply, "Thank you, Marcus."

Sir Herbert appeared at the open door of her Bed Chamber's Antechamber -- which Heather would soon begin calling her Office -- gesturing her in familiar way. To Marcus, she said politely, "Please excuse me, Sergeant."


Ellie with Marcus:

The Squire heard her familiar Master's bootsteps as he neared the Office's exit and popped to her feet. She fell in behind him a few steps, waiting for directions. Ellie had heard some but not all of what the Lady and the Sergeant had said to one another. She was delighted to hear that Marcus was being promoted to head of the Quest forces -- not that Ellie knew of the Quest yet.

What did this mean for her, though? Would this bring more unwanted attention to her? She wouldn't like that. Would it mean a promotion for her as well? Military Officers -- as well as many other men with the need -- had Squires, of course, but what did a Knight have? Would there be more servants for Marcus? More boys from whom Ellie would have to hide her gender.

A horrific thought came to her: would she be replaced by a more experienced Squire? This deception had been the stupid idea of her sister, Caroline. Ellie had only agreed to the cockamamie plan for two reasons: it brought the family an income that Ellie couldn't earn even by spreading her legs as Caroline did; and, as long as her gender remained hidden, it protected her from once again becoming the plaything of a man who had power over her.


Pria, with Marcus (and Ellie):

The Elf was peeking out the door of her quarters and, as she saw Marcus coming, she stepped out to catch his eye.

"M'Lord," she said, nodding her head respectfully. With her limited Common Tongue, she asked, "Speak with...? Important."

She looked to the Squire and hesitated. Drawing a deep breath, Pria easily picked up on the female pheromones the People's body was putting off. Elves were far more sensitive to such things, within their own species and others. She looked the female over, then looked back to Marcus. It seemed to Pria that the girl was pretending to be a boy, but why? Maybe People didn't permit girls to act as Squires?

"Need go home," Pria told Marcus. "Family ... friends ... need them ... them need me."

In truth, Pria probably should have been taking this to Lady Heather, aka Princess Allison; regardless of the name by which she was living, Heather/Allison was the ultimate authority here. But Pria had something to offer that Marcus would surely appreciate more than Lady Heather would.

"Elf army," she continued. "We help. Help you. Help Lady. Yes?"

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
An Elf Army? That would be a major benefit. But why hadn’t Lady Heather released the Elf to get to her people? “I will speak with Lady Heather as soon as possible, about this matter. With luck I’ll have an answer for you this evening.”

He also needed to make a request of her, but it wasn’t a rush so it could wait. Looking over at Eric he smiled. “You’re going to learn Elvish, with your permission.” He said looking at Pria. “I’m going to assume that we’ll be taking you home within a few days, and once we get you home, I’ll need to be able to speak your language fluently. And with the Blessings of Vallyn the Wise I’ll learn quickly.”

Holding out his hands, palm up he showed he had no intent of hurting her. “If you will teach me the language of your people, I will learn it, and do everything I can to get you home. If you’ll walk with me as I do my rounds, Her Ladyship is speaking with the headman of this village. There is much to be done to rebuild it properly, and she likes to take direct action.”

“As we walk, You can teach me words. And at dinner this evening I’ll speak with her about your situation.”

 

[Alice2015]

Pria with Marcus and Ellie/Eric:

Marcus told Pria that he'd speak with Heather about her offer of an Elf army, then told her that he wanted her to teach both him and Ellie her native tongue.

“If you will teach me the language of your people," he vowed, "I will learn it and do everything I can to get you home."

That sounded wonderful to her. If anyone else in the World had spoken those words to her, Pria might have thought them a liar. But after what he'd done here in Hillview and then again in Twineward, she was developing a great trust in the People.

He asked her to walk with him on his rounds and teach him some words along the way. She nodded both her approval of the idea and her respect for his asking for the lesson. Before they could wander away, though, Heather called from the doorway of her Office for Marcus to speak with her.

He turned to head her way, but Ellie -- who hadn't been asked for by either of them -- stood where she was. Once Marcus was out of earshot, Pria stepped closer to the Squire and whispered, "You not a boy?"

Ellie's face filled with panic as she looked toward Marcus. She whispered back to Pria, "Don't tell ... please."

The Elf smiled and shook her head. "Not tell."

When Marcus returned, the three of them made their way outside. As they wandered, Pria began pointing to things and identifying them in her native tongue. Sky was Aiwenor; ground was Talv; horse was was roch. She taught him stop, walk, run, jump -- Dár, padad-, nor-, cabed -- then tried to explain that walk and run were always accompanied by a suffix, such as a direction or speed or distance, but since she didn't know the People words of explain, that, accompanied, or suffix, she doubted that he understood her.

This continued for a couple of hours as they made their way around the village. Everywhere they went, Pria got looks of suspicion from the People. A feral dog ran up to her, bared its teeth, and growled at her. Pria slowly dropped to her knees, then her hands, then began growling back at the dog; it wasn't a fierce sound coming from her, though, but was more submissive. After a long moment, the dog went quiet, swapped its bared teeth for a dangling tongue, and began wagging it tail wildly. It leaped to Pria, licking at her face and hands, then ran off into the village as if it had something more important to do.

Pria looked to Marcus and Ellie and simply shrugged her shoulders. "Dog like Elf."

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:

When he got back from speaking with Lady Heather, where he did mention that Pria wanted to return to her people, and she might have an elven army for them as allies, he notice Eric was more nervous than before. Nothing big, keeping Marcus between them as they walked. Avoiding eye contact with Pria. Maybe the boy liked her, or she aroused him? ”Eric, I need you learning as much as I do just in case you learn a word that I miss, please walk on the other side of Pria.”

“Are you anyone important to your people? A ranger or military? Or are you... civilian? I don’t know anything about your people, your culture, your language.” As they moved around a corner, he saw Fang stalking a local cat. A piercing whistled sounded through his teeth and Fang bounded back over, sitting as he looked for a treat. Opening a pouch Marcus tossed the dried meat for the big furry fighter to catch.

A hand gesture and Fang walked at his side opposite Pria.

 

[Alice2015]

Pria, Marcus and Ellie; Rachel joins them:

”Eric," Marcus called to his Squire, "I need you learning as much as I do just in case you learn a word that I miss, please walk on the other side of Pria.”

Ellie beamed as she felt she suddenly had more importance than simply cleaning Marcus's saddle and armor or feeding his dire wolf. With the exception of her one-legged uncle when he drank too much and couldn't get to his foot to go piss, no one had really depended on her for anything vital.

"Yes, Master," she said with a delighted tone. "I will listen closely."

As they continued, they switched from learning words to learning specifically about Pria. Marcus asked, “Are you anyone important to your people? A ranger or military? Or are you... civilian?"

Pria didn't know either of the words military or civilian, but ranger caught her attention. It wasn't a word in Elvish, but it had been translated for her in the past. She answered by reaching carefully out to touch a finger on the hilt of one of Marcus's swords, saying, "Im a maethor, limb like yourself ... im ceri- ú- iuithi- a an blade. Im iuithi- a sigil. Ben a peng."

She was, of course, speaking in her native tongue, and she hadn't taught any of those words to Marcus and his tagalong yet. She smiled and chuckled softly, then -- looking for the people words -- translated as best as she could, "I am maethor ... warrior ... like you ... iuithi- blade ... long blade, no. sigil ... dagger. Or peng..." She made the action of drawing back and releasing an arrow, finishing, "...bow."

Just then, Rachel the Huntress was walking up to speak to Marcus about arming and training some additional archers. Pria was suddenly excited to see a female People with a bow and began rattling off at her in Elvish. She gestured that she wished to hold Rachel's bow, telling her, "Cin let nin iuithi- cín peng. Let nin show cin what im tur- ceri-?"

Rachel didn't understand the language, but she understood the meaning. She looked to Marcus for his permission; he didn't seem too overly concerned or perhaps he didn't understand as well as Rachel did the Elf's body language. Rachel was very intrigued by the Elf -- she'd never seen one before Pria, let alone such a pretty one interested in archery -- so she offered out the bow, pulled an arrow from her quiver, and handed it over. Rachel wasn't overly concerned with safety or security, seeing how Marcus was right there with a personal armory of edged blades and there were at least a half dozen Guardsmen within sight, most of them eyeballing the Sergeant, his Little Gull Rock huntress, and an Elf.

Pria happily took the bow and tested its tension for a long moment before ever taking the missile it would propel. She looked around herself, scanning the ground, the sky, the structures in every direction. Eventually, she gestured off in a southerly direction, saying, "Miog. Galadrim ceri- ú- like miog ... miog ceri- like Galadrim."

She took a stance, notched the arrow, drew a couple of deep breaths and released them, drew the arrow, steadied, and let it fly. The arrow shot through the air, heading southwest -- downhill -- from where they stood near where the old wooden wall had been, just southwest of the Keep, over the inner wall and out of sight.

It was an extremely long shot and didn't seem to prove anything other than the fact that Pria could launch an arrow farther with Rachel's own bow than she could herself. But the People huntress was curious about where the missile had gone and -- asking Marcus to borrow his Squire a moment -- ordered, "Track that arrow down. Find where it struck."

Ellie also checked with Marcus for permission, then bolted off toward and through the Inner Bailey Gate toward the Platform, a large, square, and now decrepit stone and wooden beam structure that once upon a time had been an entertainment venue for such things as plays, music and dance, and readings by local and not-so-local poets.

While Ellie was gone, Pria began addressing Marcus's other question about her race and its culture. She used some Elvish during her explanation, trying to teach Marcus and Rachel some new words, but for the most part she did her best in Common Tongue.

"Elfs live swamp. No like swamp ... Ló. Make Elf sick ... Paw Paw ... disease," she explained, adding, "Like when People come."

Pria was referring, of course, to the effect of the arrival of People -- or more specifically to the diseases they carried -- to the World 1,000 years ago. Of all of the races of Creatures living here, the Elves had been the most vulnerable to People disease: Pox, Hot Fever, and even the common cold when caught by an Elf would rampage through the Elven communities, killing entire villages.

Most of the Elves alive today were immune to People disease, their surviving ancestors having developed an immunity. But occasionally a new variant of some disease would rampage through the cities of People, and -- being deathly afraid of these -- Elves had learned to simply stay the hell away from People.

Of course, most People generally didn't believe all the hokum about them being responsible for the near genocide of the Elven race. It was all just old stories spread by Creature sympathizers, they said. Still, any time a new variant of the Pox or Fever popped up and rampaged through People cities, those who wished an end to Creatures -- particularly the Elves -- didn't hesitate to send infected People -- even their corpses -- into Creature regions with the hope of doing even more damage.

Pria left that topic and did her best to describe the family lives of Elves, but it was difficult to explain in Common and translating the words just wasn't getting them anywhere. They were interrupted by one of Sir Herbert's Sergeants, who came to Marcus with information regarding the captured Guardsmen from Twineward.

When they were about to get back to their conversation, they were again interrupted, this time by Ellie who came running up exhausted, sweating, and panting. The Squire leaned over with her hands on her knees, trying to regain her breath, then stood back up tall and reached out a hand before her, holding the tail of a dead cat with an arrow through it.

Pria, obviously excited, repeated what she'd said before but this time also gave a translation: "Miog. Galadrim ceri- ú- like miog ... miog ceri- like Galadrim. Elf not like cats ... and cats not like Elf." Then, smiling wider, she added, "Taste good roasted ... yes?"

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
Pria used a lot of words neither Marcus, nor Eric, weren’t linguistically ready to learn yet. He was fairly sure some of them were concepts. When she started pointing at the bow he lifted an unseen eyebrow behind his helm, but a light nod to Rachel and the bow was handed over. After firing the shot they continued talking about things as Eric rushed off.

When Eric came back with the arrow shot cat Marcus was surprised. That was a hell of a shot, especially hitting a moving target she couldn't see. The Followers of Arkyn – The Lord of Natural Law and Rangers – would be impressed and would want to learn that trick.

“Fang likes eating cats as well,” Marcus told her as he scratched the Furry head on his companion. Unfortunately for his companion, The Temple Maester had forbidden Fang killing cats in the town or temple. Many of the bodies of the diseased had fleas and rat bites. Cats killed the rats and prevented the spread of disease.

He hadn’t seen any diseased people yet, but there were certainly a lot of rats, so Fang was allowed to kill the rats, even though he did chase a lot of the cats anyways.

“Can you teach others to do what you just did?” He asked. “We need more archers for our assaults against The Enemy strongholds.”

 

[Alice2015]

Everyone, pretty much:

“Fang likes eating cats as well,” Marcus told Pria, reaching to scratch the young dire wolf's head. "Can you teach others to do what you just did?”

"Yes," she answered simply, which was pretty much how she always talked in Common Tongue anyway.

Marcus explained, “We need more archers for our assaults against The Enemy strongholds.”

"Vedrfolnir," Pria said as soon as she heard the word enemy. When the others looked at her questioningly, the Elf went on a tear in her own language, "Vedrfolnir na- an coth town. Ha must n- i erui cin art. I núr ennas are kup limb galadrim, witt nin gwanur a adar. Ohlah, cin must ha."

As soon as she finished, Pria understood the need to translate what she'd said, and she was searching for the words.

"Vedrfolnir is a town," Sir Herbert said from a few yards away as he approached, accompanied by Lady Heather and Brittany. "It is located in the forest to the southeast, about halfway between where we are now and Poisonwater Bay."

Pria recognized the last two words Sir Herbert had spoken and repeated them, adding, "Brother ... father ... go way ... to Poisonwater ... where Múl ... take slave ... they slave."

"Your brother and father were taken as slaves," Brittany clarified, getting a nod from the Elf. She looked to Marcus with desperate eyes, wanting so badly to say You must go there, save them, now! But she was a Handmaid and, while she was often called Lady out of respect for her position with Heather, she certainly wasn't a Noblewoman with the power to demand such things.

"We will speak about this," Heather told Pria, clarifying, "Sir Herbert, Sergeant Stormbow, Rachel the Huntress, and I ... we will speak of this together and determine a course of action." Again, contemplating her big words, Heather said, "We will find a way to help your brother and father. I promise."

Heather wasn't already formulating a plan in her head, of course. There was so much already happening to the Quest Party, and her warriors had only just gotten back from one sneak attack that could have turned into a failed slaughter. This wasn't really the time to be sending them off toward another city to rescue more hostages.

But she'd meant it when she'd said she would speak with her military leaders, Sir Herbert and Marcus. Right now, though, she had other immediate plans. She gave her Handmaid a knowing look, leading Brittany to announce, "Dinner will be served in a few minutes. We have invited several of Hillview's more prominent residents to sit with us in the Keep's Dining Hall. You two--"

Brittany was eyeballing Marcus and Rachel, excluding Ellie from her glances. The Squire would, of course, be welcomed to the Dining Hall. But as a servant, she -- he -- wouldn't be seated at the table but would be fed in the kitchen as any such servant would be.

Brittany continued with regard to Marcus and Rachel, "--need to go get cleaned up and dressed in your fineries to welcome our guests."

Rachel laughed, then -- seeing the glance from Heather -- explained, "I don't have fineries, M'Lady." She gestured to her current wardrobe and said, "This is pretty much it."

"We will find you something appropriate," Brittany said, taking the archer by the arm, turning her, and immediately talking to her about clothing possibilities as she led the woman back toward the Keep.

Heather shook her head -- Brittany had always been a bit of a clothes horse -- and then looked back to Marcus. With a bit of humor in her tone, she told him, "You, Sergeant, will shed your armor and helm and come in something fine. That is an order,"

Then, stepping closer, she whispered, "And whether you noticed it or not, you still carry the stench of the sewers of Twineward ... so..." She glanced to the Squire, knowing that he would be part of this, "...another bath might be in order ... yes?"

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

“I’m with The Huntress, M’Lady. I only have the Leathers for sneak attacks and This set of Plate Armour. I’ve never needed nor wanted.. fine clothing. And anything else I did have, went overboard trying to lighten the load.”

“The Tenets of the Order forbid wealth or possessions,” Marcus explained. “I’ll bathe again as you wish, as deep as I was I that.. muck.. I’d be surprised if it didn’t take more to get clean.”

Looking at his squire he said, “Lets go, Eric.”

“Don’t forget to get a bow, Huntress Rachel,” he added, “For your hair.. not for hunting.” Was he giving her advice? Or Mocking her?

Heading up to his quarters, A squire and Fanged Fang in tow he took a third and fourth bath.

 

[Alice2015]

Heather and Marcus:

“I’m with The Huntress, M’Lady," Marcus began, speaking of his lack of fineries for dinner.

Heather did feel a little guilty about Marcus -- and the others, of course -- having had to toss many of their possessions overboard to lighten the Destiny. What they had kept, of course, were all the coins, jewels, gemstones, and weapons. At this point in time, with the small force now under Marcus's command, the Quest Party was probably the best financed and best armed company outside some of the larger League of Barons cities.

“The Tenets of the Order forbid wealth or possessions,” Marcus explained.

"Then you can borrow something nice to wear, Sergeant," Heather told him.

“I’ll bathe again as you wish," Marcus reassured her.

Heather looked to the future Regent Lord of Hillview, asking, "Sir Herbert, you've had an opportunity to speak to some of Viscount Ruhn's surviving Advisors, yes?"

He confirmed his Lady's question. Playfully, she sized Marcus up and down, asking Sir Herbert, "Were any of them about the Sergeant's height and shape?"

"Yes, M'Lady," he answered. "The Viscount's Chancellor, Sir Orlan." Sir Herbert was smiling, knowing exactly where this was heading. He offered, "And the man was very stylish. I'm sure that his closets are filled with ... fineries."

"Wonderful," Heather said, looking back to Marcus. She stepped closer to him, smirking as she said firmly, "You will dress nicely for dinner." Then, glancing to Brittany and back to Marcus, she finished with a lower volume, "I'm sure that someone will be tickled to see you looking nice."

Heather turned and departed, with a broadly smiling Brittany following behind her, peeking back over her shoulder at Marcus and blowing him a kiss.

Marcus looked at his squire and said, “Lets go, Eric.”

Ellie's heart rolled over anxiously. Again! Now! I already... She wanted to say something like she had to tend to the horses or Marcus's tack or weapons. But she was his Squire, and it was her job to do as her Master commanded. She nodded her head respectfully, saying, "Yes, Master."

.................................
​

Eric, Ellie/Eric, and Brittany:

Eric and the same servant who'd helped her earlier prepared another bath, and again Ellie got another viewing of her Master's impressive cock. This time, she didn't put as much effort into not seeing him; virgin or not, she had a healthy imagination about men and their tools and what it might be like to use one.

The servant left as before, but -- with no other tasks to perform, as in laundry or tending to Fangs -- Ellie remained behind through the entire bath. She scrubbed his back and feet with bristled brushes and poured pitchers of clean, warm water over his head and -- after draining the tub -- his incredibly masculine and very naked body.

"I still smell it," Ellie reluctantly said as she leaned toward Marcus after he was rinsed. "Sorry, Master."

Again, they refilled the tub and scrubbed and rinsed and scrubbed and rinsed. Ellie was beginning to enjoy her proximity to her Master when she suddenly leapt at the sight of Brittany standing in the doorway between Marcus's bed chamber and the bathing room. She backed away from the tub a couple of steps, feeling guilty about having been ogling her Master.

"M'Lady!" she said with a surprised tone. "I'm sorry, I did not see you there."

Brittany laughed at the boy, telling him, "You can leave, Eric. Thank you for helping your Master, but ... I can take it from here."

Ellie only remembered then that Brittany still believed her to be a boy, not a girl; she had no reason to feel as though she'd been poaching on the Handmaid's property. With her head bowed, she hurried for the exit, saying, "Yes, M'Lady. I'll be just outside, Master."

No sooner was Ellie out the door was Brittany stripping off her clothes. In no time at all, she was naked and stepping into the tub. She grabbed a nearby pitcher of warm water, poured it over her and Marcus's heads, set it aside, then reached to his groin to initiate the engagement she'd been awaiting ... as soon as her lover no longer smelled like a sewer.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
Moaning as Brittany slid her hand along his shaft, Marcus pulled her closer for a long kiss. She certainly liked sex in the tub, Marcus realized. Reaching under their bodies he pulled the plug on the water as he kissed her bare skin. When he reached her nipples her grabbed her ass and pulled her close grinding her on his shaft as he took the hard tip into his mouth, his teeth gently biting as sounds escaped her.

When the water left them bare, he lifted and pushed, easing into her warm tight depths. Rocking back and forth beneath her he moved deeper and deeper until he was buried deep inside. And with a surge of muscles, he lifted her and took them to the bed, his shaft never leaving her body.

He didn’t just fuck her until he came, instead he made love to her, slowly and passionately. Never hard or deep enough to hurt, but insistently enough to make her feel every touch of his cock as it slid in and out.

After she scoured his back with her nails and his neck with her teeth he finally exploded inside her. The feel of her body wrapping around his and pulling him into her as she shook with her own release sending him over the edge to fill her with his cum.

Afterwards they dressed and he tugged and pulled at his ‘new’ clothing. “This man was a dandy... possibly a lover of boys.” Marcus complained. “Too many frills and lace. Why would a man want all this?”

Pulling at the collar he looked at Brittany. “Sir Herbert was wrong. The man had a thick neck, but not thick enough. And he as fat.” Groaning he looked at the man's shoes. “Those aren’t fitting on my feet.”

“You like nice though, very nice.” he told her as they walked into the hallway. Seeing Eric, Marcus smiled. One of those smiles that said, you’re in trouble, or you won't like what I'm about to say. “Eric, dear squire. Since I have to be dressed like this... you will attend table. Serve wine to everyone, and be happy I don’t assign you to food as well."

“Fang, come.” He said as he escorted Lady Brittany to the Event.

 

[Alice2015]

The Dinner:

Having Marcus inside her was magical for Brittany every time. No man had ever fit her the way he did, his tip of his cock sliding up and down her inner erogenous zone while the base of it did the same to her outer one. He drove her to a pair of incredible orgasms, the last of them a long moment of deep euphoria that saw her clutching to him like a bear cub to a tree trunk.

When he finally slid from atop her, Brittany rolled to lay atop him, whispering, "You make me very happy, Marcus."

She hadn't told him that she loved him yet. She had told him on a few occasions that she wanted to make love to him, as well as calling him her lover. But those weren't really the same thing, were they? Brittany was fearful of actually speaking those three words. She'd never said them to a man before, and the only men who'd ever said them to her had only done so to get her to part her thighs for them.

Brittany wanted to profess her love for Marcus, of course. She was certain that he was the man for her. But he was a man, and men tended to flit about like a butterfly visiting flowers. It wasn't Brittany's place to tell Marcus that he couldn't put his cock inside other women. And, to make matters worse, Marcus was quickly rising in stature within the Quest Party, meaning that one day soon -- particularly since Heather was going to knight him tomorrow -- he might find himself the participant of a political marriage that would forever remove Brittany from his bed.

She'd recently contemplated speaking to her Lady about this. Heather and she were best friends, of course, and -- for the virginal Heather's benefit -- lovers as well. Heather wanted the best in life for her Handmaid. But Brittany wasn't entirely sure that if she asked Heather not to commit Marcus to a political marriage that the answer would be one Brittany liked.

But that was something with which to be concerned for another day. Tonight was about putting on a show for the natives. Marcus didn't much like the clothes he'd been presented, despite how good Brittany told him he looked in them. He asked, "Why would a man want all this?”

"Because it shows wealth and power and stature," she told him, adjusting the clothing at his neck, chest, and waist. Brittany knew about Marcus's vows, leading her to say, "I know that these things do not mean anything to you, but they mean something to Lady Heather ... and to the men and women who will be sitting at our table tonight."

She slipped out to her own bedroom, where two Chamber Maids helped her with her own clothing, makeup, and hair.

Ellie hadn't known that she would have to attend the dinner until Marcus told her that she'd be serving wine and food and doing whatever else needed to be done. "But I don't have--"

She went quiet, not finishing her complaint that she didn't have any male servant clothing to wear to such a dinner; she feared that that might end up with a male servant attempting to dress him and discovering that he was a she. Instead, Ellie simply nodded her head respectfully and responded, "Of course, Master."

Out in the hall, Ellie came across the Butler as he was on his way to speak to Lady Heather. She told the man of her lack of proper clothing, to which the Butler told her where to find a specific male servant, who would find appropriate wardrobe for him. Ellie was still worried about being discovered, yet when she got downstairs, she was basically pointed to a walk-in closet filled with the various uniforms of house servants and told, "Take what you need."

Eric was properly dressed and once again in the second-floor hallway when Marcus emerged to join his lover. He looked Brittany up and down as she met him at the door, saying, “You look nice though, very nice.”

"Thank you, M'Lord," she said with a wide smile, giving him a proper curtsey. She nodded her head toward the distant stairway, asking, "Shall we?"

The three of them descended toward the Dining Hall but found many of the dinner's guests in the foyer, visiting with one another and talking about the multitude of topics that had the town buzzing. Ellie took Fangs out the Keep's main entrance to do his business and found the Inner Bailey alive with activity; several carcasses -- hogs, goats, and chickens, too -- had been roasted as the main courses of a dinner for the entirety of the village's population.

When she returned, Ellie found the guests all heading into the Dining Room, and once they were all in attendance, Lady Heather arrived from an entirely different location, as was often the case with such dinners. She moved to the center seat of the table that sat atop a minor dais -- it put her a foot above the two tables -- and was perpendicular to the other two tables that reached down the length of the Dining Hall from the dais.

The seating arrangement had been a topic of disagreement between Heather and the Keep's Butler. As Lady of the Keep and his new boss, though, Heather's choices on seating had, of course, won out. Flanking her, were Sir Herbert and Sergeant Stormbow, of course; outside them were Rachel and Brittany, respectively; and outside them, also respectively, were the one-legged man -- accompanied by his rescued granddaughter -- and Pria the Elf.

At the other two tables were the remaining Quest Sergeants and their immediate subordinates; Village Elders and their spouses, if such existed; some of the key residents with skills important to turning the village of Hillview back into the walled town of Hillview, such as masons, blacksmiths, and others; and finally -- if they'd been up to the public exposure -- some of the recently rescued hostages from Twineward.

Two of the dinner attendees who the Butler had had issues with were also sitting at the tables reaching out before Heather. In the next to the last seat of the table to her left sat Caroline, Ellie's -- or Eric's -- sister. The Butler had been horrified at the thought of a common whore being invited to the Lady's dinner. However, Heather had demanded it, telling the Butler, "If I don't see her laughing and smiling and having a good time, you'll be looking for a new job as you walk around the village naked with your back lashed."

For this reason, the Butler had seated Caroline between two of the Quest Guardsmen who -- because they were assigned to protect the Keep and, thus, Heather -- he had met and become acquainted with. They were both personable men and -- much to the Butler's relief -- would find Caroline charming and keep her entertained throughout the dinner.

At the end of the table to the left -- literally at the end, not along the seating side with the other guests -- and sitting on a block of wood that would hold his weight, was the Giant, who Heather herself had given the name Magnus. The dinner guest sitting nearest the Giant had initially shown great dismay, but as the night went on, Heather would see smiles, laughs, and conversation there as well.

"Welcome one and all," Heather said once everyone was seated. She raised her glass, waited for the guests to raise their own pre-filled glasses, and toasted, "To the peace and prosperity of Hillview and her People."

The crowd reacted to the toast and drank, and after Heather nodded to the Butler, two dozen servants -- including began emerging to serve the most elegant meal that the Keep had seen in years, even considering the Viscount's years.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:

Marcus had two goblets before him, wine and water. And whenever a toast was made, he sipped the wine out of respected, but he drank the water otherwise. The food was well cooked and seasoned better than he expected. At the temple the food was nourishing, but bland. The didn’t use herbs for food, but for healing.

Sipping water to swallow a bite of food he watched the room. They were still to new to this place, they didn’t know the feelings of the inhabitants of the town. He was certain some of the ex-soldiers had spies, including the old headman, but there were bound to be others that got paid to talk about what they saw. How many would sneak away in the night and tell another Baron about them.

Maybe he was just being paranoid.

When he spoke with Lady Heather, he looked past her and watched Sir Herbert for a moment, but he was ignoring the people in the room. He still wondered what Lady Heather looked like under her clothes. He’d gotten close to seeing it when they’d met the merfolk in the beginning. Had that been a month already?

Reaching down, he slipped some food to Fang before he continued eating. Looking over at Eric he tapped his water cup with a knife. He was being hard on the boy but was nicer than the Master of the Temple.

He had small talk with Lady Brittany as well, but he was thinking about another rescue party. They could go back to Twineward and finish clearing out the slaves and take down the baron there, but that could draw to much attention and drain resources.

They needed to get Pria’s family free and back to the Elf lands. But which would be first? No matter what he planned it came down to Lady Heather.

 

[Alice2015]

The dinner was conducted pretty much as Heather would have expected, with eating, drinking, and a great deal of chit chat between individuals and those sitting on either side of them. The two rows of parallel tables running down the middle of the Dining Hall were spaced from each by about 8 feet, and often conversation took place across the gap as well; there were several spirited exchanges of jokes -- some of them a bit lewd for the setting -- and even more proclamations of support for Heather and her entourage with regards to the freeing of Hillview and the return of the hostages, some of whom were, of course, sitting amongst the diners.

Heather had often been looking to specific diners, notably Magnus the Giant and Pria the Elf. The former was entertaining the guests seated closest him with feats of strength: he bit through a steak bone that even Fangs wouldn't have been able to crush and -- putting it between the tips of his thumb and index finger -- easily bent a dinner knife over onto itself, then straightened it out holding one end in his fingers and the other in his teeth.

The Butler had seen this last feat and was horrified with what the Giant was doing to the fine silver, looking to Heather for relief but only getting a dismissive shake of the head. Heather's only concern was as to whether or not the People were making comedy of the Giant's lesser intelligence. If for even an instance she thought they were ridiculing him, she would have fed them to Fangs for dinner ... raw and still alive, of course.

It was when she looked to Pria that Heather truly became concerned. The Elf was, of course, the only member of her race in Hillview, let alone at the dinner. The only thing that kept Pria from running away in fear and panic was that she was a very strong individual. Heather had seen that in the Elf the first night they'd met.

Heather studied Pria at one point for a long moment and came to realize that she'd been tilting her head ever so slightly this way and that. The Elf was listening to something -- or more specifically, someone. When Pria found Heather studying her, she rose from her seat, walked toward a nearby exit from the room, and looked expectantly back to her Lady.

"Excuse me a moment, please," Heather said to the Bodyguards in seats flanking her. "I'll be right back."

She met Pria, who led her out into the hall for privacy. The two spoke in whispers for a long time before returning to their seats. A musical quartet had been playing soft music from a mezzanine, only to be replaced as entertainment by a troupe of acrobats who featured a juggler as well.

A Trickster in colorful clothing, outrageous hat, and padded shoes with giant curling toes was the last of the entertainers to take the gap between the tables and dais. He invited one dining guest after another out to the floor to be his volunteer in a variety of sleight of hand tricks; each of them involved a bit of close contact between Trickster and -- it would turn out -- victim.

At the end of his act, he approached Heather's table and told her, "Hillview is in desperate need of a Repertory, where artists such as myself could learn everything from--"

He raised his hands and a flame suddenly exploded upwards from them in a flash that disappeared as soon as it had appeared. There was a gasp throughout the hall, followed by laughter and applause. The Trickster continued, "From that to this..."

Turning toward the diners and striking a dramatic pose, he began belting out a melody in a deep, operatic voice that very soon had Heather and the others applauding with delight. Turning back to Heather, he continued, "But such a Repertory would require investment, coin that could, if you requested it--"

He turned with a smirk on his face, continuing, "--from the best of those that Hillview could provide ... from your own guests, M'Lady. I'm sure that if you were to ask for a coin or two from each, they would not hesitate to oblige, would they?"

Heather recognized a con when she saw one; the Trickster was using guilt and loyalty to force the dinner guests to pony up the requested coin. And it worked ... sort of! One after another, some of the guests began to offer a few silver coins or, in a couple of instances, a smaller denomination of gold coin.

But then, one of the guests exclaimed that his coin purse was missing, followed by yet another, and another, and another! The Trickster spun quickly, leaped up onto the narrow ledge of the dais directly before Heather, reached into his pockets, and spilled out dozens of coins of all local denominations, as well as a pendant, a neck chain, two large male rings, and a broach, all of which Heather immediately realized he'd stolen during the more intimate portions of his sleight of hand act.

There was a combination of anger and joy, with most of the former coming from those who'd been robbed and the joy coming from those who hadn't. Heather -- laughing in her own joy and gesturing Sir Herbert to add some coins to the treasure -- promised one and all that they would get their things back, then signaled for the musicians to play something joyous.

"It's time to dance!" she told the guests.

The Butler indicated the door through which the guests should pass to get to the Great Hall, which had been decorated for the night. The musicians stood and crossed a hallway, putting themselves on a second mezzanine from which their sound fell upon the dancers.

After they'd been sashaying about the floor for several minutes, Heather nodded to Pria, then indicated to Marcus and Sir Herbert that she wanted to see them in the back hallway. Once separate from the others, Heather told the Elf, "Tell them what you heard."

Pria gestured above her head as if to indicate a hat, saying softly, "Man, big yellow feather--" She indicated her bosom: "Woman with big marms--" The Elf didn't know the Common Tongue word for tits or breasts. "They talk. Say one to one ... send message, other place ... other town ... Twineward ... Vedrfolnir ... message ... about you."

Heather looked between her two Bodyguards, saying with a serious tone, "We have spies. What are we going to do about this?"

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:

Marcus as in the process of enjoying the meal and conversation and sneaking bits to Fang when the Butler was looking at him. The scowl was rather delightful to observe on the man’s craggy face. When Lady Heather announced dancing!

What in the Nine Hells? He’d rather muck around in the sewers again! They’d never taught him to dance at the Temple! If he’d know this was planned, he’d have fallen down a flight of stair, or off a horse, and broken an ankle.

Lady Brittany gave him a look that said she wanted to dance, until he leaned in and whispered, “I’ve never danced before. Never learned. I would embarrass you, and Lady Heather.” By the Blessed Nine Sir Herbert didn’t get up and dance with Lady Heather.

When Lady Heather looked in his direction and motioned him to follow he though a tongue lashing was imminent. Until she spoke and then the elf started talking. Listening to the descriptions he looked into the great hall at the dancers. He couldn’t see any yellow feathers, which meant at least one had already left the event.

Perhaps they were using the event to get away.

Lady Heather looked between the two Men, saying with a serious tone, "We have spies. What are we going to do about this?"

“They’ve already left the party, we either close the gate immediately and seal them in, for questioning. Or we let them go and try and follow them to see if they have other contacts in this town.”

“I doubt very much it’s just two here. Nor do I believe they would have to contact a spy in the next town, they’d simply report to the castles.”

 

[Alice2015]

Heather with Marcus and Sir Herbert:

“They’ve already left the party," Marcus said when he couldn't see the subjects of their suspicion on the dance floor or in the watching crowd surrounding it. "We either close the gate immediately and seal them in, for questioning. Or we let them go and try and follow them to see if they have other contacts in this town.”

"There are too many holes in the town's defensive perimeter," Sir Herbert pointed out, speaking very much like the military man he was. "Our only hope is to catch them on the road before they can get away."

“I doubt very much it’s just two here," Marcus continued. "Nor do I believe they would have to contact a spy in the next town, they’d simply report to the castles."

"There's only the one road leading out of Hillview," Heather said. She was both right and wrong at the same time; there was only one main road heading southwest out of the village, but after only a hundred yards or so, it branched off in three directions, north, west, and south. "Get men out there immediately to watch for our spies."

She thought about the options between taking them into custody now or following them to their contacts. She didn't like the chances of success with the last. "Catch them now. Bring them back, quietly. Put them separately in the Keep's dungeon cells. We'll worry about other spies later."

Looking directly to Marcus, Heather said, "Take Pria with you. She sussed this out with that Elf hearing of hers. Maybe she might hear something else that will help you. It's already dark out there."

To Sir Herbert she said, "Take Rachel. I heard what she can do with a bow in the dark ... plus ... she's a huntress, and I'm sure she's done her share of running about in the darkness over the years."

"As she poached your deer?" Sir Herbert said, reminding his Lady of how they'd meat Rachel in the first place.

Heather chuckled softly. "Go, both of you. I will cover for you here if it becomes necessary."

Before they departed, though, Heather reached out to Marcus's arm. "You look incredible, Sergeant Stormbow. I failed to say that to you earlier this evening. You can pull of the gentlemen as well as the rest. I hope to see you in fashion more often in the future. Oh, and you will learn to dance." She smiled. "Yes, I heard your conversation with Lady Brittany. She likes to dance ... which means that you will learn ... by order of your Lady."

She waved them both away, saying, "Now, go!"

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
“Looking over at Sir Herbert Marcus suggested the older man head for the smaller town with Rachel will he and Pria headed for the larger one. If they encountered hostiles, Sir Herbert and his men would most likely face a smaller force vs Marcus and a larger town.

Turning to call to Eric he felt a hand on his arm and Looked at Lady Heather. After her compliments and dancing requirements he sighed. “Dancing I will learn when I have time between rescues, spies, attacks, and raids. As for frills and lace.. no. I will allow one.. and only one set of fancy dress to be made for me. But no frill, lace, velvet, bells, bows, or other… frippery. And I don’t understand why my armour wouldn’t have sufficed.” Shrugging he turned and ran for the stables, calling Eric and Fang.

“Eric, three horses!” he called as he grabbed a sword from one of the guards. Grabbing one of the patrol horses he mounted up on the run.

As they got to the gates he asked. “Anyone leave, recently?”

“Yes Sergeant,” The guard called lifting a torch to see with. “Four. Two Men two women. They were a horse. One of them said a sickness had taken a family member and they were a rushed before they passed.”

“Fuck! Seal the gate! Only Sir Herbert is allowed to pass with his squad.” Pointing at a group of guards he yelled. “Horses and follow at all speed I’m for Vedrfolnir.”

Making sure Pria and Eric were mounted he waved them forwards and spurred his horse. He was at a gallop before they hit the open gate. He ignored the road and took off across open ground, hooves churning up the ground as he rode like an avenging demon.

 

[Alice2015]

Heather with Marcus:

"I will allow one.. and only one set of fancy dress to be made for me," Marcus told Heather with certainty in his tone, finishing, "And I don’t understand why my armour wouldn’t have sufficed.”

"Because it isn't about you, Sergeant," Heather told him with a sincere, firm tone. "It's about your lady ... Brittany. You will dress like a gentleman ... you will dance with your lover ... and all will be well in her world."

Even as she watched her Bodyguard hurry away with the Squire and dire wolf close behind, Heather was already planning in her head the transformation of Sergeant Stormbow into Sir Marcus of...

Hmm, of where? she thought to herself. She'd originally met Marcus on Little Gull Island, of course, but she honestly didn't know from where he originated? The island ... or the mainland and then the island? She would have to make deeper inquiries regarding that subject.

Either way, tomorrow he would gain title as a Knight, and Heather would--

Oh ... oh no, he won't! she suddenly realized. Heather had been planning on knighting Marcus tomorrow at a surprise session of Special Court. Now, however, he might be gone; she couldn't know if he'd be back by Midafternoon tomorrow when Court was to be held or Midafternoon one day, two days, or ten days after that.

With nothing more to be done on this, Heather turned back to the Great Hall, to the music, and to the dance. She found Brittany on the side looking desperately about and quickly moved to join her. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but Marcus has been called away."

Brittany was, of course, devastated. Heather smiled to her, proclaiming, "Sergeant Stormbow is on assignment ... one day, two or three perhaps ... but when he returns, I promise you, he will learn to dance with you in a way that includes music ... and clothing."

Brittany laughed and blushed. Her affair with Marcus was, of course, no secret to Heather; the two women had talked in detail about Brittany and Marcus's bed chamber activities. Despite being a virgin herself, Heather was more than overjoyed to hear her best friend and sometimes lover describe what it felt like to have a man pleasure a woman like Marcus did Brittany.

Often -- on nights when her Handmaid didn't join her in bed -- Heather found herself pleasuring herself to the images of men between her thighs. She'd masturbated to the fantasy of Marcus himself laying between her knees. She'd even cum to the though of having her most trusted servant thrusting inside of her: Sir Herbert. That had made Heather laugh afterward; she'd known him her entire life as her most dedicated protector, but he was also a ruggedly handsome man with a fit, muscular body, the type of man unchaste women threw themselves at after a glass or wine or flagon of beer.

The two ladies returned to the dance floor, swishing and swaying about with Hillview's most prominent people. Prominent was a relative term, of course. Hillview was a poor community when compared to Heather's home city on Little Gull Island; it was poor compared to Twineward and Venrfonir, too.

The dinner and dance's attendees had been the cream of the crop, though, with most of them having been merchants or lesser property owners under the former Viscount. Heather knew that many of them had been conflicted about losing their prior Lord, fearing that it would affect their own flow of income.

What they didn't know -- or maybe they did but were feigning ignorance for now -- was that that was entirely true: their incomes were going to change, though, right now there was no way of telling whether that flow would ebb or increase. Heather had plans for improving Hillview's economy, and some of those plans involved the wealthier landowners turning over some of their property to the peasantry.

The residents of Hillview needed to feed themselves, and everyone knew that a peasant worked their own land with more effort and determination than they did their masters' lands. For this reason, Heather had tasked Hillview's upcoming Regent, Sir Herbert, with designing a plan to give 2 hectares of fertile land to each man and woman residing in the village; some regions used acres as a measurement, which in this case would be approximately 5 acres.

In addition, the pasture that the Viscount had previously used strictly for his own herd -- goats and sheep which here then sold to the peasants at a considerably price -- would be opened to every Hillview family. That pasture which measured more than 500 acres (200 hectares) could support enough meat-on-the-hoof to ensure that no family in the village ever starved for lack of funds to purchase meat or milk products.

This land, of course, would come partially from the landowners dancing here tonight. Some of them saw the writing on the wall, and Heather could see which of them they were simply by watching their body language and whisperings amongst each other. Heather wasn't naive; she knew that there were going to be dangerous times ahead. But if she could both ease the wealthier residents' ease and befriend the peasantry, she believed that she could pull this off.

 

[Alice2015]

Pria, Ellie/Eric, and Marcus:

Ellie rushed off to collect the horses her Master had requested. In no time at all, Marcus, Ellie, and Pria were riding off into the night with the Sergeant leading the way. At various times due to terrain and shifting direction over the plain, the Squire and the Elf exchanged places in the chase, and at that time Ellie noticed how confident Pria seemed on horseback.

She found that odd, as she'd been raised to believe that Elves were not horsemen at all. Was it something about Pria herself that made her look so at home with her feet in the stirrups and her body rising and falling over the saddle with such grace? Or had this educational fact that Elves couldn't ride a horse been just another false story used to make this particular Creature species seem even more alien to People.

Ellie herself had had only the most basic riding experience as a younger girl and had only become comfortable upon a mount after a friend who'd been a messenger took her out on rides on occasion. This had been a good memory for her until the Stablemaster developed an eye for her and had her assigned to him as a bed partner.

This night was the first time Ellie had been on horseback since becoming a plaything for the man whose neck her sister, Caroline, had cut open. Despite the fact that they were riding hard over unknown ground in the dark of night toward what might very well become a moment of conflict and possible death, Ellie found herself smiling wide with joy.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
They rode hard chasing the spy, or spies, but their quarry had time and knowledge on their side. Crossing over a hilltop they managed to finally spot the lady with the big chest as she rode into the gate.

FUCK! Marcus screamed internally. What little information they had said there was only one way in, or out, “Pria, this sucks but I need you to pretend to be my property so we can get in. Once through the gate we need to find that woman and stop her.”

Riding forwards they approached the gate at a fairly leisurely pace but got stopped by the gate guards. After passing over a few coins, and more than he wanted, they entered the city.

He told them he was a merchant, and he was looking for more... ‘stock’. They’d even given him directions to where other ‘stock’ could be purchased.

Inside the gates the group pushed forwards, Marcus, Pria, Eric as one group and the guards that had caught up fanning out to look for the lady with big tits.

With all the people in the way, most of them ‘peasant’ class, just doing what they did every morning. Selling fresh breads, and meats, and fruits and vegetable, forges starting up with the ting tap of hammer and anvil, it was hard to move forwards. They decreased her advantage to minutes, but she was gaining time with every delay.

He assumed she was heading for the main building, so he was heading there himself. Too bad he was far enough back that he could see her horse being led from the gate. She was inside, and he couldn’t get to her!

By the Nine Hells tonight was cursed! Well, it was time that they lost all the luck that they’d been having. Looking to his right he gestured to the soldier he spotted and signaled for a rally.

Sending one of them back with instructions to report to Lady Heather he split the remainder, some going to secure rooms at the inn, the rest going to the Tavern and securing additional lodging.

In a room at the Inn, he sat across from Pria, and asked. “Do you know where your family is?” Stopping the spy was lost, but while they were there, they could at least try and rescue her family.

 

[Alice2015]

Pria and Ellie/Eric with Marcus :

The ride had taken all night, with them having to rest and water the horses to prevent them from lathering up and dying. The sun was rising behind them before they reached Vedrfolnir. Marcus made his request of the Elf, apologizing for the suggestion.

Pria didn't hesitated to comply, though. She'd suffered more humiliation and mistreatment during her actual time as a hostage and slave than Marcus even feign during his faux enslavement of her here and now. Dismounting from her own horse, she removed the cloak and hat that she'd been wearing over the only clothes she owned to protect her against the chill of the night.

"Tie hands and mouth," she said, ripping two lengths of cloth from the cloak. Before they bound her, though, she first went to the horse on which she'd been riding to retrieve a rope from the saddlebags. "Use to pull. You not let me ride. Slave walk."

"Let me," Ellie spoke up about binding Pria, leaping down from her horse. It seemed a strange request until the Squire -- who'd actually once been a stable hand -- showed them a handy little slip knot that, with a little force from the Elf, could be easily disengaged should they need her hands in a fight. Once done, Ellie asked, "Too tight?"

Pria shook her head. Ellie tied one end of the rope around the Elf's hands -- using that same slip knot -- and tossed the other up to Marcus. When they were ready to leave, Pria laid on the ground, telling Marcus, "Pull dirt. Make dirty."

It had rained earlier in the day, so Pria rolled from front to back as Marcus pulled her a couple of dozen feet. She popped up almost acrobatically, asking, "Good look, yes?"

Off they headed for the City Gate. Ellie didn't like the turn of events. She'd hoped that they would catch up with, capture, and maybe even kill the woman with the big tits.

The Innkeeper, upon catching sight of Pria, bellowed, "Get that filthy, disease-ridden Creature out of my establishment, now!"

Pria felt her blood instantly begin boiling and leapt the Innkeeper's direction. But Ellie was thinking and shouldered Pria off balance, over a chair, and onto the floor. The Squire grasped the Elf by the hair and growled loudly, "Don't make me beat you again."

Then, much softer, Ellie asked with obvious concern, "Did I hurt you?"

Pria responded by winking to the Squire, then growling into her gag again and kicking her feet harmlessly at Ellie. The Innkeeper seemed pleased with the treatment. Upstairs, with Pria untied and wiping away the mud with water from a pitcher, Marcus asked her, “Do you know where your family is?"

"No," Pria reluctantly confessed. "Only know here."

 

[Alice2015]

Back in Hillview:

Heather's mind had been filled with thoughts about the two squads chasing the two spies through the dark, so much so that she'd kindly brought the ball to a close sooner than most would have expected. She traded farewells with each guest as they made their way out of the Keep and back to their homes and was about to head for her own quarters when she was told that Magnus was still sitting in the Dining Hall.

"Oh, dear, I forgot about him," Heather confessed to Brittany as she and the Handmaid made their way quickly to the Giant. They found him still sitting on the chopping block of wood he'd used for a chair, pulling the bones out of a turkey carcass and eating them as easily as if they'd been the bird's meaty parts. Approaching him, Heather apologized, "Magnus, I'm sorry, so sorry. I became distracted and did not notice that you weren't in the Great Hall."

The Giant smiled, realized he had something in his teeth, fished it out with a fingernail, and smiled again. Then, with an expression of disappointment, he asked, "Dance over?"

"Yes, it is," Heather said. When the Giant donned a sad expression that reminded her of children denied a treat, she asked, "I'm sorry, Magnus. Did you want to dance?"

He beamed with a wide smile, responding, "Never danced."

"Would you like to dance?" Heather asked.

Brittany leaned in and pointed out the obvious: "M'Lady, he's too tall to dance with you."

"Is he though?" Heather asked with a devilish smirk spreading her lips. She looked to one of the Guardsmen who'd been near her all night for protection, ordering, "I want every servant and Guardsmen in the Keep in this room now! And catch the musicians before they leave. I want them back, too."

As the Guardsmen rushed off to complete his task, Heather told the 10-foot-tall Creature, "Magnus, you are going to get your chance to dance after all."

Over the course of the next few minutes, several things happened: Guardsmen and servants arrived, singularly or with companions; they went to work quickly removing the dishware, candlesticks, table clothes, and anything else on the tables until they were cleared; two additional tables were brought in and placed between the ends of the two longer ones at which the guests had sat, creating a square; and the musicians -- missing one of the flutists who'd departed before being recalled -- assembled on the dais on which Heather and her closest Quest Party members had earlier sat.

With Magnus in the middle of the arranged tables, Heather gestured to the musicians, who began playing the music to a particular dance for which -- literally and figuratively both -- the table was set. Heather asked, "Do you know how to dance, Magnus? Perhaps I should have asked that."

"No," he confessed. "But feet move." He did a quick little jig that made some of the others laugh, including Heather, then performed a very respectable bow and asked, "May I have this dance, M'Lady?"

"You may, M'Lord," she responded, reaching out her hand, "with pleasure."

He bowed again, she curtseyed, they each turned to face the same direction, and to the music they moved their feet in very different fashions but with the same result: they were dancing down the length of the table, with the Giant's feet skipping happily though not entirely in step with the music across the stone floor while Heather's were very elegantly gliding as she'd been taught since she was old enough to walk.

The dance took them down the length of the tables, pausing there a moment while Heather taught Magnus a move that resulted in each of them bowing/curtseying again and spinning a slow circle. Then, continuing, they took the corner, dance the distance of the newly arrived, shorter table, and proceeded back up the other long side of the rectangle, again pausing before the corner to bow/curtsey, spin, laugh, and continue.

"My turn, M'Lady," Brittany called from atop the dais near the musicians, repeating louder and with excitement, "My turn to dance with Magnus."

The pair stopped, again bowed and curtseyed as appropriate, and -- after two Guardsmen had helped the Handmaid to the table tops -- the women changed places for the dance to continue. All along the walls of the Dining Hall Guardsmen, Servants, and others who hadn't yet departed or who had heard what was happening and had returned, watched with great interest and delight as the two women entertained the Giant as no one ever had before.

After Brittany had made a circumnavigation of the tables and her Lady repeated her part a second time, Heather signaled to the Giant that she was spent. The musicians were signaled to cease, and after a delightful round of applause, the dance was officially finally over.

Magnus reached carefully to Heather and easily lifted her off the table and to the floor, stepping back to bow to her one last time. With a wide smile, he said, "Thank you, M'Lady." He bowed to the Handmaid as well, repeating, "Thank you, M'Lady."

"No, thank you, Magnus," Heather told the Giant. After he moved one of the tables to create a gap for her to escape the rectangular enclosure, Heather thanked him again, then asked with concern, "Oh! Did we find a proper place for you to live and lay your head, Magnus?"

He smiled. "Yes, M'Lady. Sir Herbert find Magnus a home."

"Good, happy to hear that," she told him. Smiling and saying farewell, Heather took Brittany by the hand and said, "I think it's time to call it a night."

They headed away, escorted by the Guardsmen as far as her quarters on the second floor.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:

Pria not knowing where in the city her family could be wasn’t unexpected. After all how would she know? Dressed as he was helped in this situation. He could play the part of a dandy looking for more elf slaves.

So that’s what he did. He and his ‘guards’ went out through the town and searched for more Elves to purchase. During their travels and wanderings he purchased a few things, including parchment, ink and quill, and made a mental map which he put to the parchment.

The Baron of this region was called Jarl and he was the buyer and seller of slaves in this town. So although many people had slaves, he had the encampment. And just as as buyer and seller of cattle and pigs kept their accounts, hopefully this Jarl kept track of who bought and sold Elves.

As Marcus, Pria, and Eric walked through town whenever they saw an elf slave, he had Pria whisper in Elven and communicate with the slave. It had been immediately apparent to him that elves had better hearing than anyone else, so he used it to his advantage. Simple questions.

Did they know of Pria’s family?

Did they know where??

and

Would they rise up and fight when the signal was given?

Marking houses on the map he figured they had fifty elven allies in the city, plus those in Jarl’s encampment. Fuck they might be gaining another outpost from this shit, and they weren’t ready!

Making a copy of the map he sent it with a guard to Lady Heather. Plus, orders to bring back ten more men.

Laying down for a while he took a nap, they'd be going looking tonight. If they went in looking around during the day, the spy would see him and ruin everything.