Born of Courage - Part II
A Woodland Amazon story
By Wyldewood

What has gone before:
Queen Amerlin in the time of the four queens (and before the start of this Woodland Amazon Series) had been visiting one of a handful of her villages when she was approached by a hunter woman who spoke of her younger sister who had come of age, but due to some shyness of hers had become withdrawn, and would not fight unless absolutely necessary, and she sought the queen's advice on how to break her from her self imposed shell. The queen had the young woman brought before her and was immediately impressed by her physical fitness and decided to take a personal hand in the problem, making her her personal messenger for the next three months.
The young woman whose name was Dabbrel, quickly proved her worth, and the queen decided to force a fight in private, catching Dabbrel in a dangerous hold she pushed her to her limits, and then found herself in trouble when Dabbrel suddenly exploded in a fighting fury and the queen herself was forced to concede a fight, something very rare for her. It was then that Dabbrel broke down and confessed to the queen her hidden secret, she was extremely strong and fit, and some enemies of her had forced her in to a death fight, and she won it, but was then persecuted by the dead person's family, and worse, the village leader allowed it because she was friendly to the dead woman's family and ignored the laws of the Queen regarding her. Angered that this had happened, the queen had the village chieftess summoned and confronted her and found her disrespectful to the queen and the laws. A few critical questions found the chieftess had herself committed enough crimes to earn not just the queen's wrath, but death at the queen's hands, but she gave that privilege to Dabbrel who had suffered more, and with the queen's blessing to back her, the chieftess paid the ultimate penalty.
Dabbrel's stature grew as word of what she had done and why got out, and her village got a new chieftess, one that was a lot firmer in enforcing the laws correctly and evenly. For Dabbrel, her duties continued, and then controversy struck when it was discovered her best friend was a spy for one of the other queen's of the valley, and there was an attempt afoot to assassinate Amerlin. Dabbrel also got involved here, and found herself learning the hard lesson that sometimes friendships must be set aside for the greater good, and she killed her friend. Then it was learned that the friend was also the lover for the enemy queen, and that she was incensed by the death of her and swore vengeance on Amerlin. It was beginning to look like war may soon erupt between the two queens.

And now - Part II
It was barely two weeks later after the death of Dabbrel's friend when the queen called her in to the main chamber for what she presumed was another messenger run, it would not turn out to be so however. "Your work to this day has been exemplary" the queen told her, "but I promised you this duty for just three months, and tomorrow your formal time ends." Considering the young woman before her she had to add, "It will not be easy finding another as good as you, and I shall miss you when you return to your village tomorrow, but I am sure you will do well there as well. However, I am willing to make you an offer to remain here with me in a permanent position if you wish it. What say you?"
Dabbrel felt her heart filling with pride at the queen's praise, but after the offer was made she found herself shaking her head 'no' to the offer. "I greatly appreciate what you are offering me, but to be honest, the duties often have me doing little or nothing for a day or more sometimes and that vexes me to no end. If the queen is willing, may I make a different proposal that may help us both?" Amerlin's own eyes raised a bit, few have ever dared to question her offers or turn them down, she was queen after all. She had however developed a respect for this woman's usually level head and nodded for her to continue, and Dabbrel quickly explained her idea. It was simple, and also worked for them both. What she asked for was to be assigned to the village huntress' team and hunt for the village, with the understanding that when the queen wants her for her runner duties, that took priority. "Yes" the queen answered, several of the huntress have more than one duty, and your idea makes sense. Head over to the huntress hut and tell Windstalker the leader you are now doing double duty as both her newest huntress, as well as my messenger.
The deal set, Dabbrel left and quickly moved in with the rest of the huntress' there and all seemed well for a couple more weeks, but then Amerlin called her in with a special runner mission. "I have had some spies sent to Queen Alana's village, and she is definitely preparing for war with us, she also has spies here apparently, she now knows your name and the fact you was the actual killer, and has sworn your death at her hands." Pausing a moment to consider her next words, she began, "We also have had problems with the cave people, they raided a new village upstream from here and took over 20 captive and back to their caves either to become slaves or as sacrifices and I shall not let this happen." Her voice shook a bit with suppressed anger "Already orders are given for a war party of all fighters in this village to gather, and I shall lead them to try and secure the captives. Your task in this is to go to my other villages and to each chieftess tell them I command they send one quarter of all hunters and fighters to back us on the cave war immediately. When you return, you can join them on the march to meet us at the caves, and join the battle to stop these people and save our own."
Dabbrel saluted, and dashed out realizing time was of the essence and began her own duties to rally the fighters and get them started to the queen's village even as Amerlin picked up her own hunting bow and spear and headed out the door to join the war party, and within the hour they were heading upstream to start the war to save their people. Three hours of hard marching and they arrived at the main cave entry and found the cave people expecting them. A crude barrier set before the main cave entry and from behind, a hail of thrown stones and crude spears were hurled at Amerlin's forces. Amerlin's own forces easily outnumbered them, but they fought hard until they ran out of things to hurl, and the remaining survivors fled in to the cave with the queen's forces in pursuit. Once inside however, the caves split and spread out via several tunnels and after taking the first inside cave, the queen was forced to split her forces to smaller groups sending each in different directions, herself leading one as well while a large force remained at the first cave to send back-ups if need be.
Dabbrel's own mission was also going well, she delivered each village the message, pausing just long enough to visually see the start of preparations and then off to the next village. The last village finally told, she turned her own way back to the queen's village jogging at a steady mile eating pace, and with the queen's village less than a mile away, she perhaps let her guard down for just a bit or perhaps those watching for her were too well hidden, but she suddenly felt a sharp sting in her leg and looked down. Embedded there, a dart oft used in hunting to kill dangerous animals, and she reached down for it when a sudden weariness hit her, and her eyes closed, she was out cold before she even hit the ground, her mind forming a single word in the encroaching darkness she felt of 'poison?' and then she was gone.
For several seconds silence ensued, as her attackers watched the trail and then they emerged and dragged her from the trail and disappeared deep in the brush. There, she was quickly stripped, bound, gagged and tied to a pole which they lifted and headed deeper in to the forest valley, their destination being the village of Queen Alana who had very special plans for Dabbrel, one she did not expect her to survive.
For Amerlin and many of the other fighting teams, the search had not been very good. The caves went deep in to the surrounding hills on both sides of the valley as well as the end and also down deep. It was clear the cave people were smart enough to not stay anywhere close to the main and secondary entries, and had fled very deep, both themselves and also their prisoners. After nearly eight hours of searching, all returned to the main cave, a few kills to their credits, and there found a trio of prisoners still alive, and kept alive despite the hate for them because one had uttered the words "You shall never find where we took your people, we hid them too well!" It was clear he knew where they were, and Amerlin immediately made him the focus of her personal questioning style. A couple hours in her torturous wrestling holds and his body broken and near death his spirit broke and he told how to find them at last. Turning him over to a priestess brought along with orders to keep him alive until she returned, she gave him a simple warning. "If you lied to me where they are, when I return, what happened just now between us will pale compared to what I shall extract not over hours, but days before you breathe your last, you hear me?!?"
Gathering a war party of close to 20 warriors, she began to follow the route, it was a hard one, and also well hidden because they had at one point to enter a stream and swim under a wall to an adjoining cave that could not be reached any other way. As they surfaced, they found a busy and occupied cave of the cave people, and without hesitation, Amerlin’s people attacked plunging from the deep stream as fast as they could. Many of the cave people fought, others quickly fled, with many escaping, but not as many who died. Then a shout caught the attention of all, and in a smaller side cage, and held there by a crude wooden cage like set of wooden bars were the villagers, two cave people warriors were dead but a third one was alive, and she was very much so, whirling a spear she was doing a job of stopping any who got close, and three of Amerlin's people had already paid the price of their life. Striding forward bow notched and arrow drawn Amerlin took aim ready to kill her from afar, and the woman saw it and sneered. "So the powerful queen kills from afar, too afraid to face me as a woman face to face!" She suddenly hurled her spear aside and opened her arms, "Come ahead queen, kill me defenseless like a coward, or dare you close with me and face me hand to hand until one breathes their last!"
It was a bold challenge, and one Amerlin a queen, under those conditions could not refuse. Not without some perhaps doubting her own courage, and Amerlin had never stepped back from a hand to hand in her life, and she was not about to now. Dropping her weapons where she stood, she growled out an order, and the rest of her fighters stepped back a good bit creating a large circle in which she strode and defiantly struck a pose. "You have challenged me, and I accept it, none of mine here will dare raise a hand against either of us until we have finished with each other!" her voice grew very cold and those who knew her also heard her most dangerous voice as she gritted out, "Come now, to the death you asked for and shall have come face me if you dare.” The other woman spoke no more words but stepped forward in to the circle and stopped just a few short feet away as the two considered each other from up close. "I am Amerlin, queen of these people" the queen spoke, "I would like to know the name of my foe so I can weave it in my battle song." The woman whose skin was almost an ebony black grinned her teeth showing a very startling bright white, "My name is hard to say by your people, most simply call me Spice!" and then she leapt for the queen, her hands reaching for her.
Dabbrel’s own time had been less than pleasant while these hours had passed, her captors were in a hurry to return to their queen’s village and they knew the queen wanted her hurt, so they were not too choosey about their route away from Amerlin’s village not wanting to be spotted and chased with Dabbrel as their prize, so the underbrush often whipped and tore at the unconscious woman’s skin leaving scratches and welts. Fortunately, she was beyond caring or feeling thanks to the drug in her from the dart, and was still unconscious even when they arrived at Queen Alana’s village , and following orders from the queen herself, taken to the public combat pit and tied to a post to awaken on her own there in the hot sun.
Eventually she would, and it was to the excited buzz of many people on the outer walls watching down, and as she still groggy surveyed where she was, her eyes fell on Alana, and realized where she was and what was likely to happen next. She soon realized she was partially right as Alana rose and before all assembled told her, her fate. “I do not doubt that you would like to meet me in deadly combat, and you shall, you shall indeed. But first for my amusement and the amusement of my people” and she gestured around at the watchers, “You must first fight and kill two others, and then if you still survive we will meet and clash. I have chosen your first two opponents with a lot of care to make sure you regret your past actions, especially your services to that bitch queen, whom I shall deal with after I am done with you!”
A sharp clap of her hands and she commanded, “Cut her loose so she may fight, if she turns on the ones cutting her free, spearmen do not hesitate to kill her.” At that one person entered the pit, with a knife and started to cut her free, muttering so she can hear him, “I’m not your enemy, leave me be, you have enough troubles ahead.” Her hands were free seconds later, and then her feet, and he quickly retreated through the gate, which remained open but not for long.
“Send in her first opponent!” Alana called, and a young man stripped as naked as she was, was shoved through the gate and it closed behind him, and Dabbrel’s heart jumped and shuddered and sank. It was her best boyfriend Trex, apparently captured by Alana’s people at her orders and now she had to fight and kill him, her lover, just as the spy had been the queen’s lover. Trex also saw Dabbrel, and then heard Alana shout “This fight is to the death! Begin!” and turned pale as he realized only one could leave there alive if they were lucky, and turning towards his girlfriend Dabbrel he raised his hands and started to close calling out “Forgive me, but I want to live!” and Dabbrel nodded understanding far more than her former boyfriend knew and raising her own hands in readiness, she closed and they came to grips.
Amerlin herself had her own hands full when Spice rushed her and their bodies collided with an audible thud, and the two grappled for a couple of minutes of pushing and shoving against each other, both seeking to bring the other down to their advantage and neither succeeding. Both quickly realized the other was very strong all around, and excellent sense of balance and neither planned to be the one to breathe their last there. After separating very briefly a couple times and then lunging again, Spice finally left an opening however small, and Amerlin took it grasping both her wrists as she extended her arms just a bit too far, and threw herself back and down, dragging the dark skinned women forward and down as well, and slamming her feet in to her stomach, monkey flipped her up and over trying to throw her head first in to the nearby rock wall.
Against another, it would have worked, but Spice showed amazing dexterity and reaction time, saw her flight and tucked and rolled in mid air allowing her back and not her head to strike the wall with a hard grunt. Dropping down, she handed on all four and saw Amerlin starting to rise from a sitting position her back to Spice and without hesitation leapt for her slamming in to her and rising with her, her own strong arms sliding under the queens and before she could realize and react they were also up and locked behind her head and Amerlin found herself in a full nelson and the pressure on it was enormous and her breath slowed to a stop and then Spices knees slammed in to the back of hers and they both dropped and Spices legs wrapped around her waist and scissored her, and the queen knew she was in serious trouble.
Dabbrel and Trex were both fully engaged as well, and Trex was a fairly good fighter, but he had been hoping that her shyness he remembered would give him the edge, he did not know she had dropped it, and was now a well trained killer. Within minutes, she found a good opening while they were still standing and had whipped him face first in to the hard wall of the arena with all the force she could. It stunned him and he staggered back and right in to her waiting arms as she closed from behind, and caught him in a sleeper hold. The crowd roared the approval as he quickly went under, though most quickly stopped their approval at a sharp hand gesture of the queen as she did not want them approving of her enemies’ actions, though she too was watching how she fought so as to be ready when she faced her. It was over for Trex, he was out cold inside 20 seconds of getting caught in the hold, and she kept it on knowing it was a mercy killing for him as his brain, denied blood soon caused his whole body to shut down and he breathed his last about three minutes later.
As she rose and stepped back, she turned and looked at Alana, and growled “Your turn will come bitch, and I promise you, your own death will not be anywhere near as merciful!” The queens own eyes narrowed and a cruel glint came to them, “We shall see girl, I shall enjoy slowly destroying you I think, and it shall be you who beg for death, but first. . .” She raised her head and barked an order, and a powerful but slightly smaller and lighter woman strode through the gate confidence in her step and poise. “This is my best fighting woman, she has over twenty deaths at her own hands, now she will kill you.” With a wicked chuckle, she shouted “Begin!”.
Amerlin, caught in Spice’s deadly hold was feeling it, the cave woman’s legs were powerful and she was squeezing with all her might forcing what air she had out of her and crushing the strength and stamina out of her as well, Amerlin realized this was her most deadly foe ever, and she may not survive it for very long unless she broke free and now. Stretching out her own arms as best as she could she did a flex and then began to press downwards as hard as she could. For almost a dozen seconds she strained, feeling herself starting to go out, but then Spices hands were forced apart, the grip broken enough that she could draw a short breath before Spice relocked them, but she knew she could break it now, and again flexed, this time throwing all she had in to it and heard a hiss and deep growl from Spice as the hands parted again and she drew a stronger breath and kept the hands from relocking and slowly forced her hands away and then down breaking the hold.
Leaning forward to partially block Spices attempt to get the nelson back on, she slammed both elbows in to the insides of Spices knees and felt them loosen just a bit and it was enough for her twist on her sides getting the legs on the sides and no longer across her stomach making the scissors less effective. A third hard elbow sent backwards smashed in to the black warrior’s breast getting a cry of pain from Spice and she fell back briefly as she grasped at the hurt breast reactively and it gave Amerlin the opening she needed and quickly forced her way upright to her knees and facing her dangerous foe. A double fist blow sent directly at the solar plexus sent the woman writhing in deep pain and gasping for air herself and now it was Amerlin on the offense as she grabbed at the legs still locked in a dangerous scissors around her and stood up and then twisted the black warrior over and straddled her forcing her in to a deep Boston Crab and settling in trying to break her back.
Dabbrel also had her hands full as she faced her second foe, and quickly discovered she was not only lightning fast, but very powerful. Bulling in close, she got Dabbrel’s leg and upended her and slammed a hard heel in to her crotch leaving her to shriek in pain as no one had ever hit her like that before and it sent her writhing, her foe quickly twisted her leg and got her in a figure four and settled in thinking to destroy her foe’s legs, but Dabbrel was not going to have none of that, forcing herself to focus on the pain and turn it in to anger, she lashed out with hard fists to the side of the woman’s knees getting a cry of pain from her. With a powerful twist as she was momentarily distracted, she rolled the two of them over and reversed the hold back on her, and was able to keep her there for almost a minute before being forced back in to it with a roll back to the original position.
The warrior had her pride however and she had just been forced to endure one of her better holds turned against her, and she released it and rose, her legs aching and as Dabbrel rose charged her and went for the bearhug and inside grip. This was fine for her, but then Dabbrel wrapped her arms around her in turn and the two began to struggle in earnest, the power of Dabbrel’s arms she realized were stronger than hers despite the fact she could make many pass out from hers, and she chose to lift Dabbrel off her feet making it harder if not impossible to hug back.
It was the proud warrior’s fatal mistake as she upped the pressure and grinned evilly in to her face as it screwed up in pain and didn’t see her foes legs rising until they suddenly coiled around her own waist in a deadly scissors and she threw all she had in to it. The two remained locked almost motionless except for the flexing of arms and legs as both knew this was likely the ending hold to the death, and it was. The huntress knees suddenly buckled and she went to her knees bringing Dabbrel with her, and Dabbrel closed the trap. Still lifted her foes face was now just before her breasts and she wrapped her arms around her foe’s head and slowly forced her down in for the smother. The huntress realized the trap and strained with her remaining strength to not be forced in, even abandoning the bearhug to grip at the arms, but the dual duel had left her a lot weaker and she could not stop her face from going it.
The seal on and the scissors still locked Dabbrel kept the pressure on high denying her foe any breath and after nearly five minutes the woman’s frantic struggles slowed to a stop and she went limp and lifeless. Releasing her at last, Dabbrel rose and looked at the queen, hatred clearly on her face. Her voice raised in a defiant shout, “It’s your turn bitch, prove yourself better on my body, or I shall prove it on yours!” Alana did not say anything, but stood up from where she had been watching, and quickly stripped down as well, then leaped over the wall from her high perch dropping the dozen or so feet to the ground inside and started a slow stalking stroll towards Dabbrel, her own face filled with hatred for the woman before her. She had expected her lover to die and shake the woman badly, and perhaps it did, but she had also now killed her best huntress, but in doing so she had revealed some of her strengths and weaknesses, and the queen meant to use them against her. “It shall be your body that lays lifeless in the end!” she growled, and Dabbrel dropped to a low crouch, ready for what she instinctively knew would be the most dangerous fight of her life, there would be no mercy here from either side.
Back in the caves, it was Spices turn to be in serious trouble, the Crab was a vicious hold and she realized within seconds the queen meant to snap her spine. Her face etched in pain, she slammed her hands down and tried to power flex the queen forward, no success however, the queen shifted a bit but then resettled and the hold went in tighter, A shriek of pain, came from Spices lips, and she shook her head trying to clear the pain without success, Pushing up using her hands, she managed to ease the pain and gritting her teeth she tried to flex out again, again, Amerlin powered the strong woman down and sank the hold deeper as she shift more forward on the body and leaned back. Most people would feel their spine snap by now, but Spice was fortunately thick boned enough to withstand this for now, but not much longer, and as she glared with hate at the queen over her she saw the one opening she still had as she was weakening fast.
Reaching up and back, she caught at the golden hair of the queen that hung back and down and jerked down hard, it was enough to catch the queen out and she sagged back a bit and Spices hands shifted from hair to her chin in a form of reverse camel clutch and pulled down hard threatening to snap the queens own neck. It was a sudden and dangerous standoff as the two had each other in a hold where the deadly snap could occur and end it.
Amerlin realized she had no power in her neck alone to withstand the hold very long, and if she let go first to try and fight it she might not succeed. Getting desperate, she shifted slightly forward to bend her foe’s back even more and they could both hear it creak and strain at the point of going. Amerlin grunted out, “I’ll let go if you let go, but you must release first!” Spice shook her head in denial, “Screw you bitch, you let go first!” she demanded, then considered it and knew if she did she could try and drop back and get free that way, but it was still very risk for her doing it from there. “I am Queen Amerlin, my word is sacred and good, you release me first and I promise I will release you!”
Spice considered her words, she had heard of the Queen’s reputation, even here among the cave people, her back was at the point of breaking, a shift even minor and she knew it would go, and her strength was waning fast. Getting desperate herself, Spice gambled and let go, and a second or so later she gasped not from pain but from relief as the queen did the same and rolled off to one side and lay there panting.
Groaning she forced herself to her feet and glared as Spice was also slowly getting up as well despite all the punishment she had just taken, and glaring at the queen, clearly willing to resume the fight. “You know I am better than you, I have broken your best hold, and almost broke your back, surrender to me, accept me as you queen and your mistress and in time you will win free of the second condition.” Spice’s own breath was deep and ragged, as she tried to recover, she needed time, and the queen with her offer had given her precious time which she tried to parlay in to more. “You may have escaped my hold, but you have not broken me yet, not proven you are better than me in a fight, surrender and I’ll become a far better queen than you will be, I’ll even let you rule over these people if you can handle them.”
It was not an counter offer that Amerlin would even consider, shaking her head ‘no’ she told the dark skinned Amazon, “I made a fair offer, you chose to reject it, let’s finish this then, my people are not pawns to be negotiated for.” With that she leapt forward, and was surprised to see Spice do the same, despite her condition. Their bodies collided with a solid smack of flesh, and Amerlin felt the arms under hers, realized what she was seeking and tried to block it, but a second too late as her hands joined wrists for an inside bearhug, and started to crush her. A grim smile touched her lips and her arms rose as well, it was the Queen’s embrace, deadly duel by bearhug, something she has won in nine challenges so far for her throne, if Spice wanted to be the tenth to breath her last in her bearhug, then so be it.
Back at Alana’s village, Queen Alana and Dabbrel had paused just a handful of feet apart and were openly considering each other, height wise they were the same at 5’10” and damm near the same weight as well, if there was a difference it was likely less than five pounds, which between the two strong women would likely mean nothing. The biggest difference however was the fact Dabbrel had just fought and killed her last two opponents, and there had been no break between fights except a minute or so. Now, breathing deeply as she tried to regain what she had used as fast as she can, Dabbrel knew she had to play a waiting game with the queen, give herself time to finish recovering, but doubted the queen would allow it.
Surprisingly, it was the queen herself that gave her the break she needed or would it be as she raised her hands fingers spread offering the gripping of hands in a test of strength. Given the queen’s rep as a dirty fighter, Dabbrel was certain there would be more, yet she raised her hands and stepped forward accepting the implied challenge, and ready for the cheat and knew instinctively what she would do. The first few seconds the two did indeed strain, arms outstretched before them as they slowly upped the power to their hands testing each other, but then Alana moved in a near blur forward, her knee rising looking to catch her square in her womanhood, and found Dabbrel’s knees rising in a block and then she leapt back breaking the fingerlock and cried out loudly. “Ho people of this queen’s village, is this your great queen the warrior?!? She fears me, a proper test of strength and she shows no honor, she fears me afraid I will in a true test drop her to her knees. Your queen is a coward to risk me in such!”
The words had the desired effect, many gasped at the open accusation, and many realized her words were true, and some mutterings were heard all around the crude arena, and Alana heard them as well, and her face grew dark in anger. “I fear no whelp like yourself!” She hissed, raising her hands again fingers spreading, she growled, “Lock hands if you dare and this time we shall see who will really drop in a true test!” Dabbrel nodded and raised her own hands stepping forward ready to lock up, a small hidden smile inside, she had found a weakness in the queen, her pride. If she stayed true and they fought for a true knee drop, she could gain some precious seconds and even minutes before one of them went down. She would not mind losing this part, given the deadly stakes, there was moves she knew she could used from down there, but she also planned to see the queen drop, not here and shame her by it and perhaps make her grow more careless with her pride now wounded.
Perhaps to her surprise, Alana did indeed go for the test of strength, she had lost face before many of her villagers, and there were already many doubters of her even before this, a few had challenged her and she had to kill them, losing face as she did just now she realized, could make more challenge her calling her a coward, she had to take the challenge Dabbrel had thrown down, actually she had, and win it or risk several more challenging her after she dealt with Amerlin’s woman now. With a grunt the two threw themselves fully in to the test, Dabbrel actually had to match her going all out, she preferred the slower build up method herself, but quickly caught up and the two grunted and hissed arms went from before them to splayed outwards as the bodies closed, and the arms shook as both of them sought some point where they felt they had the edge.
Back in the caves, it was proving a very rough go for Amerlin as she struggled against Spice’s bearhug, the ebony skinned warrior was incredibly strong far more so than her looks belied, and with the inside bearhug, she was already threatening the ribs of the queen close to breaking them and driving them in to her heart. An earlier attempt to drive her own arms under Spices had failed, so she quickly returned to the outside bearhug, Using an old technique, she was slowing her foes breath, but was concentrating most of her power against the arms and in particular the biceps which are the bearhugs main power, but she needed more time as she sensed Spice did not realize she was slowly wearing them down, it was time to play games with the ebony warriors mind.
Her teeth gritted from the pain and the hard time breathing, Amerlin gasped out, “You won’t impress my people or yours if you just crush me to death in this you know, you did make a promise after all, they all heard it!” Spice tightened a bit more, but she asked, with suspicion clearly in her voice, “I made no promise to you or anyone except to see you dead bitch!” Amerlin responded, “Yes you did, you told us all you would make be beg for death, and I know you can’t do it, you don’t have the fortitude to break me slowly and painfully until I start begging for death. You’ll take the quick kill, and they will know you as one whose word is useless, you won’t last as queen very long as one whose word is useless!”
Spice growled deeply as she recalled she did make that vow, and Amerlin’s words made sense, even she knew and understood the concept of honor. She had used it when she dared the queen face her without weapons, a sudden shift of her bearhug downward off the ribs and to the lower back and she tightened harder and pressed hard against the queen. “I’ll make you regret reminding me of those words, you will suffer, and you will beg!” Amerlin drew a ragged breath and then spat out, “Prove it, and retightened her own and the two, both gave small cries of pain as their struggle intensified as Spice went for the most painful of bearhugs, the one that worked the spine and back and could leave a person crippled. It had the desired effect for the queen however, she could breathe better and the pressure was off her ribs that had been close to going. She concentrated more on the arms even now, almost certain that Spice was not seeing the deceptive action, and would not until too late.
Dabbrel found the closeness to Alana both exciting and tempting despite the deadly end result of the match, she realized she was not the only one hot and excited and bothered, despite the fact the queen had just started, she was also excited and hot, the earlier fights had raised a battle lust in her, and Dabbrel saw it in her face, this queen loved to fight and to punish her foes any way possible, it made her a very dangerous woman, but could perhaps also be used against her as well.
The rise and fall of the queen’s breasts, her already fast breath in that special way also spoke of the woman being erotically aroused, ad it was Dabbrel’s next move. Close as they were with hands splayed out and of equal height, she finished closing the gap between them, her own firm breast pressing firmly against the queen’s and slowly began to grind hers against the other woman’s and heard the gasp as did many of the villagers, they had clearly seen such a woman to woman struggle develop, including with the queen, and a glow instantly appeared in Alana’s eyes and she hissed though lowly for Dabbrel’s ears only. “Foolish choice whelp, you want this woman to woman, so be it! I’ll make you kneel and then prone, and in the end your last breath shall be as my breasts start to smother you!” Dabbrel realized the queen meant it, and forewarned now how the queen planned to end it, Dabbrel hissed. “Try it, I am not the weak whelp you think I am!” and sent a hard thrust to her hands and was rewarded with a small gasp as the queens wrists bent suddenly and she sagged a bit going down partially to one knee, but not quite enough. Her face suddenly showing anger, she forced her way back up and slowly straightened her wrists against Dabbrel’s pressure, and then sent a thrust of her own, and Dabbrel openly gasped from the strain and pain, and both knees trembled and started to buckle before she could stop it, but the audience say it and murmured, both had scored, but which better, now Alana ground her own breasts against her foe even harder and the young woman felt her own erotic heat rising just like the queens, a dangerous game now, not just a test of strength to get one down, but also a breast battle, one the queen was clearly experienced in, and likely used to destroy her foes before she smothered them to death.
Amerlin back in the cave realized her foe was not seeing the fact her arms were slowly weakening under the hard pressure to the biceps, by now Amerlin could breathe a lot easier now, but had masked it by slower shallow breathes, but was slowly speeding the pace of those up making it look like desperate gasps for air and the ploy worked. Her breath almost fully back, it was time to turn the tables, with a deep growl, Amerlin released a war scream that caught everyone’s attention including Spices, and it was the opening the queen had hoped for, dropping her bearhug she raised her hands and Spice grinned thinking she had the queen, but then like twin spear thrusts, Amerlin drove hard knife hands in between her foes body and arms, and this time she caught spice out fully. Before she could retighten her grip and realize she had weakened, the queen had her arms all the way in and the two pressed hard against each other, as her hands grasped her arms behind the ebony warrior and tightened and Spice gasped as she realized the queen now had the advantage.
Undaunted however, she grinned wickedly at the queen and took the outside bearhug, certain she could still out crush what she felt was an already badly weakened queen, and crush from her the words she so much wanted to hear. The sounds of begging for death in her cruel grip.
The queen however had other plans as she dropped the false fast breaths and this time, there was no slow tightening and timing it to the breaths, she knew Spice was too dangerous and went all out even as Spice had, and was rewarded with a shriek of pain, and also one of shock as she realized the queen was still a lot stronger than she had suspected, and then her own eyes grew very narrow as she tighten with all she had, and soon realized her arms didn’t have the strength she thought she had, and the tables had definitely turned against her as her lungs started a red burn from the sudden complete lack of air as the queen’s pressure slowly collapsed her ribs in to the lungs and squeezed them shut.
Dabbrel and Queen Alana were still locked in the dangerous duel, both realized they wanted this particular win and real bad, scoring a knee drop would bring shame to that person and leave them dangerously compromised, but the addition of the breast to breast duel was even more important, forcing the other woman to climax just from battling breasts would shame the loser very badly. For the young runner, this was indeed dangerous. In her nightly bouts with Queen Amerlin the queen had discovered Dabbrel was sensitive to breast to breast duels and easily aroused, and now Dabbrel was in a fight with a queen who seemed to arouse just as easily as she did, and this could be either of their game, and their potentially decisive advantage.
Both by now had their knees trembling under the dual assault, and Dabbrel heard a few comment on the closeness of the duel, and even a couple about the queen never having been matched so long in this, a slow smile touched her lips, one that seemed to infuriate the queen, as she perhaps had also heard the words, suddenly she threw all she had in to her hands and Dabbrel gasped and dropped hard to one knee, the breasts contact broken for now as the queen sought to finish forcing the second knee down, but the young runners face became suddenly stone cold hard, and with a sharp hiss and then a grunt, she began to slowly force herself upwards with surprise clearly registering on the queen’s face. It took a lot of effort to work her way up, and it was time to also turn this to her own advantage.
The two had in their struggle been slowly inching closer and closer to a nearby wall, and for now Alana had her back to it, barely a pace from it in fact. Hands still locked but she stepped back extending their arms and then leaped in hard, the hands forced upwards and her body slammed hard in to Queen Alana, the move caught the queen out and she staggered back and slammed in to the wall, before she could recover, Dabbrel was hard against her, their hands held over head and breasts hard against each other and Dabbrel went for a hard grinding motion, their breasts partially crushed because the wall held them in so tight and under the new relentless pressure the breasts responded as expected, blood rushing to them and causing them to swell for both women.
The bold move got several cries from the audience, most of them in surprise, but there was also admiration of Dabbrel as well, here was a stranger from an enemy village the queen had sworn would die at her hands, yet she had held the queen to an apparent stalemate and might be losing it soon, and even more surprising was the fact she rose to the queen’s sexual desires and challenged her and was even controlling her now and clearly dominating her sexually as she crushed the queen against the wall with her body and used her breasts as weapons against the queens.
With a deep growl of anger, the queen unlocked her hands breaking the test of strength and grabbing Dabbrel by the shoulders shoved her back enough to get free of the wall and circled out towards the center of the arena with Dabbrel turning, her hands up and ready to fight. As she came forward, Alana went to the offense first, a sudden drop to a low crouch and then her legs uncoiled and as she rose in a high jump, her legs snapped out reach for Dabbrel’s head and neck in a flying head scissors.
In the cave, Amerlin and Spice remained locked in the deadly bearhug, Spice no longer had the weakening pressure on her arms, but clearly did not know or understand this trick, and she was simply trying to crush the queen to death using the outside grip. Amerlin forced to use all her own power now without reserve was however rapidly gaining the upper hand, despite the ferocity of Spices attack that slowed the queens breath to almost nothing once again, Spices own breath had come to a stop now, under Amerlin’s all out assault, and her jaw hung open now slowly working seeking air that she could not get, and her head was tipped back her face clearly in extreme pain and her mind essentially on auto pilot now as she tried desperately to out crush the queen knowing that this was end fight between them and she vowed to herself she would go out as the warrior and never beg.
Amerlin had developed a growing respect for the woman, she could have fought using dirty tactics, quite possible she still could and would, but she had not and did not. Now the woman just seconds from death, Amerlin eased on the bearhug allowing the woman several breaths and her senses to come back to her. She was not about to let go, and she did not give her any wiggle room inside her arms and the pain was still quite high, but as the women in her embrace glowered at her, Amerlin spoke, “You have proven you are a true warrior women, but you have lost to me, I have granted you a reprieve, and offer you mercy. Surrender to me, become my war prize and slave, and in time you can become a free woman in my village, and a respected warrior as well. I’ll make this offer only this once, refuse it and we shall resume and finish with only one of us dead, and you know I have you and you can’t succeed.” Amerlin gave her several seconds to think, then slightly upped the pressure to the bearhug getting a widening of Spices eyes. “Last chance to accept, this war is ending in your people’s defeat, don’t be a fool like them, accept this offer and gain a chance to life a rich life among us in time.”
Even though the warrior was dark skinned, Amerlin in the dim light could see her foe’s face flush as she realized the queen respected her and was willing to give her a chance to live. Suspicion in her voice, but also defeat tinged as well, she barely spoke, but her message was simple enough, “I accept and surrender.” With a sigh, Amerlin released the woman, making sure she did not flat out collapse, and turned her over to the soldier women with orders to “bind her wrists well, but otherwise treat her well and with dignity as an warrior of war with honor.” And after a couple minutes rest, gathered her troops around her, and began the trip to the main entry. As they travelled, they were joined by other groups. The cave people were routed, most fleeing very deep in to the cave complex, far too deep to safely pursue, but of the warriors, over half were dead in their defense. The war as far as Amerlin was concerned was over for now. It would be years before enough of the survivors could assemble, and train enough to be warriors and to be a threat. If they were lucky, they would find a different way out from their caves and go threaten some other land instead. The survivors, the village people taken as prisoners, as well as Spice and other cave people prisoners exited the cave, and with all survivors finally assembled, they turned and left for home, but one thing was bothering the queen, where was Dabbrel? She should have been with the supporting groups that had arrived, and as far as she could tell, she had never made it to the caves. Worry was in her mind as she marched back to the village, hoping word was there about her favored messenger and friend and lover.
Just as Dabbrel had caught Alana out and whipped her in to the wall earlier, not it was time for Dabbrel to be caught out, but not quite as badly as the queen had hoped to catch her. The legs found their target of Dabbrel’s head and neck, but the queen had expected the scissors to topple the woman backwards where her scissors would around her head, end her life. Dabbrel took the impact even as the queens crotch slammed hard against the throat and splitting the legs wider and forcing the queen from the sheer impact upwards to a sitting position, even as Dabbrel staggered backwards trying desperately to not fall, instincts telling her if she did she would be in serious trouble.
Dabbrel managed to keep from toppling but Alan from her perch over her instantly clamped her legs shut and crossed her ankles locking the scissors and choking the younger woman. And the woman knew she was still in serious trouble, her face literally in the queen’s crotch, it would take but seconds before Alana also realized this and grabbed her head and forced a smother on as well.
Her own hands went up instinctively as she looked upwards at the queen and sank twin claw holds in to her breasts eliciting a scream of pain and some frantic wiggling by Alana, as her hands went to the fingers in her still engorged and sensitive breasts. It put her off balance and an idea came to Dabbrel and she acted on it even as it formed. The hands in the breasts suddenly shoved hard and Alana wiggling as she was now the one caught off guard as the shove toppled her backwards past a point she could not support herself, and she failed to release the scissors hold she had on Dabbrel’s head. It was all the young runner needed as the queen remained before her, upended and she released the claw, wrapped her arms around the waist and dropped hard to her knees sending them both down, but the queen’s head thudded hard in to the packed earth, and the legs around Dabbrel’s head jerked hard them fell off, the woman either badly stunned or out cold.
Dabbrel released the queen at once and she flopped face up to the ground before her. She was not quite out cold, eyes were open and soft moans came from her lips, but other than that nothing, clearly she was heavily stunned and trying to avoid the darkness that was gathered around her, but her state gave Dabbrel all she needed to end the fight once and for all. The queen’s own threat still fresh in her mind, she dropped down hard over the queen her weight of her upper body over the queen’s head, while her head was down the queen’s body, facing towards the feet, and she wrapped her arms around the queen’s own head and gathered her in to a deadly breast smother. Dabbrel’s own breasts swollen from the earlier crushing made for a perfect air tight seal, and the crowds came to life seeing what could be the end of Alana’s life.
Indeed, Alana did not fight back for the better part of the minute as she was still too stunned, but the fire of her burning lungs after a while did bring her around, and realizing her deadly situation, her hands went for the throat of her foe and went for the choke. It was a lousy angle however, and she could feel Dabbrel’s hot breath upon her own breasts. The young runner had kept her head down to avoid an attempt by the queen to use her legs to capture her head, and the angle also made for a lousy choke hold as shown by the fact she could still breathe fairly well.
Then the fact she could feel Dabbrel’s breath on her breasts gave the queen an thought, knowing she was close to going under and once out cold, death would soon follow, she acted on it. The hot breath meant Dabbrel’s own face was over her breasts, and she abandoned the choke, the arms wrapping the younger woman’s head and she dragged it down seeking her own deadly smother. Dabbrel resisted, but her neck muscles were not match for arm muscles and she went in, but not before sucking in a final deep breath, and she settled in, knowing her foe was by now sans air well over a minute, she was stable over her and could not be rolled, and she had a full breath. Unless the queen had an extraordinary stamina and the ability to hold what little breath she had, she instinctively knew she had the queen.
Above, the crown who had been now cheering for Dabbrel went silent as the queen ensnared her and realized this was the final struggle, neither would let go until the other was out cold and then it would soon be over for that person. Apparently despite the two fights Dabbrel already had, her stamina was better than the queens, or that the lucky dazing caused by the queen’s bad move had worked for the runner. Within seconds, the queen began to writhe violently as her body over rode her mind causing her to buck and writhe in a desperate attempt to gain air, but the runner hung on grimly and endured it and her own rapidly heating then burning lungs. But half a minute to a minute later, the queen’s motions subsided to slow writhing, and Alana with a jerk freed her head from the queen’s own embrace, gasping for air, even as the queen’s hands fell to either side just twitching.
The queen was clearly out, and on the verge of death, and Dabbrel was in no mood to offer her mercy, she knew if the queen got even half a chance she would kill her, without remorse and with no mercy at all. The smother stayed locked, and after another minute, even then the slow motions stopped, and a leather clad woman entered the arena. Declaring herself the chief huntress, she asked Dabbrel to release the queen so she could ascertain her death. Slowly Dabbrel did so, suspicion clearly on her face, but the huntress was matter of fact, after seeing no breath she put her ear to the queen’s still breasts and listened for several long seconds and then stood up. Gripping Dabbrel’s wrist she raised it in a sign of victory and called out “Behold, having met the queen if formal deadly combat, the queen is now dead, and we have a new Queen, all hail Queen Dabbrel!” And the crowd promptly reacted, and a sudden rush of shock ran through the young woman. Her killing the woman who wanted her dead so bad, had just made her the new queen of not just this village, but of several villages, elevating her to the same rank and station as Queen Amerlin.
Within minutes, she found herself whisked from the arena followed by the huntswoman and to the queen’s compound, now her own. And after a whirlwind tour, and her releasing several of the slaves the former queen had, she settled on the dais that served as the former queen’s throne and called for a runner. On her arrival, she dispatched the runner with instructions to travel to Queen Alana’s village and to be brought before the queen. There she was to explain of the battle between her and Queen Alana, and that Alana had died in the fight, and that Dabbrel now ruled, and that she wanted to formally open discussions of a peace pact between the two kingdoms as soon as possible.
The runner quickly dashed off and Dabbrel reminisced briefly of how she used to do that and only hours ago, and now look where she was. The runner did indeed do as she was told, arriving just an hour after the queen herself had returned and realizing Dabbrel was not there was organizing search parties. As the queen listened in complete surprise she smiled openly and ordered food and drink for the runner, and once well fed and slightly drunk, sent her back with the message congratulating her and saying she would be there in 2 weeks time as she had to wrap up several local matter regarding the cave people war first. As the runner left, Amerlin allowed herself a smile. She had figured in time she would become a good village chieftess, but queen instead was a very pleasant surprise and one she welcomed, having a pact of friendship and trade would benefit them both a lot, and she suspected her new rule would sit well with most of the people there once they got to know her and her ways.
Getting up and stretching, she decided it was getting too late to do much about most of the prisoners and gave orders for them to be taken to the prisoner hut and secured with the exception of Spice. Her she had delivered and held in her private quarters until she could arrive there and personally begin her formal breaking. Spice may have surrendered, but she had not broken, and the queen wanted to make sure she was formally broken and knew it. This night she suspected would be very long, hard, and painful for them both. Her smile slowly spreading at that thought, she closed formal business in the main hut and walked slowly to her private quarters, her mind already planning how she would proceed with the feisty dark skinned Spice.