Frostfall Pt. 01

Part 1: A Final Hope

The air hung thick with dread silence as the men of Frostfall sat gathered in the long oaken hall. Outside, snow deepened by the hour, the long night creeping in with slow certainty to the edge of the communal fire. There was no feast on this solstice, no cups in their hands, no revelry on their faces. All knew why they had come, though none dared speak it. They waited, heads bent low, each heart heavy with despair.

A large man in battle mail approached the dais in solemn gait. After a long moment, he lifted his forlorn gaze to the gathering. "My brothers" he began in a low voice. "It is no pleasure, no honor to stand before you tonight. Since the beginning, when our fathers first emerged from the forest to claim this land, we have known prosperity, victory and dominion over all which resides here."

Again he paused, deeply searching himself for the strength to carry on. "Tonight, I cannot offer you these. Tonight I tell you that evil has lain its foul grip upon our home and we are at its mercy."

The men looked upon him with fear in their eyes, not of their leader, though not a voice raised against him.

"What I have come to ask of you here is something that I cannot give, and I am ashamed." His strong voice cracked as he fought to suppress his emotion. " I have given my sons in battle and they have met their ends with honor. Too little remains of my house. I know many among you have given no less. ... Our strength is broken."

Even the hardest men before him began to well tears. Their defeat, their loss, could not be denied. The glorious days of old had come and gone, blazing through the darkness, to leave behind only ash.

"We must preserve what remains. No path to survival lies before us, save to appease those which have taken from us all that we hold so dear." The once proud king wept openly. "I cannot decide this matter for you!" his voice swelled. I leave it for the council and for you to decide. May the gods forgive me."

At this, he turned and departed the hall, leaving the crowd as silent as he found them.

The old men of the council began to mutter amongst themselves as the others looked on with trepidation. It was quickly that they concurred. The eldest placed his gnarled hands upon the table and struggled to his feet. His breathy words rasped through the chamber, cutting like a blade. "We put forth Eira, daughter of Randolf. This is our decision"

The hall shifted as one, visibly relieved at the words. Only one voice rang out in the silence.

Randolf, the grizzled warrior sprang to his feet. "No! It will not be!" he boomed over the crowd, panic burning bright in his wide eyes. The man beside him set a hand on his shoulder, his sympathetic gaze urging caution.

The men began to mutter. "It is sensible" could be heard. "She is the fairest of our daughters" another said. "If any may appease the beasts..."

Randolph's furious glare scanned desperately around the room, but found not a single dissenter among them. "No... no..." , he sank to the bench, his rage turning to tears.

The murmers died as he sat, the eyes of the men turning softly upon him. All present felt for his pain, but none spoke another word.

"It is decided" , the elder spoke. "The priests will make haste to gather the offerings and prepare them before the moon is high. Send for the women and children. All shall remain in the great hall tonight."

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Part 2: For the Greater Good

Word was spread throughout the village, sending all who were able running for the hall. Eira heard the panicked rush passing by and peered out from the door. He mother, Hella, stood behind her, watching cautiously.

"What is happening, mother?" she inquired in a hushed tone, craning to see.

"I do not know" Hella answered. "But gather your things. Be prepared to leave."

They hurried to grab the few precious belongings they possessed, but soon stopped as the sound of rushed footsteps approached the door. With no announcement, three robed priests entered their home, followed closely by Holger and Calder, the king's most loyal guards.

"What is this?" Hella started angrily, offended at the sudden incursion. "We need no assistance."

Without a word, the priests seized Eira by her arms. Hella knew never to touch a holy man, but her instinct drove her immediately toward them. Holger stepped in her path, not meeting the frightened woman's eyes.

Hella pressed against him, shouting as she tried to move past. "What are you doing!? Release her now!"

"It has been decided." Holger's voice was hollow. "By order of the king, the council and the people, Eira is to be taken as an offering of peace to the enemy."

Hella's knees buckled beneath her, her face went white. "No... Please..." , she sobbed up at the sympathetic guard. "Take someone else. Take me" , she begged. "Please, not Eira."

The two men stared down at her with pity in their eyes. "It has been decided" Calder spoke.

Terror enveloped Eira. Her stomach knotted, her legs went weak. "Mother?" , her voice raised in panic. "Mother, what is happening?"

The priests did not delay, dragging Eira away toward the door.

"I'm sorry, Eira" Hella bawled out. "I'm so sorry."

Hella had heard the tales from nearby villages, but she had spared her daughter from the worst of the stories. A final, horrible, thought occurred to her as her daughter was being pulled from their home. She shouted, "Do not scream! Whatever happens, be silent! Be strong, Eira!"

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Eira was afraid to resist the priests, even without her mother's warning. Their divine authority was central to everything she had been raised to believe. Whatever they intended for her, it was not her decision.

The snow had already begun to freeze her bare feet as they dragged her through the doorway of the temple. She found the warmth inside a small reprieve in her terror. The men quickly laid her flat upon the alter, and without warning, drew a sharp knife down the front of her dress as the others pulled the ruined garment from her trembling body. She had never been exposed before a man. The shame of her position sent blood rushing to her paled face.

Eira tried to lay still as two of the men dipped cloths into bowls of water and set them to her body, carefully washing her from head to toe, but she could not still her squirming as they scrubbed the rags over her nethers and into the crevice of her hind parts. Tears began to fall down her cheeks. She didn't understand why they had to do this, to shame her so. She wanted to know what it was that they were offering her for... Or to.

Despite her mother's attempts to shelter her from the horrors that the villages faced, she had heard rumors from the other girls. She never believed them. They were only tales meant to frighten her, to make a fool of her. Her father had assured her of as much. But now her mind raced, edging on panic. Now she was unsure of what to believe.

The third priest returned holding a thin, white dress. Eira was held up as they placed the delicate garment over her head and slipped it down onto her damp body. She was relieved to be covered once again, however inadequate she found the sheer cloth to be.

But her relief abruptly ended as they brought up a length of rope, binding her wrists tightly together in front of her. Eira found herself whimpering and pulling subtly against the rough restraints. Even in the old days, those who had been sacrificed had offered themselves willingly and with honor, without bonds upon them. She had not fought them. Why did they shame her yet again?

Her feet were lifted from the floor, her hands were pulled above her. She hung suspended between two of the emotionless men. She wanted so scream, to tell them to release her, but her mother's words came to her now, the only thing holding her silent and still.

As she was carried through the doorway and out into the night, the icy wind met her damp skin with a bitter assault. Eira began to shiver. "Please" she spoke softly, reluctantly. "It is cold."

The priests paid her no mind. Through the empty village, past the quiet hall, into the dark forest they carried her without a word. Her shivering grew violent. For her great discomfort, Eira was afraid that she would seem to fight them in her convulsions, though she could not longer be still. Inwardly, she reached to the gods for comfort, in prayer that her suffering would soon end.

She felt them stop and opened her eyes, seeing that they had arrived at the edge of a small clearing.

Beneath a large birch tree, a thick red cloth covered the snow. Upon the cloth, a bounty of meats was carefully arranged. Eira stared in confusion. There was enough to feed the village. The feast of the solstice laid in the forest, presented in form suitable for the king himself, were it not uncooked.

Abruptly, she was set on her feet, though before she could find her footing, the priests pushed her back against the tree. One man held her in place as the others lifted her bound hands, lashing them to the tree with urgent speed.

And then they were gone. Their footsteps crunched quickly through the snow behind her, back toward the village.

Eira was alone in the night.

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Part 3: By the Light of the Moon

Eira's wide, tearing eyes darted around the clearing, searching into the woodline. The night was bright with the full moon as it neared its zenith. Even under the light of the moon, not a movement could be seen. Not a single branch swayed in the still forest. It was silent.

She tried to steady her rapid breath. Maybe she could work free from her bonds. She tested the sturdy rope, but soon knew that there would be no success.

Her thoughts turned to the bitter cold. It would not be long before frostbite began to claim her bare feet and hands. With her fate becoming clearer by the moment, Eira broke into heavy sobs. She would do anything to help her people... but this was too cruel. The thin dress. The frost forming in her damp hair... She questioned why they could not have given her the mercy of a quick death.

At the sound of a soft crunch, her spine stiffened. Somewhere, out in the night, something moved in the snow. Slowly... Carefully... Every step came deliberate and subdued.

Eira pulled with all her strength. Blind panic gripped her, sending her thrashing wildly against the unyielding rope, fighting to break free. "It has to give" she told herself. "It will give." Her wrists burned and ached. Her grunts and whimpers grew frantic. Suddenly in her flailing, her eyes caught a glimpse of something at the far end of the clearing.

Eira's blood froze in her veins. The last words of her mother came to her now, the only thought that stilled her from crying out in terror.

A tall figure stood beneath the branches ahead, watching her from the shadows. As she stared back, every fiber of her body locked tight. The night-clad form stepped into the moonlight, and in a single missed heartbeat, she knew that all the tales which had been passed to her in fearful whispers had been true. The abomination had come.

Eira could not move. She stood frozen as the creature descended to four limbs and advanced swiftly upon her. With unnatural speed, it bounded across the clearing and in a moment was before her.

Stopping in its tracks, it raised to its hind limbs, towering head and shoulders above the tallest man she had ever seen. Eira let out a high, weeping moan, shuddering and pressing back against the tree.

The creature swelled with hardened animal sinew, rippling through dark, matted hair. Its long, dripping fangs gnashed inches from her face. Hellish black eyes bored through her with enraged, feral fire that drove daggers in her stomach and released her bladder, running hot between her frozen legs. Enveloping stench permeated her senses, washing her in a wave of nausea. She shut her eyes tight, hearing the beast draw deep of her scent.

"Please... Spare me" her soft voice strained weakly through her sobs. Eira knew now what Holger and Calder had meant when they came to take her. "This bounty is yours. We offer it to you in peace."

Eira squealed as a rush of hot, foul air struck her face. A rumbling growl reverberated in her head, buckling her knees and dropping her dangling her by her wrists. "I beg you" , she pleaded breathless. "Spare my life."

An enormous, clawed hand clasped tight around her neck and jaw. Eira was slammed against the tree and lifted from the ground, the rough bark tearing her dress and raking into the skin of her back. She grunted at the pain, but remembered again her mother's words.

Fighting for breath, Eira felt something hot and slick brush against her thigh. She jerked her leg away, but again it moved into her thigh. She squirmed, coughing, but still too fearful to struggle or scream. Up.. up... up her thigh it slid, until it pressed menacingly against her nethers. She opened her eyes, but could see nothing past the snarling teeth and soul-piecing eyes of the monster.

At a blur of dark claw , her thin dress was gone. Eira shrieked in shock. The beast wrapped its grip around her waist, releasing her throat. She heaved deep and coughed.

Glancing down between her thighs, her eyes fell and fixed upon the spasming sex of the creature. "No!" she cried in sudden shock between her gasps. The obscene organ glistened, wet and knotted, as that of a dog. The sickening mass of venous flesh spanned nearly from her maidenhood to her knee.

"Don't scream" the words rang in her head. "Whatever happens, be silent."

Eira's breath quickened. Her world exploded in blinding light. Pain beyond any she had ever known burst through her sex, white-hot and rending. She slammed back against the tree, grimacing and gritting her teeth to muffle her shriek.

Without pause, the pain drove deeper within her, bringing unstoppable sobs of agony and horror bursting from her throat. Eira fought to pull herself up, to ease the beasts advance, but she was held tight. Her knees snapped upward toward her chest, her small feet pushing futilely against its hips with all of her strength. She could not stop him.

Eira turned her face, biting into her arm and drawing warm, metallic blood. The throbbing mass pressed harder, stretching her open and reaching deep inside. She told herself that it wasn't happening, that it was a nightmare. But as the tortuous flesh met against her deepest parts, her undeniable reality met with it.

The monster thrust roughly at the back of her sex. Eria wailed openly. She knew she should not, but this horror was beyond anything she could have imagined. She wanted to retch. She wanted to die. If she had known that this was the fate which awaited her, she would have fled her village and never looked back. She would have taken her own life.

There was no reprieve from her suffering. Again and again it thrust against her, tearing and crushing, forcing itself deeper within. Eira fell upon the shaggy torso of the beast, heaving for air as the relentless assault drove it from her lungs with each excruciating advance. At the front of his cruel sex, she felt her innards shifting to accept him. She could not bear the thought of allowing the sickening mass farther inside of her, but resisting was agony. Eira tried to relax her body. Whatever would happen would happen, she told herself. She was at his mercy.

Her organs churned within her. Eira turned her head as vomit spewed from her gaping mouth. The fiend meant to kill her in its lust. She knew in this moment that her death was certain, to be used as a whore and impaled on the pulsating flesh of the abomination. It cared nothing that she had submitted herself to its desire. It saw her only as a sacrificial plaything. She hung her head, bawling hysterically, awaiting the unspeakable end.

A hard, hot lump mashed against her straining lips. Eira gazed past her bulging abdomen, down between her thighs to the swollen knot of the organ. It had penetrated her fully. In her agony, her hope began to creep in once again. She could survive the assault. She could hold on. As badly as the creature had broken her body, she could still live.

The next thrust came rough and quick. She cried out, but quickly caught herself and bit down on her tongue. It thrust again, with greater power than before. Eira could not hold her cries. As the beast sheathed its entire length into her once more, her screams echoed through the still forest.

Frenzy overtook the monster, driving the unholy violation faster. It grunted deep as every savage blow rent her young body to the core. Eira thrashed, shrieking under the unbearable excrutiation. Her wails pierced the night, babbling senselessly, pleading out for her mother. The hot, iron flesh within her throbbed larger. She kicked against her assailant, pounding her feet furiously. The beast did not slow. It pressed harder, deeper, then with a sickening snap, the knot of its organ disappeared into her defiled nethers.

Eira squalled as a gut-torn rabbit. The fistlike knot strained her beyond the limits of her young body. The beast tried pull back, but could not remove itself. Her unwilling virgin cunt gripped the base of its shaft, refusing to open once again. Lost in a world of agony, her animal wails rang out in an unbroken stream of horror.

The beast clenched its sinewy body. Its invading organ spasmed erratically within her bowels and erupted white-hot, gushing thick seed inside her, squirting out over her legs and dripping to the cloth below.

It was still now, the only movement its heavy breath. Slowly, heartbeat by heartbeat, the unyielding mass which filled her began to soften. Eira wailed between heaving gasps as the pain began to lessen. With a final flash of agony, the knot of the beast popped from her lips and the wet shaft on which she was impaled slid from deep within her abdomen, flopping free before her. The crushing grip on her waist abruptly released, dropping her limp and bawling, dangling from the tree.

The abomination took no time to turn its attention on the other offerings. Squatting to four limbs, it tore into the large game which had been presented. Without as much as a glance to Eira, it began to gorge itself upon the bounty. But before the beast could take its fill, it paused, and snapped alert. Suddenly, it moved away from the Eira, the cloth and the bounty. It stepped far to her side and stopped, staring out across the clearing.

Eira lifted her tear-filled eyes to follow its gaze.

Across the clearing, beneath the branches of the trees, a dozen tall figures loomed, staring back from the shadows.