Casus Belli Ch. 07: Accepting Fate

"Would orcs be interested in human whores if their cocks didn't fit inside their pussies?" Denora retorted.

"Probably not...," Cassandra answered, "but still..."

"Just stop worrying so much about something you can't change a thing about," Syldan said softly.

Syldan was right, it was of no use. She couldn't change anything, so why let it spoil this last week of freedom, this last week she had with her maidens. Cassandra picked her empty mug up from the low table, and made a show of peering down into it. "Alright," Denora chuckled, "I get it." And with that her senior maiden stood and served everyone another round of beer.

By the time the wall mounted chronometer told them sleeping time had arrived they were all a little tipsy, and as a result there was a lot of giggling while Leavy and Vala were getting her ready for bed. By the time the "get milady tucked in" team was leaving Denora and Syldan had already arrived, and after Vala closed the bedchamber doors behind her Cassandra's two companions for the night snuggled up to her. She got two big kisses, and then Denora, on her second attempt, managed to switch of the light. As darkness descended the two snuggled up even closer, making her feel safe, and then the warmth and the alcohol did the rest.

Cassandra slept well that night, and woke to a nice and sunny late-spring day. After breakfast she took her maidens for a walk in the gardens, which were exceptionally beautiful at this time of year. She hadn't been to the gardens since her father died, because her memories of their last visit there, with Driara, were so strong, but now she had decided to enjoy the gardens while she still could. After dinner they had a good long krujac training session, during which her sword skills were put to good use too, as she assisted Syldan in teaching her maidens disarming moves. The remainder of the day then passed without anything exceptional happening.

They had a nice dinner, and afterwards they installed themselves on the couches with a couple bottles of Lorasian red. Vala was sitting on Cassandra's left, and Syldan on her right, Polly, Moiga, and Leavy were on the opposite couch, and Denora sat in the large comfy chair at the head of the low table. They were on their second bottle, and Syldan had just finished telling them all how much progress the maidens had made with their krujac training, when Denora locked eyes with Cassandra, "There's only a week remaining till the summer solstice, so how's the work on those fantasies going? Need any help?"

The young Kangess blushed a deep crimson, and Denora cocked her head to the side, smiling softly, "You didn't forget, did you?"

Cassandra grimaced, and Denora continued in a soft voice, "If you find it difficult to talk about this with everyone present, even during little social gatherings like this, please say so. We want to help you, and the chronometer is ticking..."

Everyone was looking at her expectantly. The young Kangess swallowed, "I.., maybe somewhere more intimate.., like in bed?"

Her senior maiden nodded slowly in response, "Alright..., and with whom?"

Six pairs of eyes were looking at her expectantly again. "With whoever is keeping me company for the night?" she answered timidly. Both Vala and Syldan leaned into her, and then she received a pair of kisses, one on each blushing cheek.

They didn't make it late that evening, and when she got up to go to the bedchamber she got rushed by Syldan, whom she wouldn't be seeing till morning. She got a fierce hug, which she returned eagerly. Denora, Leavy, and Vala then took her into her bedchamber, for the usual ritual. They had just gotten her ready for bed when Moiga and Polly came in, dressed in comfy flannel nightgowns, just like she herself was wearing. Vala and Leavy kissed her goodnight, and then they left the bedchamber. Denora held the comforter for her while Moiga slid herself beneath it on the window side. Polly got in last, snuggling up to her on her right.

Denora wished the three of them goodnight, and then she left too. As she closed the bedchamber doors behind her Moiga and Polly were both on their sides, facing her, and looking expectantly. Cassandra blushed, "I'm not getting out of this, am I?" she said softly.

Both girls shook their heads, "Why don't you just start with telling us what's on your mind regarding all of this," Moiga said with a soft smile.

"It's embarrassing," Cassandra said, "the guards, the kitchen personnel, they all know what's going to happen to me. They all know, a week from now I'm going to be turned into a whore."

"I'm sure they all feel for you," Moiga replied, "but I can understand your difficulty."

"When I was in the kitchen earlier today," Polly said, "I learned that one of the kitchen girls had been joking about what was going to happen to you. When I asked who she was I was told it was the girl with the black eye." The petite blonde snuggled up to her, "They all love you milady, you have no reason to feel embarrassed."

Moiga snuggled up to her too, "I have been with men I neither chose nor liked," the pretty brunette whispered, "Marecomb wasn't the first one. They were always older men, and often ugly. I just closed my eyes, and imagined some boy I liked was taking me instead. It didn't always work of course, mostly because of their saggy bodies. Still I often managed to feel pleasure as they fucked me, and sometimes I even managed to come. These orcs, I saw them at Bragstone, even though it was from a distance. They looked fit, and masculine. So they might be ugly, but at least their bodies won't be saggy. They will also be virile, and able to give it to you good."

The pretty maiden was blushing by now, and Cassandra nodded, "Don't think about what they are, or who they are, just close your eyes and concentrate on the pleasure instead, I get it."

"I have only kissed, and only with two boys," Polly confessed, "and the only things that have been near my pussy are my own fingers. I would be scared out of my mind if I were in your place." She swallowed, "This doesn't help, does it?"

Cassandra chuckled, "Not really no." She turned her head a little, and pecked Polly on her nose, "But thanks for trying anyway, officer of the watch..."

Polly's eyes softened, "You remember..."

She reached out and pulled her junior maiden close, "Of course I do, I'll never forget." Polly hugged her back fiercely, and Moiga snuggled up against her too. She turned her head towards the brunette, "And neither will I ever forget how the two of you sneaked into my bed at Bragstone, to comfort me. You're awesome, both of you." The hug got tighter, and after a moment she sighed softly, "Gods I'm going to miss this."

"Me too," the response came in stereo.

They basked in each other's affection for a couple of minutes, and then Moiga's voice sounded softly, "Should I switch the light off?" Cassandra just nodded, and watched Moiga reach for the light switch rope. There was a familiar click, the warm light of the crystals slowly faded into darkness, and it took her eyes a moment to adjust, before dark shapes became discernible again in the soft light filtering through the closed drapes. The light had this slight orange tinge to it, indicating only Brag was in the sky tonight. Moiga slipped an arm around her, and two maidens snuggling up against her was her last conscious observation before sleep claimed her.

Denora woke them at eight sharp, and they had a nice breakfast. Afterwards Cassandra had a bath, with everyone but Leavy and Vala, who were manning the reception desk. At eleven she went to the planned meeting with the "resistance" team, with Moiga and Polly escorting her, but being made to wait for her in the ante-room. At the meeting the two military men, and both department heads, laid out their restructuring plans to her, and as their ideas looked sound she gave her approval.

Next they reviewed the various strategies they had come up with, which seemed sound also. "The most important part is assigning the right people to the various jobs," Marecomb then said, "because all these plans will need adapting to changing circumstances. We will now set all this in motion, and with that our involvement, except for Major Coburn here of course, will basically be over."

"Yes," Cassandra said, "I would like you gentlemen to remain available till the surrender, but otherwise you can now return to your families too." She then locked eyes with major Coburn, "That leaves you, effectively, in charge. I want you to remain in charge of this operation until the surrender, because I don't expect General Kiran to return before that time. When you leave Bromodin, after laying down your arms, and become a prisoner of war, the new head of internal affairs takes over, temporarily, until you are released again. You then bring Kiran up to speed, and if Kiran doesn't resurface you remain in command yourself."

Major Coburn nodded. "You will risk summary execution, if the orcs find out what you're doing," Cassandra continued, "so this is all on a voluntary basis, for you, for Kiran, and for all the other military personnel involved. Is that clear?"

The major straightened, "I consider this an honor, your highness, and so do all the others we involved in this. It's our duty, to the Nigawan people, and especially to you."

Cassandra swallowed, "You know what the orcs are going to turn me into, don't you?" she said to him.

The Major blushed, "You will always remain our beloved Kangess, Cassandra, whatever those retched orcs will turn you into."

It was a slip of protocol, but she couldn't have cared less. "Thank you Thanos, for all those years you protected me, and for everything you're still going to do for me in the future."

Cassandra had lunch with her maidens, and then it was time for some additional krujac training. She knew Syldan had intensified their training schedule mainly to keep milady's mind off things, and it seemed to work rather nicely for that. Her maidens, in their turn, had quickly grown to like the exercise, and it also served to increase their confidence in these uncertain times. They would never become krujac masters in the short amount of time available, but the little they did learn would already give them an edge over those who had no training at all, which meant the majority of the people they might find themselves fighting.

After krujac training it was bathing time again, this time with everyone present, and by the time they were finished frolicking around in the huge tub it was time for dinner. They had this delicious mushroom soup, and were then treated to a beef stew with roasted potatoes and peas in a spicy sauce. The meat was almost black, and so tender it melted away in the mouth. "Eldran and her people are really pulling out all the stops," Leavy remarked, and they all knew why that was. For dessert there was pudding with Lorasian spirit, and they ended up on the couches too stuffed to move. "Bwaaah," Syldan groaned, "it's a good thing we burned so much energy during krujac this afternoon..."

That night it was Leavy and Vala's turn to keep her company again, and as soon as Denora and the other maidens had left the bedchamber the two snuggled up against her. "How are those naughty fantasies coming along?" Vala asked after a moment.

The young Kangess swallowed, and Leavy's voice sounded softly, "You're still worrying about their size, aren't you?" Cassandra swallowed again, and then she nodded. Leavy kissed her cheek, "A human male with only an average sized cock can hurt too, you know. If you aren't ready, and the man forces himself inside you, it will always hurt, no matter how big or small he is. As I already told you, I got deflowered by a huge cock, and it didn't hurt a bit, because I was ready for it, and the man didn't want to hurt me." She blushed, "I never had one that large again..., unfortunately... Not that a smaller cock won't give you pleasure, but size does make a difference."

Cassandra thought for a moment, "So if I make sure I'm wet, and don't give them a reason for wanting to hurt me, I'll probably be okay, even if they turn out to have huge cocks."

Leavy nodded, and then Vala chimed in, "Who knows, maybe they all have pinkie sized dicks, and you'll hardly notice they're fucking you."

"Just imagine it," Leavy chuckled, "a cock that small on a seven foot, three hundred pound orc... Your biggest problem might turn out to be holding back your laughter..."

The young Kangess chuckled too, "That would be a funny sight indeed..." She kissed both girls on the cheek, "I don't expect them to have pinkie sized dicks, but I get the point."

"Suppress your fear," Vala said, "because fear won't get you wet, fear will get you hurt." Cassandra was looking at the redhead, who reached out and slid her fingers through her blonde hair, "It isn't going to be easy, but you can take it, I'm sure of that, we all are. You're strong, have confidence in yourself."

Cassandra snuggled up to Vala, closing her eyes and pushing her face against her chest. Leavy then snuggled up against her back, hugged her from behind, and they lay in silence for a while. At some point she felt Vala move, there was a familiar click, and she noticed the light fading into darkness through her closed eyelids. No one spoke, they just held on to each other, until sleep claimed them.

They were just having tea the next morning when Polly, who was manning the reception desk with Moiga, came in. "There's a visitor," she said, "a ranger going by the name of Wildon Lokas. He's here to report on some important orc activity he recently witnessed."

Cassandra sat up frowning, "Did he say where he was from?"

"He's from the ranger base in Rovan," Polly answered, "but his station is Bracken Forest."

This must be how the orcs managed to get their western army across the Amunda, the young Kangess thought. She nodded at Polly, "Please see him in; I'll take his report inhere."

Polly left, to return a couple of minutes later with the ranger in tow. "Ranger Lokas, milady," she introduced the young man.

The young man clearly had trouble switching his attention from Polly to his sovereign, and Cassandra smiled softly in response. "Your highness," he said at last, while making a bow.

"You're welcome," Cassandra reacted, "you had some important information for me?"

"Yes," the ranger said, "albeit I understand it's too late for this information to still make a difference, for which I apologize. I witnessed these events almost two weeks ago, but I was unable to get to Iriskan, because both the ferry at Olbio and the bridge across the Rodian at the Forks were blocked by the orcs. Two days ago the orcs lifted their blockade, and while I realized what that meant I also realized it was still my duty to deliver this information, so here I am."

"You witnessed the orc army crossing the river," Cassandra said.

The ranger nodded, "Yes your highness. I discovered the orcs building a bridge across the Amunda in Bracken Forest, some twenty-five leagues south of where the Snake River joins it. There's a spot there where the river is wide but also relatively shallow. At this time of year though, shallow still equals some twenty feet of depth, and the current is really way too strong to allow for a bridge to be built there, but the orcs utilized these massive beasts, and some rather ingenious building equipment, to negate that. When I discovered them the bridge was about three quarters finished, but they seemed to be making good progress, so I decided to break off my patrol and return to Rovan immediately, to file a report."

"When I arrived at Rovan, three days later, I found access to the city was blocked by the orcs, so I decided to report at Iriskan instead, only to find both the ferry and the bridge blocked by the orcs too, as I already explained."

Cassandra nodded, "And that's why you aren't in ranger uniform, because the orcs at the Forks might otherwise have interned you as a prisoner of war when you crossed the Rodian bridge."

The ranger smiled, "Exactly, your highness."

She locked eyes with him, "For your information, Windon, the decisive battle happened just five days or so after you first discovered the orcs building that bridge, so there is no way your information could have reached us in time to make a difference."

The ranger sighed relieved, "Thank you your highness, it has been weighing on me..."

Cassandra gestured at Polly, "My maiden will now escort you to the offices of the defense department, where you can report to the officer in charge. Please make sure you give him and his people as detailed a description of everything you saw as possible." She thought for a moment, "Is there family you need to return to?"

The ranger shook his head, "No your highness, my parents, and my brothers, all live in Valdon."

She smiled, "In that case, once you have concluded your visit with the defense department, you can report to Major Coburn, the commander of Bromodin's Royal Guard, and tell him I have detached you to the Royal Guard, temporarily, until the surrender." She smiled at the young man, "That'll keep you busy, and safe, for the time being."

The young man bowed again, and then he followed Polly out of the room, clearly seeing nothing but the well-shaped little butt swaying in front of him. Once the ranger had left her senior maiden addressed her, "Is it still important how the orcs managed to cross the river?"

Cassandra shrugged, "Probably not, but you never know..."

Denora nodded, and then she chuckled, "He really had an eye for her, hadn't he?"

The ranger's visit became the only exceptional event that day. They had lunch, did some more krujac training, had a bath, and then it was time for dinner. Afterwards they had the usual social gathering, and then Denora and Syldan kept her company for the night.

Cassandra was laying on her back, with both maidens facing her on their sides. They lay in silence for a moment, while she studied the ceiling above the bed, and then she felt Denora place a hand on her belly. She turned her head to look at her, and watched Denora's face turn serious. "Well, out with it, you sinner!" her senior maiden said in a stern voice. Cassandra's mouth dropped open in surprise, and Denora chuckled softly, "Got you there, didn't I?" Cassandra's mouth closed again, and the hand gently rubbed her tummy. "Why don't you start by telling us what the 'naughty tale' Leavy apparently told you was all about..." her senior maiden suggested.

Cassandra blushed, and then nodded, "Yes, that would be okay..." She rolled on her side, facing Denora, and retold Leavy's deflowering story, and also how Leavy and Vala had pleasured her till she came. "I was imagining it was me getting deflowered, and then fucked hard," she said with a heated face, "and it wasn't Brando, who was shagging me, and filling me with his seed, in my thoughts. It was this utter stranger, this red skinned Kuruk with the huge cock." Her chin dropped to her chest, and her voice softened, "I was so ashamed afterwards, not for the intimacy with Leavy and Vala I'd just experienced, but for imagining it was this stranger fucking me, instead of Brando. It felt like I had cheated on him."

To her relief Syldan moved up against her back, hugging her close, while Denora's hand slid up to her face, and lifted her chin until their eyes locked. "If Syldan and me were to leave the bedchamber now, and this Kuruk would come in, would you get on your back for him, spread your legs and offer him your virginity? Would you then, once he had deflowered you, get on all fours for him, let him fuck you like a whore, and cum while he filled you with his seed?"