Flames of the South (Visions Of Black and Beautiful Disgrace)

As night guards looked up toward the heavens the light of the stars filled their eyes with wonder. The humans of this region were in awe of the celestial objects which have always shone down on their small corner of the frozen northlands, it was said that their masters and lords, "The Touched" descended from beings who came from the stars to the planet and it was through this legend that "The Touched" kept the humans in check.

Lord Amos Maelstrom, the aging warden of this particular stretch of mountains kept his citizens, the humans, in check with an iron fist, and, with their peculiar religion. As one of The Touched, Lord Maelstrom was worshiped by his people as a minor divine being, the greatest in their pantheon of course were the beings from centuries ago who came down from the heavens, Maelstrom was simply considered a caretaker, but he and his family had the divine right to rule, or so it was said.

But this night, Maelstrom felt like anything but divine.

"What have the scouts said, Eldridge?" he muttered quietly as he leaned over the battlements, looking out toward the mountains to the south.

"Nothing, my lord. Nothing new, that is"

Eldridge, a tall sturdy northerner stood nearby his lord, towering over the shorter man. He was concerned, their scouts had gone out on their first trip and reported the party of orcs to the south... but there was another issue.

"My lord it seems that there is nothing new because there are no scouts. They have not returned."

Maelstrom grumbled and pondered over this news as he turned abruptly and headed down for the basement. His women were being kept there for their protection.

______

Downstairs, on the first sub level underneath the small fortress the dark and very cold room (which was adorned with furs for their comfort) was guarded by two soldiers and Maelstrom's youngest sons. He kept his own kind close to his daughters and his wives so as not to entice the guards, The Touched, after all, were beautiful.

One of the guards even momentarily peeked in through the doorway to speak to Arlen, the youngest brother, but the brother did not take kindly to his brief view of the room. He stood from his seat near one of his sisters, his short wings spread wide as he approached the door. The hilt of his sword was brought to the suddenly surprised northerners face as he punched him, hilt in hand.

"Out!" he growled, in as fierce a manner as he could.

He turned back to the women..four young girls and his mother. Three of the younger girls were his sisters, the fourth was his fathers second bride who had been given to him by one of the other lords as a sign of peace. The rumor was that he had not even consummated the marriage with the young girl due to the pressing war concerns.

"You are safe, ladies" he said, with a small smirk as he sat down beside his own mother.

"I wouldn't fear for our safety, father has things well under control. What are overgrown goblins to the might of this fortress!" he chuckled.

They were all pretty scared, but Marionette had to be strong for her sisters. She wasn't the oldest, but she was the strongest in body and spirit. The look on her face was sullen even as she watched her brother pommel one of the guards...unnecessarily. Perhaps he was also scared and did not appreciate the unannounced visit. Or maybe Arlen was just being his normal, overprotective self. They both shared the same mother so he tended to be nicer to her...perhaps a bit too nice. Either way, she did not find comfort in his foolhardy words....but Elizabeth, the oldest was ecstatic to hear them along with the younger sister Angela.

Marionette, however was not so easily convinced. Her blue eyes narrowed in slight suspicion as she leaned against the stone behind her. The cold penetrated her fur coat, but it wasn't enough to get her to move away. She was used to it.

"Daddy will indeed keep us safe! There is no way such barbaric creatures would ever outsmart him!" Elizabeth chimed in with Arlen. Marionette simply rolled her eyes at the outburst, but it was only followed by the chuckle of her mother.

"The heavens will guide your father and we will see through this day. We just have to sit tight for a little while longer." Evelynn, the first wife spoke in such a soothing voice that she almost fooled Marionette. Her mother had flawless beauty, her white hair nearly blending in with her flightless wings that were curled towards her form.

"People are going to die. Even if we win, we will not win without sacrifice." Marionette grumbled as she looked away from her family. "That is the way of war, after all."

"This one speaks wise words," The second wife, with red hair and emerald eyes spoke with much more sharpness in her tone. Marionette didn't like her and she knew that she didn't...that didn't stop her from trying to bond with her step daughter. "However, we must believe in our Lord. He will do what he must to keep the casualties to a minimum."

They thrived in the darkness. The light of the stars were like candles and the moon was as bright as the sun to their cool slitted eyes. The throng writhed in a small valley just on the other side of the mountain, black and green bodies moved closely to one another as grunting, yelling, and fighting took place. These orcs, wild to their purpose, were celebrating hours before the battle that was to come. They danced and fought in the darkness as the eldest among them sang songs of power and conquest. In this way, even those that fell in battle would be part of the revels, those that would not live still got to celebrate victory. So sure were they of their conquest that they always celebrated victory before they even fought.

Sitting on a ledge near the throng a tall muscular humanoid, obviously not an orc, watched with some boredom over at their celebration. The missing scouts, which had been looked for by Lord Maelstrom only moments before were at his side. Two of them were hanging by their ankles from a rope which was tied in the tree. Their throats were slit and the blood they let loose dripped down the rock face to the party of orcs. The third scout, a young girl who had just entered service, (the only military position females were allowed was scouting, due to their smaller size they were particularly suited for it) stood in front of him, her clothing mere rags that hung onto the curves of her young body like wet paper.

She shivered in the cold as the snow fell onto her head and her shoulders and the creature in front of her took her in.

"This is the first one I've seen close up" he chuckled, looking to his left as he made the remark towards a large orc that sat nearby. "Human, I mean" he said with a small chuckle.

"They are worthless, their teeth are not even sharp, they cannot fight." the orc grunted in reply. "They have some use" he said as if in a correction, as he placed his hand between his legs and looked at the girl again, and chuckled.

The creature in front of her merely smiled. It was too dark to make out his full appearance but he was dark, not as dark as the orcs, but dark. His skin seemed to be a navy blue and he was almost human, except that his extreme height put him on parr with the orcs.

"Perhaps they do" he laughed as he stood in front of the girl his hand in her hair gently before he gripped tightly and twisted, jerking her to her knees. The big man smiled as he looked down with delight. "Enjoy yourself little one".

Those were the last words she heard in her own tongue as she was kicked viciously in the chest and hurled back into the throng of orcs...

_______

Arlen laughed at the words of the women, several were optimistic, but, his sister, Marionette, was not.

"What do you know of war, girl." he said with a small laugh as he polished his sword on the edge of his tunic. "When the fighting comes, you keep your mouth shut and your legs closed!"

At the last comment his mother smacked him in the back of the head, but said nothing. He smirked and briefly took a look at his step mother. It was true, his father had said - he had not consummated the marriage. Secretly Arlen was thoughtful of the fact that if his father died during the battle to come the men would have to fight for control. The read headed little vixen might find herself underneath him, or at least, he hoped.

"Aye we must believe in our Lord, he will keep you lot safe at least" he smirked "And me, unfortunately...I am doomed to sit with you and wait out the battle while my brothers fight." he readjusted his warm fur cloak and stood up for a moment before looking at the women. "Cold? Eh?"

_____

Atop the battlements Lord Maelstrom sighed again as he walked across the walls "When will it happen!" he growled, pushing past two of his guards.

It was cold yes, but the young scout was shaking more because of the fact that she was scared...deathly scared of the situation. Watching the bodies of her dead brothers made her sick and she just wished that they would give her the same fate. These creatures were massive, all of them standing at least two feet taller than her. Even the one who was different was scary despite having a similar form to humans...and she was right to fear him considering he had no qualms of slamming his boot into her chest. The force was incredibly painful, but the minute she felt those huge clammy hands take hold of her she screamed wildly despite barely having any air in her lungs from that kick.

She was taught to not fear death, but death was not what they planned to give her. She was young, but not stupid. She had her close calls with her own comrades, even when she purposely cut her dark brown hair short enough to lose some of her natural femininity. But she could do nothing of her body, which despite her age was quite shapely. Most men could guess her form even under her cloaks and over sized tunics. She had nothing to hide behind though considering her clothes were barely hanging off her.

*******
Arlen was a fool...but he was also young. Marionette knew there was no sense in arguing with him, but at least her mother gave him the rightful punishment he deserved for speaking to her that way. The red head moved closer to her, but she stood her ground considering the youngest was sleeping beside her, completely unaware of the peril that they faced. Marionette refused to look at her, but she did watch Arlen's eyes undress the woman like some kind of pig. Men were disgusting even if they were her own flesh and blood.

"That's close enough." She muttered before Elena stopped in her tracks and then sat down on the furs below them. What did she want? She didn't belong in their family...she wasn't one of them. She was garbage, given to them as some fragile peace agreement from a neighboring country.

"You're scared too, aren't you?" Elena asked her curiously, her green eyes staring at the girl in front of her. She thought at the very least she could make friends with the Lord's daughters...they were close to her age after all. But Marionette was cold to her, whereas Elizabeth and the youngest tolerated her at least. She wasn't sure if they liked her, and even more unsure of how Lady Evelynn viewed her seeing as she was the first wife. But she didn't want to be alone here...she wanted friends. Especially during such trying times.

"I'm not scared. I am merely being realistic. I am not an expert on war, but I am also not a fool. I've read about these creatures. They are terribly strong and father will have a horrible time with them. Perhaps if people even bothered to go to the library, they'd understand the danger." She was scared, but she'd never admit that.

The pale body of the girl, though bloodied, gleamed briefly in the moonlight as she lay atop the crowd of orcs but, as if she were drowning, she submerged beneath the writhing bodies as they pulled her down to the bottom of the crowd. Her pale body would never be exposed to the moonlight or the sun ever again.

Predictably, the orcs growled with delight as the offering had been thrown. What happened beneath the mass of bodies, however, would be unknown to any lookers on. But the quiet screams and the muffled groans of pain that came from the pit amused the other creature and the big orc as they looked down into the horde.

"Soon they will be ready" he chuckled as he looked to the big orc "Go, join them. I know it is your desire".

The big orc immediately and without a word walked down the short cliff side and worked his way past the other orcs, pushing some aside as he made his way toward the screams. Some of them moved, some of them he tossed aside. When he finally reached the center he dropped down to his hands and knees and pressed himself on top of the already bloodied and battered girl.

His huge corded body covered hers and his pale green eyes, which shone in the darkness stared directly into her scared blues as other orcs reached out to grab her arms and her ankles. Her legs were pulled roughly apart and her hips lifted. The big orc growled loudly as he placed a hand around her neck and then thrust his wide hips forward.

He made sure to lock eyes with her when he entered her, his thick throbbing member stretched the young girl and his hands, as large as her head, wrapped around her neck as he deprived her oxygen as he buried himself in. He felt her break, he felt her bleed, she saw his smile.

______

When Marionette told her fathers second wife to stop Arlen raised his eyebrow and looked towards his sister. She had no right, by their laws, to order his fathers wife around. He said nothing to her, but made sure to lock eyes with his sister temporarily.

Arlen, even though he was 2 years younger than her, was larger and he was certainly more violent. He wasn't afraid to raise his hand against his sisters when they acted out. He wanted to make sure that she knew when this was over that he would be having words with her. He had told her to be silent before...and he meant it.

Shortly after her small tirade on orcs and the difficulty that would exist in fighting them, movement was heard just outside of the room followed by words.

"My lord" said one of the guards, as the door swung open.

Lord Maelstrom, who stood several inches taller than the rest in the room strode into the basement room where his family waited. He was an older man, nearly 60, but in good shape for a man his age. He wore brown leathers and a dark black fur cloak over his shoulders. He was blonde, or almost white haired, like the rest of them and in addition to his long hair he sported a thick beard of the same color.

Arlen rose to take his cloak when he entered. He raised his hand to stop his son.

"I am not here long enough for that, Arlen" he said for a moment.

Arlen nodded and remained standing, the others would soon follow his example.

"We may not face an attack this night. I suppose if they have not come, they will not. But we will wait for a while longer yet." he said as he made sure to lock eyes with everyone in the room, especially with his wives, the oldest first.

"Evelynn, Elena, you will keep watch over my daughters for a small time longer" he turned to look at the girls for a moment after he had spoken and then stopped as he stared at Elena "Tonight you will go to my chambers, woman." he said firmly after a moment "Evelynn you will assure that she is cleaned up after staying in this filthy hole".

The basement wasn't actually even that dirty, in fact, it was particularly clean...but the idea of his first wife ensuring his second was prepared to lay with him pleased him greatly.

"Marionette" he said with a small grumble "I received word today that your soon to be husband is riding all this way to help bolster our defenses, he should be here tomorrow night. I expect you to maintain proper decorum. You will be veiled in his presence."

They were going to kill her...they were killing her slowly. Her vision was going dark but the Gods would not allow her to pass out during such a painful ordeal. The air stank of blood and semen and whatever that god awful stench was that permeated from these creatures. Somewhere she felt like she she was going to vomit, but she was too busy crying and wishing she were dead every time another orc would replace the previous one that reamed into her bloody and battered body. The burning sensation of being stretched out beyond belief, her insides tearing in protest from the brutal raping of the orcs was the only thing that she could really feel. They were rough with her, not just in their unrelenting pace but also their hands and claws and teeth had no qualms in piercing her pale skin or beating her down in order to position her the way they wanted to like a rag doll.

There was some reprieve when the group began to slow down, however that did not last long as the biggest of them all appeared above her and she found herself being lifted up to be positioned to be his cock sleeve. She wanted to scream more but at this point she could barely make a squeak even when her legs were pulled apart so wide she felt like they would dislocate them. The hand around her neck was a glimmer of hope, she wanted him to kill her. But it wasn't nearly fast enough. He did not want to snap her neck...no. He wanted her to die slowly while he violated her. The pain of her cunt being stretched out hit her once more, robbing her of what little air she had. She choked and sputtered every time his hips slammed into her....but finally. Finally she began to feel the life leaving from her. It was painful, her lungs felt like they were going to explode but...death was the only solace she'd find in the hands of these monsters.

*******
Elena kept her head down at the presence of her lord. Hearing that she would share his chambers tonight made her extremely wary. She was a virgin, she was young and she was inexperienced. She wasn't sure what she was scared of most...not pleasing him or the experience in general. But this was what all women had to go through, and she knew it would get better every time it happened. At least that's what she had been told.

"I will have her ready for you tonight, My Lord." Evelynn answered dutifully and almost eagerly. It really sickened Marionette that her mother was like that. She was a doll, it had been a long time since her mother had shown any sense of self or individuality. She was a wife first, a mother second....sometimes she had her own opinions but normally that was just with her daughters. When it came to men, she was obedient. Even if they were her own sons. Marionette would never be like that. She would never lose her sense of self.

She said nothing to her father, she only nodded to aknowledge his words and presence. She had never met the man she was supposedly engaged to, but she did secretly hope he was nothing like her pig headed brothers and father. She wouldn't answer to being called "woman" like little Elena did. She was Marionette, she was human...she was just as capable as any man was.

"You're so lucky, Marionette..." Elizabeth whispered to her sister as her wings fluttered in frustration. "I haven't even seen my fiance yet! I hope he's handsome...and strong."

Marionette only rolled her eyes in response. Her sister was so blind...everyone was blind.