It did not take long for the news to reach Empire City; the Princess's unauthorized mission toward the enemy and her subsequent disappearance were not difficult to notice. However, when it was discovered why that had happened and what she and General Denali had agreed to, the little remaining fighting spirit among the loyalists had no chance of survival. Her guardsmen returned aghast, embarrassed, infuriated, offended, and unnerved by her sudden capitulation. The rest of the Empire City military either mutinied or surrendered. The Highlanders stormed the city unopposed and unmolested. McKinnley was dragged off of his throne and imprisoned.
The Highlanders celebrated like never before. They ransacked the royal booze cellars and drank like there was no tomorrow. They lounged on all of the opulent, handcrafted furniture in the palace as they sang songs about the mountains and their newfound freedom. Many of the soldiers set off to ransack the homes of the aristocrats, some of whom were Empire City soldiers eager to get revenge for being sent to die in a poorly managed war. Although there was plenty of chaos, burning, and looting, as one would expect when a long siege ends and the young men who spent months on the campaign trail finally have an opportunity to release their pent-up rage, Denali fought to keep it all at a minimum, something that Dahlia was extremely grateful for. Those who took out their fury on innocent civilians or surrendered soldiers were punished swiftly by Denali.
"Thank you for being so merciful," begged the princess, kneeling at Denali's feet as he sat on her father's throne. "I will never forget this."
"Oh I wouldn't thank me yet if I were you," he said softly as he stared her down; a wide, maniacal grin slowly crept on his face.
Dahlia gulped, knowing exactly what was coming.
After a long night of celebration, the sun rose and it was time to prepare for an even longer night of celebration. Word got out that the war was over and in practically no time, the rest of the former empire had come to celebrate and dance on the ashes of their former overlords. The Midlanders arrived first led by Chief Ohio. They arrived banging drums, playing flutes, and carrying massive kegs of beer for the victorious allies to share. Then came the Frontierlanders led by the hero Saint Diego who said a prayer wishing good health for all of our nations immediately before kegstanding with two Midlanders. Queen Atlantica of the Coastlanders arrived next on a palanquin, already plastered and sitting on the lap of a burly but much younger soldier (who didn't seem to mind at all) as she giggled to herself and rubbed his bulge. The Highlanders, who fortunately failed to drink Empire City dry the night before, were now ready to try again and this time with some backup.
The Highlanders turned the entire castle into a giant party house. Hundreds of barrels full of wine and ale were emptied inside the gullets of the soldiers, beautiful women danced with the brave warriors who took down Empire City, and bards played tunes from all over the empire, sometimes fusing the different styles into one harmonious tune. The courtyard was turned into a dance hall; where there were once fancy suits of armor lined up against the walls, there were now tables and desks loaded with drinks. The altar to the false god worshiped by Empire City was ruined and replaced with an icon of the Highlander fertility goddess. The paintings depicting McKinnley and the royal family were taken outside and defaced with graffiti covering them with slurs, insults, and fake mustaches. The opulent red carpet running through the middle of the throne room had been rolled up and moved outside, leading to the makeshift dance floor. Hundreds of pairs of feet moved up and down, back and forth, to and fro, hither, thither, and whichever.
Everybody was having an absolute blast, except for one, unfortunate soul.
Overlooking everything was a balcony currently being occupied by Denali. He was having an absolute blast leaning over the hand-carved rails and watching the insurmountable joy that his victory brought the rest of the former empire. The woman chained up beside him, however, was not having as much of a blast. While Denali was adorned in traditional Highlander attire, a simple tunic, trousers, and boots made from mountain wolf skin, Dahlia was completely naked, leashed, and seated on top of a round stone pedestal adorned with intricate carvings and a fine silken cushion underneath her legs; her fertility tattoo was bare for all to see, as was everything else. She covered her breasts with her arms and kept her legs folded to hide her puss but that hardly made her punishment less humiliating. The party guests would often stare and mock her humiliation from down below; instead of defending her like a good fiance, he simply laughed along with them and egged onlookers to admire his trophy.
