The Warrior Queen

"You ordered my men to follow you?"

"Not exactly. I just told them you had granted me special permissions, and that General Torel had been ordered to allow the army to do as I wished."

"Then you lied."

"I did not lie. As some scoundrel I once met told me about his own lies, I only misrepresented things a little, but for a good cause. You did give me special permission to travel with the army, did you not? And you did tell Torel to grant any wish he could grant, did you not?" Breena shrugged her shoulders. "I wished to find the Captain of the Guards."

"I believe you have twisted my words until they no longer mean what I said."

Breena grinned.

"They meant what I meant, though."

Twindle sighed.

"At least you are unharmed. What is this I hear about you saving the life of one of my soldiers?"

"It was nothing really. I just stopped one of the Palace Guards from killing him by parrying his sword and then sticking his neck with mine."

"I thought I told you..."

Twindle sighed.

"I suppose I did not specifically say you were not to engage in any fighting?"

Breena grinned.

"No, you did not."

Twindle pointed to the Captain of the Guards.

"What is this all about? I thought you were going to cut off his man parts."

"Yes, that was my plan, but then I realized he would just bleed to death and that was too quick. When we found the Queen, I noticed some strange items on a table in her bedchamber. Almadee told me their use. They were wood and stone fashioned into the shape of a man's organ, the same organ Idonia calls a cock. The Captain of the Guards is learning what it feels like to be penetrated by a cock against his will. See how Idonia pushes it in and out of the opening in his rear, and how he wriggles when she moves it up and down?"

"Do you still want him killed? I would be happy to do so for you."

"No. I spoke to one of the officers from King Huggan's army when they came to see if we had captured the Queen. It would seem there are a few men in their army who favor the tight fit of a man's portal over the normal entrance of a woman's. As you might guess, it is difficult to find suitable men for their soldier's bordello. The Captain will serve as a sort of concubine. It is a more fitting end than death, would you not agree?"

[]

The lookouts from Uvil, the same old men hidden high in the same trees of the hills on either side of the valley, saw the column of soldiers and sent messengers to warn the people of the village. The village became a flurry of men casting aside their pitchforks and hoes, and of women rushing their children to the safety of the hills. The single dirt path through the village was soon deserted except for a few old men and women sitting in front of the houses. The men waited, spread out amongst the houses, that they might attack the column from the sides.

Old Brundle, the oldest man in the village, squinted his eyes as the column approached, then shouted with joy.

"It is Breena and she brings Almadee with her."

The men came running to see for themselves, and as soon as they were certain the old man's eyes saw true, sent for the women and children. Breena's mother pushed through the crowd to the front, and was soon joined by Almadee's mother and father.

Breena saw her mother and urged the black gelding into a trot. She reined him in a few feet from the townspeople and dismounted before he had come to a stop. She ran to her mother and embraced the sobbing woman. Moments later, Almadee was in her mother's arms and being patted on the back by her father.

Twindle watched the reunion with some misgivings. He would have preferred to return to the palace with Breena, but had found no opportunity nor way to ask her. Breena seemed more than anxious to return to Uvil to take Almadee back to her parents and to see her mother. He had agreed.

Panuli and Idonia sat on their horses and also watched. Idonia was pleased to be returning to Laney, and viewed this side visit as only a minor delay. Panuli had other thoughts.

During the ride from Mydar, Almadee had confessed to her that the nights she had spent in the Queen's bedchamber were an offense to her true feelings, but that it was necessary for her to do so in order to remain unharmed. Panuli was thankful the Queen had not corrupted the young girl, but she also knew that if Almadee was like most girls her age, she would soon be married.

Panuli had no one in this world. Her mother and father were both with their ancestors, and she had no siblings. The priestesses of the Order of Lule had taken her in when she was found wandering the streets of Mydar, and were the only family she had known. Though she was cared for and made an acolyte, she was more servant than member of the temple.

She had never confided this to Almadee. When Almadee came to the palace, Panuli spoke to her only as her duties required. Servants were forbidden from speaking to captives except as necessary. During the battle, Almadee had promised to protect her no matter what happened, and Panuli thought she had found a friend. Now, Almadee would return to her family, and Panuli would be alone again.

Panuli was surprised to see Almadee pointing at her, and even more surprised when Almadee waved at Panuli to join her. She dismounted and walked to where Almadee and her family stood. Almadee took her by the hand and pulled her forward.

"Mother, this is Panuli. She was my only friend while I was a captive, and she is the reason I stand here today."

Almadee's mother wiped the tears from her eyes, and then took Panuli's other hand.

"We have little, but you are welcome to share what we have for as long as you wish. The woman who brought my daughter back to me deserves much more, but we have no more to give."

Panuli's face brightened.

"I could stay here, in your home?"

Almadee's father took both women's hands in his and squeezed gently.

"I will build you a bed beside Almadee's, and make another chair for the table. It will be as if you were our daughter."

He chuckled.

"With daughters as beautiful as you two, I will be busy chasing away the young men who wish to make you their wives."

Panuli blushed.

"No one ever told me I was beautiful."

Almadee's father smiled.

"Look around you, girl. Already the young men are staring at you and have their tongues hanging half-way out of their heads. With a new dress, you will attract them like rabbits to clover. Now, come, unless you have another place to go. It is nearing noon, and I have a bed to build before tonight."

Breena smiled as Panuli went with Almadee's family. She had brought Almadee home, safe and sound, along with a new friend. Breena's mother was still wiping the tears of happiness from her eyes, and had taken some solace in the fate of the Captain of the Palace Guards. Breena was happy to be home, but her heart was heavy. Twindle would soon ride north to Laney. He would be crowned King of Shanala, and be gone forever. Her thoughts were interrupted by her mother's voice.

"Breena, I thought I taught you better. Will you not introduce me to the man who brought you back to me?"

Twindle watched as Breena and her mother walked toward him and was startled by their likeness. Both had the same golden hair, and though her mother's hips were wider, both had the slender, but buxom shape of desirable women. He thought Breena's father must have been the envy of every man in the village. When Breena introduced him to her mother, he saw they both had the same eyes and smile.

"Twindle, this is my mother, Samarra. Mother, this is Twindle, a prince and the leader of the army who defeated and killed King Mandorn. If it had not been for his help, I would never have found Almadee."

Twindle could not help but return Samarra's smile.

"Your daughter is being much too humble. She not only saved the life of one of my men, she saved mine as well. Breena was also responsible for capturing the Captain of the Palace Guards and sending him to his punishment. She is a very brave girl. I might also add that she is every bit as beautiful as her mother."

Samarra laughed.

"I am old enough to be your mother, and you still try to sway me with smooth words. I think it better if you save those words for a much younger woman.

Twindle grinned.

"If you mean Breena, I have told her the same. She always turns pink...much as she is doing now, and changes the subject."

"Perhaps you should say it more often."

Breena felt her face growing warmer.

"Mother!"

"Breena, I am only jesting with your friend. We should go anyway. We have many things to talk about."

Breena looked up at Twindle.

"When will you leave for Laney?"

"The sun is low. Torel has the main column encamped near the river to the north. We will leave tomorrow morning."

"Will you come to say goodbye?"

"I had planned to do so. Torel would like to come also, if that is acceptable."

"I will look forward to your visit."

[]

Breena pushed her plate back and sighed.

"I am so full I could pop."

Her mother smiled.

"If you did, your beau would not think you quite so beautiful, I think."

"I have no beau."

"Breena, I remember the way your father looked at me. Twindle has the same eyes for you. When he looks at you, he smiles. Every time you speak, he smiles."

"He makes fun of me too, like saying I was the one who found the Captain. He knows it was Idonia who really captured him."

"Breena, I did my best to teach you to see things as they truly are and to think for yourself, but sweet child, you are blind where that man is concerned. I think he loves you very much. What you call making fun is only his way of trying to tell you that."

"Why doesn't he just tell me then."

"Have you given him any reason to do so?"

"No, but there is a reason. He is a prince and I...I am only the daughter of a farmer."

"So, you have been pushing him away? Do you love him?"

"I do not know how to tell for certain."

Samarra sighed.

"All I can tell you is how I felt about your father. It was not just his touch or that he gave me you. It was the way he made me feel when he smiled at me. It was the way he worked so hard to give me things I did not need. It was...I can not explain it better except to say that when your father was killed, a piece of me died too. It felt as if it left my body and joined with his."

"If I feel that way about Twindle, do I love him?"

Samarra smiled.

"I should think so, Breena, and you should tell him if you do."

The next morning, Breena put on the green silk dress Torel had brought her in the army camp and brushed her hair until it gleamed like burnished gold. The night before, as she lay in bed unable to fall asleep, Breena had thought about what her mother said. She was still not certain she loved Twindle, but she was sure she did not want him to leave. Somehow, she had to tell him that.

Twindle and Torel rode into the village a little later. Twindle asked a young boy the way to Samarra's home, and then followed his directions to the door.

Breena jumped when she heard Twindle rap on the door. She had calmed herself before. Now, she felt jittery and her mind seemed to race in many directions at once. She took a deep breath, and opened the door.

Twindle had seen Breena in the same dress at the encampment, but only in the light of candles. The sunlight streaming through the door turned the dress into a shimmering likeness of the desirable woman beneath. The long hair that fell in waves over her shoulders only made the color more intense. Her eyes were blue fire and her pink lips begged to be kissed.

Breena said, "Please come inside", then went to tell Samarra that Twindle and Torel had arrived. Both came back a moment later and Twindle had to stare again. Samrees's blue dress was not of silk, but the fit was just as perfect. Her hair was a bit lighter than Breena's. Her eyes sparkled with the same blue fire.

Torel chuckled.

"Your Highness, you did not tell me the mother was as much a beauty as the daughter."

Samarra laughed.

"I would think a man in your position has had much practice in flattering women, so I will thank you, sir, but not believe you so much as you would like me too."

Torel chuckled again.

"It would seem beauty is not the only thing you have passed to your daughter."

Samarra smiled.

"Perhaps you would walk with me and explain what those things might be?"

Without waiting for an answer, Samarra hooked her arm in Torel's and led him out the door.

Neither Twindle nor Breena said anything for a while. They just stood looking at each other. Finally, Breena spoke.

"You leave today?"

"As soon as Torel and I return."

"How long will it take to reach Laney?"

"It will be nearly dark when we ride through the gates."

"Your mother will be happy to see you, I expect."

"Yes, just as yours was to see you."

"Will you ever come back to Uvil?"

"I do not know. Is there something here that needs my attention?"

Breena's mind was cluttered with the same thoughts that always came to her when she spoke with Twindle in this manner. Her mother said she should say what she felt, but what if Twindle didn't feel the same way? No, her mother was certain he did. Breena looked directly into Twindle's eyes.

"Me."

Her voice was so soft, Twindle didn't think he had heard correctly.

"Breena, what did you say?"

"I said...me."

Twindle crossed the space between them, took Breena in his arms and kissed her softly on the lips. Breena stood motionless for a heartbeat, and then put her arms around Twindle's neck. Twindle gently broke the kiss, but continued to hold Breena in his arms.

Tears streamed down Breena's cheeks.

"Mother said I should tell you my feelings, but they do not matter. You are a prince, and I am just a farm girl."

Twindle laughed.

'My sweet innocent Breena, do you not remember when I told you the kings of Shanala are chosen not by birth, but rather by their deeds? The same holds true for their queens."

Breena wiped her eyes.

"Then, we could be together?"

"Well, mother would wish us to be married first, but yes."

"And would you wish us to be married?"

"Breena, I will be crowned a short time after I return. I can not imagine any way to make that event more wonderful than to introduce you as my Queen. Yes, I would wish us to be man and wife."

"Then kiss me again and show me how much."

[]

The wedding was rather subdued compared to others the people of Laney had witnessed, but they understood the reason. Breena saw no purpose in using gold to pay for a grand wedding when that same gold could build roads through the Wild Lands to enable people to settle there. Still, it was a wedding people would speak of for many years to come because of the reputation of the bride.

Word had spread quickly when the army returned to Laney about the girl who became a warrior at Mydar. Accounts varied, but in some, Breena had slain upwards of a hundred soldiers by herself while saving three women and several men from certain death.

The coronation followed immediately after the wedding, and after Twindle received the crown his father had worn, his mother, the Queen, personally removed her crown and placed in on Breena's head. Together, the three of them walked out on the balcony of the palace to greet the people assembled in the square. They were met with cheers and shouts of "Long live King Twindle" and "Long Live Queen Breena."

Nightfall found them walking the black and white geldings down the deer path to the cavern where they first met. Breena wanted to spend their first days as man and wife in the place they'd met. Torel had sent men ahead to supply the cavern with food and carpets for the floor, and those men now ringed the trees that hid the cavern and pond. Breena and Twindle pulled the saddles from the horses and let them loose to graze, then walked through the cavern entrance. A fire burned in Breena's old fire pit, and enough wood was stacked against on wall to last for several days.

Once inside, Twindle took Breena in his arms and kissed her. Breena kissed him back, and then pulled gently away.

"My King, do you remember when we met here? I covered myself so you could not see me?"

"Yes."

Breena lifted the dress over her head and carefully laid it on the carpet by the cavern wall. She quietly removed the rest of her clothing and then smiled at him.

"Now that I am your wife, you may see all of me."

"It is a delight to see, but what may a king do for his queen in return?"

Breena smiled.

"After making a young farm girl his wife, and then making his wife his queen, he might consider making the girl into a woman."

Their lovemaking was unhurried. Twindle wanted Breena to enjoy the experience even though he knew there would be some pain. As he kissed her and stroked her body, he felt her sex for signs of arousal.

Breena was a little afraid of the piercing she new would happen. Her mother had said it would be just one little twinge, but she was not certain. As Twindle caressed her body and kissed her lips, the fear melted away into a need such as she'd not dreamed before. Long before Twindle yielded to her attempts to guide him into her entrance, Breena was ready for the thrust that would make her a woman - Twindle's woman.

When Twindle judged Breena to be ready, he did not make the deep thrust she expected. Instead he moved his manhood only a little and then no deeper than the barrier he felt inside. With one fingertip, he found the little swollen button at the top of Breena's inner lips and gently rubbed. Breena was soon rocking her hips into his manhood in an attempt to force it deeper, but Twindle resisted the temptation. Only when Breena began to pant did he press forward his attack of her maidenhead, and then only slightly. He waited until Breena was at the moment of release. When she cried out and arched her body up against his belly, Twindle drove his manhood into Breena's depths. She cried out again and raked his back with her nails as Twindle pumped his seed deep inside her body.

They lay together, joined by his shaft in her soft sheath until he grew soft. Twindle tried to ease himself from the cradle of Breena's thighs, but she held him tight.

"Stay like this for a while. I like having you on top of me."

"I might hurt you more than I already have."

"You are not that heavy, and the pain was nothing compared to the other feeling."

"You are happy?"

Breena stretched her arms over her head, sighed, and then put them around Twindle's neck again.

"If I were happier, I do not know what I would do with myself."

Twindle chuckled.

"Perhaps I have done too well. You have nothing to look forward to now."

Breena kissed him and stroked his hip, then pulled away.

"I have many things to look forward to, but the first is when you will make me feel this way again."