by Rowan Bree
“Kitten,” he says. “What a fortuitous surprise.”
You can feel his grip tightening as his gaze wanders over your body. He seems to know you, but you swear you have never seen him before. You were right to distrust him. You feel naked before him, vulnerable.
You ask him who he is.
His smile falters slightly. “You wouldn’t know me, would you? Not yet, anyway. But soon all will know my name. I’m Vale, a mage of the Order and the one who is going to finally restore Doria to its former glory.”
He starts to say something else but is interrupted by a sudden arrival of two robed men dragging a darkwood elf into the room. You immediately recognize Eli and wonder what he’s doing here. Jasper said he wasn’t going to come to the feast. It was supposed to be just you, Jasper, and Sybil.
Vale’s face lights up. “It must be my lucky day. Where did you find this one?”
Eli struggles ineffectively against the robed men as if bound by invisible ropes.
One of the men replies, “He was lurking in the hallway.”
Vale tells him, “Give me the elf. And get rid of the slaves.”
The slaves don’t put up any resistance as they are herded out of the room. As you look around you notice a man seated in a plush chair. He is wearing a golden crown and the finest robes coin can buy. Beside him are several stiff-looking guardsmen. When did the king arrive?
Vale forces you and Eli into the carved circle in the center of the room. The rest of the guests clear away to give him space.
Eli finds your hand and squeezes it in his.
“Don’t worry,” he hiccups.
“You’re drunk,” you whisper.
He smiles and you have the odd premonition that your last moments alive will be spent standing next to this drunk elf.
Vale addresses the guests. “Tonight, I’ve prepared a special treat for the king of Doria. As you know there has been some resistance to the idea that things could change, that Doria could be something more than an old enemy of the kingdom.”
Aside from the king, you wonder just how many of these guests are representatives from the kingdom. How many cities are about to fall to the Order?
“I’ve already discussed it with the king, but I want to show everyone that our magic can be used for good. In a show of good faith I have offered the king his beloved wife, your queen. She will return to full life as if she had never died, right before the eyes of everyone in this room.”
Whispers fill the room. The king bids them to be quiet.
“Will she remember death?” he asks the mage.
“She will not,” Vale replies.
The king then asks, “Is this elf truly a traitor to the kingdom?”
The mage nods gravely. “Your guardsmen will recognize him from the prisons. He only escaped recently. Among his outstanding charges are public indecency, resisting arrest, belligerent drunkenness, and treason. He has been spreading the lies of the rebellion and causing unrest amongst your people. And I believe the punishment in Tyven for treason is death? This way you get something in return. A life for a life. That is how the magic works.”
The king contemplates for a moment, then nods. “Very well. I grant you permission to proceed.”
Vale pulls a large ceremonial dagger from his robe. The blade shines in the candlelight. He forces Eli to kneel.
At that moment Jasper comes staggering into the room. He looks like he’s fought off a few guards to get here.
Vale is lightning quick and has the dagger to your throat before Jasper can take another step.
“It’s been a while.” Vale smiles. “But your timing’s perfect. I have to kill a traitor to give the king back his queen. Looks like I’ve got one to spare.”
“Don’t hurt her,” Jasper pleads.
“Then take the elf’s place,” Vale replies. “Or they both die.”
Jasper agrees without a moment’s hesitation. Two lives for one. To him, the math is simple. But it’s not so simple for you.
Hope that Jasper has a trick up his sleeve to save all of you.
There has to be another way.
You gently push the prince’s hands off you and move away.
He looks disappointed. “I thought you’d be more interesting than that,” he says.
You turn to leave just as the crowd parts to reveal the silver-haired man standing before you. Confusion crosses his face, then a devilish smile.
You try to get away but his gloved hand has already closed around your wrist.
“Kitten,” he says. “What a fortuitous surprise.”
You can feel his grip tightening as his gaze wanders over your body. He seems to know you, but you swear you have never seen him before. You were right to distrust him. You feel naked before him, vulnerable.
You ask him who he is.
His smile falters slightly. “You wouldn’t know me, would you? Not yet, anyway. But soon all will know my name. I’m Vale, a mage of the Order and the one who is going to finally restore Doria to its former glory.”
He starts to say something else but is interrupted by a sudden arrival of two robed men dragging a darkwood elf into the room. You immediately recognize Eli and wonder what he’s doing here. Jasper said he wasn’t going to come to the feast. It was supposed to be just you, Jasper, and Sybil.
Vale’s face lights up. “It must be my lucky day. Where did you find this one?”
Eli struggles ineffectively against the robed men as if bound by invisible ropes.
One of the men replies, “He was lurking in the hallway.”
Vale tells him, “Give me the elf. And get rid of the slaves.”
The slaves don’t put up any resistance as they are herded out of the room. As you look around you notice a man seated in a plush chair. He is wearing a golden crown and the finest robes coin can buy. Beside him are several stiff-looking guardsmen. When did the king arrive?
Vale forces you and Eli into the carved circle in the center of the room. The rest of the guests clear away to give him space.
Eli finds your hand and squeezes it in his.
“Don’t worry,” he hiccups.
“You’re drunk,” you whisper.
He smiles and you have the odd premonition that your last moments alive will be spent standing next to this drunk elf.
Vale addresses the guests. “Tonight, I’ve prepared a special treat for the king of Doria. As you know there has been some resistance to the idea that things could change, that Doria could be something more than an old enemy of the kingdom.”
Aside from the king, you wonder just how many of these guests are representatives from the kingdom. How many cities are about to fall to the Order?
“I’ve already discussed it with the king, but I want to show everyone that our magic can be used for good. In a show of good faith I have offered the king his beloved wife, your queen. She will return to full life as if she had never died, right before the eyes of everyone in this room.”
Whispers fill the room. The king bids them to be quiet.
“Will she remember death?” he asks the mage.
“She will not,” Vale replies.
The king then asks, “Is this elf truly a traitor to the kingdom?”
The mage nods gravely. “Your guardsmen will recognize him from the prisons. He only escaped recently. Among his outstanding charges are public indecency, resisting arrest, belligerent drunkenness, and treason. He has been spreading the lies of the rebellion and causing unrest amongst your people. And I believe the punishment in Tyven for treason is death? This way you get something in return. A life for a life. That is how the magic works.”
The king contemplates for a moment, then nods. “Very well. I grant you permission to proceed.”
Vale pulls a large ceremonial dagger from his robe. The blade shines in the candlelight. He forces Eli to kneel.
At that moment Jasper comes staggering into the room. He looks like he’s fo
ught off a few guards to get here.
Vale is lightning quick and has the dagger to your throat before Jasper can take another step.
“It’s been a while.” Vale smiles. “But your timing’s perfect. I have to kill a traitor to give the king back his queen. Looks like I’ve got one to spare.”
“Don’t hurt her,” Jasper pleads.
“Then take the elf’s place,” Vale replies. “Or they both die.”
Jasper agrees without a moment’s hesitation. Two lives for one. To him, the math is simple. But it’s not so simple for you.
Hope that Jasper has a trick up his sleeve to save all of you.
There has to be another way.
He takes a seat, pulling you down on to his lap. He lifts up your dress and hooks your legs around the outside of his.
You feel self-conscious being so exposed in public but no one seems to care. Not yet, anyways. You try to cover yourself but the prince swats your hands away.
“There’s a reason you followed me to the party, isn’t there?” He tickles you through your panties. “Surely you know my reputation.”
The fabric becomes damp under his touch. A portly man with a large moustache looks your way and the prince winks at him. He shuffles away without a second glance.
The prince continues to tease you, tickling that sensitive place just below your clit. You start to get the urge to go to the bathroom. You try to shift so that his fingers don’t touch you there. But he only holds you tighter. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
“It’s all right,” he murmurs in your ear. “You won’t be the first person who’s pissed themselves tonight. You can’t help it. Maybe you had a bit too much to drink. You lost control. It happens to the best of us.”
You fight with all your might against the growing urgency. You beg him to let you go.
“The sooner you piss the sooner we can move on to even more fun things.”
Your panties cling to your pussy. The urge to wet yourself is maddening. You can also feel yourself about to come. But you know one can’t happen without the other.
Keep holding it.
Humiliate yourself.
He takes a seat, pulling you down on to his lap. He lifts up your dress and hooks your legs around the outside of his.
You feel self-conscious being so exposed in public but no one seems to care. Not yet, anyways. You try to cover yourself but the prince swats your hands away.
“There’s a reason you followed me to the party, isn’t there?” He tickles you through your panties. “Surely you know my reputation.”
The fabric becomes damp under his touch. A portly man with a large moustache looks your way and the prince winks at him. He shuffles away without a second glance.
The prince continues to tease you, tickling that sensitive place just below your clit. You start to get the urge to go to the bathroom. You try to shift so that his fingers don’t touch you there. But he only holds you tighter. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
“It’s all right,” he murmurs in your ear. “You won’t be the first person who’s pissed themselves tonight. You can’t help it. Maybe you had a bit too much to drink. You lost control. It happens to the best of us.”
You fight with all your might against the growing urgency. You beg him to let you go.
“The sooner you piss the sooner we can move on to even more fun things.”
Your panties cling to your pussy. The urge to wet yourself is maddening. You can also feel yourself about to come. But you know one can’t happen without the other.
Keep holding it.
Humiliate yourself.
He takes a seat, pulling you down on to his lap. He lifts up your dress and hooks your legs around the outside of his.
You feel self-conscious being so exposed in public but no one seems to care. Not yet, anyways. You try to cover yourself but the prince swats your hands away.
“There’s a reason you followed me to the party, isn’t there?” He tickles you through your panties. “Surely you know my reputation.”
The fabric becomes damp under his touch. A portly man with a large moustache looks your way and the prince winks at him. He shuffles away without a second glance.
The prince continues to tease you, tickling that sensitive place just below your clit. You start to get the urge to go to the bathroom. You try to shift so that his fingers don’t touch you there. But he only holds you tighter. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
“It’s all right,” he murmurs in your ear. “You won’t be the first person who’s pissed themselves tonight. You can’t help it. Maybe you had a bit too much to drink. You lost control. It happens to the best of us.”
You fight with all your might against the growing urgency. You beg him to let you go.
“The sooner you piss the sooner we can move on to even more fun things.”
Your panties cling to your pussy. The urge to wet yourself is maddening. You can also feel yourself about to come. But you know one can’t happen without the other.
Keep holding it.
Humiliate yourself.
He takes a seat, pulling you down on to his lap. He lifts up your dress and hooks your legs around the outside of his.
You feel self-conscious being so exposed in public but no one seems to care. Not yet, anyways. You try to cover yourself but the prince swats your hands away.
“There’s a reason you followed me to the party, isn’t there?” He tickles you through your panties. “Surely you know my reputation.”
The fabric becomes damp under his touch. A portly man with a large moustache looks your way and the prince winks at him. He shuffles away without a second glance.
The prince continues to tease you, tickling that sensitive place just below your clit. You start to get the urge to go to the bathroom. You try to shift so that his fingers don’t touch you there. But he only holds you tighter. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
“It’s all right,” he murmurs in your ear. “You won’t be the first person who’s pissed themselves tonight. You can’t help it. Maybe you had a bit too much to drink. You lost control. It happens to the best of us.”
You fight with all your might against the growing urgency. You beg him to let you go.
“The sooner you piss the sooner we can move on to even more fun things.”
Your panties cling to your pussy. The urge to wet yourself is maddening. You can also feel yourself about to come. But you know one can’t happen without the other.
Keep holding it.
Humiliate yourself.
He takes a seat, pulling you down on to his lap. He lifts up your dress and hooks your legs around the outside of his.
You feel self-conscious being so exposed in public but no one seems to care. Not yet, anyways. You try to cover yourself but the prince swats your hands away.
“There’s a reason you followed me to the party, isn’t there?” He tickles you through your panties. “Surely you know my reputation.”
The fabric becomes damp under his touch. A portly man with a large moustache looks your way and the prince winks at him. He shuffles away without a second glance.
The prince continues to tease you, tickling that sensitive place just below your clit. You start to get the urge to go to the bathroom. You try to shift so that his fingers don’t touch you there. But he only holds you tighter. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
“It’s all right,” he murmurs in your ear. “You won’t be the first person who’s pissed themselves tonight. You can’t help it. Maybe you had a bit too much to drink. You lost control. It happens to the best of us.”
You fight with all your might against the growing urgency. You beg him to let you go.
“The sooner you piss the sooner we can move on to even more fun things.”
Your panties cling to your pussy. The urge to wet yourself is maddening. You can also feel yourself about to come. But you know one can’t happen witho
ut the other.
Keep holding it.
Humiliate yourself.
You tell Jasper to stop.
“Please,” you beg Vale. “There has to be another way.”
“There is,” Vale replies. “But you would never agree to it.”
“Don't listen to him,” Jasper shouts.
Vale smiles and Jasper starts choking as if invisible hands have closed themselves around his neck.
“Quiet,” Vale says and releases him from the magic.
Jasper falls to his knees gasping for breath.
The mage sighs. “Where were we? Oh, yes the other way. You see, in order to bring back the king’s wife I have to sacrifice a life. There isn’t really a way to bend the rules there. But you could help me with something else. If you do, I might consider finding a different sacrifice. I’m sure the king wouldn’t mind me picking some murderer from the dungeons instead.”
You wonder what Vale wants you to do for him, though it can’t be worse than watching Jasper die in front of you. You agree.
The way Vale smiles makes you think you’ve just made a terrible mistake.
“My lord, I am so sorry but I must ask for you to excuse us for a short time,” he says to the king. He takes your arm and escorts you from the room.
Vale’s chambers.
You tell Jasper to stop.
“Please,” you beg Vale. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
The mage laughs. “What else could I possibly want from you? You’ve already helped me bring the Old Ones into this world. Unless you’re willing to die for these two, I don’t really see a point in interrupting me.”