King Hudd was restless. He was sitting in his office with his son and Kaspar before him and he wanted to scream. He wanted to rage at the world for delaying and disrupting his plans. "What have we missed? Where else could she go?"

The other two stared at him for a moment. Prince Joppa had no idea, thinking still wasn't his strong suit.

Kaspar had been thinking of this very thing though. "She is unlikely to still be in Winterhaven. If she were gathering a force, it would have been noticed, and if she were just hiding, then our people would have found her. I doubt she has been living off the land this long. She could have gone to Southington. We have no spies there and the slaves could give her refuge. That gains her nothing though, and just puts her further from us. I was worried she might go around us to the cities on the west coast. Then come down from the north with troops and rebels, but our spies there have reported nothing. My biggest worry is that she could have gone around even further and to the pirate isles. You mentioned once that she had her wedding gown, she could buy their whole fleet and all their troops with that."

Hudd groaned at the thought. "If that happens, then we're sunk. She would have no reason to need you." He snarled at his son. "But I don't think she will go to the pirates. She grew up hearing stories of their evil, even if they were greatly exaggerated."

A knock on the door interrupted their discussion, and a small man entered and bowed. "News about the princess, sire!"

"Well spit it out!" Hudd commanded.

"She is in Tefra, sire!"

"Damn, the slavers caught her?" Kaspar groaned.

"No sir. She captured it. Two days ago, she led an army from Southington into Tefra and sacked it. The clans are gone, the slaves are freed. The city is hers," the man explained.

"Damnit! That bitch!" Hudd bellowed. "That city was making me a fortune!"

"So, what do we do?" Joppa wondered, a confused look on his face.

"You two get out there. Try to become a part of her forces as we planned, offer to help her throw me down. It is the only choice we have. It might take her time to get here, she has to organize a city now after all, but do your best."

Inez estimated that they could make the trip to Glirion in about two days if they rode hard. But with Medya still injured, and Nahmia training Liana's crew and Katja every evening, they were taking their time instead. They had passed through the Estersteads, a row of rugged hills that formed the boundary between Dallinia and Appalya on their first afternoon of travel, and the countryside had changed dramatically ever since. Gone was the endless sand, replaced by small towns and villages that provided food and lumber to the region. Inez would have felt better about their arrival in her home country had not every person they'd seen run from them and hidden. It made her so angry that Hudd's rule had reduced the population of her fair country to one that was terrified of anyone that looked like a soldier. She would soon put an end to that!

"How are you feeling?" Inez asked Medya as they sat on some cushions in their large tent while they camped on the first night. Inez was worried that a day on horseback may have jostled her shoulder and set back her healing.

Their campsite was set up near a stream along the road near a forest that no doubt was used for lumber based on the axe marks on the nearby stumps. But it was quiet and peaceful, so they could get a good night sleep. They had packed tents that were usually used by the traders on desert journeys, and they were all large and circular around a central pole. Medya had taken the liberty of packing a lot of pillows to sleep in, as she loved snuggling in them with Inez. "I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me. Nahmia picked a gentle horse for me, so I wasn't bouncing all over," Medya said with a tired smile.

"Are you being stubborn again?"

"No, I'm really alright, just tired. I don't have my strength back, but my shoulder didn't get banged up or anything," Medya promised.

"Good, because I expect a lot of kissing tonight," Inez said as she pulled Medya into her body and nuzzled her neck. "Katja and Nahmia are bunking with Liana's crew, so we will have the tent to ourselves."

"Oh, will we?" Medya smirked. "Just what did you have in mind my queen?"

"Just kisses, I promise. Once you're better though, I have every intention of doing oh so much more than that."

"What if I want more than kisses now?" Medya wondered with a purr. Her right hand ran up Inez's arm to her shoulder, and then reached behind her head to tangle in her raven locks. "My shoulder may hurt, but the rest of me feels just fine."

Inez swallowed loudly, trying to keep her hands to herself. "My darling, I would love to do more than kiss you as well, but I fear that if we were to go much further, I'd be unable to stop myself."

"Then perhaps after dinner, I'll teach you restraint," Medya whispered in Inez's ear, nipping at the lobe before sauntering out of the tent to find where the cook fire was.

Inez remained where she was on the cushions for a moment, trying to keep from running out and throwing Medya over her shoulder to drag her back to the tent. But she knew that wasn't what she needed to do. Medya said she needed to learn restraint, so she would remain calm. Getting up and following the scent of cooking food, she found herself among the guards' tents, where several chickens were getting carved up by eager women, famished by their training.

She found Medya sitting on the ground, eating daintily, with a spare plate by her side. "I grabbed you some food, but feel free to get more if there wasn't enough," Medya commented sweetly, no trace of the sultriness in her voice anymore.

"How goes the training?" Inez called out to Nahmia.

"Excellent! These ladies are going to make a wonderful Queen's Guard!" Nahmia exclaimed, earning cheers from the rest of the group.

Inez looked over at Katja, who was sitting in Noa's lap while giggling and feeding her pieces of chicken. It brought a smile to her face to see Katja so happy and carefree with someone after all that she had been through. She was still looking at her when Katja looked over her shoulder and caught her eye, giving her a little wave in the process.

"It looks like our daughter is growing up," Medya whispered to her.

Inez looked over at her and realized she had been looking over at Katja too. "She deserves this. She deserves to be happy."

"So do you my queen," Medya purred back in a low whisper.

"I am happy. You make me that way," Inez admitted as she leaned into Medya, her mouth wide in a smile.

Medya grinned at her, glad to make her queen smile so joyfully. "And I will make you happier yet, if you let me."

"I don't know that you could make me much happier than I already am, but I am willing to let you try," Inez smirked at the shorter woman.

Medya just cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you doubting me?"

"Do you think you're up to the challenge?" Inez couldn't stop smirking, seeing if she could break Medya's calm façade.

Medya stood gracefully, and made her way over to Liana and Nahmia, then crouched down to whisper something to them. The pair chuckled a bit but nodded in reply before Medya walked back over to Inez, who was still seated. "My queen, can I borrow you for a few moments of your time?" She held her good hand out to help Inez up, and she gratefully took it. Medya leaned back and put her strength into helping Inez up, and then wouldn't relinquish her hand as they headed back into their pavilion like tent. Inez couldn't help but smile at this woman who was so aggressive right now, despite her lack of size in comparison to the larger princess.

That smile was wiped away when Medya quickly tripped her up and then leapt on her to twist her in midair to land on the pile of pillows. Inez fell onto her back with Medya astride her hips while looking down at the treasure she had rescued all those weeks ago. "What ever shall I do with you now?"

"I believe kissing was on the menu for tonight," Inez reminded her.

"Ahh yes, kissing!" Medya lay herself down on Inez, running her good hand up her side and then up under Inez's bicep while lifting her arm over her head. Inez felt her palm slap the central pole as her arm was lifted. "Hang onto that for a bit," Medya commanded.

Inez chuckled but grabbed the pole as she was instructed. She forgot about that for a moment when Medya's mouth kissed along her jaw, moving up to her ear and nibbling softly. "I love you Inez, never doubt that for even a second," she whispered, making Inez feel a burst of happiness that expanded throughout her body. "Now lift your other hand up and hold that pole."

Inez didn't even think about it but grabbed the pole with the second hand while Medya's mouth was nibbling at her throat. She didn't care what this woman asked, she'd gladly do it. She was so caught up in the feelings that she was taken by surprise when Medya rolled off her in a flash, pulling her hands past the pole and wrapping a rope around her wrists, so that she couldn't pull them back down without taking the whole tent down.

"How in the hells did you do that with one hand?" Inez cried out, surprised.

"Oh, my queen, I'll show you just what else I can to with a single hand," Medya said with a purr as she prowled on three of her four limbs around her prisoner and looking like one of her feline ancestors. "I told you that you needed to learn restraint. So, I will teach that to you while you are indeed restrained."

Inez looked into Medya's eyes which were now wide with desire as she licked her lips. Her cute little pink nose twitched as she sniffed along Inez's torso down to her hips. "Mmmm, you smell delicious my queen, already aroused, are we?"

Inez couldn't believe this was happening. Never in any of her wildest fantasies about Medya did she think of the lithe cat girl tying her up and then acting like this. "But the guards?" Inez feebly protested, knowing that it was useless. Medya could indeed sense her arousal, as she was more than aching for the woman who had her at her mercy.

"Nahmia and Liana know to ignore any sounds that come from this tent tonight, so you're all mine, my queen. So, let me serve you, please?" Medya almost begged.