Defiled: Liriel

Author's note:

This story is set in a fantasy world, not a Sci-Fi one. If you found this story because you read my series Lost Colony then just know that the setting and themes are different. It's also shorter, a little lighter on story, and heavier on sex than a typical Lost Colony chapter. So, if that's something you like, enjoy!

This story is fictional. All characters are over age eighteen.

Thanks for reading!

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"Come along, daughter. We've a ways yet to go."

Liriel wasn't quite ready to leave the glen where she and her companions had stopped for a rest. The mossy ground, ancient, drooping trees, and the sweet little stream were too lovely, too enticing. Ignoring her mother, the princess leaned over the stream. With a simple spell she charmed the water to a mirror-like calm, tugged her hair back, and admired her reflection.

The young woman peering back at her was nothing short of beautiful. Liriel knew that pride was a weakness, but surely acknowledging her unrivaled beauty was simply accepting a fact. Large, almond-shaped eyes gazed past wavy strands of auburn hair. Creamy skin was on particularly generous display today, smooth and unmarked except where faint sprinklings of freckles graced her cheeks and bosom. Even among the Elves, a race known for their delicate, almost ethereal beauty, Liriel was exceptionally blessed.

"Now!" her mother snapped, impatience rising in her voice. Like most of the others in their clan, the Queen was on edge today.

"Yes, Mother," Liriel sighed. She stood, brushed the few leaves from her gown, and rejoined her family as they took once again to the trail. "I don't know why we couldn't rest a little longer here," she said, allowing just a touch of petulance into her voice. "A little boot magic and we could still make the Bedding on time."

"You'll need your magic today," the Queen said. "We don't know this prince they're sending. He may require more weakening than usual."

"That's not what I hear," Sheelin said. Liriel didn't usually welcome her younger sister's involvement in her affairs, but it was kind of her to offer support. "I hear he's not that strong. Big, but weak-willed."

"Where did you hear that?" the queen asked. She cocked her head to look suspiciously at her younger daughter.

"Oh, just rumors I guess." The girl kept her lips pressed tightly together as if fighting off a smile.

Liriel knew the truth. Sheelin and some of the other young women had taken to spying on the Men, even disregarding Elven tradition to walk openly among them. Idly, Liriel wondered if her younger sister had dared even more than that. It wouldn't be surprising. The girl was ever disrespectful.

The Queen didn't press the issue, turning instead to her older daughter. "Tell me, Liriel, how did the tradition of the Bedding come to be?"

"Are you testing me, mother? Every child knows the story."

"You aren't 'every child', Liriel. When the time comes you will be made queen. The Bedding is part of clan lore and you will be expected to teach your own children."

Liriel rolled her eyes but dutifully began the tale. "The first Bedding was two hundred years ago. The kingdoms of Men and Elves had already been in conflict for hundreds of years. Elves, with our magic, are swift and sure in battle, but Men are strong, and breed quickly. The war was destructive to both sides." She began to warm to the story. They had at least another hour to walk before they reached the grove. Retelling the history of the Bedding would calm her mother, and help keep Sheelin's mouth shut, too.

"So the two kingdoms met to see if a truce could be made. At the heart of the conflict were the rich forests that both Men and Elves coveted, the same lands we are walking through now."

"Yes, good," the Queen said softly. "Both kingdoms need the timber, hunting grounds, and water for their survival and growth."

"The Human King," Liriel continued, "was sure that love would serve both sides. He proposed that every twenty years the Men would send a prince, and the Elves a princess. They would meet, and whoever fell the most in love would accompany the other back to their lands. The King thought that with some Elves living among Men, and some Men among Elves, the two kingdoms would grow close."

"And did it turn out that way?"

Liriel smiled smugly. "No. The Elves suggested two conditions. The first was that each prince or princess, when they went to another kingdom, would take with them title to a portion of their lands. The Human King agreed, thinking that over time it would even out."

"And what was the other condition that we, the Elves, requested?" the Queen asked.

This, to Liriel and most of the other young Elven women, was the most intriguing part of the tale. "We asked that lust be used as a proxy for love. The prince or princess most filled with desire would return to the other kingdom." She resisted the urge to clarify that 'most filled with desire' meant whoever climaxed first.

"And since then?"

The Princess's smile grew even broader. "No Elven princess has ever been more filled with lust than the prince who took her to bed."

Sheelin snorted, before quickly trying to conceal her outburst.

"My daughter!" the Queen chided sharply. "This is a serious matter. Just because we have never lost women or lands in the Bedding doesn't mean we don't need to be vigilant."

"My apologies," Sheelin said graciously. Then, so low that only Liriel could hear her, added "You'll have no trouble with this one. You might even enjoy it."

Liriel tried not to react, but inside she reeled with shock. Even to suggest that a coupling between an Elf and a Human might be pleasurable went against their teachings. That Liriel herself would have to lay with a Man as part of the Bedding was considered a great sacrifice by her people, a burden only one of high birth might be asked to endure. Was Sheelin being uncharacteristically supportive, or had the girl dallied with the forbidden?

The Queen spoke, sparing Liriel further thought on the matter. "Have you readied your weakening spells?"

"Yes, Mother," the princess assured her. She had studied little else the past few weeks. The prince, by the time he reached the grove, would be helpless before her charms.

At this point in the journey, their path skirted the edge of the plateau where the Bedding would take place. The party of Men would approach from below. "Here, look," her mother said, gesturing toward the plains beyond. "Over the past two hundred years, we have all but pushed them from the forests. In a hundred more we will own the richest lands entirely."

Liriel understood. Every twenty years another Human prince would succumb, taken as no more than a slave to the Elven kingdom. Each brought with him another parcel of the remaining forest their people held. Soon the kingdoms of Men would be left with little more than scrub and arid plain.

"I think I see them!" Sheelin was peering over the edge of the plateau. "There!"

The little party stopped to gaze upon the converging path that rose from the plains below. As Sheelin said, a group of Men was trudging along the trail, leaving a haze of dust in their wake. That they were on foot was another brilliant concession that the Elves insisted upon. They had, a century earlier, claimed that the site of the Bedding was a sacred grove that no tamed animal could approach. Men were skilled at breaking and training horses. By forcing them to fatigue themselves by walking instead, the Elves preserved their advantage.

"There is King Eddard," the Queen said, pointing to an aging man who led the way. The patriarch carried himself with dignity, but his robes were already dusty from the road. Nor was his pace particularly swift. An Elf at age seventy was still strong. For Eddard, who had seen at least that many years, the journey would be exhausting.

"And there's the Prince!" Sheelin said.

Two young men followed behind the King, but the one Sheelin had pointed out must be the Prince. Attired just as richly as his King, but in gleaming ceremonial armor, the young man was practically a caricature of Human strength. He was taller than any Elf and broader of shoulder. Unruly brown hair spilled from under his helmet. An imposing broadsword hung at his belt.

The second man, walking a respectful half step behind the Prince, was scantly less imposing. A touch shorter than his companion, he was also leaner. Instead of heavy ceremonial armor, he was adorned in supple leather more suited to the hunt than a ceremony.

"Is the second one also a prince?" Liriel asked.

"Likely not," the Queen said. "Notice his modest attire, and position behind the first. He might have some trace of royal blood, but looks to be a servant or squire."

Liriel nodded quietly. "Here?"

"It's a good spot," the Queen admitted. "Weaken him here, and again at the grove. We'll take no chances."

The weakening spell served two purposes. It drained the victim's physical strength and stamina, leaving them listless and vulnerable. More importantly, it heightened a man's libido and sexual response. The Prince would come to the Bedding already fully aroused and ready to climax. Liriel had heard that in some cases it wasn't even necessary to endure penetration. A woman as beautiful as Liriel knew herself to be could simply slide her body along that of the prince and he would cum on his own belly. Liriel hoped desperately that would be the case today. She would, at some point, take an Elven husband of high birth. She had no wish to be already defiled by a Man.

Each Elf had a well of magical strength from which they could draw. With her royal blood, Liriel was stronger than all but a few of her clan. She drew upon that strength now, focusing on the Prince. To her delight, the man staggered immediately, only prevented from a fall by the steadying hand of his squire. The three men stopped to confer. After a moment they continued, but even more slowly than before.

"Nicely done, Sister!" Sheelin placed an arm around Liriel, hugging her close. It was a gesture as surprising as it was welcomed. The rivalry between the sisters was usually at the forefront of their relationship. Sheelin was ever jealous of Liriel's status as older, and heir to the throne. Liriel had expected her sister to be especially unpleasant on such a momentous day. The more attention Liriel was receiving, the more eyes upon her, the more likely Sheelin was to misbehave.

"Thank you, Sheelin." Liriel was happy for her sister's embrace for another reason. Casting the weakening spell had largely depleted her magical reserve. As a princess, she would recover faster than most but was glad for an arm to steady her.

The trio continued their journey. Sheelin kept her arm around her sister as the two gossipped and laughed. The Queen, pleased that for a change her daughters weren't quarreling, let them be. By the time they reached the grove, much of the earlier tension had slipped away.

The site of the Bedding was even more magical than Liriel had imagined. Centuries earlier a stout wooden bed had been brought to the middle of a grove of willow. Like the glen where Liriel had admired herself earlier, a lively stream wound through the grove, nourishing the trees and bubbling soothingly. Over time, vines had encircled the bed, but it remained strong enough to support a pair of lovers. Visitors to the ceremony had already laid down a feather pallet, sprinkling it with petals. A bottle of wine and two glasses sat ready. For a moment the scene gave her pause. It would be entirely romantic if not for the stakes at hand. No matter. She was a princess and her partner merely a brute. She would endure, and she would triumph. It had always been thus.

The assembly was predictably divided. To one side Elves of highborn families stood at ease, dressed in robes which either blended perfectly with the forest colors or glittered with jewels. Some of the younger members of the clan had crawled into the trees for a better view. On the opposite side of the grove, a smaller cluster of humans stood stiffly, clearly aware of the high stakes of the Bedding. Although there were a few younger women, the men were mostly a greying lot. Generation after generation of losing their eldest sons to the Elves had taken its toll.

Elf and Man alike went silent when Liriel, Sheelin, and the Queen breezed into the grove. It wasn't a mystery why. As the Elven representative in the Bedding she was the center of attention. And she was attired for the event. Forsaking the rich but conservative attire that her peers were wearing, Liriel's gown was little more than a strip of fabric looped behind her neck and across her breasts before spreading at the hips to provide modesty. Taking even a single step in the garment revealed her taut torso, the outlines of her ripe breasts, flat belly, and graceful legs. Her auburn hair gleamed in the dappled sunlight, in places braided, in others left wild. Even the Elven males who had seen her dozens of times were transfixed. The Men either did the same or shook their heads in dismay. What Man, after all, wouldn't be driven mad with desire?

The response to the arrival of King Eddard and the Prince was considerably more subdued. Eddard drew almost no notice at all, and even the Prince earned little more than a few bored glances. The Elves had seen it before, a strong and handsome young man brought to the Bedding only to leave as a slave. The Men looked on nervously, no doubt already rueing more loss of land and resources.

Liriel had her first good opportunity to consider the Prince. He wasn't, she decided, a bad-looking man. His features were strong and symmetrical, with no flaws or scars from battle. Still, there was something slack about him, distant. It was the weakening spell, she knew, but it hadn't worked quite as well as she had hoped. The man appeared a bit unsteady, but far from weak.

"Hold me," Liriel whispered to Sheelin, who was standing near. Sheelin complied, supporting Liriel as she summoned her strength. Once ready the princess sent another weakening spell toward the prince. The effect was immediate, sending the Prince sagging against his squire. The man looked dazed, staring down at his legs as if they had betrayed him.

"King Eddard," the Queen said formally. She approached the foot of the bed, pressing the base of a torch into the yielding soil. "This flame represents the light of knowledge upon both of our kingdoms."

Eddard reciprocated, pressing his own torch into the soil alongside the first. "Queen Raewyn, this flame represents the warmth of friendship between Elves and Men."

Liriel cringed. The words of the formal greeting must once have been intended to strengthen the bonds between the two kingdoms. Now the torches might as well represent a fire burning away the last footholds of Men in the rich lands.

The formalities continued. "Have you brought a princess to join in a test of love between our people?" Eddard asked.

"I have," the Queen replied. "I present my firstborn and heir to the throne, Liriel."

Her part had begun. Liriel stepped forward, tossed her hair back, and fixed King Eddard with her wide, green eyes. "I am honored to represent my kingdom," she said before bowing. The King's eyes opened wider, betraying his appreciation of the Elven beauty. This will be so easy, she thought.

"And have you brought a prince to this test of love?" the Queen asked.

"I have," the King said, mirroring the conversation. "I present my second-born son, Prince Aleck."

Second-born, thought Liriel. Eddard's firstborn son had been lost to the Elves twenty years earlier. The King must have sired another son late in life, then hidden him away. No wonder the Elves knew so little of him. Not that it mattered. Judging by the Prince's stooped posture her spells had caught up with him. As she appraised him the young man looked up, eyes greedily sweeping over her body. He would melt at her touch.

"I am honored to represent my kingdom." A man's voice rang out across the grove, but not from the man they had thought the Prince. The second man had stepped forward.

"You are Prince Aleck?" the Queen asked, sounding just as confused as Liriel felt.

"If it pleases you, Queen Raewyn," the man said. He pulled off his cap and bowed extravagantly. "I am honored to meet you and your lovely daughter."

Confusion and fear shot through Liriel, tightening her. The man in the princely attire, so obviously her partner in the Bedding, was a decoy. The actual Prince stood proud and strong, untouched by Liriel's spells. Like the decoy, his eyes brazenly swept across her body, but unlike the other man, Aleck wasn't half-mad with lust. His gaze felt more calculating, like a man examining an animal he might purchase at auction. Liriel grew acutely aware of how much of her flesh was on display.

"Whoops," Sheelin said softly, pulling away to stand by the Queen's side. Liriel shot her a confused glance. What was going on?

"One or both..." The queen's voice faltered. "One or both of you..." She stopped again, trying to regain her composure. Raewyn must, Liriel thought, be just as panicked as she was. "One or both of..."

"One or both of you will reach bliss today," Eddard said, sparing the Queen further embarrassment. "Whoever experiences the delight of the Bedding first will accompany the other back to his or her kingdom, taking with them title to their share of the rich lands."

Desperate thoughts were competing for attention in Liriel's mind. As heir to the throne, her share of the Elven kingdom was immense. Any high-born daughter could have stood in her place, but Raewyn and Liriel had insisted that the Bedding was the heir's duty. Greed and arrogance!

"Now," Eddard continued, "let us give them a measure of privacy. Tradition states that we may observe from a distance, but not intrude." With that, the King stepped back, urging his kinfolk to do the same.

Liriel and her mother exchanged a desperate glance, but if the Queen had any last words of encouragement or advice, it was too late to share them. Like Eddard, she was obliged to lead the Elven contingent back to a more respectful distance. With what might have been a smirk, Sheelin stayed at her mother's side, offering the Queen soft words of comfort.

Liriel was alone with the Prince.

***

"Don't mind if I do," Aleck said, noticing the wine. Liriel tensed at his approach but the Prince stepped lightly past her. He pulled the stopper, poured two goblets, and held one out.

"No thank you," Liriel said. She needed to think clearly.

"Sure," Aleck said. He gave the goblet a swirl, sniffed, then took a generous gulp. "Ahh, this is nice though. Really nice." He sat on the edge of the bed, put the wine down, and began to unfasten his leather armor.

Liriel got her first good look at the man. He wasn't quite as tall as the man who had served as decoy but was still tall, even among Men. He would tower over most Elves. Nor were his features quite as conventionally handsome as the decoy. Aleck was strong-jawed but had a twist to his smile that made it look like he was in on some joke that no one else shared. A prominent brow guarded eyes dark and difficult to read.

"Was that your idea?" Liriel asked.

"Was what my idea?" Aleck had loosened the fittings on one side of his leather jerkin and was working on the other.

"That deception you practiced."

"I know of no deception."

Liriel sighed loudly. "Well, obviously you meant for us to think that the other brute was the prince."

"You mean Blair?" Having wriggled free of the jerkin, Aleck rewarded himself with another swig of wine. "A brute? I'll have to tell him you said so. But no, that wasn't my idea. Blair had some new armor that he wanted to wear. Not my fault if it confused you."