Author's Note: Thank you to Kathy M and Jackinati for your editing and suggestions!
*****
The thought of the look on Lyriena's face when he pulled off the mask still made his cock hard days after the show. The shock, the rage, the humiliation, the arousal, her panicked helplessness; it was everything he needed and wanted. Not to mention that so far things had unfolded exactly as he had hoped. After ushering the disgraced princess back to the castle, he immediately dispatched pigeons to the Elfin Isles, alerting the King of the scandal and offering to marry Lyriena to settle the issue. The King did not know another set of pigeons went to others with more complete details of how the virgin Elf princess had debased herself at Faerie Lights and the tournament.
While he hadn't gotten a definitive response, King Coron had invited him immediately to Yemora for further discussion. Lyriena was being recalled, naturally, and any further negotiations on marriage and trade between the elfs and Zentara would be negotiated between him and the King.
"So all in all, now that I'm getting proper support from all the Kingdom's servants, everything is proceeding nicely." Trogar glared at Dorian, who was smirking in the corner. The Queen's Shadow had known all along about Lyriena's exploits at Faerie Lights, but had chosen not to share that information with him until Henry's escape.
"I needed to protect my sources. If I just told everyone that the owner of Faerie Lights reports to me then soon no one would be going there." The bodyguard's flippant smirk turned upward into a grin. "You didn't have a need to know, until you did."
Trogar bristled and glared at the human, but Jeanette waved him down. "I had hoped you'd be able to win Lyriena's hand without the use of Dorian's resources. However, as she proved more difficult than you anticipated you should be grateful for the support, late though it may be. The important thing now is succeeding. I don't doubt that King Coron will do whatever it takes to suppress the scandal."
"Especially since I doubt the princess' elfin fiancé will want anything to do with her now." Trogar allowed himself a smile. "He won't have many options if he wants to obviate the disgrace his daughter's behavior has caused our Kingdoms."
"Hah, you might as well call it Tuesday in Zentara, but the elfs have more scruples I'm told." Grotok snickered softly.
"Which I plan to take full advantage of." Trogar hadn't pressed any of that advantage on Lyriena yet. She was sequestered in her chamber hiding from the scandal and he was content to let her stay there for now.
"When do you depart for Deznessuian?" The Queen asked.
"We leave with the tide tomorrow. The ships are all packed and ready to sail, along with a cargo of gold and foodstuffs. When I personally deliver the goods it will only reinforce my goodwill to the elfs." Trogar chortled. "After the princess' sordid tale gets out, they'll probably be looking on me much more favorably than her. The Sun of Deznessuian will have finally set in the east."
"I hope so. You'll need all the local support you can get with a recalcitrant bride and a shamed father in law." Jeanette pursed her lips thoughtfully. "But I will leave you to it. I hope you've found your footing, Trogar. Once you leave the city you'll no longer enjoy the level of support you have here. You'll be on your own without Dorian's spies or our armies to assist you. Success or failure will be entirely on your shoulders."
"I can handle it, Mother." Trogar ignored Grotok's disbelieving snort. "Despite everything, Lyriena enjoyed every moment of her debauchery. I have her just where I want her."
"You seem intent on ruining her reputation; well, so be it. But I hope you'll take my advice and don't ruin her too utterly. She knows more about the Isles than you ever will. Take away her ability to rule independently, but take heed of her words and ideas behind closed doors. There, that's the last I have to say on the subject."
His mother may have had a point, but being born to rule and a lifelong noble of Zentara she underestimated the difficulty he was going to have inserting himself into Deznessuian. Perhaps he wouldn't destroy her utterly, but she certainly needed to be taken down a peg; mentally, emotionally, and psychologically in the eyes of her people if he were ever to assume true control over the Isles.
****
The sun hadn't even begun to rise yet when Trogar met the princess and her entourage at the docks. When she spotted him, Lyriena approached with Captain Goriel. "Your Highness, I want to know why you expect me to set sail without my personal guard."
She wasn't angry; and he smiled inwardly at her timid posture, apparently she was too depressed for anger. "You're not setting sail without them. They'll be on the Queen's Delight. You'll be traveling with me on the Sapphire Waves."
"With all due respect, Your Highness, the King put me in charge of her security." Goriel stepped up with a hard edge in his voice. He at least was not as prepared to roll over as Lyriena.
"And what a job you have done. Not only was Princess Lyriena kidnapped on your watch, but she's been running around the city unescorted doing what we can only fully wonder about given her performance at Fairie Lights since she arrived here."
Goriel flinched at the Prince's accusation, which hit too close to home. Lyriena's head dropped in shame and blushed deeply. "Even still-"
"King Coron is as disappointed with your failure as I am. I believe you've seen the letter he sent? Due to the scandal, he has granted me certain betrothal privileges with the Princess until her final status can be determined. One of those duties is to see to her safety, and as you have failed so utterly I am dismissing you from that capacity."
"What she needs protecting from is you! You're the one that defiled her!"
Lyriena looked at Goriel gratefully, but her expression died and even the Captain deflated when Trogar rebutted, "I wasn't the one who put her on the stage. She volunteered to be fucked by an elf, human, or an orc. Do I need remind you exactly HOW she made her selection? She was the one who begged an orc to take her maidenhead. Not to mention the other activities she's been up to at Faerie Lights."
The elf captain gave Lyriena a bitter, disgusted look. Everything Trogar had said was true, and he didn't understand how the princess could have let that happen. She was supposed to be the epitome of elfin virtue, the shining sun that would lead the elfs out of the darkness of human degradation. Instead, she had joined their people in the mud.
"There is no time for debate. Captain, get your men on the Queen's Delight. Lyriena, come with me aboard Sapphire Waves. Don't you worry," he said with a predatory grin, "I shall keep you safe."
"At least let me take Elenorei with me." Lyriena pleaded, though from the look on the handmaiden's face, being with Lyriena on a ship full of orcs was the last thing she wanted.
"That won't be necessary; Soleil and Florette will see to your needs." Trogar grinned wickedly. He escorted Lyriena onto the ship and towards the large aftcastle. The ship had two cabins, one for him and another for her. Trogar guided Lyriena to the room set aside for her. "We should talk, Princess; we haven't had much opportunity to since the other night." He tried to be delicate with the subject. His goal for the moment wasn't to humiliate her any further.
Lyriena glared at him. "Really, you want to talk? What good to you think that will do now?"
"You need to come to terms with the fact that we might very well end up married, Lyriena. If that happens, I'd like to have, if not marital bliss, then at least a marital accord. There is room here for both of us to get what we want."
"Hah! You only care about what you want, not what anyone else does. You impoverished an entire Kingdom, and prostituted its daughters for the sole purpose of putting a crown on your head! You are despicable!" Lyriena snarled at the Prince, her eye reigniting with anger.
This isn't how he wanted the conversation to go; he was trying to mend fences. "What's done is done, Lyriena. Do you want to fix it, or not? By working together we can at least attempt to undo some of the damage that was done. Isn't that what you've wanted all along? Put aside your anger and your hatred to work with me. You're not going to get a better offer." At least, not now.
Lyriena's teeth clenched together at the unfairness of it. Unfortunately, he had a point. She wasn't going to get any better offers that would have a chance at fixing things, not now. To push dealing with that distasteful fact, she changed the subject. "How did you know about Faerie Lights anyway? Did Brahm betray me?"
"He didn't betray you, at least, not in the sense that he was ever loyal to you. Brahm works for Dorian, and has all along." Trogar smiled bitterly. "Don't you think there was a reason you were put in Faerie Lights when you first arrived? It wasn't only to shock and outrage you; it was because Brahm worked for Dorian and would report on everything you did and everyone you met when you first arrived in the city."
A powerful tremor rocked through the princess' body, which didn't know if it should pale with despair or flush in rage. Of course, it all seemed so simple now. How could she have been so stupid? Of course they would put her somewhere they could keep an eye on her. It was the alcohol, she thought. It clouded her mind and she never looked back. Or maybe she didn't want to look back and think about it too hard.
"There is much we can do together Lyriena." Trogar stepped up behind her, but didn't touch the elfin princess. "As I said, there is much to do to help your people. But also between you and I. You're curious, sexually. Adventurous. You have needs, and you don't have to deny them, or hide them. Marriage to me means you'll get to indulge them."
