The wind blew in frigid wet sheets that rattled the tavern door,
souring Palledia Griselda’s mood as she cleaned the glass behind the
bar of her tavern. Cold wasn’t something an Amazon of the Queendom
encountered often, the chilliest days of the jungle could still make a
woman sweat, and the lowering temperatures of the approaching autumn in
Imperial country were yet another reminder that she was far from home, a
disgraced nobody in a foreign land.
She stared at her reflection in the pint glass a moment, with
her hair gone grey and the dark leather patch over her eye nobody would
recognize the great Lady Griselda of Rain’s End, hero of the Lizard War…
The disgraced baroness who tried to steal a man and his gold,
she thought bitterly. She sighed, placing the glass back on the
high shelf. Her tavern had been owned by an orc of immense size, and it
was the only building in the small town of Corrinsburg that could
accommodate her ten-foot height. She’d traded the last of her gold and
jewels for it, those scant few things she’d been allowed to keep as a
courtesy when the Queen had stripped her of titles and banished her to
the Lizardfolk border.
Scaled bastards,
she thought angrily, running a hand over her eyepatch absently.
She’d stayed at her post, a loyal servant of the queen for years,
fighting the Lizard raids and finally being discharged after a
particularly brutal attack had cost her a left eye.
After that she’d drifted aimlessly, half fearing that Dirk or
Cora, or even Tom Cat would hear of her release and come for her, or
send others to do so. She’d disguised her appearance, drifted over the
Mannish border, and finally come to Corrinsburg, a rain-soaked town in
the Imperial lands where the wind cut like a knife and the trees bore
harsh green needles instead of the soft wide leaves of her beloved
jungles.
The most horrible realization had been that nobody had cared.
The release of the infamous Lady Griselda, the woman whose scandal had
rocked the Queendom, had gone without so much as tavern gossip. When
she’d crossed the Imperial border, the only thing they’d cared about was
that she was an Amazon, and not much at that, evidently many more of
her sisters found themselves wandering the Empire these days. Even a
backwater like Corrinsburg had barely reacted when she’d bought the town
inn and tavern.
“Palledia!” Annie called, “Svetlana needs another refill!” the
scrawny twig of a girl placed a mug in front of her, and she sighed,
glancing at the inebriated Winter Court elf swaying happily in her usual
booth.
“Fine,” she muttered, pulling on the beer tap and filling it to
the brim, “but if she starts casting spells while drunk again, she’s
out
.”
Annie beamed, “Yes Miss Palledia!” the girl bounded off with the elf’s drink.
Palledia rolled her eyes, no doubt Annie was hoping to see her
toss the dark elf out again, the girl had been working for her for the
past several years since leaving an orphanage a few towns over, and
seemingly relished seeing the amazon barkeep occasionally get rough with
the patrons. Annie herself was a waif of a girl, who never seemed to
grow above five feet despite the immense quantities of food she ate from
the inn’s pantry. She had the same olive skin and darker hair that more
southerly Imperials and men of the Queendom did, not entirely unheard
of in this part of the Human nation, but enough to make her stand out
slightly from the rest of the villagers.
“If she gets wild, are you going to do that cool wrist thing?” Annie whispered.
She sighed, “I just grabbed her to stop her from spellcasting,” she insisted.
“No,” Annie giggled, “that was a Queendom army maneuver, I could tell, it was
practiced
miss Palledia.”
“Poppycock,” Palledia said with a dismissive smirk.
Annie scowled, “One day I want to know who you were before you came here!” the girl snapped.
Unlikely you’ll ever know,
Palledia thought, leaning against the counter with a sigh. The
only thing that was left of Lady Griselda was her mother’s spear, a
family heirloom hidden in the back room. She occasionally indulged
herself in drilling with it under the full moon, when everyone else in
the village slept.
I should have gotten rid of that too,
she thought bitterly,
it’s a spear that deserves an honorable wielder, not you, a failure of an Amazon and condemned by the goddess…
The slow strumming of banjo music from the far side of the bar
caught her attention, and with a growl Palledia glanced over at the
green skinned frogkin girl sitting in a booth with a blonde imperial
man. A small pink skinned pixy lay on the table near them, hopelessly
inebriated as she sipped more beer from a thimble.
The Imperial, Axel something or other, was some manner of
writer, selling tales of his exotic adventures and even more exotic
dishes in the far corners of the world. At least one of his books graced
the bookshelf in the corner, a courtesy purchase she’d made for any
travelers hoping to read by her fire. The braggart had made a fine show
of signing it in front of the other tavern guests, and the green skinned
girl with him and hidden a smirk of amusement when Palledia hadn’t
cared.
What’s a frog girl doing this far north?
Palledia wondered idly. The Queendom had relations with a few
tribes of the green demihumans, though she’d never dealt with any
personally.
The door to the tavern burst open suddenly, and the clank of
armor caused Palledia to groan as the town’s resident Imperial Knight
sauntered in. Clyde was a handsome man, with that same straw colored
imperial hair that had seemed so exotic on Dirk Sommer long ago, and a
bulky physique that no doubt made him the strongest in the village… or
the strongest
man
at least.
“Sir Orrick,” she greeted politely.
“Oh Palledia,” he laughed, waving dismissively, “I’ve told you,
I’m just Clyde to friends. Where’s Annie? I’ll have an ale and an ear to
hear of my latest tournament victory.”
“Annie is quite busy with-“
“You won!?” Annie squealed, bounding over to him. “Tell me all about it!”
Clyde chuckled, sliding an arm around the girl’s waist, “I was
unhorsed at the joust, but I made up for it with the mounted shot
contest. As a cavalryman the lance and the carbine are your best
weapons, but there is a grenade throw competition, not with live
grenades of course, and-“
“Annie, get the brave knight his favorite draught,” Palledia
sighed, rolling her eyes. Even after several years in the mannish realms
it was so odd seeing the
men
as the braggarts, wooing women with tales of their alleged feats.
“Why do you let him prattle on like this?” she asked the diminutive girl in a tired voice.
Annie giggled, looking up at the towering barkeep and back to the cavalryman, making sure he couldn’t hear, “He’s not
all
hot air,” Annie whispered, “he’s been teaching me some swordplay.”
“No doubt to get you into his bedroom,” Palledia replied dryly.
Annie shrugged, grinning and shooting the knight a wink, “That’s
not a terrible price to pay, too few of the boys around here give me
the same kind of attention as he does.”
“A man should be happy to have a girl like you, who works and
has her wits about her,” Palledia muttered, “this might be a land of
little sisters, but Diana willing you could still help keep some of
these woolheads safe.”
“Me keep
Clyde
safe?” Annie giggled a little, “Maybe I could fight at his side if I got
really
good with a blade, or a gun…”
It’s a man’s country I suppose,
Palledia thought, with a resigned sigh. She handed Annie the
man’s drink, and watched as the girl sidled up to the man, no doubt to
hear tales of his alleged prowess on the battlefield.
I could toss him over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and five of his fellows besides… Or I could have once.
“Still seething over the boys running the show here?” Svetlana
giggled drunkenly, pulling up a barstool and leaning towards her. The
Dark Elf was slightly chubby, with melon sized breasts that jiggled as
she laughed at things that a sober person would hardly find funny.
Still, she was the only other person who seemed to be aware of the world
outside of Corrinsburg.
“I still can’t get used to some things,” She admitted, grabbing a
mug and pouring herself a strong shot of Amazonian rum. She knocked it
back, scowling at burning taste. She rarely drank anymore, but some
nights it was worth it to loosen Svetlana’s lips and forget how far
she’d fallen in the world.
“The Winter Court has an empress,” Svetlana mused, sipping on
her beer, “we’ve got some male lawgivers I suppose, but it still
surprised me just how things are with humans… Still, I love human men,
dark elf men are so serious and brooding… Human women love that, and I
say the human women are welcome to them. A trade I say, a trade of all
the men in both countries and the women in both would be happy!”
“In the Queendom we never seemed to have enough men, we’d go two
Amazons and a little sister to one,” Palledia chuckled, taking the
elf’s cup and refilling it with the rich brown draught she loved.
“Kinky,” Svetlana said, fighting a hiccup as she reached for the
drink, “I’d have totally teamed up on a human with you Palledia, you
haven’t lived until you’ve made a human tiny and trapped him
deep
inside you…” A new flush came over her face, one that had
nothing to do with the alcohol, “We could do it Palledia, we could
shrink one of these ones in the bar right now!”
“Oh Diana,” she chuckled,
if nothing else Svetlana, you did bring laughter back into my life.
“Wouldn’t want to snatch Clyde from the barmaid,” Svetlana
drunkenly muttered, “what about that guy with the frog girl over there?”
she pointed to the couple, where the green skinned girl was slowly
strumming her banjo again while the human nodded approvingly. “I’ll bet
they do wild stuff,” Svetlana slurred, “I’ll go tell them we’re having a
four way, me, you, the strawhead, and the frog girl… I want to see what
she can do with that tongue!”
“Svetlana, don’t-“ Palledia started, but she didn’t have to stop
the dark elf, gravity did the job as she slid out of her stool and made
contact with the floor, snoozing idly with a goofy grin on her face.
With a sigh she walked out from behind the bar, stooping slightly as her
head almost hit the common room’s ceiling. She easily scooped up the
unconscious dark elf, gently carrying her over to an empty booth and
sliding her into it in an upright position.
She glanced in the direction of the frog-girl and her traveling
companion, “You there,” she barked, “play me something cheerful and your
next drinks are free.”
“Do it Emelie!” Axel laughed. The tiny pixy roused herself,
flying up onto the human’s shoulder and shouting further encouragement.
The girl all but leapt up, croaking nervously as she cleared her
throat and hefted her instrument, “T-This one’s dedicated to my special
friend Axel!” Slowly she strummed the strings and began to sing, her
voice surprisingly melodious as it filled the common room.
“
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,”
she hummed, “
You make me happy, when skies are grey…
”
Palledia slowly made her way back behind the bar, enjoying the
light and upbeat song as the girl sang. She glanced over to Annie and
Clyde, who were looking into each other’s eyes as the song played. She
couldn’t help but snort, but found herself hoping things worked out for
her barmaid. The girl had endured a rough enough life before coming to
her door, starving and alone.
If I couldn’t protect my lands or my people, at least I properly provided for someone,
She thought with a sad smile.
The song came to its end, and for a moment the cheers and
clapping drowned out the rain that assaulted the walls. Even Palledia
couldn’t help but smile at the red tint of the frog girl’s face as she
bowed, nervously asking if anyone had requests for another song.
The ding of her doorbell cut off the debates, and they all
hushed as a group of figures moved slowly into the light of the bar,
rain dripping from their wide brimmed hats.
No,
Palledia thought, her heart leaping as she recognized them,
Not here!
“Greetingss,” the lizardman hissed, pulling off his wide brimmed
imperial style hat as the others filed in behind him. “We sseek roomss
for the night.”
The speaker was a strange sort, with jet black obsidian scales
in contrast to the usual green hue most of their soldiers had, and his
eyes were a solid red that seemed to take in everything and nothing at
once as the water droplets slowly fell from his thick wool jacket.
“You should perhaps find another tavern,” Palledia growled,
suddenly thinking of her mother’s spear, hiding below her bed in the
back room.
“Nonsensse,” the lizard chuckled as his fellows took seats at
booths, their beady reptile eyes taking in the other patrons, “The
Imperial lawss state that all creatures that obey the Emperor's law are
under the protection of hiss law, and we have committed no crimess!”
“The mannish realms don’t know your folk like I do,” she muttered.
“Best just serve them for the night,” Clyde said in a low voice.
He glanced at them, the jovial look suddenly gone, “Palledia… perhaps
I
should stay too, it’s so wet out, I wouldn’t want to catch a cold walking home.”
“No,” she murmured, watching as the black lizard approached the hearth, “I suppose you wouldn’t.”
“What’s going on?” Annie asked in a hushed tone.
“Your fire iss dying,” the black lizard hissed. He held out a
clawed hand, and the coals roared back to life, bathing the tavern in an
eerie orange glow.
A mage,
Palledia thought, her blood running cold.
The obsidian lizardman turned to Emelie and Axel, “Ah, sisster,”
he hissed with a toothy grin, “Sso fine to ssee one of our allies so
far from home… Perhaps you could sing uss a ssong?”
“I’d rather not,” Emelie muttered, taking a seat next to Axel,
“Forgive me but I’ve been away from the swamplands for some time.”
The lizard’s red eyes narrowed as he saw her sidle up to the
human, who had also gone keenly alert as his arm went around the green
girl’s side. He gave a hissing chuckle as he grabbed a poker, stabbing
idly at the log on the fire as the flames danced.
“So cold in thesse landss, in many ways it seems,” he said, “We
are looking for a friend of ourss…” His ruby eyes turned to Palledia,
and he tasted the air curiously as he stalked towards the bar again, “An
Amazon… We came so far when we heard there wasss one here.”
A lizard and an Amazon friends? I think not…
She glanced at the party of lizardfolk, who were eyeing their leader with some amusement,
I’m sure you’re looking for an Amazon, but not for anything friendly.
She wracked her brain trying to think of why they would be here
for her, she’d certainly killed enough of them in the wars, and during
her sentence as a guard, but she was nothing special among Amazon
nobility, back when she’d
been
Amazon nobility.
Fine then, if you want Lady Griselda, you shall have her.
She glowered down at the creature, staring defiantly into the
red eyes, “Very well,” she said in a low voice, “I would ask that you
let my patrons and my barmaid leave, so that we might catch up on old
times.”
The head lizard laughed, his tongue tasting the air as he spoke, “You are too old to be our
friend,
” he hissed, “but we smell another Amazon here, we smelled her as soon as we entered this town…”
Another Amazon?
Palledia’s brow furrowed,
impossible, there’s no way another ten-foot woman could be here without me knowing!
The obsidian tale flicked behind the lizard as he stalked down
the bar, his pale tongue tasting the air as he slowly reached Clyde and
Annie. The knight apprehensively tightened his grip on the girl, who
didn’t breathe as the lizard’s clacking walk came to a halt in front of
the pair.
“Curiouss…” he muttered, “How old are you girl?”
“You don’t have to answer him,” Palledia growled.
“Eighteen summers,” Annie said defiantly.
“You do not look like what we expected,” the dark lizard hissed,
“but…” he chuckled under his breath, gesturing to the other lizards who
stood up in unison, producing knives, axes, and even a pair of
flintlock guns. “There iss no misstaking that scent
Amazon.
”
He reached for Annie, but with a shout Clyde was off of his
barstool, his cavalry saber in his hand. The lizard hissed, raking the
front of his steel cuirass with its claws as the two grappled each
other. With a roar the other lizards surged forward, and while Palledia
managed to get over the bar, soon they had her cornered, their weapons
on her and threatening to tear her to pieces.
Clyde grunted in pain as the black lizard sent a wave of magical
energy along his arm, causing him to drop his sword as the creature
hissed angrily, bending down to pick up its wide brimmed hat once again.
“Bind the big one,” he ordered, straightening his hat as he
stalked through the bar. His gaze lingered on the passed out form of
Svetlana a moment, then on Axel, Emelie, and the small pixy on the table
between them. “Don’t interfere and you will be sspared,” he ordered. A
blade appeared in his own black scaled hand, and Annie screamed in shock
as he slowly cut away her sleeve, revealing the small girl’s bare arm.
Palledia gritted her teeth as the lizardfolk tied the rough rope
around her, “Leave her alone!” she demanded, “if you’re after an
Amazon… I’m the only one here!”
“Appearancess can be deceiving,” the lizard chuckled, tapping
the point of the blade against Annie’s arm, just enough to draw a single
red droplet of blood as she winced. There was a spark across her skin,
and the girl’s eyes went wide as a star in a circle appeared, as if
tattooed on her.
“W-What’s that!?” Annie asked fearfully, “what did you do?”
“Your mother did thiss,” the lizard chuckled, “to hide you from
uss!” He glanced around, “I ssuppose you will all make fine witnesses…
For too long I have been tied to thiss ssearch, I am pleassed to see it
end!”
I’ve got to get her away from them,
Palledia thought, testing the ropes. Lizardfolk liked to take
Amazons alive, to sate their despicable apetites, and the rope woven
from the jungle tree fibers was too strong even for an Amazon to break
free from… but these lizardfolk were far from home, and she fought a
grin as she realized they’d tied her with much weaker Imperial made
bonds.
I’ll get one chance to surprise them,
she thought, glancing around the bar and waiting for her opening.
“Your mother, sshe sslew our king’s most favored prince in the
war, long ago,” The lizard said, raising the knife, “for nearly two
decades we have hunted down every scion of your family to avenge him…
tonight our hunt ends!”
Favored prince?
Palledia’s eyes went wide,
he can’t possibly mean Annie is the lost Ironshield girl!?
The Ironshields were old amazon nobility, with vast lands,
wealth, and a lineage going back to Theodora the Great herself. The
matriarch of the household had led one of the larger Amazon armies in
the war, infamously killing the gem-scaled lizard prince in personal
combat. The house had since been plagued with misfortune and
assassinations, with the great Alma Ironshield herself having
disappeared with her husband and last living daughter, only a newborn at
the time.
“Y-You killed my parents!?” Annie whispered.
“With thiss very knife,” the lizard said with a toothy smile,
“your father fought bravely for a man of the queendom… your mother died
on her feet ass well.” He sighed, “It iss almost a disappointment to
find you here like thiss.”
The knife raised, and the world seemed to slow. Palledia flexed,
grunting as the rope frayed and snapped. The obsidian lizard’s snout
whipped around, his red eyes going wide with horror as he saw a ten foot
amazon barreling down on him, fury on her face. In one smooth motion
Palledia lifted one of the barstools cracking the wood across the lizard
and causing him to stumble away from Annie, who shrieked as she ran to
the amazon’s side.
“Go out the back door, now!” she shouted, causing the scrawny girl to stumble as she ran behind the bar.
“Die monster!” Clyde bellowed, on his feet again and with sword
and pistol in hand. There was a bang and a puff of smoke as the
flintlock discharged, sending one of the charging lizards back to the
void. Sparks flew as he parried a sword strike with more skill than
Palledia would have expected.
There was another puff of smoke, and Palledia turned to see Axel
and the frog girl with weapons drawn, having turned over one of her
tables for cover as they reloaded their small firearms. The green
skinned girl drew a wicked looking knife, eyeing a group of approaching
lizardmen warily.
Suddenly there was a whoosh of flame, and Palledia barely
managed to dodge the first of the fireballs. Evidently the dark scaled
lizard wasn’t the only mage in the group, and she whirled around to see
the grinning creature readying another fireball, one that would sear the
flesh from her bones.
In the blink of an eye the lizard was gone, Svetlana in its
place. The dark elf glanced down at the shrunken lizard mage, and raised
her boot, slamming it down as if she was crushing a cockroach. A focus
Palledia had never seen was on the elf’s face, quickly chasing away the
remnants of her intoxication as she lifted her hands, trading lightning
and fire with the obsidian lizard in a magical duel that filled the
tavern with the smell of smoke and scorched the wood.
“Come on Emelie!” Axel shouted, popping off another shot from
his own pistol as the frog girl bounded out the front door after him.
There was a shimmer as the pair’s pixy followed, “Guards!” the man
cried, “someone rouse the village guards!”
Something had caught fire, and the wall of the inn was starting
to go up. A burst of green smoke obscured their vision of the remaining
lizardfolk, and Svetlana’s eyes narrowed, trying to see her foe through
the haze.
The elf grunted in surprise as Palledia grabbed her around the
waist, hauling her under her arm like a small dog as she bounded for the
back door. As she burst into her bedroom she paused, taking a moment to
reach under her bed. The steel of her mother’s spear caught the
flickering light of the fire, reflecting her face. She couldn’t help but
smile briefly, for a moment she looked like Lady Griselda again, not
Palledia the innkeeper.
She heard coughing from behind her, and turned to see Clyde
stumbling after her, soot covering his face and blood staining his
sword. Their eyes met, and with a nod he followed her out through the
tavern’s back door.
“P-Palledia?” Annie squeaked, looking up at the Amazon as she
sat the dark elf down. She had tears in her eyes, and she swayed
slightly as Clyde moved to steady her. “W-Why did they want me?” she
stammered.
“They seem to think you’re the heiress to a prominent family
back in the Queendom,” Palledia replied, glancing nervously at the
burning inn. “We need to get moving, lizardfolk will be sluggish in this
chill weather, but once the sun gets up they’ll be after us again.”
“How can I be the heiress of an Amazon house if I’m not an
Amazon?” Annie balked, “I’m nobody, I lived at an orphanage until you
took me in!”
“Hmm…” Svetlana squinted, taking in the starred tattoo that had
appeared on Annie’s shoulder, “I have some theories,” she muttered, “but
for now we need to get on our way.” The sound of the lizardfolk’s
hissing language was filling the night, at least some of their attackers
had survived.
If that black scaled bastard died in that fire I’ll eat this spear,
Palledia thought with a growl. The sound of the guards and their
horses was echoing through the streets as well, and the last thing she
wanted to do was spend the night in a cramped jail cell meant for a
woman half her size while the human authorities figured out what to do
with them.
“There’s an old army supply depot a few miles from here,” Clyde
said, “it’s not in use anymore, but it’ll have beds to sleep in and a
watchtower to let us see anyone coming.”
“Lead the way,” Palledia nodded.
…
The supply base was little more than a barn, a few cots, and a
large wooden tower, but the group was thankful for it when they arrived.
They’d lost their pursuers easily enough, the lizardfolk suffered in
the cool night air this far north, and when the sun finally rose in the
sky they were alone, surrounded by nothing but a vast range of
evergreens that swayed gently in the wind.
Svetlana groaned, nursing a hangover as she walked to the
perimeter of the small compound. With a murmured spell the headache
vanished, and she blinked as her senses returned. Palledia was waiting
for her, leaning against the large spear as she glanced off into the
woods.
“So what now?” she muttered, “I don’t think your tavern made it.”
“We’ve got to get Annie back to the Queendom,” Palledia said
firmly, “if she is somehow connected to the Ironshield estate…” She
sighed and shook her head, “I can take her at least to the border, I
might… I might ask you to take her the rest of the way.”
“You know I always wondered what your story was,” Svetlana said with a smug grin, “Annie’s right, you were
someone
back there, I’m just not sure who.”
“Someone who can’t go back,” she said bitterly. She glanced down
at the elf, “Judging by the spellwork back there, you were someone back
in your home too.”
Svetlana’s pointed ears drooped a moment, “Yeah…” she sighed,
“it was all a misunderstanding, honestly!” Palledia raised an eyebrow,
and Svetlana continued, “it was a diplomatic meeting, the human
ambassador and I had been drinking-“
“Shocking,” Palledia said with a smirk.
Svetlana scowled, “So it all got out of hand when we went back to my room…”
…
Arturus the Imperial ambassador looked at the giggling dark
elven goddess before him, “I have a confession,” he muttered, placing
his wineglass on the bedside table, “Svetlana I… I’ve always wanted to
be shrunk by an elf!”
“Ooh…” she giggled, “that’s really more of a summer court elf thing, but I
do
know their shrinking spell!”
Her fingers waved, and a moment later the human gasped in awe as he dwindled before her, his clothing pooling around him.
“What a cute little human!” she teased, lifting him up and
dangling his naked body in front of her face, “Now what should I do with
my new pet?”
“Y-Your breasts!” he called, “Please put me between them!”
“A good place to start,” she said with a wink, slowly lowering
him between the deep purple orbs. The massive tits swallowed the human
up easily, and she enjoyed watching his tiny body flail against her
flesh like an ocean that threatened to drown him. “Uh oh,” she taunted,
bringing a single finger down and pressing on his head, submerging him
into the warm prison.
Svetlana giggled as the human ambassador tickled her with his
struggles. For his part Arturus was completely surrounded by the warm
darkness of the elf’s cleavage, a soft feminine lavender scent filled
his nostrils as he felt himself sliding deeper.
“Now to get rid of this troublesome human,” she said in a
mocking tone. Svetlana brought her hands to either side of her breasts,
and with a wicked giggle pressed them together as hard as she could.
Arturus cried out in surprise as the pressure around him increased
dramatically, the warm titflesh pressing him from all sides as the air
was knocked from his lungs.
Svetlana giggled, pressing harder and harder, the soft excited
groans of the tiny man trapped between her breasts just giving her more
encouragement as she smothered him between the immense orbs.
*Crunch*
She froze, her face going pale, “A-Arturus!?”
…
“You got drunk and killed an imperial ambassador with your tits!?” Palledia asked incredulously.
“N-No, he lived,” Svetlana said meekly, “He needed some time to
heal up though…” she sighed, “The humans thought it was a real
assassination attempt, and by the time Arturus was able to straighten
things out it was enough of a scandal that my career was over.” She
smiled up at Palledia, “So, are you ready to tell me what you did?”
“I…” she sighed, looking at her ornate spear, “I made a lot of mistakes.”
“Well that doesn’t clear it up at all,” Svetlana muttered, crossing her arms.
…
Annie sighed, looking at the door to the room where Clyde was
staying. She gathered her courage for a moment, then pushed it open. The
cavalryman was asleep, having taken the first watch the night before,
but his eyes fluttered open and he smiled as he saw her.
“Annie,” he greeted, sitting up and stretching, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“You were r-really brave back there,” she stammered, clearing her throat.
“It’s a knight’s duty to protect fair maidens,” he said with a smile.
“I-I know I’m not as pretty as some of the other girls in the
village,” Annie muttered, walking to his bed, “o-or as good at women’s
tasks,” she giggled, “I can’t bake or sew worth a damn…”
“You’re getting a little better at swordplay though,” he
remarked with a grin, “and as far as I’m concerned, you’re the prettiest
girl in Corrinsburg.”
She blushed, “I don’t know what’s going on… Why those lizard
things are after me, but I know I’m not afraid as long as you’re there
with me.” She swallowed nervously, letting her fingers curl around the
hem of her shirt, lifting it over her head and letting her breasts,
small as they were, pop free.
Clyde’s eyes went wide, “Annie…” he whispered, taking her in.
“Shh,” she said with a grin, crawling into bed with him, “this is my first time… let’s make it special!”
…
“So you said you had a theory on how Annie might be an Amazon?” Palledia asked, glancing up at the rising sun.
“Yes, the tattoo,” Svetlana explained, “it only appeared once her blood touched it, it’s a seal of sorts.”
“A seal?” Palledia asked, “on what?”
“On your goddess’s blessing,” Svetlana explained, “you Amazons
were mere humans once, it’s the blessing of your goddess Diana that
makes you… well
you.
” She gestured up at Palledia’s towering form. “The thing is,
even the strongest mage is nothing to a goddess,” she continued, “the
seal will likely have been deteriorating for some time… has she
displayed any unusual traits since you’ve known her?”
“She eats as much as I do,” Palledia muttered, “Goddess, she’s got an
Amazon’s
appetite… How long until the seal breaks?”
“She’s a woman grown now,” Svetlana mused, “I’d say it could go
any time, if she encounters a moment of particular emotional stress or
excitement that might push it over the edge.”
…
Annie giggled, playfully wrestling with Clyde as the pair
tumbled in the sheets. She grunted as he pinned her down, kissing his
way up her neck as he held her wrists.
“Let me get on top!” she whined.
“Not this time,” he chuckled, “next round maybe…”
She huffed, but shot him a smirk as he squeezed her bottom,
positioning himself over her. She gasped in pleasure as he slid inside,
and then the world seemed to spin.
“O-Oh,” she muttered, “I-Is it supposed to feel like this?”
It was like a dozen butterflies were fluttering through her
belly, tickling her and sending jolts of electricity down her arms.
Clyde had paused, frowning in concern at her dazed expression.
“Annie,” he asked slowly, “are you-“
“AHH!” she shouted as her limbs seemed to shoot outwards. The bed buckled, then broke. Her chest itched, then there was a
popping
feeling. She blinked, looking down at her watermelon sized
breasts in shock, the soft orbs swallowing up a surprised Clyde’s face.
Her legs dangled over the edge of what was left of the mattress, and she
realized that her lover was now much smaller, laying across her torso.
With a grunt the blonde knight pulled his face free of the
breasts that had sprung into being and entrapped him, blinking with a
dazed expression as he looked over Annie’s now Amazonian physique.
I’ve got to be close to eleven feet tall,
she marveled, “Wow,” she whispered, flexing her arm and looking at the chiseled bicep she’d gained.
“Y-You really
are
an Amazon,” Clyde said, eyes wide.
“This is amazing!” she squealed.
“W-We’ve got to go tell the others,” Clyde stammered, suddenly
feeling intimidated by the way their sizes had so suddenly reversed.
“That can wait,” Annie breathed, “I want to finish what we were doing!”
Clyde cried out in surprise as she grabbed him, rolling over and
pinning him against the mattress. He struggled instinctively, but she
handled him as easily as he’d pinned her moments again, easier even, for
all of his strength Annie didn’t seem to be reacting at all as she
easily positioned him below her.
“Looks like I’ll be on top after all,” she said smugly.
He grunted as she bore down on him, forcing his manhood inside
herself as her hips bucked against his with enough force to make him
wince. The bouncing of her mountainous breasts drew his eye as she rode
him like a wild stallion.
“Yes!” she gasped, whipping her brown hair behind her head and
grinning as she impaled herself on his erection again and again,
mercilessly causing him to spasm and groan below her as his hips grew
sore from the relentless onslaught.
Annie’s now massive fingers curled through his blond hair,
holding him in place and causing him to wince as she gave a low guttural
moan. A thin sheen of sweat covered her, and by extension him, and the
room suddenly felt hot and muggy in spite of the cool morning air.
As she continued to ravage him Clyde reached up to her bottom,
grasping the immense cheeks in each hand, marveling at the sheer size.
If he’d hoped to gain any control over her pace it was soon dashed like a
ship on the rocks as the storm of the amazon’s lovemaking continued to
pound away at him. He leaned his head back, his eyes squeezed shut as
she brought him to the brink.
“Finish with me,” she ordered, gritting her own teeth as waves
of pleasure rocked her body, causing her to spasm and quake. Clyde
shouted as his own hips bucked feebly beneath her, spraying his seed
into her womanhood in an eruption that was milked out of him by each
powerful downward thrust of the Amazon’s hips.
Finally the torrent slowed, Annie panted, grinning down at the
utterly defeated man beneath her. A wave of emotions raced through her,
she’d lusted after Clyde for years, known him as the strongest, most
stalwart man in their town. Now he was beneath her, sprawled and
defeated by the sheer force of her lovemaking, a conquered man,
her
man.
“I-I don’t think I can walk,” he muttered with a grin.
Annie rolled off of him, sighing as she landed on what was left
of the bed next to the man. With a grin she snaked her arm around him,
pulling him to her side and letting him feel her new toned and massive
physique.
“You did great,” she muttered, ruffling his hair, “lesser men would have died!”
“I-I’m glad I could be of service,” he said, a bit of his cocky grin returning.
“Oh you’re going to be servicing me quite a bit more before I’m done with you,” she chuckled.
Clyde gulped, looking at the Amazon’s lustful grin and wondering
just how far his Imperial Military calisthenics regimen would take him
with her.
…
“So how do we explain this to her?” Svetlana asked, following
Palledia through the small compound, “Sorry, your whole life is a lie,
you’re about to be an Amazon?”
“She already thought she was an orphan,” Palledia replied with a sigh, “I’ll take care of her, I always have.”
The pair reached the door to the bedroom, Palledia forced to
bend at the knees to fit in the mannish hallway. The dark elf glanced at
her, then rapped her knuckles on the wood.
“Annie,” Palledia called, “are you in there? We need to talk.”
“We’ve got some uh… news,” Svetlana said hesitantly.
“Come in!” Annie’s giggling voice called.
The two looked at one another, then with a shrug Svetlana pushed the door open.
“Goddess,” Palledia breathed, looking around at the state of the room.
Annie had a dreamy smile on her face as she lay sprawled beneath
a blanket, what was left of the bed beneath her as Clyde rubbed her
feet, an adoring look on his face. The thick smell of sex hung about the
room, and although Clyde hesitated as they entered, but one look from
Annie set him eagerly rubbing her soles again.
“So I’m guessing you found out you’re actually an Amazon,” Svetlana laughed.
“Yeah, we’ve been exploring what that means,” Annie said, playfully poking the side of Clyde’s face with her toe.
“It’s been
interesting,
” Clyde muttered, his brow furrowed.
Palledia knew that look and fought a chuckle,
the poor fool is finding himself feeling like a proper man for
the first time in his life, he’ll be following her like a lost puppy
from now on…
She idly thought back to Dirk Sommer, the man who had been her undoing.
Perhaps she’ll make good use of him.
“I suppose there’s no denying it now,” She said, “you
are
the lost Ironshield heiress.”
“So I’m like, rich?” Annie asked eagerly.
“You are Amazon nobility girl,” Palledia said sternly, “there’s much more to it than wealth… I’ll teach you our ways.”
“I don’t know,” Svetlana giggled, looking at the destroyed bed
and the man rubbing the newly minted Amazon’s feet, “I think she’s got a
lot of this Amazon stuff down pat.”
Palledia smiled, “We shall see…”
…
Annie swore as the butt of Palledia’s spear shot out into her
stomach, knocking the wind out of her as the older Amazon twirled the
weapon, casually walking around her. The two were sparring in the open
yard of the compound, Palledia using her mother’s spear and Annie using a
simple wooden staff.
“If that had been the point, you’d be dead!” she barked, “Dodge it or block it!”
“Y-You’re too fast!” Annie groaned, using her own practice spear for balance.
“If a dusty old woman like me is too fast for you, then you’re
hopeless!” Palledia said, shaking her head. She gripped Annie’s chin
suddenly, shocking the younger girl, “You’re an Ironshield, if you
expect to claim your birthright you’ll need to be strong, people will
expect you to lead, to fight, to
inspire.
” She separated from her, turning her back and twirling her spear skillfully, “Again!”
“You can do it Annie!” Clyde called from the sidelines,
“remember what I taught you about parrying swords, it’s all the same
fundamentals!”
With a roar Annie sprinted at Palledia, and the older Amazon
almost casually dodged each jab of the wooden weapon. The butt of her
spear shot out again, but this time the loud *clack* of wood on wood
rang out as Annie just barely deflected the blow, stumbling back and
panting as she raised her weapon again in a defensive pose.
“Good,” Palledia smiled, “Goddess willing we’ll make a warrior of you yet!”
“Goddess…” Annie asked curiously, “I’ve heard you reference her before, but I’m not sure you’ve ever said much about your…
our
Goddess.”
She felt a pang of sorrow suddenly,
Should I even tell her of a goddess I failed so spectacularly?
She wondered. She glanced at the girl, then gave a small smile,
She’ll need to know if she’s to rule…
“The first Amazon was Theodora the Great,” Palledia began, “she
beseeched the goddess Diana for aid when the lizardfolk fell upon her
people and murdered her father…”
…
The group didn’t have much to pack beyond the clothes on their
backs. Annie had only a makeshift outfit hastily woven from bedding and
curtains, her old clothes having become too small for her. As Palledia
had predicted, Clyde wasn’t letting himself far from Annie’s side,
following the girl who now towered over him at nearly twice his height.
Svetlana walked up to her side as they marched out of the small
depot, a smile on her face, “You know, it’s kind of nice to have a bit
of purpose now… but what exactly
is
our plan?”
“We’re going to the Amazon Queendom,” The Lady Griselda said firmly, “And goddess help anyone who gets in our way!”