Author's Note: I forgot to mention it with Chapter 9, but thank you to all my beta-readers and proofreaders. If you notice a marked improvement in my writing and the absence of silly typos, they're the ones to thank for it.
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She couldn't escape the smell of iron. Everywhere she went, she could smell the scent of Sylvia's blood. When she closed her eyes, she saw it dripping down the stairs and seeping beneath her feet. What had happened to her? She didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified that she never saw the body. She might still be alive, she hoped. But then, a dark corner of her mind would whisper that maybe it was better if she wasn't. If she was dead, there was no witness, no co-conspirator to tell the tale. The thought made her feel guilty, which she tried to push away by reminding herself that she barely knew Sylvia, that the woman was only looking out for her own interests. That she knew what she was doing.
But always the smell of blood. Even the fierce storm that exploded last night could not wash away the scent. Heavy droplets of rain had been beating the castle since the night before, and a strong westerly wind cut through the castle like a knife. It was hard to keep the castle lit, and she was constantly enveloped in shadow as she turned down a corridor where the torches had been blown out.
Soleil and Florette flanked her as they led her through the halls to the Prince's suite. Lyriena wanted to smack that smug look right off of Soleil's face the moment they came to escort her to the Prince. Knowing that the servant slut was in an advantageous position over her again was even worse than knowing that the Prince was!
For the hundredth time, Lyriena ran through everything they could know in her mind. Clearly, they knew she was meeting with Sylvia. The Queen's Shadow had seen her there himself. By the Abyss she was so stupid! What was she thinking to go to Sylvia's house? If they knew she had been meeting Sylvia, did they know that she had been to Faerie Lights? They had to. That made her feel even worse. Could they know what she had been doing there? No, they couldn't possibly. She never did anything when Sylvia was there.
Well, she would know soon enough, she supposed. Trogar is a brute who would not hesitate to throw that in my face if he knew. He hasn't said anything yet, and if he doesn't say anything now, he doesn't know. He can't know.
Trogar was waiting for them, looking as smug as she'd ever seen him. Arrogant bastard! Today he was dressed, well, more martially than she'd seen him, at least outside of the arena. Rather than the usual silk and satin, he was dressed in leather and thick cloth, as if he was going on a journey. Could he be going away somewhere? Could I be that lucky?
"Good morning, Lyriena." He greeted the princess with a nasty grin. "How fetching you look this morning. Come in and have a seat. We have much to discuss."
Lyriena entered the room warily and took a seat. Soleil and Florette set out a light breakfast and poured warm wine to help fight away the bitter cold. She wasn't fooled by their seeming subservience though; a thick tension filled the room and the air crackled with energy, like a storm cloud about to burst. She took the goblet and swallowed a healthy mouthful of wine to calm her racing nerves "Thank you, Your Highness," she replied stiffly, "It is time to continue our negotiations."
"Heh, you think so? After scheming with a traitor to depose our Queen you think negotiations can just continue as if nothing had happened?"
The accusation made her flinch. Sure, she had received some intelligence from Sylvia, but she never participated in her scheme. "I had no part in any scheme Sylvia may have been hatching. We struck up a friendship, nothing more."
Her counter seemed to amuse the Prince. "A friendship? Between a Princess and a whore?"
"Why not? They are often one and the same in Zentara" she quipped, immediately regretting her hasty words.
The smile dropped from his face and Trogar opened his mouth to speak, but before he said anything he caught himself. Instead, he looked at her, just looked at her for a long moment as he considered. The moment dragged on, and Lyriena began to squirm in her seat. Does he know? Is he going to throw that remark about princess' and whores back in my face? Why did I have to say that!
"I'm glad you find this so amusing, Lyriena. Will you continue to find it as amusing when negotiations break down? You may have been right in thinking that our people wouldn't support the continued embargo, but that was before your little intrigue. All I have to do is tell the people that a foreign Princess was in league with traitors to dethrone the Queen and they will be lining up to reenlist. We have a large population of landless veterans who would like nothing more than to go to war again. The first ships could sail to the Elfish Isles in a fortnight."
The princess gritted her teeth, fighting down the urge to recoil. "Thank you for giving me your timeline, Your Highness, I shall have my spears ready to meet them." She hoped she sounded braver and more confident than she felt.
To her annoyance, Trogar smiled again. "You can put on a brave front if you wish, but we both know that you don't want to fight a war, that you can't fight a war. Your people are too spread out and too impoverished. By the Abyss, half of them would probably defect to my side once I started offering them food and jobs and a chance to see their loved ones who have already left for Zentara."
He let that sink in a moment, and waited until he saw acknowledgment in her eyes that it was possible, if not true. "But there is an alternative. No one knows about your indiscretions yet. We can continue to negotiate; though of course, it will be on the same terms as before." The Prince's grin turned from nasty to leering. "However before that happens you do need to be punished."
The thought of the Prince punishing her sent a shiver through her body. "And what about the truth? I never conspired with Sylvia to depose your mother."
"No? You didn't meet with her in secret and discuss her plan to use this economic crisis to rally support from the merchants and nobles to restore her to the nobility and force the King and Queen to abdicate?"
"Not in the least. If she had those plans, they were her own. You seem to know an awful lot about it, Your Highness. Who stands to benefit the most if they abdicate? Your older brother Belkor is already King of Heste, so that would make you King of Zentara wouldn't it? It is convenient that you are the beneficiary of your Mistress' scheme. Perhaps Dorian should be looking closer at you."
"That is a fine sally, Lyriena, but in vain. We know the truth; we heard it from Sylvia herself. She fed you information, and you stalled and prolonged the negotiations to destabilize the realm. You can deny and dispute it if you wish, but it won't avail you. The people will believe us, not only because we are their royal family, but because denying it is precisely what you would do if you were guilty." Trogar rose from his chair and approached the princess, who rose as well. "It was a fine attempt, Lyriena, but you failed. Now you need to pay the price." The Prince nodded to Soleil and Florette.
The two elf maids grabbed each of Lyriena's arms and held them tightly and pulled her to her feet. The princess grunted and tried to pull her arms back, but before she could escape Trogar reached to her dress and curled her fingers into the neckline and ripped down the front. Lyriena flushed in shame as her small tits became bare before the orc Prince.
"You are going to respect our customs and traditions."
Another strong tear brought the torn remnants of her dress to her ankles, leaving her clad only in her panties, stockings, and shoes. Lyriena struggled again, weaker this time. She was fast wilting beneath the blazing heat of her humiliation.
"You are going to respect me and my servants."
His thick grey hand gripped Lyriena's pubic mound and squeezed. The orc curled his fingers around the gusset and tore even that off next. Another quiver rocked through the elf princess' body as her most intimate spot was exposed. The soft curve of her mons was still mostly bare, with only the lightest sheen of fuzz covering it to show that she had stopped removing it.
"And you are going to enjoy every moment of it."
A deep, low moan escaped Lyriena's lips as Trogar returned his hand to her now exposed pussy. His thick fingers rolled over her nether lips, pulling them apart to reveal her pink folds. The pads of his fingers glided over her slick inner walls. She could feel how wet she was as the orc rubbed between her legs, and it filled her with shame.
"If you don't, these negotiations will end and it will be war. Is that clear?"
Would they really go to war over this? She wasn't sure, but it also wasn't something she wanted to risk. Humans and orcs especially are dangerous, violent creatures capable of anything. She found herself thrust back into the position of having to go along with his demands until she found a way out of this mess.
What that was wasn't exactly clear to her yet, but she hadn't expected Sylvia to contact her and she did. Surely there are other people in the realm who are discontent enough, and adverse enough to war to render her assistance. Maybe Weylan would have some ideas; war with his biggest trading partner cannot be good for business.
Lyriena's heart was racing faster than her mind. She need to play along to find an escape, find allies. She wanted to show strength yet her eyes showed the weakness of her position as she said "Yes, it is clear, Prince Trogar."