Freedom for Contrez: Part Six
(The Return of Kittrezz)
Eighth in The Forest Amazon Series
By Wyldewood

What Had Gone Before:

The recent festival upon the Suhr River that had seen the active participation of the plains people for the first time had proved chaotic and dangerous at best. One tribal chieftain had planned treachery, instructing both his champion fighters to destroy Contrez and Queen Amerlin if possible during the fights, with an eye towards usurping the throne with little risk to himself. His plans however backfired, when the male champion had no chance at Contrez, and he wanted it that way, having no real grudge against either. Pring however the woman’s champion had no such qualms seeing herself rising as the new champion of the forest people after eliminating Contrez and then Amerlin by formal challenge and was more than willing to kill to achieve this. Fate however made Contrez aware of chief Rayelvak’s orders and she was expecting the treachery, and she stopped the attempt cold, not only avoiding death, but forcing Pring by the terms of festival contests to be her prize for the next four months, a prize that may soon become permanent as she was declared no longer a member of her village by the incensed chief for failing to kill Contrez.
That would soon change within a day, as the chief soon found himself in a fight with Contrez, a fight he lost, and Contrez forcing total surrender from him, then gave him to the queen as a gift while Pring was told she could if she behaved be a free woman to stay or leave when her four months time ended.

We Now Continue:

With the festival ended, the plains people gone, a private meeting soon was had between Amerlin and Contrez, and it was decided that the hand to hand fighting abilities of the warriors and the village people as a whole was not good enough. Amerlin gave the task of rebuilding the people’s skills to Contrez as the champion of the village, and also gave her carte blanch authority to do whatever was necessary to achieve that goal.
It was a task Contrez willingly accepted, and her first point towards this was having an area just over the river near the bridge cleared and a huge hut constructed that would soon serve as a form of hand to hand fighting dojo with herself as the chief teacher, though after Queen Amerlin visited a few times to watch how things were progressing, soon added herself as a teacher as well so the villagers could learn and developed to different fighting styles and merge them to create their own better fighting ways. Even Pring despite her slave duties was soon there, learning what she could from both women, and she was told to train with each class, with an eye towards once she was done with her four months of prize duties make her a warrior team leader, should she elect to remain at that village.
Pring however was after the first month, starting to prove a problem rather than a useful person. Often late for training, and doing her duties poorly or not at all, she was developing signs of rebellion. An outburst in the village square made the matters much worse, when she turned her anger against first an older woman and later a merchant causing serious injuries, and having her dragged before the queen, and Contrez summoned as well for the behavior of Pring was her responsibility. Contrez listened stone faced as villagers explained what happened and Pring was clearly in the wrong, and made worse by her slave status. Contrez herself got a formal tongue lashing before the villagers there for failing to keep Pring in check, and then the queen turned her anger on Pring and increased her time of service from 4 to 6 months.
Suffice to say, Pring gave a squawk of anger and then a vile diatribe came from her mouth for several seconds before Contrez reacting in shock turned on her and slammed a hard fist in to her jaw sending her sprawling and half unconscious. Jerked to her feet by Contrez herself and warned to silence, she stood there silently fuming as the Queen angry at her disrespect upped her sentence yet again, from six months to a year. Then was hustled unceremoniously from the queen’s presence by Contrez and placed in the prisoners hut for a few days to think about what happened.
The work of Pring however deteriorated even more rapidly and it became necessary to check on her more frequently to make sure she was doing her duties. This would come to a head about three weeks later as Contrez was about to begin the twice a week morning training in hand to hand fighting and Pring failed to show up. Knowing Pring was also working on repairing a riverbank curve; Contrez turned the warm up exercises over to an assistant and stalked off after the once again late woman.
Reaching the riverbank where she was supposed to be working there was no sign of her anywhere, and Contrez turned to a young man fishing from the riverbank asking if he had seen her. He had indeed seen her, and said she was talking with a strange woman he had never seen before and then the two had turned and went upstream along the riverbanks. Frowning that she was yet again disobeying orders, Contrez took off in pursuit following the trail for close to a quarter mile, before she stumbled on a gruesome sight. A young woman, dead, her neck clearly broken, but also showing a hard battering over the rest of her body as well. The footprints in the ground told the story of a 2 on 1 fight there, clearly Pring and the other woman had fought this one and then killed her, apparently for no observed reason, no signs of weapons seen anywhere in sight here and Contrez recalled she was a quiet spoken villager who made dyes for clothes and such, and never had a weapon with her. Returning to the trail, she noted that the two had picked up the pace, the steps much further apart suggesting they had sped up to a ground eating lope fleeing the area or heading to who knew where.
The signs becoming more alarming Contrez stopped and retraced her steps moving faster herself until she reached the fisherman, and stopped and questioned him more closely about the two. When he gave her a physical description of the second woman, Contrez could feel sudden worry sweep over her, turning the fisherman towards the village she urged him, “Run, go to the hut of warriors and tell them I ordered all to turn out!” and then took off further downstream to the bridge where a guard post was located and as it came in sight and earshot yelled for the alarm to be sounded. Within seconds, the rolling drumbeat was sounding and then smoke rose from the firepot, deep red announcing trouble in the area. Within minutes, many of the warriors, male and female were arriving and with them Amerlin herself. Contrez reported directly to her saying “Pring has deserted the village and has run off up river in the company of a woman that matches the description of Kittrezz, I already found one dead woman upstream who had the bad luck of being in their path.” That got a scowl from the queen, and she took personal charge of the hunting detail splitting it to four groups of a dozen each and sending them out in the four main directions, telling the others to watch for possible ambushes by Kittrezz or her followers while she led the final group upstream intent on tracking the fleeing pair down. Contrez muttering half aloud as she joined the queen, “I’ll kill that woman for this, this is too much!” The queen nodded accepting this, but also added herself, “You have that right, but Kittrezz is mine by law!” Contrez accepted that in turn, she knew the laws well enough now and was not about to risk the queen’s wrath again like she did several months ago.
The trail was easy enough to follow and the queen growled in dismay when she saw the dead woman and then they continued her face becoming cold and resolute as they followed the riverbank further and further upstream. Several hours later, the queen suddenly called the search to a stop as she looked around and frowned, then ordered all to be highly alert before continuing at a slower pace. To Contrez she said quietly “I don’t like this at all, the river soon enters the caves where the cave people live, no one sane would venture this close, unless she has somehow managed to sway them that she is on their side and they now support her.” The trail ran true however, the woods running out a quarter mile away from a huge cave entry and around it many of the cave people could be seen, and the footprints from where they stopped ran straight and true towards the cave. Contrez drew in a sharp breath and let it out with a single word of “Damm!” Clearly the two were now among the cave people, and Amerlin had at most a dozen warriors with her at the moment. More than enough for a fleeing pair, but against close to three times that amount seen just outside the cave, and she knew there was likely several times that not too far inside the cave entry, and she would not lead her people in a suicide attack. Turning around, the group returned to the village, Amerlin already planning to set up a war party and call for backup from nearby villages and planning to kill or drive the cave people once more so deep in to the caves through the surrounding hills that the survivors would not dare emerge again in to this valley for many more years.
Once back to the village, Amerlin and Contrez both got to work in getting the war parties organized sending messages to the nearby villages with both a demand for warriors to join the raid as well as to guard against attacks there should they try and strike while many were away at the caves. This would last for the next several hours with warriors arriving from the closest small village, and later from the first large village downstream. These had just arrived with close to forty of them when a cry came from one of the outposts and a couple minutes later, two sentries hustled a young boy, clearly one of the cave people in to the presence of the queen. Clad in just a loincloth, he held a bone tube with wax sealing the two ends and was half trembling with fear but hearing he was seeing the queen, he gathered his bravery such as he had and thrust the tube and in a child’s voice says “Message from our new chieftess for your eyes”.
Her own eyes hardened she accepted the tube from the boy and told the guards, “I doubt this one knows what he carries or is a threat, take him to the edge of the village and release him” Then saying to the boy, “Know you this, your people have by accepting that woman as your chieftess have declared war against mine and your life for now is safe, but when we come to fight, you may not survive. Anyone there at the battle will be either slain or taken prisoner unless they flee from this land and never return. Tell your people that and seek to flee yourself so you may live.” Then gave a signal of dismissal, and the boy was unceremoniously hustled away.
By this time Contrez had also arrived having heard word of the visitor and watched as the queen broke the seal at one end and upended the tube to let what was inside out and fall to the ground. What fell was just a rolled up piece of parchment and picking it up she unrolled it and read it, then without comment handed it to Contrez to read as well. The words written on it read. . . .
“I rule these people now, and I declare war against you and yours as a rebellious vassal of mine. As I know you will refuse to surrender peacefully, we can either risk all the people in a series of bloody fights, or choose a different route. Bring yourself and your champion alone to the caves and you will be granted safe escort to me. There you will fight me and my chosen champion to the death, whoever survives shall rise as ruler over both people.” The words ended with the name of Kittrezz.
Handing the written message back to her queen, Contrez spoke her mind, “It is clearly a trap, they want to separate us from the people to leave them leaderless and kill us by overwhelming numbers. I urge you reject the offer make a counter offer that they come here or somewhere neutral.” Amerlin’s own eyes blazed with an inner fire, and she nodded her head in affirmation but her words shot alarm through Contrez as she replied. I do not doubt this, and you and I are going to walk in to that trap, but not quite the way those bitches hope we shall. It will take three days for the rest of the warriors to arrive that can be spared for this attack. When you and arrive to deliver ourselves to the cave people to be escorted to them they will also see over 5,000 warriors behind us. Warriors with orders to wait no more than four hours after we enter, and then to attack and take no prisoners unless we emerge before then.” Amerlin took a deep breath and finished her thoughts with “If we have not returned by that time, then we are likely dead or prisoners ourselves and our lives forfeit in their eyes so destroying them will avenge us and in the end Kittrezz will still lose.” Contrez found herself turning and bowing formally to her queen and her friend, very much aware that she was still not a free woman herself and still the war prize of Amerlin, if she commanded they enter to fight, then she must. In a way, her own pride and honor was rising for she knew the dangers ahead and just the queen and her would face them as a team to have such an unusual honor she felt lifted to the highest point she had felt since before the fateful day she had fought and lost to Amerlin in the battle that sealed the fate of her and her people. A fate that has seen her people prosper and if she died now it would be in a manner that would help ensure their prosperity as they followed later and avenged her, and she knew they would.
The next three days would be nervous ones. Large scouting patrols went out looking for the cave people and sometimes found them or the remnants of their attacks on small outposts in the valley. They were already trying for inroads to the kingdom and all villages were now alerted the entire length of the kingdom of what was happening. It would be late afternoon on the third day when Amerlin was satisfied she had enough warriors there for the attack, and knowing more would follow in next couple days and follow up if they failed to return. With just over 5,000 fighting men and women on hand they set off up the river towards the entry to the cave peoples own world.
The fact they were marching was no doubt known, word came back of minor skirmishes as scout found their scouts out there and small fights ensued, though some cave people did escape and no doubt took word with them of what was coming, As the sun was setting, they emerged upon the clearing that led to the main cave entry and found close to 500 cave people outside the entry ready to fight. The odds were clearly against them, but Amerlin ignored them and called for a halt just a few hundred yards separating the two groups, There she stepped forward and in a loud voice declared “I am Amerlin, rightful queen of the forest kingdom, I am here to answer your false queen’s challenge and bring the rightful champion of the kingdom with me!” As she said that Contrez stepped forward besides the queen and stroke a defiant pose as well.
There was silence for a minute or so then six women emerged from the cave people side and approached. Stopping just a short distance from the pair they declared “We are here to escort you and only the two of you to the rightful queen. If the others follow, we will fight and you two will at our hands be the first to forfeit your lives!” Amerlin nodded her head in acceptance, but held her hand up briefly declaring “Hold, for there is one task that must be completed first!” Then turning to Contrez she told her to turn away from her. Puzzled, Contrez did so and seconds later a pungent smell struck her nose and a stinging to her neck, then she felt the black bands being pulled from her neck as Amerlin loudly proclaimed. Contrez by her actions has proven she is not worthy of the bands of slavery. I therefore remove them and declare her a free woman as well as our true champions!” then tossed the marking bands aside and told the escort. “Take us to the bitch usurper that we may end this farce once and for all!” And the women took them and started to lead them in to the caves, even as the warriors of Amerlin’s side cheered for the pair and also for Contrez’s freedom.
Pride swelled yet higher in Contrez as this occurred and she as they passed beyond the defending warriors of the cave people softly said “Thank you” Amerlin favored her with a brief smile and said “You have earned that right, and it also sends a message to those fools of the cave people that we honor greatness.” Then pitching her voice lower she added for Contrez’s ears only “The black bands are gone, but the red ones remain. You still remain my war prize, though if we both survive this, you shall no doubt lose one of those as well.” The words had the desired effect and deflated Contrez a fair bit as she was reminded she had them still, and she focused her mind to the task ahead as they were led deeper and deeper in to the cave complex.
For the better part of the next hour the two were led deeper and deeper in a confusing series of caves and tunnels lit only by a couple torches held by the escort leaving much in darkness. Both women had by now given up on trying to memorize the route, too many caves and tunnels were passed to ensure they would escape easily, and then treachery struck as they passed through a high and narrow tunnel and a battle scream came from overhead and with it, a human form came hurtling at them out of the near darkness. Warrior instincts took over in both women and they threw themselves aside rolling and then catlike t their feet just in the nick of time and the person hit the hard stone with a hard impact and a deep grunt of pain. A long curved knife coming from her hand and skidding out of reach causing Contrez to exclaim in disgust and then released her own howl of rage as she recognized the person as Pring and leapt upon her. The woman had lost a good deal of her air when she had missed hitting the hard stone floor instead, and was still half dazed as Contrez descended both knees driving hard in to her back making her jerk upwards and her head within easy reach. There was no mercy or compassion in the eyes of the champion as she wound one arm around the throat, another around the head and then threw herself backwards. A sickening crack was heard by all and Pring jerked once as her neck was broken and then Contrez rose from her one time prize and looked down. Pring was still alive, but the neck at a bad angle and blood coming from her mouth said she would be dead within a minute at most, and Contrez was not in the mood to speed her death as she spat out. “So much for the traitor of our people, now take us to Kittrezz so we can deal with her too!”
As the escort gathered around them again and started forward, one of the escorts quietly said. “You still must face the queen and her champion, that one was not our queen’s champion if you thought that!” That got a quiet scowl from both women, if Pring was not the champion, then who was? That answer would reveal itself barely five minutes later as they exited the caves in to a narrow valley that was clearly beyond the hills that surround their own kingdom,
There in a large glade stood close to a thousand of the cave people in a huge semi-circle and there in the center stood Kittrezz herself a smug smile on her face though it also turned to a frown as she realized that both the queen and the champion were emerging alive and undamaged. As the two entered the semi-circle and came close to Kittrezz she raised a hand and from the cave people a tall and powerful woman stepped out and strode forward to stand by Kittrezz, the appearance of her made both Amerlin and Contrez stop and stare for several long seconds. Except for the fact that she was about one head taller, the woman was the identical twin of Amerlin’s one time lover and then challenger Spice. It was not something that either had expected, and there was no mistaking the pure hatred she was directing at both women. Kittrezz seeing their stunned reaction laughed unpleasantly and then she said, “Yes, Spice did have a sister, a younger and more powerful one as you can see, and I made sure she knew some of the details about how you spurned Spice and saw to her death.” Amerlin’s own scowl got deeper and she said loudly, “No doubt your own perverse and lie filled version which had little truth to it, but it shall do neither you nor her any good, We are here, and we will fight, when it is over neither of you will leave this field alive!” and that said, she dropped to an unarmed fight stance, with Contrez matching with a stance of her own just a couple paces away.
The bold words, and taking of the fight stance was a signal to the crown, and they began to shift coming from the semi-circle in to a full one surrounding the four of them, barely 50 feet in the middle for the actual fighting. The only lighting from about a hundred torches scattered through the clouds and from a half moon seen overhead barely rising over the trees in this yet young night.
Although watching both Kittrezz and her champion, Contrez who was used to being the tallest around focused her main attention was on the even taller champion and she called out to her, “I am Contrez the kingdom’s champion, I don’t know what that bitch next to you told you, but I was the one who killed your sister, not the queen. There was no treachery involved, we met and fought alone out on the upper plains, one on one in honor, your sister injured me badly, but I prevailed and she admitted I was the better before she took her final breath. If you have a grudge, then take it up with me, while the true queen destroys yours!”
Spice’s sister scowled at Contrez and she growled, then it shall be you who will take the last breath at my hands first before I help my queen finish yours off if she is not already dead! I am called Flame for the fire that burns within me to avenge my sister, tonight you will know that fire!” and she started forward towards Contrez.
As she did so, Amerlin saw that Kittrezz had been partially distracted by the exchange of the two and charged forward at her seeking the first strike against her hated foe. Kittrezz caught the motion and ducked the coming up swinging arm slamming a hard elbow sideways as she tried for a go behind and then get behind Amerlin scoring a hard bow and getting a hiss of pain from her as she stopped and spun about to face her and keep the woman from her back, and just as well, for she was drawing a knife similar to the one Pring had from inside her garments and slashed at the queen but barely nicked her as she leaned away, and then launched a lightning fast kick at the arm catching the arm squarely and jerking her smaller foe and almost dislodging the knife. “This is always your treachery bitch, attack from behind with a knife while others fight with honor barehanded!” Amerlin howled, her eyes narrowed knowing she had to first disarm the cowardly woman before she could try and finish her.
Contrez for her part had her own hands full, she was not used to fighting bigger and heavier woman, and Flame was both. She guessed her at 6’9” and about 270 pounds which was housed in a taut body compared to her own 6’6” and close to 250 pounds. Both of them had close to the same build as well, large boned and large breasted with 40DD’s Flame cam in with a low crouch, arms wide and lunged for Contrez, and tried for the overbearing rush looking to take her foe to the ground, but her foe saw it just fast enough and grabbed at her wrists even as she threw herself backwards and down, feet rising to slam in to Flame’s stomach and send her flying up and over her to land with a hard thud on the ground beyond her. Rolling over to hands and knees she saw Flame was just as fast maybe faster for she was already starting to rise and she went fro there to a crouch and launched herself at Flame spearing her in the stomach and driving her back, but failing to topple her as she would with most, and then felt Flames arms close around her as she bent over and then jerked her up and over dropping her on her back in a backbreaker and tried to work on it crushing down and shaking Contrez as she hung there.
Not far away, Amerlin was trying to deal with Kitt as her foe changed hands with the knife and came in, the knife low and pointed up showing she was an experienced knife fighter even as she shook her other arm restoring it as best as she could from the hard kick it had just taken, while slashing at Amerlin’s stomach. It gave Amerlin a hoped for opening as it misses and closed before she could retract the arm and grabbed it in a powerful grip on the wrist and jerked hard drawing her foe closer and wound both arms around the knife arm applying pressure trying to break the arm or at worst make her drop the knife. Kittrezz was smaller and lighter the smallest of the four though still large for a woman at a mere 6’1” and 220 pounds to Amerlin’s own 6’3 and 235 pounds. Hissing in pain from the rising pressure on the arm, Kitt resisted the arm breaker long enough to transfer the knife back to the first hand and tried to swing it around from that side in to the side of the queen forcing her to release and leap back to avoid the stabbing, while Kittrezz stumbled forward and began to turn and face her foe.
Amerlin was filled with anger however and was in no mood to give her any chance as this was to the death, and leapt forward even as Kitt stumbled forward arms sliding under her foes and up and locked behind the head in a full nelson and forcing her foes arms up and away where she could not slash and cut down hard forcing the head to the chest in an attempt to stop the breath.
Not too far away, Contrez was in her own deadly struggle, Flame was doing her best to break her ribs as they encircled the chest even as she was shaking and bouncing her on her shoulder, A fast grab at the locking hands told Contrez she would not break that grip by prying and instead had wrapped an arm around her throat and was trying to choke her foe down before she succeeded and breaking her ribs and kicking hard trying to get her off balance. Flame was not used to fighting a woman of Contrez’s size and she was staggering as she resisted the kicks while she bounced her and then a combination caught her off balance enough to make her lean forward to regain her footing and Contrez felt the shift and kick both feet up and over as hard as she could and the feat worked as she overbalanced the locking hold and rolled off her foe landing on her feet and face to face with her foe. A hard fist to the stomach aimed for the solar plexus went a bit off mark as Flame shifted and scored hard abs instead while a second to the breasts scored solidly sending it bouncing through the animal skin top and causing it to come free of it and hang exposed. Flame howled at the two blows and countered with a knee lift to the crotch that got a hard grunt from Contrez and she back pedaled partially doubled over fighting for breath and her eyes narrowed as she saw Flame also draw her own blade.
“Coward!” She snapped, “Your sister needed no blade when she fought, your false queen has taken your honor from you if you fight like that!” Flames face went a livid red as her name and her hands shook with it, Contrez had scored on one of her few points of pride, that being her honor. A sudden snap, and the blade went flying off in one direction followed by a short scream of pain as it went in to the crowd, but neither woman looked where it went as Flame howled “No one calls me coward and survives, I need no blade to deal with you!” Contrez started to circle her foe looking for an opening, glad the blade was gone, despite this being to the death, the fact she tossed the blade raised her opinion of the woman by several notches. Taking a chance and leaving herself vulnerable, she raised a hand to her own top and called, “Prove yourself, and face me woman to woman if you dare”
Flame saw the hand, heard the words, and smiled albeit in an ugly manner, stepping away a couple paces she growled, I will do that and prove the better woman and her own hand went up and tore at her top and threw it aside, a move matched by Contrez and then the rest followed seconds later leaving them bare and they closed yet again. Hands were up as they crouched looking for an opening they could use, and flame spread the fingers of one hand, “Dare you risk me little girl and see who brings the other down to her knees?” Contrez saw it, knew she had disadvantage this time, yet she would not back down either and her one hand extended fingers spreading to accept though still expecting treachery from her foe.
Not more than a half dozen paces away Amerlin and Kitt were still struggling with Kitt at the disadvantage, The queen had height over her to lift slightly and Kitt had tried a few times to power her arms down to no avail, the hold was locked in tight and she was starting to weaken in the hold, her breath coming in shorter gasps as she struggled. Amerlin suddenly let go with a fierce battle cry and bore down hard pressing down with it trying to force her foe down to the ground, for the next minute or so, but Kitt gasping and her legs trembling with the effort fought back against it, staying erect and still trying to power her arms free. A deep growl came from Amerlin, a warning she was going to try something perhaps but before Kitt could try and set herself for a new assault, Amerlin went to a risky mover throwing herself backwards and down with Kitt crashing down on top taking her impact and risking the loss of the nelson. She almost did as her breath gushed out from her foe’s weight hitting and the arms loosened. But before Kitt could power out from there, Amerlin’s legs snapped up and around her foe’s waist in a dangerous scissors and she poured all her power now in to crushing the strength and stamina from her foe this way, getting a sharp cry of pain and the first signs of fear in it and she called for Flame to free her.
That help however was not forthcoming for Amerlin when she had thrown herself backwards had just seen the other two lock both hands and begin their own struggle, and indeed, the two women were very focused upon each other. Flame heard her queen call and tried to disengage, but Contrez’s own grip was as hard as steel and she was not willing to allow her foe to just let go and run to the other pair. In fact the brief distraction had worked against Flame who had scored a slight edge in the opening seconds, but as she tried to release, and turn, Contrez tightened fiercely and kept them locked and Flame realized it a second or so later and returned her attention to what they were doing.
That brief time however lost all she had gained and gave it back to Contrez and as Flame tried to resettle her grip, she pressed in close, one foot back to brace and shoved her breasts against Flames and ground it getting a gasp from her foe, as she realized the woman to woman part had begun and concentrated now solely on Contrez, bracing and pressing in as well while arms went overhead, a disadvantage for Contrez as she was shorter, but their attention was now on their breasts both trying to pancake the other’s and envelope it with their own as a sign of the superior woman’s breasts.
The struggle between Amerlin and Kittrezz was in the meantime becoming more and more one sided as Amerlin held her tight and continued her dangerous assault and to those watching and with mounting mutterings among them they watched as Kittrezz’s face showed more and more pain, and the look of fear appeared as she weakened and grew as she writhed and tried desperately to break free. The minutes slowly passed as Amerlin worked her in to a third and fourth and they could see Kitt’s chest heaving as she tried to suck in more air and could not, and then Amerlin moved as she stretched her foe out and roller them both over getting Kitt under her and transferring her weight on top of her. Sensing her foe’s weakened state; Amerlin released one arm from the nelson but then crossed the arm behind Kitt’s neck and using the remaining half nelson to lift the still trapped arm up, she slid that under the arm and sought a cross armed half nelson (crossover nelson for those familiar with it).
Kittrezz’s eyes widened in pure alarm as she felt the now hold slide home, her mind realizing her situation and she tried desperately to rise to hands and knees and roll.
Her panic however was her undoing for as space became available underneath her, Amerlin shifted her own legs to a figure four body scissor, the leg crossing her stomach once locked cutting down in a series of savage pelvic thrusts that quickly collapsed her flat allowing Amerlin virtual control over her foe and with her free hand she finally plucked the knife from Kitt’s hand and threw it aside well away from any possible reach of her foe. Disarmed at last, Amerlin settled in to breaking her foe’s last strength, stamina and spirit.
Flame and Contrez in the meantime had been in their own struggle. Despite Contrez gaining the edge and actually forcing her larger foe to almost one knee, Flame had refused to collapse and drawing from within she slowly rose to both feet and after another minute it was Contrez who found her leg’s buckling and forced to both knees and then forced to lean back as Flame pressed in overhead and ground her breasts harder and harder against Contrez’s trying to flatten and envelope them, but her foe’s breasts remained firm softening just a bit before the continued struggle sent blood rushing to both their breasts firming them up and making them even more sensitive. With a sudden snarl, Flame released the entrapping fingerlock and rolled off to one side and free of Contrez and rose to her knees upright just a foot or so away leaving Contrez a little surprised she surrendered her advantage and rolled the other way to her knees and began to rise. But Flame made no move to rise but instead stayed there and spread her arms wide, fingers wide as well. “Come to me girl, lock hands again if you dare and let’s decide this!”
As Contrez considered the move, her own breath fast and hard already much like Flames, a sudden screech of pain caught the attention of all and they looked towards where Kittrezz and Amerlin laid locked. It was clear that Kittrezz was in grave danger for Amberlin still cutting down with the scissors had started to use the crossover nelson and was slowly twisting her upper body around, her frame and spine severely twisted and close to being snapped, a move sure to end in death. With a curse, Flame rose to her feet and dashed for the struggling pair to save her queen, her own duel with Contrez forgotten as she remembered her duty to Kittrezz. She got barely two paces when she felt the arms of Contrez coil around her own legs and tighten, sending her sprawling face forward to the ground her grasping hands just barely out of the reach of the other two women as Contrez rose and tackles her foe to stop her interference. Grunting with the effort and struggling as Flame began to kick wildly to dislodge the arms holding her she managed to drag the huge woman a few feet away before Flame broke free and started to her hands and knees to lunge again.
Contrez still partially over her lower legs however was not giving up and grabbed at both ankles and rose to her own feet dragging the bigger woman upside down and dragged her even further away realizing the Queen was minutes if not seconds from killing the false queen. A hard kick from Contrez between her foes legs and squarely in to the crotch was enough to stop her struggles a few seconds and Contrez seized those seconds to bend the legs back and drop on them even as she crossed the legs to limit the bigger woman’s movement and tried to grab at her foes wrists as she half twisted trying to roll Contrez off and also reached back trying to grab in turn to somehow attack. Both women grabbed a single wrist and Flame desperate to be free jerked hard and rolled. The action was enough to unbalance Contrez and roll her off and both women scrambled to their feet immediately, just a few feet separating them.
A sudden sharp snapping sound and a high pitched keening wait caused all to freeze and attention returned to the two queens and saw Amberlin slowly uncoiling and rising, Kittrezz was limp and still, and most knew it was over. Amberlin had snapped the spine and death was instant, and she now was the sole queen, but the fight was not over yet for with a howl Flame charged at the queen getting through her attempt to block and lifted her in a deadly bearhug, Amerlin breathing hard from her own struggle snapped her head back in agony and threw her own arms around Flame matching her crushing embrace, and moments later Contrez caught her from behind in a bearhug from behind and added her own crushing pressure to Flame.
Flames face was wild and it was clear she had gone in to a berserker’s rage, her breath stopped from the dual bearhug on her, she cared nothing for it, her sole goal was to destroy the queen first with her own embrace and she threw everything in to it and they heard one then a second rib snap on the queen but then a rib on Flame broke and a second as well as the threesome threw all they had in to this dangerous crush to the death. Amerlin’s own struggles were clearly slowing and Contrez gave it all she had, and began to shout in Flame’s ear “You can’t win even if she dies you are too damaged to resist me, surrender, yield to us and I will beg the queen to spare you. Remember your honor, give up this fight and regain it!”
Whether it was Contrez’s shouting or the fact Flame could not breathe and had broken ribs as well the big woman’s actions slowed rapidly and then with a sudden and hard shove at Amerlin easily breaking her own hug she thrust away the queen and tried to hammer elbows down on Contrez’s head. Contrez took a grazing one then spun and threw Flame away in a stumbling move and then stepped between Flame and Amberlin, her stance a clear message to Flame, ‘You want the queen you have to go through me!’
Amerlin was coughing weakly and her arms were around her chest as she struggled to rise and draw air in, she was clearly hurt but her eyes flamed fury. Flame clearly hurting glared at the two women, she knew instinctively if she got past Contrez the queen could not stop her now, but she was also badly hurt and was trying to not show it. Amerlin stood up a little straighter though her face betrayed the effort and looked at Flame. “The fight was declared as to the death of both of one side!” she paused to breathe deeper, “But a true queen can be merciful, I offer you one chance to surrender and become prisoner until as such time as you earn the right of a free woman, even as my own champion earned hers!” gesturing at Contrez.
Flame glared at them both, a mixture of expressions crossing her face, and then spat out, “You did not prove yourself to me I refuse to surrender to you!” then in the same breath she looking at Contrez now growled, “You at least fought with honor! Slowly Flame opened her arms wide and said. “Enter my embrace if you dare, let us finish this woman to woman, see who forces the other to yield and leave her fate in the victor’s hands!”
Amerlin’s response was mostly retort hotly proclaiming “I deny it! Surrender or we go to the death both of us against you!” She was about to start forward expecting Contrez to also attack, but Contrez’s voice came sharply “My queen!” Amerlin paused and glancing sideways at her champion but still watching Flame, “Are you rebelling again my champion?!?” Contrez shook her head no, and said her own eyes on Flame. “She is so much like Spice, a proud woman with a true sense of honor. I think you can see that as well. I helped save your life just now my queen, grant me my request to face her as she wishes.”
For a few seconds emotions warred on Amerlin’s own face, she was never fond of being told ‘no’, but she saw sense in her champion’s words and the anger slowly faded and she nodded her head in affirmation, but also added her own terms. Looking hard at Flame, she said, her voice more level now. Surrender first to us, and return as prisoner to our village, you will be treated fairly and given eight days to recover some of your injuries, and then you and she can have the fight. I demand you accept those terms, or I will force you to face us both here and now.” Flames face showed hesitancy at the terms she disliked surrendering without a fight, and then Contrez spoke, her own voice firm. “I speak for the queen, and swear with my own life forfeit, you will be treated fairly until the fight, I urge you to surrender.” For several seconds Flame was silent, and then softly she bowed her head and spoke “I yield myself to the queen’s champion and hold her to her vow.” With those words, the cave people broke in to a noisy howling for they now had no queen and no champion to lead them.
Queen Amerlin turned to them and raised her hand and proclaimed. “I have destroyed your queen and by right you are now my vassal, but I have no desire to have you as such. Pointing down towards the far end of the valley, she said. “As your new queen, I command you to gather all your people and all supplies you can take with you. You shall travel through and beyond this valley in whatever direction you wish so long as it is away from my kingdom. You shall travel for a full turning of the moon, and then seek a new home, never to return to this place, and there decide among yourselves who shall lead you!”
In a few short sentences, Queen Amerlin gave her only orders to them and then freed them of her rule, and in ones and twos, and smaller groups at first then larger ones, the cave people turned and disappeared in to the cave apparently to fulfill the queen’s orders. Spotting a couple of the original escorts, the queen called them over and ordered them to escort them back through the caves to where they entered, and within minutes they were on their way. Flame had expected to be bound, but she was not, a move that seemed to surprise her, and at the constant urgings of the queen they began to move faster and faster until they were nearly at a trot. Contrez wondered half aloud why the haste, and the queen, herself looking pale at the pace due to her injuries snapped a short reply, “Have you forgotten the orders I gave the warriors, and how much time has passed already?”
With a start, Contrez realized she had indeed lost track of that detail and the time, they could be even now starting in to the caves destroying anyone and anything in their path. They pushed the grueling pace; even Flame was showing the strain as her broken ribs shifted in the fast breathing as was the queen. Finally the original cave entry appeared and with it the sounds of war drums. The threesome coming out in the open with just minutes if that much to spare as they warriors were preparing their charge. The drums went to silence as they appeared, and were replaced by cheers as they realized the queen was alive and safe, Amerlin looked at the remaining cave people her voice clear as she told them. “I rule now and have given orders to your people at the hidden valley, you will all go and join them and follow the orders I gave them.” Then turning and ignoring them she walked forward and back to her own people with Contrez and Flame in tow to begin the trek back to the village.

To Be Continued in Part 7