The Last Straw

Gathering / Conference

Natalya goes to the Krasnoye Fortress with Pufuktin and he rapes her for the last time before telling her Staladin wanted her the following evening. Natalya decides to put an end to the suffering in her life.

Natalya kept her face down as they entered the Krasnoye Fortress. She was following Pufuktin and a few of the other generals. They were supposedly here for an important meeting of sorts. Natalya was here because Pufuktin wanted her company. She looked around in awe at the magnificent palace. It was giant and dripping in ornate riches and gold and jewels. There were a ton of guards and they all saluted Pufuktin and the other KAV soldiers as they walked by. They made it into the throne room where Staladin was perched lavishly on his giant golden throne that sat beneath a ginormous Lenisilian flag with Corellon's star hanging right about the powerful looking high elf. He was wearing red and black robes and dripping in rubies and golden jewelry. His silver eyes studied her fiercely as their group entered the room and bowed to him politely. He seemed unimpressed. "General," he nodded to Pufuktin as he stood from his throne and walked down the steps of the throne's platform toward them. "Dinner is waiting in the parlor," he said with a very regal air before leading them down a hallway. They entered the parlor to see a single table set for the ten of them that were there. Pufuktin took Natalya's arm and led her to a spot to his right. Staladin saw this. "Do you dare to insult me, General?" he asked Pufuktin with a slight glance as he went to sit at the head of the table, across from Pufuktin. "She is my guest and one of my best Lieutenants," Pufuktin defended his action. Staladin gave him a challenging look. "And she's a wood elf. Your whore can wait in your room. Guards, please escort her to General Pufuktin's chambers." Pufuktin looked angry but he let go of Natalya's arm and guards came over and escorted her out of the room. Natalya followed the guards into a very large, ornate bedroom with a large bed with curtains over it. The guards left her alone and she waited nervously for Pufuktin to come to her. There were no windows in the room and she found herself feeling stuffy from her nerves. She wished Dimitri was with her. He felt a million miles away from her in the outpost east of Vladigrad. Eventually Pufuktin entered the room and she stood. He waved his guards out and closed the door behind him. He looked at her and sighed, clearly embarrassed by Staladin's attitude at dinner. "Did you eat something?" he asked her. She shook her head and he stormed out into the hall and yelled at a couple guards to find a meal for her. She hated this weird attention he was trying to show her. She'd prefer to go hungry for the evening than for Pufuktin to continue making a scene about her. He came back. "I'm very sorry about the rude hospitality here," he commented as he walked over to the decanter in the corner of the room. "Would you like a drink?" he offered her. He saw her nervous hesitation. "Come now, Natalya. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable," he told her. Natalya swallowed. "I'm fine," she assured him. He sighed and took a long gulp of the brandy. "Come, sit with me darling," he called her over to the bed and Natalya sat down next to him, waiting for his charm to fall over her. "Can I confess something to you?" he asked her as he took off his very heavily ornamented uniform jacket. "Of course," she said, giving him a hesitant smile, worried about what he might tell her. "I'm not particularly fond of our emperor," he commented. Natalya swallowed, worried about where this was heading. "I mean, the way he treated you tonight. It's horrible." He gently lifted her chin, trying to be affectionate, and tipped it up to his face. "You know I don't see you as just some pretty face, right?" he asked her. She swallowed. "Of course, Ivan," she told him nervously. He smiled at her and walked away, pacing a bit. "You really are one of my best soldiers. You and Dimitri have truly shone your skill despite your rather unfortunate parentage. To think what could have become of you both if you had been high elves," he said thoughtfully. Natalya wished they would stop talking and get this over with. "I just don't want you to think you got here because of... well, any favoritism on my part. You're a good soldier," he told her taking off his boots and trousers and slipping on an ornate robe that was lined with fluffy rabbit fur. He walked back over to her and caressed her face. Natalya kept waiting for his spell to hit her but it didn't. "Why don't you take that uniform off," he suggested. Natalya nervously started undoing her uniform and Pufuktin leaned down to help her. Why wasn't he charming her? Where was it? She got nervous, worrying she'd have to perform without it. She thought about Dimitri and felt tears start to well up in her eyes. She tried to swallow through them though, knowing Pufuktin wouldn't appreciate any lack of loyalty on her part. He started touching her and she realized he wanted her for real. He tried to make eye contact with her and she felt frozen and scared as he slipped inside her. She knew he was getting frustrated with her lack of affections but she was too scared to do anything. She could see his face growing frustrated and she started moaning to help his ego. This helped a little but she knew he expected more. He started pounding her harder and he grabbed a fistful of her hair and pushed her into the bed angrily. She started crying, in spite of herself and his face grew angry with her, causing her to cry out in pain as her body tried to reject him. He grabbed her neck and choked her into the bed. Natalya wondered if he would kill her as his grip tightened around her neck and he came in her, hard and stayed in her threateningly. He released her neck and Natalya gasped for air, unable to move from fear. He stared down at her with silver eyes angrily. "Why don't you love me?!" he asked her threateningly. Natalya swallowed nervously and he slapped her face and finally pulled himself out of her. "I've given you everything!" he exclaimed in rage. "I made you a wonderful soldier! I saved you from that fire! I picked you to join the KAV! You should have died a poor, dirty, pathetic wood elf farmer! I saved you!" his eyes glared into her own and Natalya started crying. "I'm sorry!" she begged him. "I'm sorry Ivan!" she tried to sit up, shaking from pain and fear. He walked over to her with a gentle, pitying look on his face. "Forgive my anger," he took her head and pulled into his chest and caressed her red hair. "Staladin brings out the worst in me," he told her. Natalya was still shaking and Pufuktin leaned down and kissed her. She tried not to flinch and to kiss him back so he wouldn't hit her again. She missed Dimitri so much. She wanted to run all the way to Vladigrad and curl up in his warm arms, away from Pufuktin's cold, clammy hands. "I have a room arranged for you across the hall with your things and a warm meal waiting for you," he told her, sending a wave of relief over Natalya. "Thank you," she whispered. He kissed the top of her head and hesitated, still pressing her face into his long beard. "Tomorrow night, the emperor has requested your presence in his chambers." Natalya heard the anger and jealousy in Pufuktin's voice. He released her and gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sure you understand that I cannot refuse an order from his Imperial Majesty." She nodded cautiously. "Of course." He caressed her face longingly. "We'll go back home once he's finished and you'll be safe there," he promised her. Natalya nodded. He took off his robe and held it open for her. "Here, wear this to your room so you don't freeze." She slipped her naked body inside the robe and picked up her uniform off the ground. "Thank you," she told him. "Goodnight, Natalya," Pufuktin told her as he walked her to his door. "Goodnight, Ivan," she told him nervously as he held open his door for her. She walked out into the hall and saw the door across from his room and she hurried inside. She threw off the disgusting robe as soon the door closed and she saw her bag on the ground. She grabbed some clothes to rest in and ran to the chamber pot in the corner of the room to clean herself and to vomit. She looked into the looking glass on the wall and saw her neck and face had red marks on it from Pufuktin's hand. She cleaned herself off and tried to wash his cum out of her. When she had finished she put on her clean clothes and brushed out her tangled hair. She couldn't focus. All she wanted was to be in Dimitri's arms. It had been months since she'd seen him and she missed him dearly. Everything was so awful. She curled up in the giant bed and meditated. She was restless all night though. Finally morning came and there was a knock on her door. She hesitantly went and opened it to see a high elf woman, whose face lit up as she saw Natalya. "Natalya?!" she asked in shock. Natalya cocked her head and suddenly recognized Sigrid before her, her old friend from the Voyennyy Academy. Sigrid looked around anxiously before walking into Natalya's room with a large box in her hands. When the door closed behind her she looked up at Natalya and smiled joyfully. "It's really you?!" she said excitedly, setting the box down on Natalya's bed and hugging her. Natalya smiled and hugged her back, grateful for a kind, familiar face in this hellhole. "What are you doing here, Sigrid?" she asked her. Sigrid shrugged sadly. "I'm one of Staladin's... whores," she explained bluntly. "That's why I'm here, actually. I brought you a gown that he wants you to wear tonight." Natalya gave Sigrid a sad frown. Sigrid shrugged. "It could be worse, right? We could be handmaids for the lord of Gornoslav," she offered as a sad joke from their childhood. Natalya sighed and shook her head. "We can't keep living like this," she said sadly. Sigrid shrugged. "It's Lenisily, Natalya. This is what it is," she said, opening the box to reveal a sleek black, flowy elvish gown with red crystals embedded in the trim. "This will look stunning with your hair," Sigrid commented. "Do you like Staladin?" Natalya asked her. Sigrid looked taken aback by her bluntness. "His Imperial Majesty can be a bit cold sometimes, but he's generally very easy to please. Normally he just wants you to lay there," she said shrugging. Natalya looked down at the dress apprehensively. "Oh, I have to know - what ever happened with Milosh? Is he still in the KAV?" Sigrid asked about her old nemesis. Natalya nodded. "He's a Captain now. Still a jerk. He has a brother though..." she commented, thinking longingly of Dimitri. "Is he also an ass?" Sigrid asked curiously. Natalya shook her head. "He's a half-elf. A lieutenant like me. He trained me, actually." Sigrid raised her brow in surprise. "To think that jackass had a half-elf brother and treated you so poorly for being a wood elf," she said shaking her head. Natalya nodded passively. "When Staladin and I fuck tonight, will he keep anyone else in the room?" she asked Sigrid. Sigrid shook her head. "He hates being watched during such activities." Natalya nodded. "Guards outside the room? Is there a window or a balcony?" she asked. Sigrid nodded. "Definitely guards and he had a huge, gorgeous balcony that looks out toward the southern mountains, toward Glitterfjell and Thymryu." "Does he like bondage?" Natalya asked as an idea started to form in her mind. Sigrid nodded, not finding Natalya's blunt questions odd. "He's down to do whatever, especially if you suggest it and he doesn't have to work very hard. He's surprisingly simple when it comes to that sort of thing." Natalya pulled the dress out of its box and admired it and checked the skirt. She noted how easy it would be to hide a dagger on her thigh in it. It was a beautiful dress with long black sleeves with simple but effective placement of the red crystals that lined the edges of it. Sigrid was right, it would look stunning with her blood-red hair. "I'll have a bath drawn for you and then help you get ready for tonight," Sigrid announced, unaware of Natalya's dark thoughts. She helped Natalya bathe and fix her hair and get dressed for her evening with their emperor. Natalya was mostly quiet as Sigrid chatted about her life in the palace and Natalya carefully constructed her plan. Her only regret was not being able to see Dimitri one more time and to tell him goodbye. He wouldn't see it coming. She had never told him what she had experienced that day in Gornoslav. He wouldn't expect her to do such a ridiculous thing. When she was finally ready she hugged Sigrid tightly. "I'm so glad I got to see you again," she told her friend. Sigrid smiled up at her. "Me too. I know it won't be fun but I know his Imperial Majesty will enjoy you." Natalya gave her a small frown. "We'll see," she said. Sigrid left her alone for a moment before the attendants would come and take her away and Natalya pulled out her long elvish dagger and strapped it to her thigh. She leaned against her bed, waiting. "I'm so sorry Dimitri," she said sadly into the void as she heard a knock on her door.