Palledia drove the group south at a hasty pace, both helped and hindered by the lack of gear and supplies. Clyde proved to be an able hunter, and had luckily kept his tournament winnings on him when coming to the tavern the night of the attack, giving the group a scant amount of gold.

“This damnable imperial chill will slow down our pursuers,” Palledia shivered, glancing down the road and scowling at the evergreen trees on either side.

“Chill?” Clyde laughed, “It’s hardly even autumn yet.”

“Where we’re going doesn’t have autumn or winter,” Svetlana remarked, “just a rainy season.”

“I feel like I might miss snow,” Annie said, looking at the slightly gray sky.

“The Queendom has its own wonders,” Palledia said with a small smile, “the great rivers by the Alabastor fort… Theodora’s falls, where the mist catches the sunlight and leaves the rocks covered in rainbows all day long.”

“I can’t wait to see it!” Annie said excitedly, “you’ll show me all of these things, right?”

Palledia started a moment, “I…” I don’t know if I can live in the Queendom again girl, but I’ll get you there. Annie frowned at her silence, but didn’t say anything.

“C-Can we get a breather?” Clyde muttered. He had his steel armor in a bundle over his back, and while he’d made good time even with the long strides of the amazons to contend with, it was clear that hauling so much steel cross country was starting to wear on him.

“Annie,” Palledia barked, “go help him with that.”

The girl walked to the man’s side, smiling as she grabbed the bundle, easily hefting it over her shoulder, “Oh, that’s not necessary,” Clyde stammered, awed at how Annie handled it,.

“It’s not a problem, it’s light as a feather!” she laughed, rattling the steel a little.

“If you see a man struggling with something, offer to carry it for him,” Palledia said sternly, “it’s the Amazon way to guide, protect, and help men when they need it.”

Clyde’s face was still flushed slightly, but he scowled, “I can take care of myself,” he retorted, “I’m an imperial cavalryman, and- HEY!” Annie had scooped him up around his waist, throwing him over her other shoulder as the group continued on again.

“Just rest a little, okay?” Annie giggled, enjoying the knight’s blustered stammering.

Svetlana giggled, then slowly sauntered up to Palledia, “So what do you think of those two?”

“He’s a good enough match for her,” Palledia replied, “suitably attractive and noble enough. Once Annie comes into her estate she’ll likely want to hire someone to tutor him in domestic work, despite his bluster he seems intelligent enough so I’m sure he’ll take easily to baking-“

“Not that,” Sveltana scowled, “I just thought they were cute together!” She frowned, “you’re already planning on making him some kind of house-husband, aren’t you!?”

“Are the Winter Court elves not a matriarchy?” Palledia replied, glancing down at the elf.

“Of a sort,” Svetlana replied, “we don’t get all huffy if our men want to fight though.”

“Annie seriously!” Clyde called, laughter tinging his voice, “I can walk, just put me down!”

“Be a good man, or you’ll get a spanking!” Annie said in a faux stern voice, “I’m an Amazon now, that’s how we keep our men in line!”

“Oh for the love of Diana,” Palledia sighed, turning around, “Annie, do not even joke about laying your hands on your man!”

“Clyde knows I’m just kidding,” Annie protested.

“It’s all right Palledia,” the man chuckled from his place over her shoulder.

I’ll have to add court manners to the list of things to teach this girl, Palledia thought with a sigh.

“So wait, you Amazons don’t spank your men anymore?” Svetlana asked curiously, “I thought spankings were the standard punishment for all the men who stepped out of line.”

“That sounds like masochistic Imperial fantasy,” Palledia said dismissively.

“What about Death by Snu-Snu?” Annie asked, grinning at the annoyed expression on Palledia’s face.

“If someone earns a death penalty in the Queendom it’s done by guillotine,” Palledia replied, crossing her arms, “what In Diana’s name is snu-snu?”

“A damn good time,” Svetlana chuckled, “Hey, Clyde, I don’t suppose you’ve got enough money in that coin purse of yours for us to stop somewhere for drinks?”

The knight’s coinpurse clinked as Annie set him down, letting him walk alongside her while she carried his armor. He pulled the string on the purse, chewing his lip uncomfortably as he looked at the small pile of coins inside.

“It would be best if we budgeted carefully,” he said finally, “whenever we get to a town we need to get Annie some real clothes, Amazons are rare here… we might have to pay a tailor to make something from scratch.”

“She’ll need a weapon too,” Palledia said firmly, “a short sword at least.”

“We might get lucky and find something made for an orc a little further south,” Clyde said, “but you won’t find an Amazon sized firearm until we get near Rain’s End.”

Palledia tried to hide the look of surprise on her face as he mentioned her old fief, “Are… firearms in our size common there?” she asked, trying to keep her voice level.

Clyde nodded, “Yes, it’s the center of the whole trade, some Imperial fellow financed most of it off of gold he found on his ranch, he even helped the Queen modernize the Queendom’s military some years back.”

Dirk, Cora… Palledia couldn’t help but smile a little, you took good care of what was mine…

…

The group spent the next two days on the road, camping in the woods, rising early, and eating little. Even the two Amazons were beginning to feel weary as the four of them saw the open farmlands beginning to appear, flattening the landscape as they came out of the Empire’s more forested northern regions.

Clyde had gone ahead into a small market town on the road, hoping to secure them food without attracting the additional attention that two Amazons and a Dark Elf would no doubt get. Sevetlana, Palledia, and Annie had decided to wait in a small field, and not letting the opportunity go to waste, Palledia had begun drilling Annie once again.

“Now you’re going to be the biggest and strongest thing on most battlefields,” Palledia said, handing her mother’s spear to Annie, “but you are still just flesh and blood. A spear lets you keep an enemy at bay.”

“Wow,” Annie breathed, running her hands up the ornate design of the spear shaft, “Palledia… where did you get this? It’s got to be worth more than the entire tavern.”

“Probably the entire town,” Svetlana remarked, cocking her head as she studied the weapon, “Family heirloom, right?”

“Yes,” Palledia said, shooting the elf a dark look, “what of it?”

“Looks like the kind of thing nobility would have,” Svetlana commented idly, “not just a run of the mill soldier…”

Annie was looking at her curiously too, and for a moment Palledia almost wanted to tell them everything, of Lady Griselda of Rain’s End, Cora, Dirk, and the rest, but she scowled instead, stepping away from the other amazon. She walked over to a small sapling nearby, casually ripping a long and reasonably straight branch free. She swished it through the air a moment, satisfied it would make a decent facsimile of a sword.

“Try not to let me get inside your defenses,” she said, turning back to Annie.

“Uh…” Annie gulped, looking at the spear’s sharp point, “I don’t want to hurt you by accident…”

“You won’t,” Palledia chuckled.

She rushed at Annie, causing the girl to squeak in surprise as the older woman’s arm went up under the spear shaft, tilting it skyward. There was a sharp cry of pain as the branch thwacked across the side of Annie’s stomach.

“Keep the point on your opponent,” she instructed, separating again.

“R-Right,” Annie muttered, rubbing her side a moment.

The sound of horses startled them, and Palledia took the spear back from Annie in a smooth motion, readying it as a column of horsemen appeared down the road, dust rising as they approached. Svetlana perked up too, moving to Palledia’s side.

The men were soldiers, wearing steel curaisses and with holstered carbines not unlike Clyde’s. They had lances raised and an Imperial standard, a gold crown on a blue field fluttering in the wind. The group quickly circled the trio, and while they didn’t lower or draw their weapons the men’s steely eyes were warning enough to discourage any missteps.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Palledia growled, gripping her spear tightly. Against this many all I can do is buy Annie and the elf time to get away…

“W-Wait!” Clyde stammered, dismounting from one of the horses and running to them, “please, there’s no need for any violence!”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” a woman’s voice barked.

“Oh no,” Svetlana murmured, moving behind Palledia nervously as a new figure dismounted.

She was a deathly pale woman, with jet black hair and reflective goggles covering her eyes. Dragonscales clinked together on her vest as she dismounted, and a pair of pistols were holstered at either sides of a leather belt as she sized up the pair of amazons, finally letting her gaze drift to the uncomfortable dark elf.

“Why Svetlana,” she said with a smirk, “and here I worried we’d never get to see one another again.”

“H-Hi Shelby,” Svetlana stammered.

“Are we under arrest?” Annie asked hesitantly.

“Sir Clyde Orrick here was granted leave from his military unit to participate in an Imperial sponsored tournament,” Shelby drawled. “He did not return to his post, and so I have taken him into custody for desertion.”

“I didn’t desert!” Clyde blurted out, “It’s just… things got complicated!”

“Complicated,” Shelby tutted, looking at the group, “Yes this does seem complicated, doesn’t it? It’s rare enough for a soldier to desert in peacetime, let alone one so decorated… and now I find you’ve been traveling with two Amazons, and a dark elf assassin!”

“I’m not an assassin!” Svetlana blurted out, “Come on Shelby, you were at my trial!”

“You used sorcery of some kind to confuse Ambassador Arturus and the jury,” Shelby said, waving dismissively, “I know the real truth Elf, you shrank him with the goal of crushing him between those massive udders of yours! The symbolic crushing of the human spirit beneath the fat cowlike elven-“

“He asked me to go here!” Sveltana shouted, pointing at her chest, “begged!”

“Excuse me,” Palledia cut in, pushing the stammering dark elf behind her again as she peered down at the diminutive inquisitor, “it seems to me that if my companion already had her trial, you have no other reason to hold us!”

“Normally, yes,” Shelby nodded, “but with the appearance of a certain dark scaled Lizard in the area, I’m not allowing anyone from south of our border out of my grasp without answering some questions.” At the mention of the obsidian lizard Palledia couldn’t help but start, and Shelby grinned as she saw the recognition, “Oh, so you’ve heard of Tebryn Darkscale before?”

“This is my first time hearing the name,” Palledia growled, “but I can assure you he’s no friend of ours.”

“Hmm… we’ll see,” Shelby smirked, “Are you going to walk to my headquarters on your own two feet, or shall I have you tall ones tied up and send for a wagon?”

“We’ll walk,” Palledia growled.

“Good choice,” Shelby chuckled. “I’ll be getting all of the answers out of all of you, so it’s best to cooperate and make things easy on yourselves…”

“We’ll never talk!” Annie blurted angrily.

Shelby grinned, the light catching her reflective goggles for a moment in an eerie way, “Oh you will, I think you’ll find my methods of interrogation can be quite… persuasive. ”

…

Annie’s stomach growled as she dug into the massive perfectly seared steak that had been set before her. Each bite was like heaven as the flavorful meat all but melted on her tongue, made all the more tantalizing by the expertly picked blend of spices. As she watched, a servant brought a new basket of rolls along with a fresh tin of chilled cinnamon butter.

“This is sooo good!” she moaned, delicately using the undersized knife to cut herself another piece.

“Only the finest for my guests,” Shelby chuckled, taking a seat at the other end of the table.

The group had been brought back to a mid-sized Imperial fortress, and Annie had been led through the cramped hallways until she was brought to a dining room with stern Imperial portraits lining the walls. With no chairs suitable for her she’d sat on the floor, and moments later a train of servants had begun to deliver her the best meal she’d had all year, one course at a time.

“So, we were talking about what you were all doing?” Shelby asked sweetly, “and what you know about Tebryn Darkscale?”

“Oh, we’re trying to keep away from him,” Annie said offhandedly, “He’s trying to kill me!”

“ Really, ” Shelby asked with a smile, leaning back. “So strange… and you haven’t any idea why?”

Annie froze, “I uh…” She looked down at her plate, chewing her lip nervously as she realized that a decent meal had been all it had taken to “crack” her.

“Why don’t we send for a dessert?” Shelby asked, “the kitchen was preparing a wonderful chocolate cake earlier today.”

“I don’t think so,” Annie said quickly, pushing her plate away, “I-I think I should go back with my friends!”

“Oh come now,” Shelby laughed, “surely one slice of cake couldn’t hurt?”

Annie licked her lips, thinking of the days on the road filled with light meals of wild game and hardtack bread, “One slice,” she agreed.

“So Tebryn wants to kill you?” Shelby asked curiously, “You seem like such a nice Amazon, how would you get tied up with the likes of him?”

…

Clyde sat upright as the door to his room swung open. Instead of a jail cell as he was expecting, Shelby had simply ordered them shown to an empty set of diplomatic suites, with extravagant four poster beds and elegant furnishings.

Annie grimaced as she bent over, nearly having to go to her knees to enter the man sized room. Clyde’s mouth went dry as he realized that the inquisitor had procured some proper Amazon sized clothing for her from somewhere, replacing the patchwork of curtains and blankets they’d made with a proper set of trousers and a buttoned shirt… the cut was still rather tight though, and as Annie bent over to enter the room Clyde had an eye catching view down the unbuttoned top.

“Wow,” Annie marveled, looking around the elegantly furnished room, “she really put us in a nice place for prisoners.”

“From what I gathered you and Palledia won’t fit in the jail cells,” Clyde chuckled, “so she’s putting us in a pair of these diplomatic suites… Thankfully they’re supposed to be able to accommodate any race a nobleman or a diplomat might wish to entertain, an Amazon included.” He frowned as he walked to the window, looking out into the fort’s courtyard at the drilling soldiers, “be wary though, these inquisitors are masters of manipulation, she’ll try to trick you into thinking she’s your friend, probably with a large meal and-“

“And chocolate cake,” Annie muttered, blushing.

Clyde looked up at her, “W-What did you tell her?”

Annie licked her lips, “it was really good cake, and she seemed like she just wanted to help-“

“This is all my fault,” Clyde muttered, sinking to the bed and covering his eyes, “I shouldn’t have come with you… I should have reported back to my post!”

“Hey, I needed you!” Annie insisted, coming to sit by the bed. Even as she sat on the floor she was nearly as high as he was, and looked him easily in the eye.

Clyde chuckled a moment and glanced at her towering form, “Is that… really true now?” he asked quietly.

Annie huffed, “I mean… you still need to teach me more swordplay, right?”

“Can I even spar with you now without breaking my arm?” he asked wryly, “and you’ve got Palledia now… She’ll take good care of you.”

Annie frowned a moment, then with a giggle launched herself up on the massive bed. Clyde only had a moment to cry out in surprise before she’d easily pinned him against the mattress, the springs creaking under her massive weight. Her face came down, locking lips with him as her tongue invaded his mouth in a passionate kiss that left him breathless.

“I’m bigger than you now,” she whispered with a giggle, enjoying his stunned expression, “stronger too… but when I wasn’t, you always said the heart of the blade’s wielder mattered more than the strength of their arm that held it.”

“Well, yes,” he admitted, blushing slightly.

“And you’re such a brave knight,” Annie whispered, hugging him close and causing his back to crack slightly, “brave enough to charge into a mob of hissing lizards to save me, brave enough to take up a quest to get me back home… even brave enough to spend a night in bed with an Amazon…”

She leaned up a moment, savoring the cocksure stupid grin that had returned to Clyde’s face, “I must admit, I’m often praised for my bravery,” he said, “Why once I charged into burning building to save a baby, while it was under attack by seven orcish bandits!”

“It seems the orcs add to their numbers every time I hear that story,” Annie whispered.

Clyde blinked, “well there was a lot of smoke in my eyes, the exact numbers are-“

He was cut off as Annie kissed him roughly again, her massive hands beginning to work at the buttons on his clothing as the two rolled in the immense bed. It was all the man could do to fumble against his immense lover, trying to unbutton her own clothing while gasping as her hands gripped his bottom, squeezing eagerly and filling his ears with a low and lustful groan.

“Lay down,” she ordered, sending a thrill up his spine as he watched the massive perfection of her sculpted body rise over him. Her legs were like chiseled pillars of marble as the came down on either side of him, leaving him trapped and staring up in awe at his goddess’s glistening pink opening as he contemplated what she was about to do.

“I’ve never done this,” he whispered uncertainly.

“I haven’t either,” she grinned down at him, “but you should probably take a deep breath.”

Like a man preparing to dive into the sea Clyde inhaled sharply as the mass of woman lowered down onto him, darkening his world and filling it with the familiar honeyed smell of Annie’s womanhood. He felt her face grind against him, and instinctively he stuck his tongue out, eager to please the woman who was eagerly beginning to ride his face.

“Goddess yes,” Annie hissed, leaning against the wall and bracing herself with her hand slightly as the trapped man went to work in earnest, his tongue exploring her delicate folds and eliciting soft gasps of pleasure.

Beneath her Clyde fought for air as her juices coated his face, and the world grew humid as the heat from her arousal bathed him. He licked at her as hard as he could, feebly reaching up to grasp her backside, hoping to get any leverage he could, but Annie just bore down on him harder, grinding against his working tongue and tightening her powerful thighs on either side of him like a vice.

“Keep going!” Annie begged, doubling over and gripping the pillows as she gritted her teeth.

She’s going to pop my skull like a grape! Clyde thought in panic, taking a quick breath as the walls of thigh on either side of his head pressed in. For a moment he saw white, but he never let up, letting his tongue reach the small pearl at the top of her opening in one final attempt to push the amazon over the edge.

“C-Clyde!” she moaned, her muscles quaking as reached down, gripping his hair and pulling his face into herself. Dimly she was aware of muffled and panicked moans beneath her, but in the throes of her lust the mere human man was nothing to the torrent of bliss that was wracking her body. With a final mewling cry she tumbled over to the ground, a sound that rocked the room as the triumphant knight rose and gasped for breath.

“A-Annie?” he panted, catching his breath and blinking his blurred vision away. He slowly crept to the edge of the bed, “H-How was that?”

“You’re the best and bravest knight that ever lived,” she said dreamily, struggling back to her feet. With a grunt she pulled herself back onto the mattress, shaking it and bobbing the springs.

Clyde chuckled, licking his lips slightly as more of her juices crept from his lips into his mouth, not an unpleasant taste, he thought idly. He looked at the panting Amazon and down at his own still untouched erection. Now for some real bravery…

“So,” He grinned, climbing over her, placing his hands on her massive breasts to steady himself, “Have I earned the right to be on top?”

Annie just grinned, leaning her head back, “I don’t know if I can move my legs, so it’s your show Sir Clyde.”

All things considered, Clyde found himself feeling much better about his place in the world by the time they were done.

…

“I’m going to go ask the guard how long this Shelby woman is going to be holding us,” Clyde growled, pulling his boots back on and lacing them up. If nothing else an hour or so alone with Annie had restored much of the knight’s confidence.

“Be careful,” Annie murmured, “I really don’t want her to send you home!”

Before Clyde could get to the door it burst open, revealing a large man in a deep blue military uniform and enough medals that they clanked when he walked, “On your feet Sir Orrick!” he barked, causing Clyde to involuntarily snap to attention. The man laughed at the way Clyde leapt upward, almost tripping over himself. He had shocks of grey through shining black hair, and a thick but strong looking build as he slapped Clyde across the back playfully.

“G-General Rathburn?” Clyde stammered, “you came all this way for me?”

“Ha, stow that ego cavalryman,” the general laughed, “I was here on other business, but I heard the man who won me a week’s salary at that last tournament was being held for desertion! The whole thing just sounded off to me, so I’m investigating it myself!”

“Uh, of course General!” Clyde smiled, “T-This is my friend Annie,” he gestured to her.

“Ah, pleased to meet you,” The general sniffed a moment, and Clyde’s face went white as he realized that, while the two had gotten dressed, the smell of their lovemaking was still thick in the air.

“Might want to open a window girl,” the general said with a wink as he roped his arm around Clyde, “walk with me boy!”

“Er… I’ll be back!” Clyde said, shooting Annie a nervous smile as the general led him out.

“I guess that answers the question of why you felt the need to run off,” General Rathburn chuckled, “good taste lad, good taste… ”

“It’s not like that,” Clyde insisted, “or at least it’s not all like that-“

“Save it boy,” the general growled, “a few youthful indiscretions like this are good for a military career, personally I don’t promote anyone who hasn’t done at least one stupid thing, and yours didn’t get anyone hurt! I’ll draw up some paperwork to have you given some small discipline and then we’ll get you back home.”

“General wait,” Clyde said, stopping in the hallway and causing the older man to frown. He sighed, “Annie, that girl back there… She’s being hunted by Lizardfolk assassins, she needs me to get back to the Queendom safely, she needs all of us! Is there any way you can get my party released?”

The general was silent a moment, chewing his lip, “And is there a reason why simply assigning my best dozen men to the task won’t work?” he asked finally.

“It’s… complicated,” Clyde muttered.

“Some kind of political thing,” The general swore, “you’re worried if the grand high muckity mucks in Camford find out who she is, they’ll want her in their little plots? Use her or hold her to advance the glorious will of Humanity, that right?”

“It had crossed my mind,” Clyde sighed.

“Damnation,” the general growled, “you don’t put me in an easy spot boy, you know that?” He swore under his breath again, stroking his chin and thinking. “D you love the girl?” he asked finally.

“I do,” Clyde admitted.

“The Queendom you say?” he asked, sighing in a tired voice.

“T-That’s where she needs to go,” Clyde said, daring to hope.

“All right,” the general growled, “Here’s your story, your aunt who lives in the Queendom died, she was your only living relative.”

Clyde blinked, “But my mother and father are-“

“ Your only living relative, ” the general repeated, “so obviously I’m granting you a special extension of your leave to pay your respects and get her affairs in order.”

“You have my eternal gratitude,” Clyde said, awed, “is there anything I can do to repay this?”

“Well, now that you should mention it,” the general said, a sly grin coming over his face, “I happened to see that group you came in with… including that rather fetching beauty. Before you set out, I would love to have dinner with her, if she’d agree?”

Should I warn him what happened to Svetlana’s last human lover? Clyde thought, but seeing the general’s eager face, and thinking of all the man was doing for him, he decided to simply smile and nod.

…

Palledia stared coolly across the table as Shelby poured tea, taking a place across from her, “The younger Amazon already filled me in on much,” she said, steepling her fingers and letting her gaze linger on Palledia from behind those reflective lenses, “though I’m still missing the key piece of why Tebryn has come so far into Imperial lands after her?”

“Perhaps he’s simply mad?” Palledia said in a dismissive tone, “Lizardfolk are often prone to bouts of spite and insanity when they’ve delved too far into those black magics of theirs. You Imperials are lucky we Amazons sit between you and their armies.”

“Yes, how fortunate we have a neighbor full of man-kidnapping bandits instead,” Shelby smirked, seeing the rising anger in Griselda’s face. “Tebryn’s not mad, no more than any mage is,” she continued seamlessly, “Supposedly he’s a diplomat from the Lizardfolk realms, but too many people seem to go missing around him for that, and he seems to spend a lot of time with the Emperor’s political rivals.”

“So shoot him and be done with it,” Palledia said angrily, “loan me a crossbow and I’ll do it for free.”

“If only it were so easy,” Shelby chuckled, “though I think you know more of the workings of politics and government than you let on Lady Griselda. ” Shelby produced a sheathe of paper, old, tattered slightly, and which sent up a small cloud of dust as she sat it down.

“Oh goddess,” Palledia muttered, rubbing her temples.

“Oh gods indeed,” Shelby said, “I checked the Inquisitor’s files on a whim, just to see if there was anything on any of you, and I found this… it’s got to be over a decade old, I doubt anyone but I ever bothered to pull it until now.”

“Yes, I was Lady Palledia Griselda,” she spat angrily, “but that was a long time ago, why in goddess name is there a file on me?”

“My predecessor was evidently concerned about a disgraced former Amazon noblewoman moving into the area,” Shelby explained, “he was sure you would link up with some manner of separatist faction, or criminal group…” The inquisitor shrugged, “evidently you bored him, and he stopped having his men check on your whereabouts after the first two years.”

“Yes, being forgotten about is exactly what I came here to do,” Palledia snapped, “and if you let my party go, I could go pick up where I left off!”

“And how am I to know this isn’t some grand scheme, some plot to join a band of Lizardfolk bandits, get revenge on Dirk Sommer, on the Empire itself?” Shelby asked, leaning forward.

“Dirk Sommer…” Palledia chuckled, “back to him again…” She slammed her fist on the table, startling Shelby so much that the inquisitor almost reached for the pistol at her belt as the Amazon stood up, looming over her as her head nearly touched the ceiling. “I hope Dirk Sommer is having a happy life,” Palledia said bitterly, “I hope he and everyone else in Rain’s End sees nothing but prosperity, and that they never think about me again. Call your guards, I’ve nothing left to say to you.”

Before Shelby could reply the door burst open, an Imperial man with shocks of grey through otherwise jet black hair stepped inside, the medals on his uniform clanking with each step. Clyde nervously followed behind him.

“Shelby,” the man bellowed, “I’ve dealt with Sir Clyde here, it’s all been a misunderstanding!”

Shelby balked, “General, be that as it may-“

“See that they are given provisions for their trouble,” the general said, waving dismissively.

“This is highly irregular,” Shelby insisted, “this is an inquisitor’s investigation, and-“

“And it’s into that black scaled fire huffing lizard, is it not?” General Rathburn said with a shrug, “I don’t see him here, so let’s not bother these fine people any longer!”

Shelby glowered at Palledia a moment, “I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” she shot a look at the general, “all of it!” With a huff she stood up, grabbing the dossier labeled “Palledia Griselda” as she stalked out of the room.

…

“He wants what!? ” Annie balked.

“He wants to have dinner with Svetlana,” Clyde explained sheepishly. The four of them had gathered in one of the room suites provided for them, and the group was for once clean, well fed, and clothed. Still, as Clyde explained the “cost” of it all, there were mixed emotions.

“Oooh I’ll bet he wants to be tiny!” Svetlana squealed, “humans love that, especially these high-ranking ones!”

“P-Please don’t shrink the general,” Clyde stammered.

“Humans all beg for it,” Svetlana insisted, “Look, he’ll be nice and safe, I’ll just slide him down the front of my underwear and slowly-“

“Enough!” Palledia said, exasperated, “we don’t need to hear every filthy thing you plan to do with this Imperial pervert! Just please for the love of Diana keep it gentle this time!”

“But what if he wants me to put him in my shoe and take a jog?” Svetlana asked sheepishly. Palledia just stared at her, stone faced. The Dark elf huffed angrily, “Fine, but you’re probably ruining a man’s dream with all this “gentle giantess” nonsense.”

 …

Clyde sighed, escorting Svetlana to the General’s quarters. The Dark Elf was practically giddy, and had bought, borrowed, or stolen a vibrant red dress that hugged her ample curves, complimenting a pair of silvery sandals that clacked as she eagerly walked with him. Clearing his throat, Clyde knocked on the door, and the General, in his finest dress uniform, opened it, an eager smile on his face… one which quickly became a frown.

“Er Sir Orrick,” he said to Clyde, gesturing him in, “A word…”

Clyde raised an eyebrow, but stepped into the General’s room. An ornate meal was arranged on a small table, a fine roasted turkey, along with chilled wine, brown roasted potatoes, and a fine array of colorful gelatins… but as Clyde looked longer he realized the table was raised unnaturally high, and the chair at across from the general’s own was quite large.

“No offense to the Winter Court woman, but that’s not the one I wanted,” The general murmured.

“Wait, you wanted Palledia!?” Svetlana said, having followed them in unawares.

The general blushed, “My lady, you’re the very picture of beauty, but not the er… company I desired?”

Svetlana just stared, “Fine,” she said sullenly, “you don’t know what you’re missing though!” With a huff she stormed to the table, pulling one of the wine bottles free of the bucket of ice. She flicked her other hand at it, and magic sparks pulled the cork free, letting her swig deeply from the top as she sauntered angrily away.

Clyde sighed, This just got more difficult, “I’ll uh… deliver a new dinner invitation.”

“Yes, yes, quite right,” the general muttered, “I’ll see about replacing that bottle…”

…

“No,” Palledia said, twirling her spear through the practice yard as the sun began to set.

“Please Palledia?” Annie begged as the bashful knight looked on. “We need his help or Clyde can’t come with us! And think of all he’s done for us so far!”

She growled angrily as she glanced at Clyde, he’s proved useful so far… Annie likes him, and he’d be a good man for her in the Queendom besides.

“I’m not changing,” she declared, “he’ll see me in these clothes, and if he starts mocking me, I’m leaving.”

…

“Presenting the Lady Palledia Griselda,” Clyde said, opening the door to the general’s room as Palledia ducked inside, standing up to her full height and giving the general what she knew to be her most intimidating grimace.

“Lovely,” the general whispered, a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. He cleared his throat as he climbed into the high top chair that would let him sit eye to eye with Palledia, “Do me a favor and tell the Dark Elf woman her drinks are on me tonight, as an apology for the confusion.”

“That’s a mistake,” Palledia chuckled, watching the young knight go, leaving the pair alone. With a sigh she walked to the table, finding it comforting to sit in amazon sized furnishings as she took her seat. “So, what is this about?” she asked, reaching for the wine and pouring herself a deep glass. She swirled the deep red a moment, looking at her reflection, watching how the ripples in the liquid shimmered over her eyepatch, her greyed hair… No doubt he hopes to flatter me and gain some favor, she thought miserably, whatever a man might have once seen here is long gone.

“What’s this about?” The general laughed raucously, reaching for his own wine goblet and taking a gulp that would make Svetlana envious. “It’s not every day a woman like you walks through the door of a man’s fort, I simply had to meet you!”

“A woman like me?” she asked, numbly.

“A real lioness,” he said excitedly, “It’s in the way you carry yourself, that scar too…” he grinned as he glanced at her eyepatch, “did you get the bastard who did it?”

“I did,” Palledia said, smirking slightly and taking another sip of her wine, feeling the bubbly feeling rising in her chest.

“Excellent,” the general said, laughing, “I saw the way you handle that spear, you were in the Amazon Cavalry weren’t you?” He leaned in close, “I’d have killed to see you in your armor… you must have looked like a goddess herself!”

He’s serious, Palledia realized with a start, this fool man is sitting over there fantasizing about me on horseback again… Another part of her remembered those days, and why not, you were dashing enough to have men fawn over you at times, were you not?

“Seduction then?” she chuckled, “is that what you’re after? A night in bed with an Amazon? To finally feel what it is to be a real man, in the arms of a real woman?”

The general gave her a lustful grin, “God's honest truth I’d have been happy for some pleasant dinner conversation about old war stories, but if the night goes there…” he shrugged, “I think I could handle you.”

“Oh you could, could you?” Palledia laughed.

“I’ve had three horses shot from under me, cracked my lance on an ogre, and felt plenty of grapeshot whizz past my ears,” the general replied.

“I led a charge into a force of hissing greenskins four times my number to break their line, all while mages sent fire so close it singed my hair short,” Palledia retorted, enjoying the way the general’s eyes widened in excitement.

“Oh to hell with it,” the general slammed his drink down, “Come on then woman, sound your charge!”

Palledia drained her cup, repeating his gesture and standing up, looming over the imperial in his crisp dress uniform, “Take that off,” she growled, “before I tear it off you!”

…

Svetlana downed another cup of ale, belching loudly and wiping her mouth, “Keep ‘em coming!” she slurred, sliding the cup back across the bar. The small tavern just outside the fort was mostly off duty soldiers, and seemed a good place to drown her disappointment.

Fool human, she thought, wanting a night with Palledia over me, she’s probably going to bore him to death talking about Amazon stuff.

She glanced down the bar, spotting a fresh faced trio of young men, laughing and joking amongst each other. One of them, a brown haired one with broad shoulders, elbowed his fellows, and they whispered among themselves as she watched them.

Come on boys, one of you get brave, she thought with a giggle and a wink. Despite her flirting the trio was evidently too scared, and her amorous mood soon became one of frustration. Fine then, she thought, getting up off her bar stool and sauntering across the room.

“Hey boys,” she giggled, “Anyone want to share a drink with me?”

“A-Are you that elf that kills people in her boobs?” one of the men stammered.

Svetlana sighed, You just had to tell everyone, huh Shelby? “Yeah,” she took her newest cup from the bartender, taking a quick gulp of the dark beer, “That’s me, Svetlana the man squishing elf.”

“Not a bad way to go, you ask me,” One of the men, a blonde, giggled drunkenly, raising his own glass.

Svetlana smirked, “Just say the word strawhair, I’ll send you on a trip to heaven.”

“N-Now hold on here,” the third human, a nervous looking one of smaller stature than the others, started, “he’s just drunk, don’t take him seriously!”

“Aw, come on,” she pouted, gently running a hand over her ample cleavage, “there’s room for all of you boys if you let me shrink you small enough!” She let a few blue sparks dance over her fingers for emphasis.

“This is a terrible idea,” the smallest of the three humans hissed, “If we let her shrink us we’ll be helpless if she decides to-“

“Oops,” Svetlana giggled, dropping a bar nut down her shirt. The three watched as it tumbled down the soft purple surface of the dark elf’s breasts, eventually disappearing down her cleavage as she smirked lustfully at the three of them.

…

Svetlana giggled as she cupped her hands over her trio of shrunken playthings, feeling the men squirm like bugs across her palm as she pushed one of the inn doors open.

“You boys made the right decision,” she taunted, opening her hands and looming over the ant sized figures like a mountainous goddess, grinning down at them as they marveled at her immense size.

With her free hand she reached behind her back, unlacing the elegant red dress and letting it drop them to floor. Her passengers were treated to a view of her buxom chest, barely contained by the white cotton brassiere she’d chosen to go with her undergarments, contrasting sharply with her dark skin. Carefully to keep her hand level, she sauntered over to the bed, never taking her eyes off the trio.

She paused for a moment, Better safe than sorry, she held her hand over them, her palm like the canopy of some massive cathedral as she cast a second spell upon them, gritting her teeth as she focused as much magic as she could into increasing their durability.

“Now then,” she mused, “I believe it was this little blonde ant here who said that my chest was a good way to go?” if he was replying, she couldn’t hear him, and she fought a groan of lust as she pinched him between her fingers.

Slowly the young man was brought up above the massive canyon, the hot smell of her alcohol tinged breath washing over him as she pursed a pair of pillowy lips taller than a barn to give him the tiniest kiss.

“Bye bye,” she whispered softly, releasing the speck and letting him drop slowly down the front of her bosom, slowly disappearing into her cleavage as the twin mountains of soft flesh swallowed him up.

For the remaining two humans it was like watching a force of nature at work, an ocean swallowing up a ship while watched, stunned, on shore. Their companion was simply gone, and the goddess that had so easily sent him to his soft fate was now grinning down at them.

“Now let’s see,” she squinted, “which one of you is the bad boy that slapped my bottom just before I made you itty bitty? I think it was you!”

Like an angel from heaven the vast purple fingers came down again, pinching the next speck, lifting him through the air and around the elf’s vast backside, letting him see the field of cotton fabric stretched precariously across her ample bottom.

“You go back there and think about what you did,” she giggled, pulling her panties away and sliding the ant sized man down the trail of her lower back, and down between her cheeks. She playfully slapped herself, whistling and imagining the jiggling waves of her ass rocking the tiny man’s world like an earthquake.

“Now there’s just one left,” she said, grinning as she lifted the last tiny man in the center of her palm up to her face. She smirked with delight as she realized that the last one, the scrawny dark haired human, was the one who had been the most nervous. “Look at you, all alone with the big bad elf,” she said in a husky voice, letting her humid breath carry the scent of beer across her palm like a fog. “Don’t worry though,” she said, “I’ve saved a very special place for you! A safe place where you’ll have plenty of fun…”

The final dot sized man scrambled to keep his balance as she lowered him down to the hem of her panties, pulling them away in the front and tilting her hand, letting him roll in helplessly. At his size he was quickly swallowed up by the wiry forest of her pubic hair, and Svetlana couldn’t help but sigh with satisfaction as she trapped the last of her three toys on her body.

Flopping on the bed she began to slowly rub her gushing womanhood through her panties, moaning with pleasure as the quivering of her muscles and rising arousal tormented the trio of speck sized men.

“I really should shrink more humans,” she drawled dreamily, biting her lip as the first orgasm took her, no doubt flooding the tiny lover in her most intimate place.

…

Clyde and Annie waited at the fort’s entrance, generously armed and provisioned by General Rathburn’s secretary, who had given them their choice of items from the armory. Annie in particular had picked up a massive two handed sword, no doubt custom made for a giant of a man. To the amazon it would do for a short sword, and Clyde had promised to teach her more of swordplay once they had the chance.

Palledia joined them next, a curious smile on her face as she waved at them, “Good morning Clyde, Annie… the general would see us off, but the fort’s mage says he’s got a small pelvic fracture and needs to stay off his feet until the healing spell finishes.”

“Oh,” Clyde muttered, “That’s… too bad.”

“He’ll be fine by this evening,” Palledia chuckled, “He’s a strong sort.”

“And you told Svetlana to be gentle,” Annie giggled.

Palledia scowled, “He-”

“Begged for it?” Annie teased.

Palledia huffed, but then smiled again, “He had plenty of fine things to say about it at the end, does that satisfy you?”

“Ughh… you guys,” Svetlana groaned, stumbling towards them, bleary eyed, “did we have to leave so early?”

“We aren’t leaving particularly early,” Palledia growled, “perhaps you drank too late?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Svetlana replied, “Let me just get a quick spell ready to chase away this headache…” she stopped, frowning, “Huh…”

“What?” Palledia asked.

“Just a couple magical signatures I need to uh… investigate,” The elf replied. She dove her hand into her cleavage as the group watched, stunned, and a moment later she drew out what looked like an ant. Her face went red, “Oh, oops!” She quickly waved her hand, and a stunned looking young soldier appeared before them, his hair disheveled and only his smallclothes on.

“L-Lady Svetlana?” he blinked, “I-I had some clothes?”

“Well they’re gone now,” she said with a shrug, “they’re just lint to me, they probably got washed away by a drop of sweat when you took them off.” She chewed her lip a moment, “Uh… if that magical signature was a tiny guy, does that mean I have two more in me?”

“Y-Yes my lady,” the man stammered, “If you could unshrink my friends-“

“Sure,” Svetlana muttered, embarrassed, “let me just go back up to my room at the inn to uh… retrieve them.”

“Why do you need to go back to the inn?” Annie asked curiously.

“They’re not in spots I want to be messing around with in public,” Svetlana said sheepishly, practically jogging back to the tavern.

“I-Is she always like that?” the formerly tiny man asked, a mix of lust, awe, and fear on his face.

“We’re a fun group,” Annie giggled, watching as the man scurried off, eager to dress himself.

“Indeed,” Palledia muttered, “with all that’s happened here this Tebryn Darkscale will no doubt be able to easily track us, and as we get south it’ll be warmer… he’ll be able to outpace us.”

“This time, I’ll be ready,” Annie said, grinning as she gripped the broadsword’s pommel.