Chapter 292

Queen Draudillon wiped the sweat from her brow as she hauled yet more buckets into the harem tent, thankfully the Elf King seemed to listen to her at least a little when she said, "If you don't spare them at least a little rest, they'll die before they can bear you anything."

That paused his constant mounting of her maids, and now the Queen was forced to struggle to tune out the sound of a weeping elf woman and the sound of flesh against flesh on the other side of the thin fabric. 'No wonder they suggested coming for my people… theirs were suffering too…' It was hard to hate them like she had. She grunted as she trod the final steps and set the buckets down, dropping the wooden pole from off of her shoulders and crouching down beside the brown haired young woman.

"It'll be okay… it'll be okay, everything will be fine." The Queen whispered in her childish voice as she leaned over the young maid and began to apply the herb soaked waters to the cuts and bruises and other marks of cruelty.

The Queen's hand no longer trembled, and she no longer doubted that she was lying to the servants she was now bound to serve. 'Can they even hear my lies anymore?' The Queen wondered, the sound in the next tent was registering less at least. The other traveling elven women registered it not at all.

"Here, let me help." A feminine voice reached Draudillon from over her shoulder, she looked behind her, one of the elven concubines, and one visibly pregnant, albeit not by much.

"Can you?" Draudillon asked and looked her up and down.

The woman nodded, her ears twitched, "He hasn't touched me since I conceived, it's the only time he stops except to 'switch'. I have strength enough, and you bring us water enough every day to use on ourselves instead of just your people, it's the least I can do for you, child."

Draudillon hesitated. "They're my responsibility…" She whispered and stroked the cheek of the woman who lay limp on her back, staring at nothing. The woman's head tipped to fall on her cheek.

"You're too young to bear it alone, let me help, I promise I won't hurt them, I'm not a monster, and we have more experience with this than you do." The woman urged, and Draudillon finally gave a quiet nod.

"Just… just be careful with them…" Draudillon urged, and without another word the elf woman began to assist, holding up arm by arm, leg by leg, helping to move the maids and court ladies and assisting in their care.

Draudillon cradled one in her lap minutes later and tilted a cup of herbal water against the woman's swollen split lips.

"Move your finger up and down the outside of their throat to help force them to swallow." The elf woman said, and then as Draudillon looked at her, dumbly, the concubine put two fingers beneath the woman's jaw and began to gently rub her fingers up and down from the start of chest and back up again.

"This way they won't die of dehydration or starvation, you can feed and water them more until their minds recover… trust me, I know." The woman added, and Draudillon nodded.

"Th-Thank you." She added, and as she began to lay the broken woman back down on her mat, Draudillon's heart leapt into her throat, as she was laying the woman's arm down, she felt the hand squeeze hers. It was weak, barely there. A toddler could have shown more strength, but the slight pressure of flesh against flesh was present.

The Queen of the Draconic Kingdom took her eyes directly to the wounded woman, and there was, however small, the spark of life and light to be had in the soft brown pupils.

"M-M-More? Th-Thirsty. Hu-Hungry… please…? Nightmare? Dream?" The words were hesitant, confused, lost, but the wishes were clear enough.

"It's… it's a nightmare… just keep your eyes closed and wait, and it'll be over before you know it." Draudillon promised, "Just don't think, don't open your eyes, and wait for this all to end, let me do everything…"

"My-" The woman let out a faint smile as she was about to speak, and Queen Draudillon rushed her fingers to the woman's lips.

"Hush, just rest… all nightmares end, it's going to be all right." The Queen choked out the words and swallowed hard, a lump made of tears went back down as she tried to suppress anything that might give away her lie. "Let me get you food, I h-have some water here, but I'll get you something more to eat… i-it isn't much but it will fill you up, just stay there." The Queen got to her feet as the maid closed her eyes.

The pot full of boiled mealed oats was bland and flavorless on its own, however the elves who prepared it had taken to adding scouted fruits and honeycomb to the mix to add flavor. Paired with dry bread that would soak up the moisture, it wasn't bad.

Draudillon ladled a bowl and scurried back to her patient, almost sliding to her knees in her haste, she dunked the dry elven bread into the grayish white and yellow stuff and stirred it around.

"H-Here… I got food… let m- let us help you." The Queen said, suddenly noticing the tension in the tent, and instantly knew why. The sound of the Elf King's rutting ceased.

The elf assisting her got up, moved behind the human, and after hooking her arms under the maid's armpits, she hauled her up to a seated position resting against the concubine's body.

The maid stirred a little. She tried to move her arms and legs, and they only… twitched. "M-My arms… m-my legs?" The maid whimpered.

The concubine spoke up, "The King is a monk, if you fought him, this was his punishment to you… you will regain control over them in time, but how long, we can't say. It is different for everyone, just… let your Lady take care of you…"

Draudillon held the bread out when the maid's jaw dropped open, the Queen placed a small bite on her tongue. The maid was weeping a little as she tried to chew, and while she did, the Queen poured water splashing into a little wooden cup. "H-Here. Drink… drink it down, it's good for you… the healers will come by to cast spells, but if they run out of mana it will take too long, this will dull the pain." Draudillon promised, and when the woman swallowed, the Queen held the cup to the split lips and slowly tilted it up.

The maid began to cough and her chest spasm, her lips twisted and she sucked them in over her teeth to try to stop her hacking. "B-Bitter!" The maid said after the coughing fit had passed.

"I know… it's easier to bear if you're not aware when drinking it, but it is necessary." The concubine said with sympathy, "You get used to it. If we get to Arwintar in the next day or two, maybe my husband can get us some things to make it more bearable, but for now… just drink it slow."

"I want to wake up… oh gods… I want to wake up…" The maid began to weep as memories came flooding back.

"Me too." Queen Draudillon said in her tiny, childish voice, "Me too."