Queen Yavara Ch. 34

"Mother." She muttered, cracking open her eyes. They were tinged violet on the edges of her emeralds.

"Rose." I whispered back, running my fingers through her hair. Her ivory ram horns were flaking away, making room for what was growing beneath. Too late. The moment she had seen Elena, it had been too late.

She blinked into the sunlight. "I can't hear the forest anymore."

"But you still know me." I smiled, my tears splashing on her face.

"Yes." She smiled back, caressing my cheek. "Mother?"

"Yes, Rose?" I sniffed.

"Where did Crystal learn those songs? Those ones she sang to the seed."

"I taught her them when she was Tulip."

Rose's eyes were wet. "Will you teach them to me?"

"Why do you ask this of me?" I sniffed, "Are you trying to hurt me?"

"No." Rose smiled, "She remembered them, even if she didn't remember you. Maybe I'll remember them if you teach them to me."

ADRIANNA

The stadium was filled, and those who hadn't gotten a seat within it lined the surrounding rooftops and climbed the statues. Sand had been brought in from the nearby shore to cover the arena floor, where she-orcs and succubi danced to the heavy rhythm of tribal drums, their lascivious motions working the crowd into a frenzy. Yavara, Prince Mathew, and the hybrids all sat int the box overlooking the stadium, though Eva, who was the director of today's events, was in the dugout coordinating things from below.

"I can feel you staring at me." Yavara said beside me. She looked at me from the corner of her eye, "Is it about the speech?"

"Chase them to the end of the earth."

"Hyperbole. I needed to prepare my citizens for the possibility of years of warfare. Telling them we're doggedly pursuing the fleeing imperials is much more palatable than saying we're stuck in a stalemate, and the only victory we can achieve is through financial attrition."

"Uh-huh."

She smirked crookedly at me. "You really want to think I'm a monster."

"I don't need any more proof than I already have."

"I like to think I'm quite benevolent, actually."

"What did you do with elven prisoners of war?"

"I had their hands chopped off and sent them on their way." Yavara giggled at my appalled expression, "Orcs don't take prisoners of war, Adrianna; they take torture toys. I had to appeal to their brutal nature if I wanted to spare the Highland captives a horrific end. They took their severed hands with them. When they get back to the front, their mages can reattach them."

I looked side-eyed at her. "You truly are merciful."

A serving girl demurely set a pitcher of wine before us, then retreated. Yavara poured herself a glass, then poured me one.

"I'm pregnant." I said with a shake of my head.

"It didn't seem to stop you last night."

"So I should just keep making mistakes?"

"I'll heal whatever damage is done to the fetus."

"That doesn't change the fact that it's nine in the morning."

"It would be poor form to make your sovereign drink alone." She smirked with a twinkle in her eye.

"Are you ordering me to drink?"

"I'd greatly appreciate it."

I sighed, and took my glass. I still had a hangover that was splitting my skull, and nothing cured a hangover like more booze. Yavara ordered more pitchers for everyone else in the box, and we all nursed our glasses as Eva directed the show below.

EVA

I ordered the dancers off the sand, and briskly made my way to the dugout. Lutok Protaki was sharpening his sword with grim exactness, his face set.

"You ready, old man?" I asked him.

He regarded his sword instead of me. "I've been ready for a decade. No warrior should ever have to suffer growing old."

"Remember: I need you to bleed a lot before you die."

He snorted, "Don't worry, Eva. I intend to bask in my final glory." He looked up at me, "I'll show them my guts."

I grinned, took his massive head in my hands, and consumed his mouth. He pulled me roughly against him, drinking in my kiss with the avarice of a condemned man. I was left breathless when it ended, my lips still yearning for his even as he walked away without looking back. I had to gather my bearings before rushing out onto the sands after him. I stepped before the churning stands that rose a hundred feet on all sides, and placed the astral gemstone against my throat to project my voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen," I announced to roaring crowd, "I give you, Lutok Prooooooooooootaki! Champion of Alkandra!"

BRIANNA

"What's this?" Yavara asked.

"Gladiators." I said, "Eva picked old tribe warriors and offered them a chance to die well." I sighed as I watched old Lutok raise his fists before the crowd, "I'll miss that old fucker."

"Gladiators?!" Yavara turned to Adrianna, "You surprise me."

"I've been around orcs a lot longer than you, Your Highness." Adrianna replied.

"I told you to call me 'Yavara' when it's just us."

"Is that an order?"

Before Yavara could respond, the gong sounded from the arena floor, and Lutok's challengers appeared. There were seven of them, all non-warrior males of fighting age from the Ten. They had been disgraced by being denied a chance to fight in the horde, and so they sought honor in the only avenue they could. They circled Lutok like wolves around a buffalo, and indeed, he stood at least a foot taller than the lot of them, and outweighed each by a hundred pounds. He was still as they closed in on him, not even attempting to get into a guarded stance. I could see that the challengers were nervous. They had never faced the end of a sword before, and now they stared up at a grizzled killer who was determined to kill as many as he could before he died. In that moment, I imagined they questioned their need for honor, but it was too late to back out now. The gates had been shut behind them. There was only one way out.

One of them shouted an order to charge, but only three obeyed. They came at Lutok in a disjointed hurtle, and his sword flashed out. A head toppled from a pair of green shoulders, an arm was chopped off at the shoulder, a stomach was opened up to spill guts onto the sand. There were screams, but they were drowned out by the roar of the crowd, now heavy with the satiation of its bloodlust. The one with the missing arm stumbled back, the one with the missing head flopped to the ground, and the poor disemboweled fool dropped to his knees, trying to hold himself in. The other four rushed Lutok in a charge of pure terror, screaming war-cries that did not belong to them. Lutok dodged a spear thrust, caved in a skull with his pummel, crushed a chest with a brutal kick, ducked a sword strike, and impaled the assailant. Two more bodies dropped to the sands. The surviving two looked at each other, then ran away. They attempted to scramble up the wall, reaching desperately for someone to hoist them up. But even their own mothers wouldn't have saved them then. Lutok yanked one off the wall, and broke his neck over his knee. The other begged Lutok, and Lutok showed him mercy with a painless splitting of his skull.

The crowd cheered, and Lutok raised his bloodied fist. Eva strutted to the center of the arena in all her leather-clad glory, and announced the next round of challengers.

FURIA

These challengers were condemned men, those who had fallen into a situation where a trial by combat would prove their innocence. Three of them had been found innocent by the jury, and I had found them guilty, while the fourth was the opposite case. In all four cases, I'd been certain of my decision. Orcs were easily swayed by bravado, and so the charismatic guilty men coaxed mercy from the jury, but Joe Alkandra, the former Ardeni dockworker, had no tribal charisma, and the fact that he was an immigrant made the jury hard on him. I hated that it was that way, but it was the fairest system I could implement. All I could hope for was that gentle Joe found some of that tribal fury that lay dormant in his veins.

"Oh, this is absolutely fantastic!" Prince Mathew exclaimed excitedly beside me, "We have nothing like this in Ardeni!"

"I'm glad you're enjoying the show, my lord." I replied. I forgot when exactly my hand had ended up in his pants, but I'd been kneading his buttocks for a while. "My lord," I said, "there's a secret passageway from here to the dugout. If you want, you can watch the fights with Eva from the sands themselves."

"I can?!" He shouted delightedly, then lowered his voice. "I'd love to, Furia, but I'm afraid I would be a poor diplomat to leave my charge when she has so graciously invited me to sit with her."

"Go, Prince Mathew," Yavara offered him a charming smile, "enjoy yourself."

The Lowlands prince practically sprinted out of the box. Alexa watched him go with a rueful smile. "Well, there goes my lunch."

"I've got something for you to eat." Faltia giggled, her arm wrapped around her lover.

Yavara watched them from the corner of her eye, and I wondered if I saw jealousy in her expression. Then the gong dinged, and the fight began. The three tribesmen charged Lutok with practiced ferocity. He parried one man, blocked another's blade on his gauntlet, but could only angle his shoulder against the third, and took the spear high on his back. The crowd roared to see his blood drawn, and he roared with them, yanking his body around to wrench his assailant's hands from the imbedded weapon, using his lacerated muscle tissue to disarm him. He grabbed the orc by the jaw, and tore it clean off.

Another one of the tribesmen used the opportunity to slash at Lutok's side, and the blade went deep. Lutok reared on him, and with a mighty downward thrust, he split the orc's blocking sword in half, and split the orc beneath it as well. But the third tribesman was behind him, and put his spear through Lutok's back. It came out of Lutok's chest, bringing the old orc to his knees. Before the tribesman could tear the weapon out, Lutok had his hand around the head, and yanked it forward. The orc was sent sprawling over the top of Lutok's head, and Lutok grabbed him, and eviscerated him. Then, with the blood of his enemies and the blood of himself drenching his flesh, Lutok stood on his own two feet one last time, and I pointed his sword at Joe. The stands erupted. Even Yavara leapt to her feet and fervently applauded.

"Stay back, Joe." I muttered, gripping the arms of my chair, "Just let him bleed out. Don't do anything stupid." But the crowd compelled the Ardeni dockworker toward his doom, his own insecurities moving his feet.

Adrianna put her hand over mine, and gave me a solemn smile. Brianna wiped tears from her eyes, though she was beaming as she watched Lutok position himself for a final kill. Joe brandished his sword, and held it shakenly before him. Lutok reared back, and Joe charged. There was a flash of metal, a clang, and Joe's sword was flung across the arena. Before he could even turn around, Lutok's foot was on his chest, and Joe was lying on his back, mouthing for breath. Lutok raised his sword high in victory, then angled it for the kill, and fell backward, dead. A silence fell over the crowd, then all heads turned toward the box.

Adrianna looked at me. "What's your ruling, magistrate?"

"By the rules of trial-by-combat, Joe won." I said.

Yavara guffawed. "He was disarmed and pinned! How can you say he won?"

"Because the other man died."

There were boos being sounded from the crowd, peppered by the occasional angry shout and jeer. Soon, the entire stadium was sounding its displeasure as Joe dusted himself off, and the gates opened for him. Yavara stood up.

"Shut the gates!" She shouted.

"My queen, he won!" I hissed.

"I said shut the gates!" She shouted louder, and this time, the command was heeded. The crowd roared its approval, and Yavara cracked a smile.

"My queen, he is innocent!" I insisted, grabbing at her dress, "He was the victim of prejudice, and trial by combat was the only way I could give him a chance at justice! Let him live!"

Yavara looked from me, to the crowd, then back to me, then back to the crowd. She held up a hand, and the stadium went silent.

"If this man desires to proclaim his innocence, then let him prove it in truth! I present to you, your new champion!" And the crowd burst into laughter and applause. Yavara sat down with a satisfied smile, and upended her glass of wine.

"You killed him all the same." I muttered.

Yavara looked hurt that I said that. "I gave him a chance, Furia."

"This isn't justice."

"But it is the queen's justice." Adrianna said.

Yavara chewed on her lip without looking at us, then poured herself another glass.

ALEXA

I didn't much care for the gladiator fights, and watching poor Joe get zealously cut down by a bunch of Kraklari orcs didn't make them anymore entertaining to me.

"Where are you going?" Faltia asked as I stood up.

"Just for a walk."

Yavara looked over her shoulder at me. "Won't you stay a while longer?"

"If you insist, my queen."

She frowned. "I told you to call me 'Yavara.' Why don't you have another drink?"

"I'm not thirsty."

Yavara furrowed her brow. "I'm not comfortable with you walking around on your own."

"I'll go with her." Faltia said quickly, taking my arm, "No one would dare touch her with the watch commander at her side." And she guided me hastily from the box. When we were out of earshot, I looked inquiringly at her.

"No one would dare touch me regardless, Watch Commander."

"I was looking for any reason to get out of that box." Faltia confessed, "Being around her feels like I'm walking on a knife's edge."

SORAYA

Though Alexa had designed the stadium, she apparently wasn't too familiar with its acoustics, because her and Faltia's voices carried from the tunnel right into the box. I watched Yavara nervously, but she only tipped back her fourth glass of wine, pretending not to have heard. The box was silent for an agonizingly long time before I finally mustered up my excuse to leave.

"I got to get ready." I said with an apologetic smile as I pointed to the program, "My act is coming up, and I... I need to prepare, you know. I'd rather not make a mess in front of the whole city."

Yavara just waved her hand, and I tiptoed out of the room, and down the tunnel to the dugout. Eva was there, directing the next group of gladiators onto the sands from behind her desk.

"Pet, what are you doing down here so early?" She asked, shuffling her papers, "You're not on for another hour."

"You could cut the awkwardness in that box with a knife. Yavara's been drinking wine like water, and I worry about her temper." I shuddered, "Maybe you should go up there and see if you can't break the ice. You seemed to get along with her well."

"I'd rather not."

"Huh?"

Eva looked over her shoulder at me. "A drunk and angry Yavara isn't someone I want to be anywhere near."

"You're afraid of her! You?!"

"Of course I'm afraid of her. The first time we met her she gave us an ultimatum of join her or die, and that was after she'd killed the entire company. And let's not get started on the things she did to the commander. Call me a sadist all you want, but I would never actually torture someone."

"No, you're just a big sweetheart under all that leather." I giggled endearingly, and kissed the top of her head.

"Yeah, well don't tell anyone." She chuckled, and grabbed hold of my leash. I was guided around her and beneath her desk, and I dutifully took my place between her legs.

I shouldered away the person already there. "Move over, Prince Mathew!" I hissed, "This is my spot!"

KIERA

Brianna had gone to "estimate the attendance," leaving three empty chairs between me and Yavara. She was on her sixth wine glass, and hadn't relaxed in the least. Her jaw was clenched so tight I thought she might crack teeth, and she was blinking too often; watching the show, but only seeing her thoughts. I shuffled over three chairs, and pulled out my pipe.

"Hey, Yavara," I whispered, "wanna smoke some weed?"

She eyed the bottom of her glass. "I've never done it before, but I'd heard from my old noble friends that it doesn't mix well with alcohol. What was it that Britta Ternias used to say?" She mused aloud to herself, "'Weed first, then liquor tasted; other way around, and the weed's been wasted.'"

"I guess there's truth to that." I said, packing the bowl for myself.

She eyed the pipe. "Did Rose make that for you?"

"Have you ever seen Rose do woodwork before?"

"No."

"Then that was too good a guess to be coincidental. Maybe don't read my thoughts if you want to have a conversation."

She smiled apologetically. "I don't mean to pry." She watched disinterestedly as Eva strapped Soraya to an apparatus in the middle of the arena. "Experience has made me very untrusting. You remind me of someone, you know."

"Who?"

"My blood-daughter, Patricia." Yavara smiled ruefully, "She was a lot like you in a way."

"How so?"

"In spirit, mostly. I loved her like a mother, but I barely got a chance to know her."

"And you fucked her."

"As any good mother would." Yavara giggled. Then her smile slowly faded. "Rose and her mother are having problems, huh?"

"Didn't I just tell you—"

"I talked to Arbor while I was flying over the city. We saw each other, our minds connected." Yavara poured herself another glass, "She doesn't much like me. She doesn't understand my ambition, and she doesn't recognize my power. Why should she? She'll outlast us all. To her, I'm just a tool to ensure the Highlanders don't come here and cut her forest down for lumber." She chewed on her lip, "To Zander, I'm just a promise he made to a dead woman. To Brock, I'm just a symbol to put on a flag. I miss those first days I had with them, before I'd learned any of my powers. They treated me like a friend then." She brought the wine to her lips, "Go to Rose, Kiera. You don't have to make an excuse for me."

ROSE

My flesh felt like it was on fire, but it was not unpleasant. Mother's hands moved down my shoulders as I gyrated sensually in her lap, my back resting against her pillowing breasts, her forked tail gently violating my holes. I stretched splendidly from her, arching my back to groan my satisfaction, feeling her invasion so deep within me, her pliant tails squishing the delicate division of my channels, moving in alternating thrusts to grind against each other.

"Squeeze my tits." I moaned, and she did, tenderly cupping and squeezing until the mammary fat protruded from her digits.

"Call me a whore." I groaned, squishing my ass into her lap.

"You are a whore, Rose." She whispered in my ear, but it wasn't demeaning. It was with the most love that she said it, then drew a hand up my neck, and turned my face to taste her kiss.

Mother broke our locked lips. "She is coming."

"I told you she would." I smiled, "She can't resist my innocence."

"If you have any—"

"I don't, Mother." I said, putting her fingers over her lips, "I thought about it all night, and I don't have any doubts. This is my destiny now, and you will be here with me to realize it. Now, fuck my mouth."

Her tail sprouted a third appendage, and it slithered between my splayed legs, rubbing against my clit, sliding up my belly, between my breasts, wrapping once around my neck, and filling my mouth. I hummed a moan around it as it gently burrowed down my throat, pushing back and forth to sensually tickle my esophagus. I needed to be filled. My holes, every single one of them, they longed to pleasure and feel pleasure. My mouth was but a tool to say words that would coerce someone to silence me, my anus was but the forbidden orifice to inflict filthy felicity, and my pussy salivated ceaselessly for its meal. I wriggled in the delight of my incestual captivity, moving like no nymph should, reacting to new instincts that called seductively for me.