The Leader

"Here," Chit said, stepping forward, holding a cloak.

The nightmare smiled thinly and took it, "thank you." She pulled the cloak around her shoulders. And that's when I noticed how very tall she was. And I have to say, staring into a woman's eyes without looking down was an odd change.

"Come on, let's get you bathed and fed," Chit said, leading her back to town.

I just stared dumbly after them, as Eila and Ally came up to me. "Can someone explain what just happened?"

Eila shrugged, "she can stay in the spare room for now."

Shaking my head, I headed back towards the town gate, where I waved the work crew out to get to work. We used Eila's estimation of the towers to dig ditches around the town in stages. If we made a single ring around the town, it would catch one tower and they'd stop again. Then they'd just cover in the bit they needed and continue. We didn't want that. We dug trenches, several meters long in random patterns around the plain. We had a general idea where they'd approach from. After all, with the river on one side it narrowed the direction down quite a bit. By the end of the first day, I had Eila and Ally keep the baths on a constant rotation for the townsfolk to come and go as they pleased. The only hurdle was our rather large guest.

"I really am sorry," I said, sitting in my chair while she sat on the floor to eat her meal.

She waved me off, "don't be, I'm used to sleeping under the stars. Being indoors at all is an adjustment."

Nodding as I drank my tea, I turned to her, "what's your name?"

"My people have no need of names," she said softly. "Though, I understand your question. I think it's appropriate for you to name me."

I nodded, remembering what it's like to not have a name. "Mareridt," Eila said from behind me.

Turning, I faced my first elfin wife and collected a kiss, "hello love," I kissed her again. "What does that mean?"

Eila shrugged, "it means nightmare in my native tongue."

I just looked down at our seated guest, who nodded, "Mareridt, that seems a fine name."

"That's the second time you've done that," I said, kissing Eila again. She just smiled as Mareridt looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. "She named me as well."

The nightmare nodded, "if I may ask. Why is an army of elfs heading this way? And why would you not simply leave?"

I sighed and rubbed my face, "it's a little complicated. Eila is King Phaslo's daughter. She was married off to a young man I killed before helping her and Ally escape." Eila leaned down and collected another kiss, while Ally appeared and kissed my opposite cheek at the same time. So with a small chuckle, I continued, "he's coming to collect vengeance. And sure, we could run. But most of the people here don't have anywhere else to go. We're outcasts, unwelcome in the human lands and too weak to survive in the wilderness. If I took my wives and ran, Phaslo would still attack the town. For no other reason than to make sure I wasn't here and to try and extract information about where we'd gone."

Mareridt nodded before looking up at Eila, "you father sounds like a cruel man. I've heard stories of the elfs, but I'd never met one before you."

Eila nodded, "the man he gave me to, whipped and beat me for the hour we were legally wed. Frelser saved me before I was raped. I owe him everything. The least I can do is love him."

I smiled and gave her a small squeeze. But it was Sessa who caught my attention. She'd been gnawing on a hunk of meat in the middle of the table while we'd been speaking. But suddenly, she'd stiffened. "Sessa?" I asked. She glanced at me, before leaping off the table and with a series of flapping and jumping she latched onto the door handle and pulled it open. As my wives stared at her strange behaviour, I got up to see what was wrong. But by the time I made it outside, she was gone. "Eila, you're the most knowledgeable about their kind. What's going on?" As Eila followed outside, the sound of two shrieking drarskk filled the air. Stepping further into the road, I still couldn't see anything, but the sound of their fight was getting closer. "What on earth?"

Sessa appeared, tangled with another female drarskk. She was hurtling over the roof of our house with what seemed to be her prize locked in her talons. A moment later, the small warrior slammed the other female into the ground at my feet. "Husband!" She screeched loudly.

"Sessa, what are you doing?" I asked.

Sessa had her taloned foot wrapped tightly around the other female's neck. Her other foot had control over a wing and an arm at the same time. The drarskk seemed to be struggling to breathe from the pressure exerted on her throat.

"Husband, I have found a potential wingmate," she chirped excitedly. "This one was attracted our scent and sought to challenge me."

"Sessa," I sighed, "what happens if I let her go?"

"Let her go?" Sessa frowned. "She will attack. Did you not learn this from my pitiful attempts to kill you?"

"Fuck," I grunted. Looking over at Eila, and the other's, including Mareridt, I could only see amusement in their eyes. Turning back to my smallest wife, I sighed. "Do I need to seed her like I did you?"

Sessa nodded, before frowning and shaking her head. "Seed her, but I must hold her. If she won't submit to me, I will have to kill her."

"Wait!" I snapped, "what happens if she managed to pin you?"

Sessa shrugged, "either she would kill me, or pin me as I have done to her and present me back to you."

I groaned thinking about how badly this could all go one day. "Is this going to be a recurring thing?"

Sessa chirped slightly and cocked her head. "Maybe? Hard to tell. You're scented with me now, which will attract others. But as our scent increases, it will scare off others."

I looked at Eila for guidance, but she just laughed at me. "Just imagine a small flock of them, all loyal to you. You saw how Sessa was watching out for you. You could have dozens!"

"Yessss," Sessa hissed with a grin.

"Fuck, whatever, fine," I sighed. "Get her inside, let's do this."

The defeated drarskk chose this moment to thrash about, in an attempt to get free. Sessa flared her wings for balance, before beating them rapidly. Rising a meter into the air, she snapped them closed and body slammed the drarskk into the ground again. "There," she grinned.

I watched in amusement as Sessa used a series of dragging movements, while bouncing on one leg to haul the drarskk inside. It reminded me of watching an eagle trying to haul away a kill that was too large to carry. Only, this 'kill' was alive, struggling and from what I could see, clearly aroused. Once inside, Sessa hauled her catch into the lounge before flipping her over to lay on her back. The two of them fought for a moment. Wings flapped, claws glistened and several screeches rang out, but finally, Sessa managed to get her strangely wide jaws around the defeated drarskk's throat. The moment she did, the drarskk simply went limp. Leaning over, the defeated opponent glared at me, but remained silent. Sessa however hissed and bit firmly. Her captive opened her legs.

"Fuck," I sighed. "Does it have to be like this? I don't even know if she wants this..."

Eila nodded and took Ally's hand, before leaning down and giving me a kiss on the cheek. "It's their way, husband. If she wasn't interested in sleeping with you, she wouldn't have come. Remember, they only try to kill appropriate mates. But as you already had Sessa, they fought for dominance. She lost, but she's no less willing."

I sighed. Nodding my head, I looked down at the two drarskk and undid the ties to my pants. She really was wet from the looks of things. I just hoped she wasn't as single minded as Sessa was. Crouching down, I fit my stiffening cock between the small drarskk's legs. Her talons flicked up as if to claw at my chest, but Sessa hissed and clamped her jaw. The defeated drarskk went limp, and I pushed myself inside. Like Sessa, she was tight, warm and very deep. Unlike our first time, when I found the entrance to her egg chamber, I didn't stop. Slowing slightly, I didn't want to tear her or anything, but I knew I needed to get my cock into her egg chamber. And with a small pop as it opened over the head of my cock, I was in.

The small drarskk shuddered and twitched for several moments, before letting out a small hiss. Sessa slowly released her jaw and slipped off her prize, before flashing me a toothy grin. "She is yours," Sessa said softly.

I looked down at the drarskk and she stared back at me, before giving a slight nod. So with a small sigh, I pulled out and pushed back in. On the third stroke, the drarskk was biting at her lip while making similar chirps to Sessa. Sessa on the other hand, was alternating between snuggling into my side and leaning down to nip at the breasts of her wingmate. Oddly she seemed to enjoy it as she would gasp and clench her tunnel with each nip.

"Fill her egg chamber," Sessa hissed softly. I frowned at the strange dirty talk coming from my smallest wife. But she looked up at me and grinned, "she won't bare you an egg without my permission. But she fought well and deserves your seed."

The drarskk below me responded by gently taking my cock in her talons and stroking me as I pulled away. It was certainly a new experience, knowing those sharp talons could remove an important part of me. But she was gentle with the sharp bits and firm with the pressure. "Do you want it?"

"Mhm," she whined.

Bottoming myself out inside her, I held her firmly as I simply ground my cock into her insides. The increased stimulation to her egg chamber had her clench in orgasm. The pulses of her long tunnel massaged me to my own orgasm and I exploded inside her. Like Sessa, her eyes flared for a moment, before she shook off it's effects. Just like Sessa, as I finished my orgasm, I felt her chamber close over the head of my cock, so I slowly pulled myself free.

"Sessa, do I need to repeat myself?" Eila asked from across the room.

Sessa looked from the recently fucked drarskk, to Eila and back. But she shook her head. "No, she will bow to you, because I will demand it. But she may wish for your treatment at a later time."

The small drarskk sat upright and pulled her knees to her chest. I looked down at her and saw her nervous expression. Without thinking, I reached over and scooped her into my arms. Pulling her to my chest, she curled into me and made small noises. "Are you okay?"

She paused and nodded before glancing up at me, "I was scared."

"Oh?"

She nodded, "mother tried to explain what it would be like when I smelled you. She was wrong... So wrong... Then when I saw a royal coming, I thought I would die." She snuggled in closer, "thank you for accepting me."

I couldn't help the smile on my lips as I looked down at her. "You're kinda cute, you know that? Anyway, what's your name?"

The small drarskk shrugged. "She failed in her fight," Sessa said from beside me. "It is up to me to name her. As she is no longer her own any more."

I frowned, "name her something nice then."

Sessa nodded, "our wingmates may end up with new identities, but they are to be respected. If one day she grew strong enough to challenge me and succeed, how I treated them may be returned." Moving to examine the smaller drarskk, she sniffed and looked her over. With them so close and yet not struggling, I examined the differences between the two of them. They were about the same size from what I could tell. Sessa was more emerald with the purple tips to her scales that signified she was a royal. This new one was still green, but more metallic in colour. Her horns also curved more than Sess's but were darker in colour. Then, if anything, she may have been a little slimmer in figure. Not that it meant much.

"How did you beat her so easily anyway? You only fought for a few moments."

"I'm stronger," Sessa said simply.

Eila caught my attention with a smile. "Royals aren't just pretty scales. Their physiology is slightly different. They burn more energy and require more food to maintain their body heat like us. Common drarskk can struggle in the colder climates. It also means they have more liberal use of their muscles. In short, they're faster and stronger than their peers."

I nodded and looked down at Sessa as she scratched her chin. "Hestha," she said softly. "I will call you Hestha, after my grandmother."

Hestha smiled back at her and nodded, "yes, mistress."

***

I had to admit, I didn't realise how this happened the prior evening. It was late, dark and I was extremely tired from our romp in the bath so I'd come upstairs and promptly fallen asleep. But seeing this in person was... Strange. As usual, I had Chit cuddled up on top of me. Eila was under one arm and Ally had swapped with Ita, so she could cuddle against my side. What had me awake and staring, was the two small drarskk hanging from the rafters above my bed. Their small bodies wrapped in their wings as they hung like bats from their sharp talons. There must have been some hierarchy thing going on, as Sessa was as high up as she could get. While Hestha was as low down as she could, while hanging directly above me. What was even more apparent, was that Hestha wasn't asleep. She kept shifting around, shuffling her wings and making small huffing sounds. Eventually she opened her eyes and looked around the room. That's when she caught my eyes, staring up at her. She froze for a moment, before quickly looking down... Or is it up? Whatever... Looking at Sessa. Seeing she was fast asleep, Hestha released the beam she was hanging from. Snapping open her wings, she did a quick loop of the room to slow her descent before landing on the pillow beside my head.

But as she shuffled over and curled into a small ball, she settled against my cheek, before giving me a quick kiss. And with my newest... Wife? I dunno... With Hestha curled up on my pillow beside me. I finally drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Ten

"Well, I'm glad I hurried this through," Grah said, pushing a thick wad of material over the counter towards me.

I sighed, "thanks," then lifted the top section. Stepping back, I let it unravel and grinned. It was certainly going to be an ego boost. "Ladies, I need you to hop off for a moment," I said. Hestha looked over at Sessa to confirm, before they both leaped off my shoulders and landed on Grah's bench. I shook my head and opened up what was in my arms. I never thought I'd be a guy for a cape. But the red leather certainly had an appeal to it. The cape wasn't all for appearance though. Around my shoulders where the clips would attach to my pauldrons, it was made of heavy chainmail. It wouldn't add much more protection, going straight over plate. But the chain would be far easier for Sessa and now Hestha to perch on my shoulders. The weight of the leather would prevent it slipping forward. So with a childish grin, I flicked it over my shoulders and located the clips. Attaching the cape was simple enough as my armour had been designed for the possibility for a cape. But the cape itself was the part with the clips. Giving the cape a quick shake to loosen it and get it sitting comfortably, Sessa and Hestha flapped back up onto their respective perches.

"Much better," Hestha said quickly.

"Agreed," Sessa said. "Thank you, Grah. I will remember your face."

"I as well," Hestha chirped.

"Well," Grah said, scratching his stomach. "I've also got your armour ready," he said. Glancing at Hestha he nodded, "I made two sets, so Sessa would have a spare. But they should fit you no problem." Hestha frowned slightly, probably for the same reason Sessa did when I first mentioned armour. But remained silent as Grah ducked into the back room. He appeared a minute later with two wrapped bundles. "These won't turn an arrow, or a sword thrust," he said unwrapping the first bundle and pulling out what resembled a cuirass. "I've stitched in some wire to help save you from a cut and it'll help with impact. But don't rely on it," he said gruffly.

Sessa nodded, "our style is to be fast and accurate. We don't stay in one place long enough to get drawn into battle." She paused and glanced at me, before flashing a small smile. "Not usually, anyway."

Half an hour later, I had two armoured drarskk perched on my shoulders as I left Grah's shop. They certainly had a strong presence as I walked through the town. It was Hestha however, that caught my attention as she tensed up to pounce. Turning, I heard Sessa make a small hiss and Hestha stopped her leap. Running towards me at a sprint, was Lonty.

"Frelser, elfin scouts were spotted from the walls!" She said, sliding to a halt in front of me.

"Thank you, Lonty," I said, giving her a smile. "Does Baz want to discuss anything?"

Lonty smiled, before realising I had two drarskk on my shoulders. "Umm."

Sessa quickly leaped to her shoulder, followed by Hestha. "This one is good. We like her too," Sessa said quickly. "She has offered to give me training to help defend husband. She can train us both and we can be strong together." Hestha nodded quickly before leaning down and giving Lonty a quick sniff to catch her scent. "When will you join with husband?" She asked suddenly. Lonty just froze up as her facial fur mottled. "Husband," she turned to face me. "Husband, she smells of need. Would you like to take her?"

"Sessa, Hestha, please come back here," I said firmly.

The two drarskk gave Lonty a final sniff, before leaping back to my shoulders. I looked at the fetz who was staring at the floor. "Ummm."

"Yeah," Lonty mumbled.

I sighed, "Lonty, I'm sorry about these two. Just..." I sighed again. "Just, do whatever you're comfortable with, okay? No pressure either way. I have no expectations."

Lonty just nodded. What I wasn't expecting was for her to dart in and press her lips to mine. But in a flash, she was racing back the way she came. I stood there, wondering if she'd really just done that.

"Her smell got stronger," Hestha said softly. Sessa just nodded.

With a roll of my eyes, I set off towards the Eastern wall. Unexpectedly, I bumped into Mareridt. I gave her a smile as she fell into step beside me. "Everything okay?"

She nodded slowly, "I'm where I need to be."

I frowned, but didn't question her. Continuing up to the wall, I climbed the stairs. Mareridt was a little slower on the stairs, but soon joined me as I looked over the walls beside Baz. Sure enough, I could see a dozen elfin scouts on horses. They were well away from us and well out of range of both bows and ballista.

"If the scouts are here, they're probably only a day off," Baz said with a scowl. "If we could get our hands on one of those little bastards, we could get estimates on their numbers."

"I'd never catch them on foot," I grumbled. "Even without the armour."

"We-" Sessa started but I cut her off with a wave.

"Don't be silly," I sighed. "I know you're capable. But the two of you against elfin scouts. They'd bring you down with magic before you got close." Sessa hissed softly, but remained silent.

"I could do it," Mareridt said softly.

Turning to face her, I frowned, "really? And bring one back?"

She shook her head. "I can catch them. But you'd need to bring them back." She saw the look I was giving her and shook her head. "You've already ridden me once, what's once more?"

Turning to Baz I said the only thing that made sense. "Tell me wives I'll be back."

Following Mareridt down the stairs, she headed for the main gate. Waiting just before she turned to face me. "Squeeze with your legs to hold on. I'll keep you from falling."

"Right," I nodded, then turned to my two companions. "I'm not dumb enough to ask you both to stay behind. But maybe if you flew high and I mean high! You could scout them out for us. They'll run when they see us, but if you could lead us to them, it would help."