Queen Yavara Ch. 03

I sat up, recalling in horror the memory of high-elves torturing me on the rack. "I wasn't 'of age;' I was barely twelve!"

Zander sat up and cross his legs, leaning forward as he spoke. "Teradreana was more than ready to lead at a young age; she was one of the greatest pyromancers I'd ever seen. Her fatal flaw was her arrogance. Every incarnation of you is their own person, Yavara, with their own strengths and weaknesses. Alkandi risked everything to become one with you because she recognized that you were the strongest she ever could be."

"But how could Teradreana have transformed at such young age? If the metamorphosis is awakened by lust, then..." I gave Zander a frank look.

Zander laughed. "Holy shit, no, Yavara. Dark-elves didn't need to undergo the transformation, for they already carried the blood of their common ancestor. Like I said, Teradreana was born as she was. Once the high-elves extracted that information from her, they began their genocide. The dark-elves were forced into hiding, and one by one, over the course of centuries, the high-elves found them all. You came back as a dark-elf twenty times after Teradreana, and I only ever managed to find you five times. The high elves were... efficient with their slaughter. The last dark-elf died over five-hundred years ago. I resigned myself as an exile, living as a hermit until the end of time, thinking that I had failed you."

Zander's eyes were dry, but I could tell there was grief behind them. I laid my head on his shoulder. "But I'm still here, Zander, which means there's more to the story."

Zander put an arm around me and pulled me close. "About four-hundred years ago, a young high-elf girl came to my abode. Her name was Rheyari. She was maybe seventeen years old. I had developed a reputation as a witch-doctor at the time, and the villagers that lived near me would send their sick to my hut. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with Rheyari, so I asked her why she came. She removed her headscarf to reveal a streak of black hair running through her blonde. I assumed she dyed it and her parents had sent me to fix the issue. I must admit," Zander laughed, "I was a little mad that the villagers had now decided I was fit to be the town hair dresser. The girl insisted that she didn't dye it, and with a little prying from myself, I learned that she had developed the color change after she slept with a succubus. I was incredulous of this claim; only a few races can resist the lust of succubi, and high-elves are not one of them. And once a succubus has her prey, she never lets it go.

The succubus that preyed on this town lived in an abandoned dungeon at the edge of the Great Forest. I met with her, eluded her seduction, and questioned her about the girl. The succubus corroborated the young girl's story, she even went further to claim that the young elf had not only overcome the succubus's seduction, but had seduced the succubus herself! There is only one race that can do this. On our second appointment, I put Rheyari in a trance and sent us both to the astral plane. Twenty-four versions of herself followed behind her astral figure. You cannot know the joy I felt when I found Alkandi among them. Alkandi explained to Rheyari and myself that she had found a way to claim the wombs of high-elf women..." Zander trailed off, looking awkwardly at me.

"...and?" I asked with an impatient wave of my hand.

"Dark-elves are what some scientists referred to as 'the universal female.' You see, there were no male dark-elves, but the descendants of Alkandi were prolific in their breeding. They were fertile with any race of man, but they only begot more dark-elves. This trait comes from your succubus lineage, for as you know, succubi are also 'universal females.' And beasts. As such, Alkandi could only take the womb of a high-elf mother whose sanctity had been breached by a beast's seed."

I let out a gasp. "Mother!"

Zander laughed. "Yes, Yavara. Your mother must have experimented sometime between the birth of your older sister and you, because Alkandi could not claim the wombs of rape victims."

"I wonder what race she preferred. She must have gone to the dungeon and picked one out for herself. Oh my god, that slut!" I giggled at the thought of my noble, dignified mother examining the creatures of the crypt, licking her lips as though selecting food from a menu. If I ever saw her again, I'd make sure to compare notes with her.

"It would appear there's more of your mother in you than you thought." Zander chuckled, "Anyway, Alkandi seduced Rheyari into accepting her soul, and they merged. She was the first high-elf to undergo the transformation, though she would not be the last. Five more came after, and I advised and guided them all. The reason you don't hear about the legend of Rheyari, nor any of her successors, is because they never intended to sit on the Black Throne. Most went east to Ardeni Dreus, where the high-elves would never find them. The humans don't really care about race or creed; they care about money. Orcs, goblins, centaurs, nymphs, trolls; any number of beasts are welcome in Ardeni Dreus as long as they have coin. It was easy for Alkandi's high-elf incarnations to conceal their eyes and ears, and live the rest of their days in debauched anonymity in the red-light district. One... one decided to stay in the Great Forest with her mother, but that is a tale for another time.

And that leaves us with just one more incarnation: you. Whatever you choose to do, Yavara, I will be by your side. I can advise you on many things; I can tell you where your past selves failed and where they succeeded. I will stay loyal if you choose to move east and live a peaceful life, or if you choose to stay here and amass an army. But there is one thing I cannot let you do, Yavara. I cannot let you return home. As much as you love your father and mother, they will kill you. You know it is true."

I nodded, thinking bitterly of my father's ruthlessness. Yes, he loved me, but his hand would be forced if it got out that he was harboring Alkandi incarnate, and Leveria would surely find out and spread the word. The thought of never seeing my mother and father again hurt less than I thought it would. I'd already lost Elena to the rangers, and she'd been my only friend, my only real tether to Bentius and the Highlands. I had ventured out alone to find myself, and I had, though I never thought it would be such a literal discovery. Still, there was a confident independence within me that had not been there before. The prospect of seeing the world as a new woman excited me. I could go to Ardeni Dreus and live as a free woman, doing as I pleased until my dying days.

But there was something else that excited me, something that had been nagging at the back of my skull since I was a child. Power. I was always the second in line behind my sister, a placeholder in case of catastrophe. My life was pledged to be one of subservience to some lord, despite my royal stature. And now I had the opportunity to seize power for myself, to create something of my own image. I could feel the dormant energy within me vibrating softly under my skin. Zander said that I was one of the most powerful entities to walk the earth. I recalled the memory I had when I was Alkandi, who had killed four of the Highland's best assassins even after being wounded, and all with her mind. I wanted to unlock this power, to see what I could do at my full potential. I had no quarrel with the high-elves; they were my people after all. If I could be diplomatic, with a force to back my words, I could rule over Alkandra in peace. I could form an empire the likes of which the world had never seen, but I would need powerful allies to do so.

"Tell me about this power I have, Zander." I whispered into his ear.

A smile crept across his lips. "You have many abilities you do not know about, Yavara. Many of your past selves practiced the arcane arts, and all their knowledge and expertise are at your fingertips. Alkandi was one of the greatest telekinetic masters of all time; she could lift a warship from the water with just her mind. I witnessed Teradreana launch flames from her palms, engulfing her foes in an inferno. Perhaps the most useful power was Rheyari's, who could manipulate people's minds. Inherent in all your incarnations is the seductive powers of the succubus, and the unnatural strength of the orc. May I ask Yavara, what you plan to do with these powers?"

I smiled back at Zander, the energy rising in my eyes.

"I want to be queen."

End of Part One