The Lineage Ch. 05

"W... what did... you...?"

"That is why I brought you to Underhill, Zenna. I brought you here to have as much sex as possible, because I believe that you, and you alone, can break this curse."

Her torso raised away from the table in an effort to see him better. She could not believe what she was hearing. The words rattled against her skull without end, unable to process a syllable of it.

"That... you... aren't you... angry with me?"

Marcus thought about his answer for a moment. The elf could see gears turning in his head. At any moment, he could slap her sideways with the back of his hand. He could command the men nearby to stab her until her red life flowed across the mess hall. Maybe he would even jump her and strangle the life from her neck.

But of course, this was all the product of Zenna's imagination concocting the worst possible scenarios. Instead of harming her, she saw Marcus make eye contact with a guard stationed across the hall. The two men nodded at each other, and the guard disappeared through a door. Marcus sighed once more before speaking again.

"To say the least, I am embarrassed. I wanted to present you to my king slowly and respectfully. Countless times I went over how I could convince my lord that we needed you, and I concocted countless plans to that end. What happened last night threw every single plan I had straight into the grinder. When I knocked on your door this morning, I received no answer. When I came into your chambers and saw you and those girls... as you were, I nearly threw up. If you were anyone else, I would have..."

Marcus trailed off, twisting his mouth so his venomous words would never be spoken. Shamefully he turned away from the elf to see the guard returned. They nodded again.

"I should have protected you more from those minxes. You have a profound effect on people."

Zenna blushed heavily, "that's never happened before, I don't know w-what came over them... or me."

"Well," Marcus said, standing, "I have to go smooth things over with the king. Likely I will drain every favor and promise Trinas owes me, just to grant me an audience. By this point, there is no other choice. While I am doing that, you have someone to speak to as well. Please try to stay on your best behavior."

The fear coating the elven organs was immediately replaced by panic at the thought of being left alone, "n-no! You can't leave me! They hate me now! Th-they'll try to..."

"They will try nothing. It will just be a few notches more difficult to win them over now."

At his words, anger welled within Zenna, "w-win them over? For what!? I was attacked last night! I'm the victim here, Marcus! I still have not even agreed to..."

He flashed with his own anger and leaned back down into her face while his fist slammed the table, causing those nearby to stare openly at the duo. Marcus twisted his face into a snarl and growled out aggressively, "I am trying to help you here, elf. You are now in the biggest shit of trouble possible, and I am getting sucked down in it with you!"

Without warning, Zenna felt an unfamiliar explosive burst of emotion ricochet within her mind until it was directed squarely at the knight before her. Before she could stop herself, she stood and leaned into his face in a mirror image to him. Her lips parted and produced a snarl.

"YOU brought me here, Marcus! I told you that you have full responsibility of me!"

"And I am trying to fulfill that responsibility by digging you out of that shithole you're in, elf!"

"It would have never happened if you did not buy me, knight! Have you even told your lord that I'm your property yet!?"

"You are not my property, Zenna! I'm trying to do what's best for you!"

"It's starting to feel like what's best for YOU!!"

Both knight and elf stared each other down as their eyes glimmered with frustration. Through grit teeth, each felt hot breath plaster on their faces. Both of them knew that the next line they each had prepared would destroy their relationship beyond repair. Knowing this fact, Marcus spun around without warning and stomped loudly away from her. His arm came out with a fervor and pointed at the man he had been nodding to.

"Go with him. I will see you later," and Marcus went away, leaving her to her own devices.

"MARCUS!!" she wailed against his back as he scampered away, but he made no motion signaling he heard. Others in the hall, however, winced in response to her unexpectedly loud voice. Each step he took away from her sent both man and elf through staggering pain, like a rubber band being stretched by their separation. The knight disappeared through a doorway, and the sound of it closing echoed through the hall three times over. Zenna's anger died immediately as her defenselessness became apparent. The anger in her chest was immediately squeezed out of her by dread. The one man who gave even a little care about her in all of Underhill had just left the elf completely on her own.

Only just loud enough for her own ears to hear, she sobbed, "please don't... leave me alone..."

The elf sat there for a bit while she heaved. Wherever that rage deep inside herself came from, it stabbed at both her heart and soul on its way to her brain. Glancing around, she could see a few dozen people staring at her confusedly. Feeling a panic attack coming on, Zenna fell back into her seat heavily and let the weight of her head fall harshly onto the wooden table before her, wrapping her arms around her skull for protection. Zenna felt as if the walls were closing in as her lungs were battered by her pounding pump. Someone would throw a spear through her heart the moment she fell away from the table, so she stayed in place with the resilience of a fortress. A few minutes went by as she silently sobbed over her own actions. She had never been so angry with anyone before, with the words she screamed at Marcus cutting through her soul like shears. Tears appeared in her eyes as she cursed herself. Those in the hall had no idea who she was, yet none approached to comfort the sobbing woman as she writhed.

A hand suddenly appeared on her shoulder as it gripped her with force. Dragging her reddened melting face away from the table, she saw the guard she was supposed to follow with impatience sewn onto his face. Zenna shook under his grasp.

"This way, my lady," said the man gruffly, cranking his head that she should follow. Disobeying would likely incite even more hate against her, so she wiped her face and stood. Begrudgingly, Zenna followed, keeping her vision squared directly on the man's back so she would not see her own death coming. He glanced over his shoulders to the short woman as if he were going to say something in disgust, but kept his mouth shut and looked forward again. The guard led her across the throne room and opened a door to the outside.

He motioned for her to go through, and she obeyed. As a reward, the afternoon sun began drying away her sadness. Zenna thought the guard would follow her through the door, but instead she felt the wind rush against her back as he slammed the door shut with enough force to startle her. Zenna's pale arms wrapped her chest defensively, as if someone were about to attack her. For all she knew, Marcus had now sent her to her demise. Her only thought was how painful it would be.

Zenna looked around for the man who was about to kill her, but instead she saw visions of astounding beauty. Greenery and vibrant flowing color assaulted her vision, pushing her panicking thoughts down and out. She was evidently in a form of royal garden which stretched across the palace roof. Vines hugged every surface of the palace while trees, ferns, flowers, and everything in between grew out of patches of dirt laid into the palace roof. She walked among them, entranced by the array of vivid, living color. Hundreds of square feet dedicated to a temple of nature. Manicured to perfection, it was the crown jewel of gardens in Underhill. Paths were laid out among the plants, allowing them to freely grow uncategorized. The aromatic mixture of smells intertwined, having a calming effect on the girl. It was mountains better than the smell she created the previous night, fermenting until morning when the royal pair found the state of her room. The pain on her head lessened as she became distracted, a smile almost twisting its way onto her façade. At the very least, the display of nature reminded the elf of her forest home.

Zenna forgot about all the troubles she had experienced, if only for a short period as the garden served as her own personal Eden. Sadly, the showing of flora came to an end as the greenery broke way to stonework. Shifting her red eyes up, she saw there was a woman a few dozen feet away, her vision focused on the city before her. Glancing around, there was no other points of interest on the palace roof -- so the woman before her was clearly the one she was meant to speak to. Cautiously the little lady approached the tall blonde's back, and she heard the woman sigh as Zenna's footsteps became audible.

"Isn't she beautiful?" asked the woman, still facing away from her.

Zenna looked around again, but did not see anyone else.

"S-sorry? Are you talking to me, miss?"

"This kingdom of ours, she is beautiful, is she not?"

Zenna came up alongside the woman as she looked out over the city. It again shone in the bright sunlight, a metropolis of epic proportions. People went about their day as they passed along the city streets. Although not as high up as the balcony in her guest suite, the view was unencumbered by walls now, making Underhill's capitol appear even larger with the new lens to view it through. The longer she stared, the more she saw, as if Underhill were drawn by the exquisitely patient hand of a master painter. She had never seen so much movement in her life.

"Yes... yes... it... she... is beautiful, miss."

"Please, Zenna, you may call me Marianne."

"You know my name?" the elf turned towards the woman, who met Zenna's gaze with a smile.

W-wait! She is...!

"Q-Queen! You're the q-queen!" Zenna backed away a step, as if the royal lady were to strike her. Her fight-or-flight senses kicked in as her body readied itself to move at a ferocious pace.

"Please, Marianne is enough," the taller woman spoke calmly with a bat of her eyes. Most people would be immediately calmed by the queen's soothing tone, but the timid Zenna heaved loudly and heavily as the royal lady stared down upon her, watching the garbs she wore stretch unnaturally around her chest as it tried to contain her.

Gods... at least I know why her clothes fail to fit her... her breasts are so... oh my...

Glancing back up to the elf's eyes, something became apparent. Given that Marianne was taller than the average woman, and Zenna was shorter than the average elf, the little one hardly came up to the queen's collarbone. Marianne blushed a bit as she watched the short-statured girl heave before her, enjoying the cute snorts her nose made.

"Wow... I always thought my maids were small... but you're just so tiny, little elf. You're amazingly cute, Zenna... just like a doll. Big things sometimes come in small packages, huh?"

Marianne laughed, obviously wanting Zenna to join in, but the scared little elf shivered before her instead. Her skin crawled as if the queen were setting a trap for her to fall into.

"And... gods. You really are gorgeous. I never thought I would be blessed to meet such a beautiful creature. You're beyond wonderful."

But the compliments slid off Zenna's pale flawless skin as Marianne's hand came out to rest on the elf's scalp, admiring not only the unique color but the softness of it as well.

"Sorry if I startled you, Zenna... Marcus did mention that you scare very easily. I will try better in the future if you would indulge me?"

Gagging words up her throat, "I... umm... umm... I u-umm... umm... umm..."

Zenna stammered out a series of umms for nearly a minute, causing Marianne's smile to dissipate into confusion.

Gods... she's even more timid than Marcus made her out to be... what has this little woman gone through to have developed such apprehension? It has to be far deeper than just what happened last night... or this morning.

"Am I frightening you, Zenna? I promise that is not my intent. We can walk around for now until you calm down. Please, follow me."

The queen turned away from her and began walking alongside the railing with her arms clasped over her waist. Zenna's first instinct was to run as far from Marianne as she possibly could, but she spun around to see a pair of guards a few dozen feet back. They gripped their weapons heavily, ready to defend their queen with their very lives. With the only two options available to either run or obey, the elf decided it best to play along. She began waddling after Marianne as her fear kept her body constantly quivering.

The pair walked in silence for a while, and the queen would take occasional glances down at the city below, the sounds of which drifted up the palace walls like a breeze up a seaside cliff. She would then turn around and give the elf a light smile before walking again. Marianne was hoping to calm the girl's nerves, but it was failing spectacularly. Zenna hardly felt able to meet the intimidating woman's gaze and kept her eyes glued to the city below.

After a while the queen knew her plan was not working as the girl continued to shiver, so she stopped in place. Zenna, however, did not see the queen had ceased movement.

Zenna bumped into the queen's back, eliciting a little moan from both women. Really, it was the elf's breasts which pressed into the small of Marianne's back, compressing them. Zenna backtracked rapidly and nearly fell over, and her pale arms were thrown defensively around her chest, expecting a scolding from the royal.

"I'm so sorry... so s-sorry... I didn't m-mean to..."

So big, the royal lady blushed, her mind wandering.

The queen turned around and smiled down upon the girl to see her face reddening with embarrassment. In Marianne's eyes, the elf's cuteness knew no bounds. The guards tailing them had stepped closer to defend their queen, but Marianne placed up a hand to stop them. She looked back down upon the terrified elf.

"Please do not worry Zenna, it is my fault for not alerting you that I stopped. And furthermore," she leaned in and patted the girl's head, "I want to add that being touched by someone as lovely as yourself is an honor, even for a queen."

Zenna blushed harder, but it was now due to the queen's compliment, rather than embarrassment. Finally, Marianne's soothing words calmed her a bit.

"You... you truly think so, queen?"

"I do, Zenna. And as I said, please call me Marianne."

Another heartwarming smile was given to the elf, who felt her heart rate drop in response. A small smile encroached upon her lips and her arms relaxed from her chest down to her sides.

You truly are something else, Zenna... I can hardly contain myself around you... Marianne thought, feeling a surge of warmth in her chest. She reluctantly stopped petting Zenna's head and leaned back to full height. The two blinked and smiled at each other in silence for a moment.

"Would you like to keep walking, little elf?"

"I... I think I would. Thank you... Marianne..."

"My name sounds wonderful on your tongue, Zenna."

The elf's smile grew more, and Marianne began to lead them further along the balcony.

The pair continued walking for a while longer. Marianne again checked on Zenna over her shoulder every so often to ensure she was close, almost wishing for a way to be touched by the elf once more. Zenna gave her a friendly smile in return, making the royal heart soar. Glancing down a bit, the queen cooed as she watched the girl's immense bust threatening to tear through her undersized clothes. But then Marianne looked down at the girl's legs, noting she only moved one at a time as if she had to limp.

Zenna caught the queen's gaze and her smile dissipated in an instant. There goes that stupid human mind again, she thought. Regardless of Marianne's attempts at keeping the girl calm, the elf still knew the queen wanted what was in her pants, just like everyone else. Instinctively her hands moved over her bulge but was unable to hide it. Marianne kept staring.

"Please stop that."

Marianne, caught off guard, ceased walking immediately, "sorry? Have I done something?"

Zenna turned her vision away from the royal, "please stop undressing me with your eyes. It makes me very uncomfortable."

The queen's heart twinged as the wind was knocked from her lungs, "oh, n-no... please forgive me... it's not like that. I'm so sorry it looked like I was undressing you... I just noticed that you seem to be limping... are you in pain? Would you like to stop?"

The elf reddened again, embarrassed at thinking the queen was having lewd thoughts about her. She took her hands away from her bulge and wrang her wrists.

"N... no, Marianne. This is how I must walk... you saw my... well, my body, this morning, right?"

"I... I did Zenna... and I apologize for how I acted. I must apologize for how my husband acted as well. Seeing you like that was... shocking."

"Y-yes... but to answer your question, I have to walk slowly like this... else my legs will hurt my..."

Zenna shook her head, unable to say the phrase before the queen.

"The stupid gods that cursed me with my body did not think how much it would hurt to just walk."

Marianne was stunned, seeing Zenna's nose crinkle a bit in frustration.

Curse...? she questioned, how could any part of you ever be a curse, little elf?

"Oh... gods... Zenna I am so sorry... I did not think about that..." she trailed off, feeling guilty at making the elf try and keep up with her longer legs.

There is a lot you did not think about, my lady, Zenna thought sourly.

Wanting to change the subject, Marianne turned away from her and leaned up against the railing. She sighed but spoke after waiting for a few moments.

"So about what I... we, saw this morning... what you did to those girls..."

Zenna's face reddened further, "I... I do not want to sound rude, my... Marianne, but it is less of what I did to them, but what they did to me. You see, they..."

"...they had sex with you, yes. And the way I hear it, it was astoundingly good for them. If I may ask, did you enjoy it also?"

Zenna was amazed at the queen's forwardness. As Marcus had stated, it takes a mountain to get a rise out of the king, but the same goes for his queen also. Both of them were highly conservative in their behavior, as if nothing could get them to break character.

And really, nothing could.

Nothing except Zenna.

"Yes... yes, it was very good for me, thank you," said the elf, almost choking on the words as she lied to Marianne's back. She had never been able to develop the skills to tell a passable falsehood.

"I appreciate your honesty. Was it your first time?"

The elf paused but answered with the truth this time, "yes, it was."

Suddenly, the queen laughed loudly and threw her head into the air. Zenna stepped back in shock.

"What a way... to... go!" Marianne said, accentuating each word with a clap of her hands, "four girls on your first time! Gods, you really are something, Zenna. I doubt many people can attest to that feat. I could learn a few things from you," she spun around to face the elf, who blushed slightly as she processed the compliment.

When you put it that way, she thought, but only for a moment, no... no. it was still wrong. That was nothing to be proud of. That was lust. Not love.