"The League of Creatures" (closed)

[Alice2015]

Caroline (at the ball):

(OOC: Imagine her in something a little less slutty and tavern-esque but still with her bosom and hourglass shape well displayed.)

Caroline had initially felt uncomfortable being at the very elegant dinner hosted by Hillview's new Noble. She was a whore, and a good percentage of the male guests -- and even two or three of the female ones -- knew that from first-hand experience. But Heather had put her between two men who would treat her like a lady, and surprisingly, she'd had a wonderful time.

By the time the dancing had ended, and the guests began departing, Caroline wasn't at all surprised to have received half a dozen invitations to keep the night going. Out of respect for the House and its new Lady, the whore had politely turned each invitation down. She'd been conflicted about doing so, knowing that on this particular night the compensation would have been greater than normal. But it had been the right thing to do, she felt.

But then she began thinking that perhaps she was making a mistake, and as the last of the guests were heading out into the night, Caroline began eyeballing the stragglers for one of the men who'd propositioned her. As luck would have it, all the horny men had left early, perhaps to get to the taverns and their bent knee whores before the competition did.

Caroline was disappointed and decided to call it a night, too. Then there was a buzz near the Keep's entrance, and some of the guests, Guardsmen, and servants were quickly heading back inside. She couldn't let this go without knowing more, and soon enough she was back in the Dining Hall, watching Lady Heather dance with the twice-her-height Giant named Magnus.

She clapped and applauded along with the others at the appropriate times, and when the dance was over and the crowd broke up for the second time, Caroline stood aside to once again seek a man with coin in his pockets and lust in his pants. Once again, no takers. Until a Guardsman stepped up closer to her and said softly, "Miss Caroline, would you please come with me?"

She did so without question and found herself being escorted into the Office of Lady Heather's quarters. She waited with her stomach turning anxiously until Heather emerged from her bed chamber, asking, "Did you enjoy yourself this evening, Miss Caroline?"

"Yes, M'Lady, very much," she responded. "I thank you for the invitation. It was ... unexpected, to say the least."

Heather gestured Caroline to one end of the couch on which she herself sat. They chatted a couple of minutes about the dinner and dance without Heather once making any reference to Caroline's chosen profession. This had all been leading up to something, though; both Heather who'd made the invitation and Caroline who'd accepted it knew this.

"I'm told that you are very good at what you do," Heather began when it was time to get to the point.

Caroline couldn't help but smile just a bit. With a bit of humor in her voice, she agreed, "I'm told that as well from time to time, M'Lady."

"I'm told that ... not only do you provide pleasure to those who seek it," Heather continued, choosing her words carefully and speaking them with an appropriate tone, "that you also provide ... information ... little bits of knowledge that you overhear at times ... to people who, like your clients, pay for such."

Caroline could see where this was going. She confirmed, "Yes, M'Lady ... I do hear things at times that might be useful to others. And I do from time to time share that information with people who compensate me for what they hear."

Heather stood, moved to the desk she'd taken over after the Viscount's demise, and returned to drop a small purse on the table before Caroline. "Feel free to take a look, Miss Caroline."

The whore hesitated, then untied the thong closing the leather pouch and looked inside. Her eyes widened at the sight of more than two dozen semi-precious, cut gems. Oh, they weren't diamonds or rubies or emeralds, but they were of a total value more than Caroline could earn on her back or knees in more than half a year.

"I would like to engage you in some intelligence gathering, if you think you would be interested, Miss Caroline," Heather told her.

The whore chuckled, then explained her outburst, "I'm sorry, M'Lady, but ... I don't think there's enough intelligence to be gathered in Hillview to warrant a payment of a quarter of these stones."

"You won't be doing it here, Miss Caroline," Heather explained. "We need more intelligence on the goings-on in neighboring cities. We are a small force ... a small movement with a very small army. We cannot accomplish what we are trying to accomplish by force alone. We will need to employ other means ... non-violent means ... political, perhaps financial. Means for which we need know far more than we do about the participants."

"And since most of these ... participants are men," Caroline filled in, "and most of them likely appreciate a woman with my ... skills..."

"Yes," Heather said simply. "I ask this out of respect for your skill. I could not do what I am asking of you. It is not, as they say, in my wheelhouse."

Caroline couldn't help but immediately wonder about Lady Heather's sexual wheelhouse. Noble women were supposed to remain chaste until marriage -- well, actually, all women were -- but Caroline knew that that wasn't always the case. But Heather's comment led her to believe that the young Noblewoman might very well still be a virgin.

"I would be happy to do this for you, M'Lady," Caroline said after a moment of contemplating how this might affect her life. Spying could be a dangerous, even life-risking act. But she had faith in Lady Heather. "I am at your service."

Heather stood, leading to Caroline doing the same. "Thank you, Miss Caroline." Then, smiling, Heather corrected, "Lady Caroline."

The two shared a smile, and after farewells, the whore departed. The purse of gems was a delight, but Lady Heather's gratitude wouldn't stop there. The next day, Caroline would learn that she, her crippled uncle, and her brother Eric would be given the home of one of the Lesser Lords who had served Viscount Ruhn; the Lord had been killed the night of the attack on Hillview, his family had fled, and the comfortable, warm, dry, stone home had been left unattended and then claimed by Sir Herbert in the name of His Lady.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:

Moving from house to house his men snuck inside and freed slaves, many stayed to help, some headed for the main gate taking out guards as they went. He was sure a great many of The People, which the elves called Mon’Keigh – Invaders – people of his own species wouldn’t survive this night. Most of them would be soldiers and guards of this Town. Some would be slave owners. He hoped the elves didn’t kill, but he wouldn’t blame them for it.

It took hours to free the slaves in the town, but the new freedom fighters helped get him over the wall. After taking out two more inside guards he lifted the bar to the inner ballie and let the rest of his soldiers inside.

Moving like two massive living shadows they dispatched every guard they came cross. In the town they’d gathered weapons from every guard and soldier they took out. And they did the same inside, once the elves had their hands on bows it became more of a slaughter. It was getting harder to keep them from just butchering anyone not an elf.

Pria was doing her best, but the ex-saves were angry, and he understood. But killing didn’t make it better. Moving through the inner bailey they came across the Barracks before the slaves. Approaching the building Marcus was halfway between the building, the moonlight clearly showing him, when the door opened.

Reaching for a dagger to throw it he watched as the guard turned into a pincushion. Four arrows it him t the same time, jerking the man’s body and sticking him to a wall.

Darting across the remaining space more guards came running out, dying as fast as they exited the building. Waving men forwards they circled the building and hit it from the far side, a blade narrowly missing his head as he rolled through the doorway and inside.

Dragon Rising flowed into Hummingbird Strikes as he moved through the room. Leaping across a bed Jaguar Leaping became Rebirth of the Phoenix. The took building by building, finally reaching the slave pens. A dozen or more were in each cell, some chained to the floor, others had been burned, blinded, or just tortured for the fun of it.

Calling Pria forwards he noticed this was only men and boys. There were no females here, nor in the main town.

“Pria, where are the females?” He asked, hoping the were still here in the city, in the Castle/Keep itself, and not sold to other towns.

 

[Alice2015]

Pria and Marcus:

The party from Hillview rested several hours: Marcus, Pria, Ellie, and the few Guardsmen who were feigning being part of the Master's slave-acquisition team took two rooms in the more upscale Inn, while the balance of the Guardsmen took two rooms over one of the more disreputable taverns. All of the Guardsmen, regardless of where they spent the afternoon and early evening sleeping, had shed their uniforms for travel clothing that fit the story.

When those napping were awoken by those standing watch, Pria pulled Marcus aside. She nodded her head toward Eric, who she of course knew to be Ellie. She suggested with a serious tone, "Stay here with horses. Not fight. Young. Not ready for fight."

Marcus might have already been considering leaving Ellie behind, but one way of the other it didn't matter; the Squire would remain safely away from the fight. The rest of them proceeded out into the city to find and free slaves, knowing that the original mission of capturing the Hillview spy had failed.

Pria had the advantage of superior senses, of course, two of which were olfactory and auditory: smell and hearing. As they moved from house to house, the Elf drew deep breaths, searching for the male hormones and female pheromones naturally exuded into the air. When she sensed one or the other, Pria listened for signs of her own language or of Common Tongue that seemed to be related to the holding of Elves.

And it worked. Over the next hour or so of sneaking about, Pria discovered over a dozen Elven slaves and Marcus's men burst into the homes or businesses to free them. Many of the freed Elves were initially frightened; often, they thought they were simply being stolen by bandits to be sold again elsewhere. But Pria reassured them they were being freed.

She'd assumed before the fight began that any Elves freed would want to head for the city gates and freedom. Pria was surprised to find that every one of them chose to fight with their saviors. And just as Marcus would be, Pria was shocked at the fury they unleashed on the People of the city. They attacked and often killed any People they came across as they continued the search for slaves from their Race.

Pria tried her best to talk them down, to calm them into focusing their anger on armed soldiers only. It didn't work: soldiers and civilians, males and females, even a few children who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was a slaughter. Pria had anger against People, of course; she'd been taken from her Clan and Family and sold into brutality and rape. But she'd been able to contain that anger and focus it on those who deserved it.

She finally gave up on trying to contain her fellow Elves, leading a half dozen of them who'd gathered bows, the weapon with which they had the greatest skill. She gave up that weapon for a blade when she followed Marcus into the Lord's castle and down to the dungeon cells where they expected to find more slaves, People and Elven both.

When they found only males, Marcus asked with concern, “Pria, where are the females?”

"Not know," she said, running from cage to cage in disbelief that none of her female Race were there. "Should be here."

She began calling to the male Elves, asking the same question Marcus had asked her. They were scared, which didn't surprise Pria; just as with the slaves freed out in the city, they didn't know what was happening to them. Eventually she found a male who opened up to her. They talked through the bars as the keys for the cages were found and used to free the slaves.

"He help," Pria told Marcus. "Name Royl. His name Royl. He help."

Royl was ranting away in his native language to Marcus and Pria both; he didn't know any Common Tongue beyond yes, no, and Master. He turned all of his attention to Pria again as she led him out of the dungeon, continuing to talk quickly, his hands waving all about. When they reached the castle's main floor, Pria signaled him to give her a moment and turned to Marcus.

"Female Elves gone," she said. "Sold. Left wagon two day before today." Royl spoke some more, after which Pria continued, "Southeast. Poison water. They go to City Yalla."

Neither Royl nor Pria were familiar with the names Poisonwater Bay or Yalla. The first was over 200 kilometers to the southeast, through the forests in which Fedrfolnir was located; Yalla was another 2000 kilometers beyond that, a trip by boat that followed the southern shore and then up the Western Yall River.

That meant that the slaves -- who Royl had said were boarded up in wagon pulled carts -- had already reached one of the small port towns on Poisonwater Bay. Unless they were kept there in holding, they were likely already on the water and heading for the City of Yalla.

Pria didn't know any of these numbers of course, because she didn't know anything about the south region of the World. They needed to speak to a local if they were going to formulate a plan regarding the female slaves. Before anything more could be done, though, a male Elf called out loudly, "Pria! Pria! Nin meld -iel!"

He was calling out my dear daughter; he was Pria's father, and coming up beside him was the Elf's brother. The three of them rushed to one another, wrapping their arms around one another, sobbing and crying with joy. Pria eventually introduced the two men to Marcus.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
With Pria’s family saved the second half of the mission was complete, she’d never mentioned a sister or mother, and they just didn’t have the speed to ride to another town and even consider a rescue of the females. In time all the Elves would be freed, but not today. But they still had the primary reason yet to fulfill. A spy to capture... or kill.

Moving forwards after the very briefest of rests they took the inner castle. The guards here were far far better than the ones they’d ever encountered before. They had better armour, blades, and skill.

They lost a man on the first floor, one of the Pirates that had come with them. And only managed to slay two of Jarl’s men. And then the Elven bowman moved in and the invaders took the stairs, swords in the front bowmen in the back.

When they got a major hall the enemy had a dozen men ready to fight, until Marcus and his men stepped to the walls and a score of arrows dropped the defenders in a moment. One had had the sense to shift to the side, but an arrow took him in the hip and he screamed until Marcus silenced him with a dagger to the heart.

The element of surprise was long gone, so now it was time for speed. Moving quickly the squads split up and moved as fast as they could. The butcher’s price was high, but by the Nine he’d allow no spy to escape him.

When he finally broke the door to Jarl’s bedchamber he was exhausted, the spy was in Jarl’s bed, and damned if Pria wasn’t right. She had tits the size of cows udders. To bad she thought he’d stop t stare at them. Hers were huge, but Brittany's were nicer shaped.

The Baron Jarl came at him with an axe and a shield, swinging with power and speed but far less skill then his best guards. Backing through the door Marcus pulled it closed and watched the blade emerge by several inches. And then Marcus kicked as hard as he could, slamming the door into the baron’s face.

Falling back the Baron was a beast of a man as he jumped to his feet with a shaking thud of the floor planks. Slowing his breath Marcus watched the man grab a fire brand and swing it. The room felt cold on his skin as he moved, the void taking him as he stepped in and under the swing, rising up from behind the man he sank his daggers deep into the Baron’s arm pits. And then quick as lightning strikes the ground, he snapped dagger blows along the man’s spine.

The Baron tried turning to his right to face him, but Marcus stepped left, face to face they stared into each other’s eyes as a blade sank into Jarl’s jaw from below. Hard and deep, the man’s tongue was severed. But the baron didn’t care.

Falling to the floor he didn’t make a sound other than the solid thud of dead meat. “Take her!” He commanded.

He asked for volunteers for a special mission, and all of the surviving men he'd brought with him instantly asked to do it. Not even questioning what for or why. Selecting five guards that he knew were loyal to the Lady Heather from the beginning he ordered them to change armour for that of the Baron of this city. The five dead guards they'd taken armour from were thrown into hog pens naked. By morning there would be nothing left of the bodies.

While five changed armour the others cleared out all the loose coin, gems and jewels - and anything of value that was easy to carry* they could find. Then came the hardest part, he had his men thrash the now disguised guards, one man got a broken arm, several lost teeth, but now they looked like they’d fought for this god forsaken baron and would make excellent spies. And with any luck at all, they’d be well placed in the next Baron’s retinue.

Leaving them to make up their own stories, Marcus took his ever-growing army and left the town, taking all horses – and livestock - and still living soldiers as prisoners. Marching through the Night and through the day the sun was beginning to set, the last light of day visible from the Lady Heather’s room as Marcus and his men crested the hill and saw the gates.



*Essentially they took every coin, gem, jewelry or decorative piece worn on a person. Including rings and tiara's. As well as Candlesticks, silver, tableware, swords, daggers, axes, woodaxes, shields, and anything else conceivably sellable or usable.

 

[Alice2015]

Ellie, watching the horses:

Ellie hadn't objected to her Master leaving her behind to watch the horses, of course. She wasn't a warrior like her Marcus or an archer like Rachel or even an Elf like Pria, which as a race meant she had been raised to be a fighter almost from the time she could walk.

She'd been told to keep the horses saddled and harnessed. Also, she had to keep them out of sight but near to the main gate in the case of a speedy exit being needed. Before Marcus and his force departed on their mission, Ellie had spied an alley that fit the needs of the party, explained to Marcus how to get to it from the Inn, and -- one at a time to remain inconspicuous -- moved all of the mounts to the alley.

Then, it was just a matter of waiting for Marcus and Pria's return. Simple and safe. At least ... that was what it was supposed to be.

An hour had passed before two Fedrfolnir Guardsmen appeared at the alley entrance and spotted the herd of ready-to-mount horses crowded into the narrow alley. Ellie watched them from the shadows as they approached and checked the horses for anything that would identify to whom they belonged. One of the Guardsmen nodded to his partner as he patted a horse's rump, saying, "This is the mark of the Guard of Twineward. We need to contact the Watch Commander. There's no reason this horse should be here."

"Yes, there is!" Ellie suddenly found herself calling out from the dark. "There's a reason!"

The two Guardsmen quickly pulled their short swords and demanded that Ellie show herself. She didn't immediately but eventually stepped into the moonlight. She had no idea what she was supposed to say; it had simply been her instinct to delay the men from spreading the word of the odd situation.

The two men pushed their way through the narrow alley filled tight with horses, telling Ellie to stay where she was and to identify herself. She said nothing, still working on a plan. When the nearest guard was just on the other side of the second horse from her, Ellie suddenly dropped to her knees and began crawling between the legs of the horses, turning this way and that, sometimes having to backtrack.

When the two Guardsmen realized that they'd lost their target, they began threatening her with a whipping if she didn't show herself. Horses were milling about nervously, endangering Ellie and the Guardsmen both. She got lucky, though, and somehow didn't get trampled. She rose to her feet again when she thought she was safe and might be able to make a run for the alley's end.

But then she saw one of the Guardsmen just barely out of arm's reach. She dropped to her knees again, waiting and wondering what to do next. Just as the man curled around behind the horse, Ellie noticed that it was a stallion, its balls and cock dangling right before her face. Her lips spread in a smile as she stood up, reached under the horse's belly, and punched it in its privates.

The horse's back end went up into the air and its rear feet came shooting out, kicking the Guardsman squarely in the chest. The man flew against the stone wall several feet away, his ribs crushed, his heart punctured by one or more of the broken bones, and the back of his head smashed in. He was unconscious and would bleed out in minutes.

The second man -- standing at the other end of the herd -- hadn't seen what had happened knew from the sudden excitement of the horses that something indeed had. He began pushing his way through the horses again, still seeking the herd's tending party. Ellie doubted that she could get away with something like that again and was desperately searching for a solution to her problem.

The Guardsman spotted his dead partner, then saw Ellie. He hollered that he was going to catch her and -- believing she was a female because of her earlier, high-pitched call to them -- rip her clothes off and fuck her to death. She looked for an escape path, but the horses who'd been protecting her earlier no longer were.

She only had one choice left, and as much as she disliked it, she decided it had to be done. She moved as best as she could to hide herself from the Guardsman, and when he pushed his way through the past pair of horses between them, Ellie stabbed the dagger she'd brought with her from Hillview into the man's chest. To her horror, the man's leather armor slowed the blade's intrusion into his torso, preventing his immediate death.

Ellie saw this, and screaming at the top of her lungs, pushed the blade harder still as she pushed into the man, trying to keep him off balanced. The two of them fell to the ground, with the Squire on top. The man grabbed her, punched her once in the face and again in the tit. Ellie screamed in pain yet maintained her composure enough to push the hilt of the blade upwards toward the man's head, then downwards toward his belly in an attempt to do him more damage.

The man hit Ellie in the face again, knocking her off him to the dirty cobblestones. She crawled away from him, crying in pain and fear, and was certain that the man was invincible, perhaps protected by magic. She couldn't see his face well enough to know that he himself was in intense pain and was only minutes from death after the blade had cut into his heart. She knew she was about to die.

Then, something spooked the already-nervous horses, and the one directly above the Guardsman reared up three or four times, each time bringing his hooves down onto the man. By the time the horse had calmed, the man's skull and chest had been crushed, and Ellie was safe once again.

She struggled to her feet, found her cheek, nose, and lip bleeding, and spit blood at the dead men, one after the other. Her heart was pounding with excitement and fear; she'd killed two men who'd meant her harm, and the adrenaline would keep her awake for quite sometime.

(One more post coming in a bit.)

 

[Alice2015]

Pria with Marcus:

Pria stressed to her father and brother that they needed to get out of the castle before reinforcements arrived. By now, there were more than three dozen Elves gathered, far more than Pria would have imagined seeing in one place outside of an Elven village.

"I go to gate," she told Marcus. Gesturing toward her family and the other Elves, she tried to get across her message that she had to get them all out of the city. "Elves go. Not safe here."

She didn't want Marcus to think that she was abandoning him, but she knew how to get out of the city from here and she felt she had to save the others. Some of the Elves who'd been fighting with Pria and Marcus stayed with the latter, but the majority of them went with Pria.

Ellie, Pria, and Marcus:

​

When Pria arrived at the rendezvous point, Ellie was shocked to see so many Elves following behind her -- and that wasn't even all of them. The People slaves who'd been freed but had not joined Marcus's force had already overwhelmed what remained of the Guard at the Main Gate and fled off into the night; enough of them had been told of Hillview that the name of the village had gotten around, but most of them would head for their homes, as most would likely expect of them.

Pria told Ellie how many saved slaves were on the way, leading Ellie to point out the obvious: "We don't have enough horses! Not close!"

"Elves walk," Pria told her. "People and injured and sick ride."

Ellie could understand that and calmed a bit. Quite a while later, Marcus and his band of People and Elves arrived, and again Ellie began to panic. There were simply too many of them. Some doubled up; others simply ran for the gate. Ellie kept waiting for the city's Guard to set upon them, to wipe them out. But only a handful of men who'd survived felt obligated to chase down the raiders, and the Elves -- who still had their senses and their bows -- made easy work of them.

A mile or so from the city, a conversation taking place between the Elves caused Pria to call to Marcus to stop the train. There was an obvious disagreement between the Elves. Suddenly, a group of Elves -- more than half of those who'd been rescued -- ran off to the east, armed with the bows, spears, and swords they'd taken off the town's dead Guard.

"Save females," Pria told Marcus as she gestured toward the departing group. "They save females. Know you cannot. Know you have mission. They mission: save females."

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:
Slamming the pommel in anger Marcus understood why they were doing it, but didn’t they understand it was a fools errand? They were going to die or be slaves again. They weren’t going to be able to rescue anyone. “I wish them luck, and I’ll say prayers for their souls.”

***

Entering Hillview Marcus rode all the way to the castle before surrendering the horse to the Stable-master. “Run and fetch the Maester,” he told the stable-boy as he looked at Eric. “Kitchen, water for a bath, and food for you me, and fang. And tell the kitchen to bring anything they have to eat to the main hall, a lot of people have been riding for too damned long and they’re going to be starving, and tired.”

Looking over at a Guard he told him, “Fetch Sir Herbert, his treasury is getting bigger.”

Moving over to the spy they’d caught he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her through the castle to the ‘Throne Room’. He was tired, sore, hungry, he was covered in sweat and blood and to many fucking cuts and bruises to count. He didn't care that her hands and feet were bound with shackles and rope. Because of her far to many people had been enslaved and killed. Because of her, more would have been.

 

[Alice2015]

Heather and Brittany, early this morning:

A Chambermaid knocked excitedly on Heather's bed chamber door but didn't wait for a response before hurrying inside. It was no secret that her Lady and her Lady's Handmaid regularly spent nights in bed together, naked. This was the first time, though, that the Chambermaid entered to find Brittany out of sight under the blankets while Heather was writhing in the throes of passion.

Dropping her eyes to the floor, the Chambermaid stood in silence, waiting for the two women to finish. Her Lady cried out in ecstasy, gasped a dozen times or more, then relaxed back into the bedding as the Handmaid crawled up her body and reappeared.

Almost immediately, Brittany took notice of the servant, snapping, "What is it?"

"Sorry, M'Lady," the Chambermaid responded nervously, her eyes still down. "They've returned."

"Who?" Brittany asked impatiently, nearly leaping out of the bed and surging naked toward the other woman. "Which party?"

"Sir Herbert's party, M'Lady," the Chambermaid answered with a tone that spoke of the punishment she was sure was ahead of her. "Sir Herbert, Miss Rachel ... they've returned."

"What of Marcus?" Brittany asked with a concerned tone. "What of Sergeant Stormbow?"

The Chambermaid answered reluctantly, "Still no sign of him, M'Lady. The last messenger--"

"Get out!" Brittany snapped. She cared not about messengers; she wanted to see Marcus coming through the front entrance of the Keep, once again alive and well.

As the Chambermaid turned to leave, Heather called out to her, "Take off your clothes."

"M'Lady...?" the servant responded with a confused tone.

"Remove your clothes," Heather repeated as she rose from the bed and began toward the bathtub in the corner of her bed chamber. She repeated and clarified, "Remove your clothes ... all of them ... until you are as naked as Lady Brittany or myself."

The Chambermaid didn't understand what was happening and hesitated, until Brittany -- who didn't quite understand what Heather was thinking -- snapped at the servant, "Remove your clothes!"

The Chambermaid began doing as she was told, while Brittany -- gestured to do so by Heather -- began tending to warming the room temperature water in the pre-drawn bath with water from the fireplace, which was down to just coals but still very much warm enough to heat the kettle above it.

Soon, after several pauses that ended when Heather gestured an extended finger with a continue gesture, the Chambermaid was standing naked before the other two women. She was younger than either of the other two 21-year-old women by a couple of years and had a petite but beautiful figure which she did her best to hide behind her hands and arms.

Heather complimented, "You are a fine-looking woman. Are you married?"

The Chambermaid nodded nervously. Heather, now slipping down into the bath, asked, "Children?"

This time the servant shook her head and added, "No, M'Lady. My husband is away."

"Why?" Heather asked.

"He works ... worked the peat harvest," she answered, "as a teamster. He is often away for weeks. He hasn't been home much to..."

She knew -- or hoped -- that she didn't have to explain why her husband's absence might prevent the two of them from conceiving a child.

During the exchanged, Brittany had begun to wonder what exactly was going on. Heather had never expressed an interest in having a female lover other than Brittany. Their sexual affair, she thought, had been about far more than sex. The Witch had told Heather when she was young that she would never reclaim the Frenkish Throne if she was ever to let a man inside her, but there had never been any restriction to Heather fulfilling her natural needs in other ways, namely her best and oldest friend, Brittany.

Had Heather changed her mind? Was she contemplating adding the Chambermaid to her bath, her bed, and her life? Heather answered that question -- for now, at least -- by telling the Chambermaid, "Now, go get my breakfast as Lady Brittany ordered."

"Yes, M'Lady," the Chambermaid said, quickly beginning to gather up her clothing.

"Leave them," Heather said. When the servant looked to her Lady with confusion, Heather explained, "Perhaps a day of working as the Gods brought you into this life will make you think twice about entering my bed chamber without me first telling you to do so."

The Chambermaid's face was filled with shock, and her eyes quickly began to spill tears down her cheeks. She set the clothes aside, hesitated, then turned for the exit. She was visibly shaking as she reached for the handle -- only to have Heather call out, "Stop!"

When the young beauty turned, Heather instructed her to dress, leave, and never invade her privacy again. The Chambermaid apologized again and spouted repeatedly her intentions to do her job better as she quickly dressed. Once she was gone, Brittany looked to Heather with a wide smile and a gently shaking head.

"You thought I was looking for someone new, didn't you?" Heather asked. She gestured the naked Handmaid to join her in the tub, and as they embraced and kissed, Heather promised, "Until my fate brings me the man I am destined to join with ... you are the only person who will ever pleasure me ... my servant, my friend, my love ... my Brittany."

 

[Alice2015]

Later:

After their bath, Heather and Brittany met with Sir Herbert and Rachel the Huntress in her office. They learned that the pair had indeed caught up with the spy heading for Twineward, engaged them, and killed them. Sir Herbert apologized, "I'm sorry, M'Lady. I wanted to take the spy alive for questioning, but they wouldn't surrender."

"I understand," Heather said. "What's important is that you and your squad returned without suffering harm or loss. Thank you, Sir Herbert. You're dismissed. Please tell me if you receive another messenger from the other team."

Three times they'd received messages reporting Marcus's progress: the squad had reached Fedrfolnir; they'd found rooms in an Inn to both hide and rest; and they were beginning their attack. What they wanted now was a message telling them that Marcus, Pria, and the others had survived and were coming home.

Lady Brittany held Court at Midafternoon as she had been since Heather had assigned the duty to her. She judged several minor matters while holding over the more serious ones for Lady Heather to judge the following day. For her part, Heather -- accompanied by Sir Herbert -- spent the day meeting with residents of all social ranks to discuss Hillview's future.


Evening:

Heather found herself standing on the balcony of her quarters, staring to the southwest, the direction in which the first team had ridden. Twice, Scouts had signaled the approach of riders on that road, only to find out they were no connected to Marcus.

Just before sundown, Sir Herbert had sent a pair of riders toward Fedrfolnir in the hopes of either meeting Marcus's messengers or Marcus himself. He didn't expect to hear back from the pair for hours, possibly even a day. What Sir Herbert couldn't know was that Highwaymen had ambushed the riders just ten kilometers outside of Hillview, killing and robbing them both. Their bodies would be buried in the woods and never found, although some of their horses and tack were identifiable, and who could know now whether questions would arise later?

Heather and Brittany retired to the former's bed, cuddling with each other as they whispered about their lives...

The next evening:

Yet another day without word passed without word from Marcus or from the scouts Sir Herbert had dispatched. By now, Heather and Brittany were becoming very concerned. Heather had held court at Midafternoon, during which she'd handed judgements regarding those charged with crimes; given relief to residents who'd been harmed by the Viscount's policies and harsh treatment; offered benefits to those who'd been showing great effort toward the town's progress; and gave her blessing to a dozen new Guardsmen-in-training.

Heather knew that they'd need even more Guardsmen than that if Marcus and his people did not return. There was still no word from Fedrfolnir; it had been a day and a half since the last messenger. She wanted to send a squad of mounted warriors and archers toward the city, led by Rachel, but Sir Herbert had given his opinion that it wasn't a good idea. Heather had honored his suggestion.

Then, as she was preparing for bed, a sharp rap at the door was followed by, "M'Lady! M'Lady! There's here!"

Brittany hurried to the door to open it, discovering the Chambermaid who'd literally been dressed down the day before for invading Heather and Brittany's private moment. With her eyes down, she repeated, "They're here, M'Lady. Sergeant Marcus and the Elf. They're back!"

Brittany looked excitedly to Heather, who had already changed out of her clothes and into a robe. Heather laughed, knowing that her Handmaid was eager to go meet her male lover but knew that she had to tend to her female lover first. Heather told her, "Go ... go! Go and get me some answers. Report back when you are able."

By that, Heather meant after you're done fucking. Of course, by that time, Sir Herbert would surely have brought word. Brittany rushed to her Lady, hugged her, kissed her cheek, thanked her, and ran for the exit on her way to wherever she would find Marcus.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Marcus:

Surrendering his Prisoner to Sir Herbert he gave his report to the man as well. Counts of the Horses, Men, cows, sheep, chicken, and pigs seized, as well as the dead the town of Fedrfolnir had cost them, and the approximate numbers they had killed.

He gave report of the actions of the elves and their pursuit of their females. Lastly he gave report of the loot for the treasury. He hoped it helped Lady Heather’s cause.

They were losing to many loyal men, and the ones being brought on he wasn’t sure they could be trusted. He also reported they had inserted five spies into Fedrfolnir next Baron’s estate.

He’d hoped to give report to Sir Herbert and Lady Heather at the same time, but of course Lady’s retired far earlier than men did. Moving to the tables as kitchen staff brought even more food he braced himself as Lady Brittany ran in rather excitedly. She was either going to leap into his arms and kiss him passionately or she would be calm. He doubted she’d be calm.