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by Frost Queen Tomiko [MF] (epub)

  Haru was obliging. She pulled at her hands with all her might, but there was no chance of them going anywhere. She could do nothing but endure her penance, just like every other time. Tears rolled down her cheeks as the pain flooded her body and as fear that Haru really would go too far gripped her.

  She convulsed, twisting as the belt slapped at the small her back. She felt her knees collapse when it wrapped around to catch her in the ribs. She groaned as loudly as she could when it went low, below her ass the the tender flesh of her legs below.

  The assault didn't end until Chiyo was hanging limp from her arms, her head drooping while sweat dripped down her body despite the rapidly cooling air. For all of the lingering pain she felt in her skin and muscles she felt a rightness, as if this was how she deserved to spend her nights.

  Haru gently lowered her to the ground, her hands still tied. He crouched over her and took out her gag, tossing it aside. Chiyo looked up drunkenly at him, knowing she owed him an explanation that she barely understood herself. There was quiet, and before she could speak he leaned in and kissed her.

  He was going to rape her after all. She pushed against his chest with her hands, but what little strength she had drained away when he cupped his hand around the back of her head and held her lips to his. Did she deserve this too? When his other hand wrapped around her back she knew. She didn't deserve what he was about to do to her, but she didn't have the slightest chance of bringing herself to make him stop.

  Haru took her hands and slipped them over his head, using her own bound wrists to hold her body to his. She waited helplessly for him to take her mouth again, moaning when he did. She struggled as he squeezed her in his arms, his warmth protecting her from the cooling air. He didn't say a word to her, but the way he groped her and enveloped her with his arms said everything it needed to about how she would serve him.

  He took his shirt off, slipping it out from under her arms and tossing it away. His bare chest came to rest on hers, and a sensation that hadn't happened the last time- when it was Akio pressing himself against her- overcame her. She felt like Haru was fusing with her, not just touching her but absorbing her into himself.

  He pushed his pants down while he kissed her neck, leaving her own lips to do nothing but quiver. She felt his dick on her loins, as hard as any that had touched her.

  Chiyo thought that she was prepared for having a man's penis forced into her now, but when Haru guided his manhood into her pussy she found out how wrong she was. She tensed, squeezing as he fit himself into her. What she felt the other times was intense, but it could never have been called what this was- pleasure. Haru was gentle, starting off slow and holding her body to move it with his. He was strong, and she was no less helpless against him than Akio, but time it somehow made her feel safe.

  He took possession of her body, from her loins to her mouth, and as the moon slowly crept across the sky she let her passions surrender to him, moaning loudly when he made her orgasm. She welcomed his cum when it came, hoping that she'd given him as much pleasure as the other men had taken.

  For a long time after she lay in his arms, her back to his chest. Her hands were still tied, but it only made her more comfortable in his hold. Her body still felt like someone else's property, but at least if the man whose warmth she was cradled in was the one who owned it, she could be happy.

  Miyoshi shivered, even with her coat pulled tightly around her. They'd taken winter clothes with them, of course, but even Umai's coldest day was warmer than this. An icy wind blew through the pass as they crept through it, as if it was trying to push them away from Queen Tomiko's domain. Maybe it would be happy if it could just freeze them solid where they were instead.

  "I hope it gets warmer when we get out of the mountains," she said, having to speak up over the howl of the wind.

  "It won't," said Akio. "You should have brought a thicker coat if you're this weak to the cold."

  "Maybe I would have if our supposed expert had mentioned it."

  "We'll figure something out when we get down there," said Taiko.

  Miyoshi felt bad for a moment. It was probably the tenth time today Taiko had to stop someone from bickering with Akio. Even Chiyo was talking more than she had been, and more than once she had barbed comments for him. At least she was getting better.

  Taiko, leading the way, reached the top of the upward slope.

  "Woah," she said. "Look at this!"

  Miyoshi burned a little extra energy to join her, and stopped by her side in awe. The ground fell away in front of them, and from here the plains of Tomiko's kingdom could be seen, laid out below in white and blue. In the center stood Frostspire, a fortified palace larger and taller than Miyoshi could have imagined. Her breath stopped when she saw the eerie stillness of the frozen land, from the lakes that were as smooth as mirrors to the trees that refused to sway despite the winds that were blowing. Only the snow would allow itself to be disturbed, flurrying up occasionally and decorating the air.

  "It's beautiful," she said.

  "It looks cold," said Chiyo.

  "Yeah," said Taiko. "We should hurry. It'll be bad if we don't get down there and find some shelter before it gets dark."

  "At least it's downhill from here," said Haru.

  "That's right," said Taiko. She turned back and looked at Yumi, who was just getting to the top with his help.

  "It'll be easier from here. Thank, you, Haru, for helping us this far. We should be able to make it the rest of the way, now."

  She gave him a slight bow, then handed him the map they'd sketched of the mountains. Haru frowned and furrowed his brow.

  "Are you sure? There's still a ways to go, and even when you get to the palace-"

  "This is a stealth mission," said Akio. "We will be better off with fewer people, and whatever mediocre skill in fighting you have won't be enough if we get caught and have to fight the whole palace guard."

  "I'd rather take him than you," said Chiyo.

  "Stop!" said Taiko, sighing. "He's right. We're only even bringing him along because he knows what we're looking for and about the castle."

  "But it's dangerous," said Haru. "I know you're used to dangerous stuff, but it's been worse lately. After what happened in the desert... you might need help."

  "Maybe," said Taiko. "But our best chance is to go in as lean as possible. Besides, we can't drag you into something like this. It matters a lot whether you get back safely, too."

  "I don't care about that," he said.

  "You should," said Chiyo. "Please, it'll be easier if we're not worried about you. We've got enough on our shoulders already."

  Miyoshi was surprised by the look in her eye when she spoke to him. There was depth to it, her concern for him not just their usual care for the villages of Umai.

  Haru took the map, his head cast down, and made a few steps back toward the path they'd taken there.

  "Make sure you come back, okay?"

  "We will," said Chiyo.

  "Come on," said Akio. "Daylight is a commodity not wisely wasted out here."

  Taiko bowed to Haru again and started down the mountain, Yumi following her with the lead they used to guide Akio. Miyoshi was a few steps behind them, but she stopped to turn around on some instinct. Chiyo, while she didn't think they were watching, had run after Haru, and Miyoshi saw her kiss him. Miyoshi smiled at the sight, hoping that someday she could kiss someone that way. She turned back toward Frostspire, letting Chiyo keep her privacy.

  "I can't believe how cold it is," said Yumi, hugging her self and rubbing her arms for warmth. "Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the cold?"

  Their journey down the mountain wasn't quite as brisk as she'd hoped. There was snow and ice now to threaten their balance, and as it got thicker it sometimes hid branches, holes, and other hazards. They were still in the lower slopes when they came across the first of the fields where Queen Tomiko's subjects grew their food.

  Rows of what looked like frozen, leafy bulbs ran up the mou
ntainside, planted in hard dirt. Off in the distance Miyoshi saw figures, covered in torn, raggedy clothes working the crops. She pulled her hood over her head, hiding her face as best she could. The others in her party had already done the same, but nobody seemed to take notice of them or stir to meet them.

  Soon they were passing nearby poorly-built houses that couldn't possibly be keeping the wind out. Most of them barely seemed like they should still be standing. A fenced-in area they passed held great beasts, as high as a man at the shoulder and covered with long, thick fur. They seemed mostly docile, having hooved feet and a mouth full of flat teeth for chewing grass, or whatever like it was around here. Miyoshi hadn't seen any foliage, and wondered what it actually ate. They did have a pair of horns coming out the sides of their heads, and Miyoshi imagined that their sheet bulk could make them dangerous if something did make them mad.

  They passed many of the farms, avoiding a village and keeping it far to their right, and tried to keep nearby to stretches of forest in case they saw any patrols. Miyoshi grew nervous at how silent everything was, and how easily their going was so far. None of them spoke except for the most important comments, mostly from Taiko and Akio.

  The sun had already disappeared over the mountains, although it wasn't fully dark yet. Miyoshi wondered if they were going to find shelter for the night; Akio seemed to think that there might be some abandoned farms nearby, but his map was incomplete and had already proved inaccurate, and he wasn't able to read it anyway.

  Just when Miyoshi was about to suggest talking to one of the farmers to ask for shelter a scream broke out from the other side of a strip of woods they were traveling along.

  Miyoshi froze. It sounded like a child. Before she could say anything Taiko was already running, and Yumi was trying her best to follow. Akio was looking around, blind and confused.

  "What's happening?" he hissed.

  "Just stay here," said Miyoshi.

  She ran after Taiko, catching up with Yumi and helping her through a snowbank. When they reached the edge of the trees on the other side they saw one of the farmers, small and frail-looking, huddled on the ground as one of the beasts she'd seen before in the pens thrashed about.

  "Hey!" shouted Taiko, waving her arms above her head. "Come try that over here!"

  The beast didn't even seem to hear her, continuing to swing its horns wildly through the air, stomping and bucking at nothing Miyoshi could see. It bellowed, both mournfully and angrily, in the throes of some horrible agony.

  "It's gone completely mad," said Chiyo, appearing by Miyoshi's side.

  She leveled her staff and grunted from the pit of her stomach. A twisting arc of swirling air leaped from her staff to the beast, and Chiyo dug in her heels as it pushed the creature back. Miyoshi saw her struggling to keep a grip as it threw its weight one way or the other, and grabbed onto the staff herself to back her up.

  "Toward that stream!" shouted Taiko, pointing to the right.

  Chiyo wrestled it over, and when its hooves hit the frozen surface it cracked, sinking the beast halfway up its legs in the water.

  Taiko was already casting her spell, her thick coat obscuring her gesturers somewhat.

  "Freeze, icy stream!"

  The beast was instantly stuck, bellowing and lunging with its horns but safely held for the time being. Taiko rushed to the figure on the ground, Miyoshi almost there herself already.

  She helped Taiko roll the huddled figure onto his back. Now that Miyoshi saw him up close she realized that he was of some race she'd never seen before. He was covered in a very fine blue fur, with a pig's nose and curly white hair. He looked much thinner than he should be and unhealthy in general, but the blood that was seeping through his clothes was a much more immediate concern.

  "It's bad, but I can fix it," said Taiko, making a sign and putting her hand on him.

  His face eased and Taiko's magic closed his wound. Miyoshi looked up to see that beast was tiring out, still trying to break free but too weak to have any hope now. She sympathized with it. She walked over to it, risking her hand against its side as a low, deep sound rumbled out of its belly. She couldn't see anything obviously wrong with it, but soon its head drooped and its body sank onto the ice, as much as it could with its legs frozen in place. She stroked its side as its breath came slower and slower, and then stopped.

  "Swune!"

  Miyoshi turned to find the source of the voice. Another one of the blue pig-nosed people was running toward them, an older woman from the look of it. Taiko was still crouched by him. He wasn't awake yet, but he was started to move.

  "He's okay," she said as the woman picked him up, shaking him. "Swune! Wake up!"

  "You don't need to do that!" she tried to tell her.

  Miyoshi put her hand on the woman's shoulder.

  "Calm down, everything's okay. Well, except for the big furry thing."

  "Mom?" said boy, opening his eyes. He sounded so much younger than he looked.

  "Swune! What happened?"

  "It was Coffafu. I was bringing him out to haul in a load of firewood and he went loopy. I don't remember after that- I thought maybe he kicked me, but-"

  "You're bleeding!" said the woman, seeing his clothes and trying to open them to see the source.

  Taiko put her hands on the woman's arm and stopped her.

  "I told you, everything's okay. I healed the wound. Coffafu, though..."

  She looked over her shoulder at the poor beast, frozen in the stream.

  "Healed me? How?" said the boy.

  "With magic, of course!"

  "I've never heard of magic healing someone," said the mother, suspiciously.

  "I feel okay now," said the boy, fighting off his mother to stand up.

  "What happened with you big furry thing?" asked Miyoshi. "Why did he go 'loopy'?"

  "What, you've never heard of a frostfur going loopy? If you keep working them when they get too old and sick they do that. Right before they die, they just snap and go mad."

  "Why did you keep working it then? If it was so old and tired..."

  "I'm old and tired," said the woman, "But I have to keep working. It's sad, but we can't afford not to get everything we can out of them. I'm just glad Coffafu lasted this long. If he'd gone a month ago we wouldn't have gotten enough in the harvest to pay our tithe. Now we'll have to butcher him and sell the meat."

  "So he doesn't even get to rest in death? Poor Coffafu..."

  "Who are you people? I've never seen such going on about a frostfur that's not even yours."

  "My name is-," said Taiko, catching herself. "Maybe I shouldn't say."

  Akio appeared through the woods, groping around and having to brute force his way through the snow.

  "You don't know if there's any place we can rest for the night, do you? We've been traveling for a while, and it's getting dark."

  "Traveling? Around here? Nobody does that except Her Majesty's people."

  The woman sighed.

  "Come one. You helped Swune, so I guess we can put you up for the night. I'll have to get my husband to drag Coffafu back to the barn."

  "I can help," said Taiko.

  "You don't look that strong," said Swune. "Frostfurs are heavy, you know."

  Miyoshi caught him looking at Coffafu. At least he seemed to be mourning him.

  "I'm not," she said, winking at him. "Magic, remember?"

  It wasn't far back to their house. It was a tight fit with everyone inside, although at least it helped keep it warm. The place was as drafty as it looked, and very bare besides. There wasn't even a bed, just some blankets on the floor to share between Swune's parents and three siblings.

  "So Coffafu's dead?" asked Oin, Swune's father.

  "Yeah," said Swune. "He's in the barn. The woman with the pink hair used some kind of magic to make herself super strong, and she was able to drag it there with the rest of us helping."

  "We're sorry about your frostfur," said Miyoshi. "It doesn't look like you have very much. I h
ope you can get by without him."

  "I hope," said the man, sighing. "We've got a younger one out grazing right now. She's not old enough to replace Coffafu, but maybe if we can survive the rest of the year..."

  "Enough about that, though. You're a strange bunch. We don't get visitors here. We've barely even heard of what lies past our farms. Where do you come from, and how did you get here?"

  "Better that we don't say," said Akio.

  "Why?" asked Miyoshi. "Everyone we've seen so far looks so destitute. This land can't be that poor; we've seen Queen Tomiko's men and her palace."

  "Her Majesty takes a very heavy share," said Pokr, the mother. "She leaves us with just enough to survive, sometimes a little less. In two days we'll have to deliver our tithes to her, a set amount for every family, no matter what they actually have to spare."

  "That's awful," said Miyoshi. "Why does anyone stand for that?"

  Oin laughed bitterly.

  "What else can we do? Queen Tomiko is ruthless and powerful. The Butakin have been her slaves since any of our fathers can remember. Even the humans fear her."

  "But if everyone who was afraid of her just got together, you'd be able to stand up to her no problem."

  "You should be careful with that talk," said Pokr. "If any of Her Majesty's men hear about it you'll find out why everyone's so scared of her yourself. Besides, it's pointless. Queen Tomiko has great magical powers and fearsome creatures she can send after her enemies. Her soldiers eat well, at least, and what chance would a bunch of us poor folk stand against them?"

  "Her grip over this land is unshakable," said Akio. "Trust me, there have been attempts to shake it. If worse came to worse she could retreat to Frostspire and let Hyōga loose to ravage the lands outside."

  "Hyōga?" asked Taiko.