Author's Note: What a long road it's been, but finally we're at the end! Thank you to everyone who has persevered and stayed with it so long. I know not everyone enjoyed the direction this story took, but I do thank you for all the feedback both positive and negative.
I'm glad to be finished with the story so that I can move on to other things. I'll be working on some other projects for the next two months or so while I unwind from writing such a long story. Starting in probably January I will begin work on a short, 4 chapter story about Agmar (tentatively title Conquest) which will set up the final story in the series, Orc Dominion: Triumph.
In the meantime, look for the Elfin Descent Afterward where I will discuss what I learned writing the story and reflect on what went right, what went wrong, and how to improve in the future. I'll also be providing more details on upcoming projects. For now, enjoy the conclusion to Elfin Descent!
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The dress was supposed to be humiliatingly scandalous, but after seeing how Zentaran women dressed it was hard for her to get too upset about it. The royal blue garment had a low neckline, and the waist was corseted to lift her bust; despite her small bust she would have cleavage when she put it on. The corset was laced in the front, and hugged her curves all the way down to her hips before finally flaring out into a more voluminous skirt. It wasn't the dress that an elfin maiden should be getting married in, but then, she wasn't a maid anymore.
She wondered what happened to the white dress that was being designed for her before she left. Discarded, probably. That was a dress for a virgin princess, not a fallen woman. Still, she had worn worse dresses in Ruar, and while it might be embarrassing to wear such a colorful garment, she could survive it.
What was really humiliating was the fact that she wasn't allowed to wear a veil in the bridal procession or for the wedding. Even worse, the order didn't come from Trogar, it came from her father. She still remembered the stern look on his face when he broke the news to her.
"Our traditions have meaning." He said. "The veil is to protect the modesty of virtuous women. It is a symbol that the woman is living an honorable life. If I allow you to wear one, especially with everyone knowing what you have done, it would take all meaning from it. I am sorry Lyriena, but you are no longer permitted to wear a veil in Deznessuian."
It had been hard to hold back the tears, but she had managed it. She accepted the decree with the poise and grace of a princess. But she didn't know if she would ever be able to forgive him. She also didn't think he had fully thought through his decision. Yes, her wearing a veil would degrade the value of it. But not wearing it would degrade the custom all together. When the elfs saw their princess, and one day their queen, without a veil they would stop wearing them as well.
But that didn't matter now. Her attention shifted to the door when Soleil and Florette entered her chambers. Elenorei still hadn't returned to her duties. It rankled her to see Soleil standing in her most intimate rooms, but she had a feeling she would be seeing more of it in the future.
"Good morning Your Highness." Florette chirped as she took the dress from Lyriena in order to help her dress.
"Your wedding dress is beautiful, Your Highness. You're going to look ravishing in it." Soleil added tauntingly. The twin sisters helped her into the dress and cinched the laces tight. The corset fit so snugly that it outlined the jeweled rings piercing both the princess' nipples.
Lyriena flushed as she looked at herself in the mirror. It was one more little humiliation to go with the lack of a veil and the non-white color. She looked more like a mistress than a bride. Maybe she could convince people that it was a Zentaran tradition. The thought of everyone looking at her sent a tremor through her body.
Soleil's fingers brushed over Lyriena's body as she made the final adjustments, and then stopped to squeeze the princess' nipples, making them stiffen and become even more prominent. "There, perfect!"
"Ah!" Lyriena gasped sharply and then slapped Soleil's hand away. "We are not in Ruar now, Soleil! This is Yemora and I am the Princess here! You will not touch me in that manner!"
"In a short while you'll be married to the Prince, and then it will be up to him how you're treated!" Soleil replied petulantly.
"You think so? Do you really think Trogar will be allowed the same liberties and privileges here that he had in Zentara? Do you think my father will permit that? You had best watch it or you will end up on your back in a brothel, again!"
"I'm sure Soleil didn't mean anything by it, Your Highness." Florette interjected. "It's going to take some time for us all to adjust to our new situation." The servant girl stepped up behind Lyriena and hung the Moon of Deznessuian around her neck. "Oooh, this will look lovely."
Soleil glared at her sister, but when she opened her mouth to continue the other twin cut her off.
"Oh stop it, Soleil. You can't keep blaming Her Highness for everything. Besides, it all worked out in the end, didn't it? Here we are, risen up to a station we'd never thought we'd get to." Florette straightened the necklace out, and then retrieved the princess' tiara and wove it through her golden hair. "As for you, Your Highness, meaning no disrespect, but stop playing such a victim. So what if things didn't turn out the way you thought it would? It never does for anyone. You take what life gives you and make the best of it. You're here now, you're marrying the Prince, so take what you can from it and enjoy the ride. There, that's all I have to say on the matter."
Lyriena tried to collect her thoughts on how to respond, but she was interrupted by the bell summoning her to the marriage chapel. Each time the bell pealed she felt her heart leap in her chest. Soleil and Florette fell in behind her as she left the room. Fortunately, her father had decided on a small wedding in the private chapel of the castle.
Still, the entire court would be in attendance to witness the event. Lyriena exited into the courtyard and shivered as she felt a cool wind blow across her bare face. The whispers started immediately as she walked through the garden, surrounded on all sides by courtiers. If Soleil's fingers hadn't hardened her nipples the chill air would have. The thin material of her dress did nothing to protect her from the autumn air, and she felt every eye in the castle on her nearly exposed flesh as she marched towards the chapel.
They would get a better look at her soon, she knew. If swallowing down her marriage to Trogar was difficult, the public bedding ceremony afterward was to be a nightmare. Still, as always, there was a treacherous bee buzzing in the back of her mind, exciting her at the thought of such public exposure and humiliation. How did this happen, she wondered. Why did she have to have such a traitorous body?
Lyriena steeled herself and tried to block out the sniggers and snide, whispered comments about her dress and the fact that she was being married without a veil. Time would justify her actions, she hoped. For now, she just had to bury her pride and do her duty for her father and her people. She could deal with the consequences later. She just hoped she didn't enjoy them too much.
She stepped into the warm church and began marching down the aisle to where Trogar and her father awaited. It had been a long road to get here, but now the future and her destiny were at hand.
****
The wedding and reception were all a blur; she was too distracted with dread of the upcoming bedding ceremony. The tradition was an old one and in retrospect a little odd. Even the Zentarans didn't watch newlywed couples together on their wedding night. But with modesty and chastity being so important to elfs, the public declaration of the bride's virtue was essential. Even still, the tradition usually called for the families to be waiting outside of a curtained bed for the groom to make his determination.
But this wasn't your typical situation. Lyriena wasn't a virgin, and everyone knew it. In cases like hers, where the woman was marrying the man who deflowered her, the bedding ceremony was usually quietly forgotten. However, in some circumstances the ceremony remained. This was especially true for marriages that sealed alliances or other agreements. Both sides would want there to be witnesses that the marriage was completed and consummated so one side could not back out later.
So Lyriena had to put up with the shame of half the court witnessing Trogar penetrating her on her wedding night. Normally it was the bride's family that insisted, since it was usually the husband that would reject an impure bride. She suspected it was Trogar insisting though. Not only would it ensure that she couldn't wiggle out of the marriage later, but it would be a delicious humiliation for her.
The worst part is that some part of her wanted it. She came hard the other day when imagining it. But now that it was to be a reality, her stomach was in knots. Lyriena quickly downed a goblet of wine to steady her nerves.
"Let's get the happy couple upstairs!"
"I heard it's going to be an open curtain bedding!"
"I've been waiting to see the princess bedded for years!"
Lyriena couldn't see which of her courtiers were so eager to see her naked body. Were they people she had known, maybe for years? Perhaps elfs weren't so different from men after all. Perhaps elfin women had to protect their modesty so dearly since elfin men were just as lecherous as humans and orcs.
If anything could dissuade her from the line of thinking it was the look on Datoran's face. Despite having humiliated her earlier, he seemed far from detached from the procedure. His face was drawn tight and tense. She couldn't tell if he was angry or ashamed. He was right, she realized. Her whole wedding was one giant passive reminder that he had been cuckolded by an orc; an orc he would henceforth have to kneel to.
