When Lyra laid eyes upon her former classmates, she froze in her tracks, recognition written all over her face. They too looked at her, a bit confused at her, but soon enough realization dawned on their faces too. One of them, a man named Gustav, leaned over and said something to the man with the crown, sitting on the seat at the end of the room. He then waved the guard escorting Lyra over, and he in turn told her to keep moving.
So she did. Past the officers and generals who were busy planning, studying the maps and discussing strategy. Lyra realized, this looked like a war-room, more than anything, and it made her uneasy. Regardless, the guard stopped some five meters away from the man on the throne and the four summoned heroes, and took a knee. Lyra did not, which earned her a few scoffs. She looked at the heroes. Gustav, Emelie, Daniel & Jenna. They were aged, older, more serious. It had been ten years after all. But still recognizable. They too seemed to have recognized her, despite her High Elven form. There were still traces of her past facial features after all, and perhaps the guardsman at the gate from this morning had already made a report that an elf named Lyra had appeared, and thus they put two and two together when they saw her.
"How have you been, Lyra?" Gustav asked, speaking first, his tone rather friendly, and more importantly, in English. Lyra considered lying for a moment, but then thought against it. Maybe they didn't know for sure, but, what was the harm? They were her classmates, after all. People from her world. Maybe they could help her convince the King to stop the war! Thus, she answered:
-"I have been alright. It is good to see you all again."
The four nodded, and Gustav nodded at the man on the throne. Confirmation. The man regarded her coldly. His hair was pitch black, his eyes dark brown, his skin rather white, suggesting a life spent mostly indoors. However, there was something else in his gaze that Lyra did not enjoy. Something... carnal. He watched her not as if she was a person, but as if she was something else, like a piece of meat he wanted to devour, and it made her uncomfortable. Then, he spoke, and the Area: Translate spell kept translating the meaning behind his words to her.
"So you are Lyra, the 20th summoned being from another world. I did not expect you to be an elf." he said, watching her intently.
-"It just ended up that way. Am I right in presuming I am in the company of royalty?" Lyra answered calmly.
"Most astute. I am King Damien Samus Xavier Ytrand, first of his name, King of Ytrand." the man said, his voice carrying far across the hall. He then continued: "I heard you have a message to deliver to me?"
Lyra nodded, and handed over the letter she carried to the nearby guard. He then took the letter and brought it before the King. King Damien opened the letter swiftly, and eyed it over. Then he started laughing, louder and louder. A few seconds later he stopped, and handed it over to Gustav.
"Have a look, Gustav. Aren't they hilarious?" the King said, and Gustav eyed the letter. He did not laugh, but he did snicker, before answering.
"They are very funny, your highness. His Emperor of the Revean Empire would do well as a royal jester, I believe." Gustav said.
"Right you are, as always. What a joke..." The King responded, before looking down at Lyra, and then ripping the letter apart right in front of her. Lyra in turn was shocked by this behavior. They were so... crude, and dismissive! The Royal Family of the Revean Empire sure had their flaws too, but they were polite for the most part, and certainly never crude like this. Then, the King spoke to Lyra.
"The prophecy had me worried, but you are just some little elf. Still, tell me, would you like to join my side?" the King asked.
-"I'm sorry, side? Your majesty, the Revean Empire does not wish for war, rather they would look for ma-" Lyra began saying, but she was interrupted as the King slammed his fist on the arm of the chair, the wood creaking and groaning under the pressure, as he raised his voice.
"Silence! As if I give a damn about their wants. It is clear they are weak and afraid. And what, they want me to make their little Princess Queen of my glorious Ytrand!? To have some Revean whore father my grandchildren!?"
Lyra looked absolutely aghast. Could this person really be the ruler of a nation? He seemed entirely unhinged! And worse, the summoned heroes to his side did nothing. Said nothing. The King, once calmed from his outburst, addressed Lyra again.
"No, their little peace-offering is nothing but a joke made in bad taste. But you, Lyra... I could have use of you. Won't you become my concubine? You are very beautiful, so I'd treat you very well." he said, tone low, his eyes roving over her form, almost as if undressing her in front of him. Lyra felt disgusted, and wanted to cover up, even though she actually wore clothes. It took her a few seconds to recover enough to be able to form a response:
-"Respectfully, I'll have to decline, your majesty." she said, firm. The King looked angry for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders, and Lyra felt a sense of relief. Good, he would not push this further. Then, however, he snapped his fingers and gestured for Gustav. Gustav in turn took a step forward, and flashed Lyra a brief apologetic smile. "Do not hate me too much for this, Lyra. Then again... soon you won't be able to even if you wanted." he said, and Lyra was immediately on edge. Instantly, she cast Mage-Armor, then Mana-Barrier... but in the end, her reaction was futile. It was not a magic attack Gustav used, but a mental one.
"Skill, Mind Control.[1]" he said, and his eyes flashed purple for a second or two. A wave of unease hit Lyra, before her mind was flooded with thoughts that masqueraded as her own. She tried to resist, but she felt her sense of self slip further and further into darkness, until after a few seconds it vanished entirely. The pained expression on her face ended, and she just looked ahead, expressionless and empty.
"Good, Gustav. Do the usual thing..." the King said, and Gustav nodded. Not without a small moment of hesitation, but he gave Lyra her commands anyways, as he spoke to her:
"King Damien is your master. You live to serve him. You will do anything he asks of you. You are happy to serve him. Do you understand, Lyra?"
-"Yes. Kind Damien is my master. I live to serve him. I will do anything he asks of me. I am happy to serve him. I understand." Lyra said, her tone now friendly and at ease.
"Come, Lyra, sit in my lap." King Damien said, licking his lips, his hand patted his thigh. Beside him, Gustav reached into his belt and consumed a vial of blue liquid, drinking it. Lyra sauntered over without a care in the world, and eagerly climbed on up into Damien's lap, staring up at him with her bright blue eyes, full of devotion now.
"Good little pet... isn't this nice?" King Damien said, clearly unbothered to be doing all of this in public. No one else in the hall had even so much as reacted, which suggested this was not a rare occurrence. Damien then put his hand on Lyra's thigh, running it up and down over her smooth skin, before he leaned in and smelled her hair, letting out an almost animalistic low grunt.
-"It is very nice, master. I am very happy to serve." Lyra responded, making no effort to stop the king.
"Good girl. Now tell me, you came from Fort Luna correct, didn't you, pet?" the King asked, as he leaned in and ran his tongue up and along Lyra's ear.
-"Yes, master." she said, answering only that which he asked of her. With the loss of self, she was no longer able to think for herself, but needed commands for everything, after all.
"Tell me about the forces stationed there. Fighting men, notable figures, et cetera." the King asked, as his hands touched her body, practically drooling.
-"Of course, master. There is a garrison of 100 soldiers stationed at Fort Luna. Recently reinforced by the 3rd, 4th and 5th Knight Orders, adding another 100 Elite Knights to the total fighting force. They are led by his Highness the First Prince Thomas, who has command over the Fort. There is also Court-Magus Helena present, and finally the First Princess Amanda." Lyra answered, truthfully.
"Good. Are there any other forces nearby? How long until the Revean Empire can mobilize their army?" the King asked, now running his lips along Lyra's bare neck. The summoned heroes looked, but did nothing to aid her.
-"There are no other forces nearby. The Emperor sent out the General Mobilization order last week, but it will take approximately three more weeks before everything is ready and everyone has mobilized." Lyra said, again, truthfully. Now the King was laughing, as he took Lyra's hand to his lips and kissed it.
"My, what a blessing you are, Lyra. Such a good pet. I will be sure to reward you in bed tonight..." he said, grunting with barely held back restraint. However, here Gustav interjected, saying:
"My liege, keeping the spell up is draining my mana quite fast. I do not have enough mana-potions to last a full day. At this rate, I'll run out come evening, and the next delivery is not set until tomorrow at noon at least..."
"Blasted... maybe I should just have my way with her now..." the King said, giving Lyra that hungry look again as she sat in his lap. Then, he stood up, and put Lyra down on the ground beside him again. He raised his voice, and addressed the entire assembly.
"There are only 200 men defending Fort Luna, and three weeks until the Revean Empire finishes mobilizing. If we push hard and take Luna in two days, we can then march on the Capital City and get there in twenty days, perhaps less, and hopefully get there before they can get their act together! Sound the bells, get your men ready and start marching on Luna! I want the city under siege by dawn tomorrow!"
The men in armor all around the hall clamored and saluted. Swiftly they folded their maps, and left the room. Damien took Lyra by the hand, as he said: "Come, pet, let me show you something..." and then he led her away. The other four heroes followed along, and Gustav downed another blue vial as they walked.
Soon enough they emerged from a tower and onto the ramparts of the keep, high up. From there, they had a perfect view of the field behind Fandir Fortress, and the mass of white tents that covered the entire valley. Thousands of soldiers, if not tens of thousands. And they were all moving, like ants. The King looked out over the troops with a proud expression, and the six of them stood there, watching as they got into formation and began to march. They were headed towards Luna. It wasn't that far. They'd get there around dusk, if they left now.
"The Revean Empire will fall, Lyra. I'll make you my first concubine. If you please me well, maybe I'll even end up making you my wife..." he said, a hand now groping her ass, giving it a squeeze.
-"I am happy to please you, master." Lyra said, happily, not resisting in the slightest.
Then, the King glanced back at Gustav. "How strong is she?" he asked.
"Given the rate my mana is falling, it would suggest she is somewhere around the level 60-70 mark. Quite strong, though it is a high possibility she did not get the double attribute points from leveling up like we did, since she is not a summoned hero according to the prophecy." Gustav said. The other three heroes were still silent.
"Mmm... it would be fun to send her into battle her. Have her kill her allies herself. Still, we can use the anti-magic cell in the dungeon for storage, correct?" The King responded.
"Yes, even if she is level 70 with stats like a summoned hero, that should still cover her range of stats." said Jenna.
"Alright, very good. It is a shame, my pretty pet, but I will have to oversee the march myself. I will have you join me tomorrow however, and let you see the destruction of Luna yourself. And then, in the ruins, we'll consummate our master-slave relationship..." the King said, before he leaned in and left a long, sloppy kiss on her mouth. Lyra did not resist, but parted her lips slightly to welcome his. Then, the king withdrew, licking his lips.
"Goddess... she is irresistible." he commented, before looking at Gustav, adding: "Keep her protected, and once you run low on mana, put her in the anti-magic cell. Then, once you get your mana back tomorrow and have access to more mana-potions, you will come and rejoin us at Luna. Understood?"
"Yes, my liege..." Gustav said and bowed his head. Then, King Damien and the other three summoned heroes took their leave, which left Lyra along with Gustav atop the bastion. Together, they watched as the valley behind the Fortress emptied out, as the armed forces of the Kingdom Alliance marched towards Luna...
[1] Skill: Mind Control (SS). Lets the caster control the mind of a person of lower level than the caster. The greater the level difference, the less mana this spell will consume. While active, the spell will continuously consume mana.