Kira's heart pounded with nervous excitement as she stood at attention in the village square. She'd prepared as well as she could for this day, but now that it was here, she could only hope that she'd done well enough. The elves were here.
The only warning had been a shepherd's boy from one of the hills, who'd run into town ten minutes ago with the news of a column of white horses and silver-gilt carriages on the old west road. Growing up in the human-held wilderness, Kira had always been taught to fear elves. The elven kingdom was vast and powerful, ruled with magic that humans could not oppose. Humans had only two choices: find a sort of liberty in the dangerous wilds outside elven borders, or accept subjugation to... elven appetites.
Kira's parents had chosen freedom, and had taught their young daughter how to survive if the elves ever came. Like most of her fellow villagers, Kira had dark brown skin and black hair, but these were the only ways she was common. Rural life had made her athletic and trim, but had not toughened her skin or damaged her features. The young men of the village often admired Kira's firm breasts and thick bottom, her long and flowing hair, and her wide grey eyes.
None of that could be seen now, though. Kira had practiced for the elves since she had become a teenager and her parents had recognized her beauty. Now that she was 19, she'd become good at concealing herself. You couldn't hide from elves, but if you were clever and careful, you could trick them. That's why Kira wore her dumpiest clothes, an ugly rag over her head, and had smeared her face and arms with slimy mud. In ten minutes, Kira had transformed herself from a dusky beauty into - she hoped - the foulest young shepherdess in a hundred miles.
Now, standing stiffly in the square with all of her family and neighbors, she hoped it would be enough. Distant hoofbeats became a thunder, and then clattered to a halt just outside the village walls. The elves were here.
A dozen riders came into view through the main gate, followed by a carriage that practically glowed as the afternoon sunlight reflected off its silver decorations. More noise beyond the walls told Kira that there were many more elves waiting out of sight. A dozen was enough; for that matter, one would have been enough. There were stories about villages who'd attacked an elf.
The elves rode into the square, and settled down into formation around the carriage. Then the carriage door opened, and an elven woman stepped out into the square. She was tall and slim, with deep red hair and pale skin, and wore a white dress that seemed to shimmer in the light. The front of the dress was slit to her waist, revealing a generous cleavage and a stomach with no belly button. She walked to the petrified villagers and smiled gently.
"Good people, I come to your with glorious news," she said. "Our noble King and Queen have decreed that elvenkind shall expand its benevolent rule into the wild places beyond our borders. I am Lady Melia, and I have come to bring you into the comfort and security of elven society."
Kira could scarcely breath. She'd never believed that this could really happen.
Lady Melia continued, "I am here to survey my new holdings, and to meet some of my subjects. I know that you will have many adjustments to make - we elves approach the world much differently than you. I will do my best to make the change easy for you."
