Not So Sleeping Beauty Ch. 05

And the Elves themselves. Ah, the Elves. They are a beautiful race. Tall and willowy, all with green skin and dark hair and eyes the color of gemstones. Tattoos are worn frequently - wings across the shoulders or designs at the lower back, letters in Elven script tattooed to a hip. They wear no clothes above the waist but instead ornament their nipples with jewels so rare and fine they make the mouth water. Ornamentation is something of great significance to them, and elaborate earrings and bracelets and leg cuffs are not unusual. Their clothing itself is basic, as though not to contest with the jewellery and tattoos. Leather loincloths and short leather skirts and thigh length leather boots abound. Hair is long for men and women, reaching to mid back or buttocks.

The group walked through this cacophony of sound and light and were lead to a ramp leading up into the trees. It seemed to be formed from vines that had flowed together willingly and provided a safe, if spongy, entrance into the heights of the trees. When they reached the top (a long, long way above the ground) the Princess and her escort found other walkways were spread amongst the trees. An overhanging canopy of branches allowed the occasional view of the now dark skies. Birds and bats fluttered around the trunks and flew between the branches so that they filled the air with sound and vibrant life. The Elves themselves sat in small groups watching the creatures of the land. An animal that was half squirrel, half ferret and the color of a foxes' brush danced and jumped and entertained. As the group passed through the Elves almond shaped eyes turned to them and they were examined in detail. Princess Joy could not help but blush to notice how many eyes stopped upon her large breasts. She also felt them burrowing into her buttocks when they had moved on. It was all most disconcerting and unnerving. She was not accustomed to being examined as though she was an item of cattle placed before a crop of common farmers. She searched her heart and found that she did not mind the attention but would have much rather been clothed for this. To do so would have been an affront to the Elves and their customs. So she did what her mother had told her to do in such situations, when one felt nervous. Joy held her head up high and walked with a stride of confidence while meeting each glance with her own enquiring one. When the Elves examined her breasts or the neatly trimmed hair between her legs she did likewise to them. She saw many different types and styles of nipple piercing. Many cuts of skirt and loincloth.

One of the things she found interesting about the Elven style of dress was that they seemed to have no gender assigned roles when it came to clothing. She did not remember Woodsong saying anything about this in his lessons, but both men and women wore cloths or skirts as suited them. There appeared to be no restriction upon such things. She noticed something else also. Here a man stood hand in hand without another man. There a female Elf kissed another on the lips and laughed a sing-song laugh. There still a man and woman fed each other small pieces of fruit cut with a highly carved knife. It was as though gender roles to the Elves were unassigned. She remembered the feeling of the Elven woman's finger inside her slippery pussy earlier and shivered.

The party came to a large open space in the trees. It was a clearing but one elevated high above the forest floor below. Moss carpeted the usual support of vines. Flowers grew up out of it in a wild and careless nature. A throne stood in the middle of the open area, constructed from ivy and roses that had twined together. There was nobody upon the throne but nearby stood two guards and a small troupe of musicians who each held a music instrument. As they spotted the group they struck up a warm and joyous tune that reminded Joy of the leaping of a salmon in a spring stream and the clashing of antlers and the crying of beasts in passion. The Elven man with the emerald pierced nipples held up his hand and they all stopped instantly as though held by magic.

The darkness on the other side of the forest rippled and flexed as though the leaves of a tree were being pulled back to reveal the bark within. The air seemed to fold over and over itself. Out stepped a figure. She was tall with long flowing dark brown hair that fell like a waterfall from the top of her head over her thin but strong shoulders to touch her waist and thighs. Her eyes even at this distance seemed large in her heart shaped face. Her breasts were larger that those of the average Elven female, big end to fill the hands of a farm labourer or some such. Her waist was small but then flared out like the stem of a wine glass to wide hips encased in a leather skirt. Her legs were long and powerful and glowed in the light. She was carried upon the shoulders of two Elves, powerfully built for their kind with long muscles. The men were dressed in skirts made from leather but inlaid with jewels. Their hair was particularly long and fine. The nipples were adorned with black jewels. They walked with a sway that kept their Queen perfectly balanced upon their shoulders without holding her or touching her in any way. Mounting the steps of the throne they set her down gently by bending to one knee. She stepped lightly from them and lowered herself to the soft padding of the Ivy Throne. A rose settled over her cheek and she sniffed it. She curled her legs up to one side of her like a child sitting to watch the hawks play in the skies above.

The Elves in the clearing all bowed to the throne. They flowed like ripples upon the water into a pattern both formal and natural in its composition. The female elf who had performed the ritual in the clearing padded up the steps of the throne and sat to the left of the Queen's knee, her legs likewise curled up. The two guards stood upon the top step with their hands behind their backs. They surveyed the crowd with eyes both gentle and watchful.

The Emerald nippled man lowered his hand and formed soft words on his lips. "Her most exhaulted Protector Of The Trees, Queen Alhanna, will see you now." Her name sounded like the wind rushing through the upper branches of a tree. His mouth was full of reverence. "Step forward and speak. I will see that your men are entertained."

He bowed low once more to the throne and stepped away.

Joy looked at Woodsong. Her glance was half fear and half amusement. Taking a step forward the Princess took her first close-up look at the Queen of the Elves. The woman had gemstone eyes the color of fine red wine shone through with a torch. As Joy looked at her the Queen touched her tongue to her broad sensuous lips and licked them. The moisture made them shine softly in the light.

She spoke first. "Greetings Princess Joy of the Eastern Realm, and welcome to the Home Of The Elves." The Queen's voice came down from on high sounding deep and throaty. "What brings you here?"

The entire clearing fell into a natural hush at the words. Joy suddenly felt very self concious with all of the eyes upon her. She was very aware of being naked in front of a large crowd of people. Eyes were on her hair, her tits, her ass and her pussy. She felt like she was being opened gently for them. As a Princess she had been raised for moments such as this. Her training flowed through her giving her a bout of confidence. "Queen Alhanna, I come in search of my brother Prince Michael. He was taken from us this very week past."

"What makes you think we know anything about this tragic event?" The Queen reached out her long fingered hand and one of her attendants filled a glass with wine there color of her eyes. Her placed it in her grasp.

"He was taken from his bed, your majesty, and nearby were found several arrows of elven construction. The feathers tied to them were those of black ravens and of unusual size."

"Black ravens you say?" The Queen took a sip from her glass. As she did so Joy could not help but admire her grace and poise. She was a woman who had obviously spent years in her role raised from birth to it just as Joy had been. It was rather disconcerting that the woman was speaking not to Joy's eyes but rather to her large naked breasts. "None here would use such a device upon their arrows. The black raven is banned from these parts."

Joy's heart fell. She had really hoped that the problem would be simply solved. In her mind she wanted to arrive, hear from the Queen who had taken her brother, have her guards rescue him, and then return home in triumph. It was the dream of a very naive girl.

"Despite this way may know something of such a device on an Elven arrow. This is not the only kingdom of my people upon this world. There are many more." She waved forward one of her black jewelled guards and the two spoke in whispers for a long time. Joy was accustomed to overhearing court gossip across a noisy room but as they spoke in their own language she could hear them but not understand. She made a promise to herself that she would ask Woodsong to teach her more of his language. The occasional word appeared to make sense to her but it was all spoken so fast that her brain could not possibly comprehend the words. When the discourse came to an end the guard stepped away and the Queen spoke once more in her throaty tones. "It appears that we know more than I would originally have thought."

Joy felt her heart come to life once more. "What do you know, your majesty?"

The Queen held up a long tapered finger with a perfectly manicured nail. "This information is available but only at a price. To reveal it to you could cause great danger to my lands."

"What do you need?" Asked Joy, feeling more girl than Princess now. She noted that the Queen's eyes were still very much locked onto her breasts. She thrust out her big rack so that it stood proud upon her young chest. Her firm boobs hung ripely with nipples hard in the cool air. "Name it and it shall be yours."

Turning to the woman who sat to her left the Queen spoke once more in her native tongue. This was a quick conversation but one that produced a smile from both women. "My sister informs me that you bring with you today a great treasure. One that is unusual to find in my own people."

Joy was confused. She looked down at herself and then back at the woman sat high upon the throne. "Your majesty I do not know to what you refer. As you can see I carry nothing."

The Queen's lips quirked and she laughed. The laugh was like water swirling down a brook on a spring day. "It is not what you bring but what you are that is important, Princess. To my people physical goods have very little importance. Experiences are far more crucial. I ask you - to what lengths would you go to rescue your brother?"

"My answer is simple lady. Any." Joy felt the wind play with her hair, both that upon her head and that which lay above her womanly folds.

The Queen smiled even wider. "Excellent! Bring her then. We shall talk more in private."