Barbaric Behaviour

...

"So how did the negotiations go?" Commander Stillstar asked as I exhaustedly left Bhador's parlour.

"You may detract from my methods, commander, but you cannot argue with my results. I have, in hand, a signed and sealed agreement with the magistrate that all elven slaves will be released." I announced.

Jodrolim was always unbelievably lucky at rune bones.

...

I left Thrommtin, buoyed and elated. I had gotten everything I wanted out of my visit and felt thoroughly satisfied. I sent a runner with the signed agreement to elven high command and got a reply by hawk asking if I could look into turning lead to gold next. I looked out over the horizon, our next destination was a strange conurbation of small agricultural villages I was certain to figure out a way to have fun in, but for now I was enjoying the calm between storms.

Four days into our ride we received another hawk, only this one carried the golden symbol of the Imperial Legate, the highest ranking military officer in the region, answerable only to the elven royal family. It was not addressed to me but to Commander Stillstar.

The commander read the letter and immediately reacted like his proctologist had suddenly learned shocking grasp part way through his appointment.

"Madam Ambassador, I have received orders from a source much higher than needed to give such orders. We are to return you to Morningdew as fast as our horse's health will allow." He informed me, his skin somehow turning even paler than the exceeding pale baseline set by nature.

"If we are to be fast, there's no point in rushing and tiring ourselves out." I firmly stated. "We are carrying too much luggage to be travelling at a gallop. I suggest we quick march over long hours. I will get out of my carriage and carry my belongings alongside to enhance our stamina, I don't need to be carried."

My impropriety always drew the ire of Commander Stillstar, but in this matter he was thankful for my esprit de corps. Just about the most important person to him was asking for a speedy return and I was aiding him in this matter. I wondered if this would at least give him some insight into why my methods with dwarves should not be looked upon with total contempt.

The truth was I was happy to get my marching orders, my heart was already racing with fear at the sudden recall. Why was my presence at the capital city so important? If they discovered even a measure of my impropriety, they couldn't just fire me on the road, not with my confidential knowledge. But if that were the case they wouldn't need the Imperial Legate to convey such a message, or such a rush to return me.

I knew my behaviour at Thrommtin was stupid, in fact that's why I did it. It was bound to catch up with me eventually, I just wish it hadn't caught up with me immediately. My anger at myself awoke Jodrolim from the beyond to give me such strength during our quick march that it ended up putting my military escort to shame.

...

From deep in the dwarven territory in the south to the elven capital city in only 9 days was an incredible feat, and I certainly believe we could have made it 8 of Commander Stillstar had not insisted that I be borne the last leg of the journey, surmising that were his ambassadorial charge presented to the powers that be sweaty, dishevelled, and tired, it would reflect poorly enough on him to undo the praise he would receive over our impressively fast return.

When we approached the gate, there was a flurry of activity to let us in. My commander and his team were taken to a high garrison for a debrief, while I was sped away to the foreign ministry confused and worried.

As my carriage rolled through the majestic streets lined with marble pillars and magically augmented artistry, I wondered the most worrisome things. Even with the fear of the unknown waiting for me, I could only think about if there was some corner of this town I would not be recognised if I chose to bring my dangerous game to home territory.

The foreign ministry was one grand marble building among many, housed in an area of the city set aside for all important marble buildings that encircled the royal estate like butlers around a dinner table.

At the entrance, I was told I was expected in the ministerial office. I made my way to the grandest door with the most heavy duty privacy spells known to elfkind and knocked politely. I was shown in by my supervisor, Junior Minister Willowbark, but as I turned the door I realised he was not pulling the strings in this situation.

Standing next to the desk was the foreign minister herself, looking like poor posture had just become a capital offence. While sitting behind the desk, in unmistakable royal regalia was Prince Sylvir of the House Morningdew, 4th in line to the throne and by all accounts the highest ranking royal who actually does any work.

"Ambassador Nyana Springdew!" He beckoned with an unexpected levity. His face was not one that seemed accustomed to smiling so such a reaction seemed as genuine as it was unsettling. He immediately clocked my confusion and turn conciliatory. "Ah, I see the purpose of your speedy return was not made clear to you, that is understandable given how quickly the order had to work its way through the chain of command."

With a reaction that suggested a practised familiarity with dynamic briefing, the foreign minister placed a folder in front of the prince.

"When we first received word that you had convinced the vicious Magistrate of Thrommtin to release our captured kin, we thought it was some kind of trick or political manoeuvre on his part. When we sent a military unit with an apparent mission to escort our freed slaves, we sent a small unit prepared for disappointment or even ambush." The prince explained with such familiarity you would be forgiven for thinking he himself had been making these orders rather than catching up on a bureaucracy designed to prevent his embarrassment.

"One thousand three hundred and seventy seven. That is how many sons and daughters of our nation will be returning to the capital soon thanks to your diplomacy. I hope you will forgive this prince a lapse in regal decorum, but how on earth did you pull off such an unbelievable achievement?"

I was now convinced the purpose of my return to the capital was not disciplinary. Not unless I decided to tell the prince the truth. I did for a second imagine it, looking at a member of the royal family dead in the eyes and informing him that I had secured the release of through a long process that began with my deviant sexual domination and ended with my reckless gambling to try and vicariously recapture the thrill I had only recently experienced through total subjugation to even the lowest dwarf in Thrommtin.

"From my time in the military, I gained insight into how dwarves socially function. Sometimes I can see unorthodox ways of engagement that are unique to their culture and can often win their respect and open doors that would be otherwise closed to other, more intimidatingly educated elves." I reported back, choosing my words carefully to not insult the diplomats who had come before me.

"Unorthodox is certainly a way to describe it. I've been reading the reports Commander Stillstar has been sending about you." The prince replied, turning over another sheet placed in front of him. "In the past year he has used the phrase 'unorthodox' 34 times, 'unusual' 27 times, 'unprofessional' 18 times, 'improper' 16 times, and 'bonkers' 4 times."

It was some revelation that the captain of my guard felt that way so deeply that he would give voice to his dissent, I wondered how he would have felt had I managed to get past the guards at the gate the night I put on the collar.

"Commander Stillstar is first and foremost concerned with my safety, after all that is his charge. His concern extends beyond my physical wellbeing to my social standing. I'm thankful he cares enough to respectfully push back against my excesses even if it can cause friction. I am also thankful that he is reporting back with candour rather than reacting to my methods with indulgent subterfuge." I once again diplomatically responded.

"Well after this week I'm sure we will see something of an attitude adjustment in Commander Stillstar." The prince chuckled. He pushed aside his papers and looked me dead in the eyes, this was no longer a briefing, I was now getting the unfiltered weight of the prince's problems.

"There has been some discontent over our alliance with the dwarves. Some very out of touch elements of society feel that as the war is now a protracted stalemate, our alliance has run its course. I have forcefully made it clear that the only reason we are in a protracted stalemate rather than wholesale defeat is our alliance. But when the benefit of an arrangement is maintaining the status quo, the costs become more stark to those who have to bear them. To put it bluntly I was desperately looking for a win for the alliance, and then miraculously, an ambassador on a routine mission secures the release of over a thousand elves held in bondage."

"The reason you were recalled with such urgency is that when that crowd of freedom returns to the city, we are going to give them the warmest welcome we can muster, we are going to make a parade out of this success. The royal family, the military brass, key dwarven members of the alliance, we are all going to be there to tout this victory. I thought it only fair that the ambassador who secured their freedom be a part of that retinue, your family have also been sent for and of course you are entitled to bring any guests you wish. I have also arranged that during the festivities you are to be presented with a diamond dewdrop."

This should have been an honour. I should have been overwhelmed by the scale of my success. I was to be a guest of honour at a royal parade and then presented with the highest honour an elf can be bestowed, the diamond dewdrop, a medal without metal, given only to the most heroic elves throughout history.

But all my rushing mind could think of is that the one guest I would love to have present at such an affair would not be in attendance. I struggled to think of a reason Jodrolim wouldn't be there, it certainly wasn't likely I would receive any privacy or anonymity for the duration of my stay. I would probably have to be careful as if a blue mist starts arising around me while I'm in the presence of the royal family, I'm fairly certain their guards would move in in case I was a deep agent conjuring up their doom. Plus my parents were going to be there, they didn't even know about my tryst with Jodrolim let alone how far their baby girl had fallen.

The prince was looking at me expectantly, he was expecting some sort of appropriate response and I had nothing. Panicking my brain latched onto an avenue of discussion that would keep this focussed on business.

"My guards, is there plans to reward them for their service as well?" I asked.

"They are all to be finely rewarded, although one point of discussion is Commander Stillstar. His opposition to your methods is well known throughout military brass, with your newfound status as diplomatic hero, the status quo cannot continue." The Prince informed, it was clear that the commander's fate was in my hands. I felt for the elf, he was a point of opposition at every turn, but I'm still not entirely sure he was in the wrong. My story could have ended very differently if it hadn't been for blind luck.

"I do not wish for Commander Stillstar to be punished for executing his duties faithfully, with a commitment undampened by our spirited disagreements." I quickly replied.

"Oh, punishment is not on the table. If you want a guardsman more accommodating of your methods, then Commander Stillstar would still be handsomely rewarded for the job he has done so far and given a very desirable commission elsewhere." The prince reassured. "However I must warn you that with your newfound status, Commander Stillstar cannot remain in charge of your newer and larger guard unit at his current rank. If you remain firm that you wish to keep him, he would need to receive a double promotion to the rank of Legus, a very powerful position to give to someone on the record as in continuous opposition to you."

There was a slight blue wisp as I agreed that Stillstar needed to stay as head of my guardsmen.

...

"...and naturally I couldn't get pissed with my parents and the royal family knocking elbows in the palace, so the party just felt like more work." I slurred to the innkeeper, feeling the relief of finally being in an environment to bitch about a day of honours elves would kill for (and looking at the history of diamond dewdrop recipients, most had). It had been almost a month since the big day and I had finally arrived at the connurbation of agricultural villages that had first been my destination when I departed Thrommtin.

"And don't get me started on the dress they gave me. It was worth what I make in a month and I'm not exactly scraping by. They wanted me elegant and alluring, so the royal wardrobe presented me with the sluttiest adorned fabric I had ever seen. Seriously, for all their talk of propriety, I couldn't believe they were the ones giving me a slinky shimmering dewdrop outfit that had a dress slit up to my hip bones and needed a magic infused fabric to keep my tits from popping out."

"Begging your pardon, ma'am, but this is certainly a conversation above a humble innkeeper." The stout dwarf replied as he continued to focus on wiping clean the same flagon that was in his hand as I arrived.

"Don't you start with that fucking properness nonsense. I get enough of that from Legus Stillstar. By all accounts he went from a career-endingly shit day, where a prince of the realm was reading his shit-talking of someone they were currently throwing a parade for, to becoming one of the most celebrated military members of the moment. And you better believe his commanding officer made damn sure he knew that was because I went to the bat for him. Now every sentence he speaks to me comes with a fucking hour of honourifics and provisos. As if that's what I want, he should just call me a cunt and get it over with." I ranted. "By the way, super happy I am finally in company where I can swear."

"I guess." The dwarf grunted.

"This place seems pretty dead though, I remember when farming villages had the most lively taverns." I indelicately noticed.

"I'm afraid your arrival was a bit late for that. This place was as lively as you remember but 2 hours ago. Maybe if you turned in for the night you can arrive earlier and catch the dwarvenfolk tomorrow?" The innkeeper suggested with the subtlty of a carrot in the pussy.

"Well, I can see you're finished for the night. Is it possible that I could go for a walk and come back to bed without disturbing you?" I asked.

"Only locks in this building are the magical ones you put on your room. We don't get many outsiders and we trust our locals." The innkeeper quickly informed, practically changing into his pyjamas as he did so.

"In which case, good night." I beckoned, stepping out of the front door and looking out across the sparse countryside ahead of me.

As I walked further into the night, leaving the inn further and further behind me, I tried to get myself worked up for another night of wild emotions. After everything that had gone wrong in Thrommtin, I was now striding through the unknown to find a means to subject myself to such a situation again.

Open fields did not lend themselves well to mischief, the only thrill I could think of was that of larger exposure, of having nowhere to hide. I decided that, as that was the case, I should once again resort to the total destruction of my propriety and began to remove my clothes.

Standing naked in the fields, I knew I was supposed to feel that familiar mix of anger and fear, the strong pre-battle emotions that called forth the wrath of the ancestors. But instead I felt a rush of exhilaration. I carried my clothes to the edge of the field where an irrigation channel bubbled away at my feet. My arms relaxed and the weight from pile of fabric fell away, landing in the stream with a subtle plop that cut through the still night.

"Alright." I said aloud to myself. "I'm naked and exposed. I can be seen for miles around and anyone who sees me could do whatever they wanted to me."

I stood there, nervously stroking my naked body, more embarrassed by my plan's failure than the plan itself.

"Come on Jodrolim, I fucking need you." I weeped, rapidly losing the correct headspace and instead collapsing into a ball, the mud of the field clinging to my body.

Throughout my drunken pain, my brain somehow managed to latch onto a nugget of resolve. I picked myself up again and looked around for anything that could give me the rush I was craving. Far off in the distance I saw a large building adjacent to a farmhouse that I knew would could contain farm equipment, supplies, and maybe even some farm animals. Surely that would provide something I would regret. I immediately made a beeline towards the building and soon regretted choosing such a far away destination.

It took almost an hour for me to reach what I later figured out was a barn, remembering the innkeeper's views on everyone trusting everyone, I pushed the door and found it unlocked.

Inside I saw huge piles of grain, the threshing equipment on the wall speaking to it's inevitable fate once it had been sufficiently dried. However beyond that I saw the stalls that contained the beasts of the field, two oxen used to pull ploughs, harvesters and mills when needed. At first I considered tying myself in the stall with them, doing something so that I was at risk of the owner waking up in the morning and discovering a new work creature under their control. However as I approached their pen I realised their conditions were so tight, I was very likely to be trampled under hoof the moment I took one step in.

Instead I looked to the various harnesses and domestication tools that were near the oxen. At first I tried on a harness, but the oxen were so much bigger than me it was simply comical. I tried seeing if I could pull any of the devices, but with Jodrolim's strength refusing to come to me, it was once again simply embarrassing.

But within the cart I found what was to be my salvation, a length of plaited leather I immediately recognised as a bullwhip. I unfurled it and felt the hard leather tapering to a fine tip. I gave it a practice whip and found it to be too effective, the loud crack causing the oxen to become panicky. I decided to take my degradation to the middle of the field where anyone could see it but also where it would not spook the livestock.

As I stood in the middle of the field, I held the whip out in front of me, then I whirled it over my shoulder, aiming to hit myself with it. It gave me a meek collision with my shoulder blade and back. Clearly I was going to need some practice. At the fourth attempt I finally got the trademark crack, albeit nowhere near my body. By the eighth or ninth attempt I figured out the right technique, letting the whip roll over my shoulders, bridge the gap over my eagerly arched back, and come cracking down on my exposed bottom.

I felt a zing of pain on my cheek and immediately growled with anticipation. With my technique figured out I rolled the whip much harder this time and felt the explosion of pain on my bottom echo with the cracking sound that filled the air. I screamed to the heavens and was answered by a familiar presence, the blue mist swirling around me, lighting the small section of the field I set aside for self-flagellation. I cracked the whip over my bottom again and felt the rush of rage mix with Jodrolim's presence and the sting of pain to drive me wild. My hand darted between my legs and started pleasuring myself.