~Between Two Worlds~

Shock set in. 'How the HELL does this keep happening?' Adi thought as she stood in the bubble. She didn't even have time to scream as she was taken this time. 'I should give up on going home...I'm never gonna make it at this rate.'

Sitting down in the bubble Adi curled up, closing her eyes and resting her head on her knees. By this point in her life she was beyond crying. She just wanted to find peace and maybe someone who wouldn't let her get kidnapped every other day. Hell she might just stay with this 'Queen' person. But knowing Risk he would come and get her.

It didn't take long at all for them to reach the snowy village. It was partway up the mountain, not at the top, but most of the way up. The guards took a hidden passage way through the mountain face and came out the other side in the snowy village. It was set into the mountain with rock forming high walls around the entire village. It blocked out the cloud wind but the snow and ice was still there. They took Adi to a large stone building where the Queen was speaking with her loyal subjects. Upon seeing the guards, she welcomed them in a seemingly pleasant way. "So, you're the little cow girl I heard so much about," the Queen managed to sound pleasant and cold as ice all at once. Her long, elegant dress spread out behind her as she circled Adi. "I don't know what he sees in you," she mumbled under her breath as she finally came to stop facing Adi. "Well, you're here now and that's all that matters. Guards, take her to her room," she dismissed the guards and they took the floating bubble to a fancy room. As soon as they closed the door, the bubble popped and freed Adi.

"Don't bother trying to escape," one of the guards called to Adi from behind the closed door. "The room is seal with magic. You're not getting out."

Adi sighed and just walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. Looking over to the dresser she saw a hairbrush and grabbed it. Sitting there she started to brush her hair as it had not been brushed in days. Humming softly to herself she closed her eyes. She had decided at this point she wasn’t going to struggle. There was no point in it and she was just so tired of running from all these royals.

It was several hours later when the door opened and the Queen walked in. She glanced around the room, making sure everything was as it seemed, and then went over to the bed and, rearranging her elegant dress, she took a seat on it then turned her black as night eyes to Adi. "So, little cow girl, tell me your name. I am Queen Qana. I want you to know that you will not be hurt while you're here, you are simply a bargaining chip to get at that dog, Risk. He took something of mine and once I have it back you are free to go," she then stood up and straightened out her dress. "There are clothes in the closet. Why don't you pick something out. I'll take you to the bathing chambers and then you can join me for dinner." She seemed so very pleasant and nice.

"So you are not going to use me?" she asked, looking up at the Queen with slightly wary of the woman. "How can I trust you when you kidnapped me?" she asked, slowly standing up walking over to the closet. "But....are you telling the truth about clothing?"
Slowly opening it she slowly picked the most conservative dress and slipped it on, sighing as the warmth enveloped her. "Besides Risk has another toy to play with now."

"Why would I? I am not in need of help or suitors," she replied and then lightly shrugged. "You can't, but you really have no choice in the matter anyway. It's not like you can escape," said Qana to the trust question. "As much as I enjoy the beauty of a humanoid body, I do not need to stare at it all day to know what it looks like," she made a motion toward the closet. She glanced over Adi, making sure she was sufficiently dressed, and then turned to head out of the room. "You underestimate your worth to that dog. He heads here as we speak," she stopped in front of the bathing room and the servants at the doors opened them to let them in. "Don't dally now, our food will get cold." The bathing room was actually an indoor hot spring. "This mountain is a dormant volcano; it hasn't erupted in centuries, but the lava under it still heats several hot springs on the surface of the mountain."

Turning to Qana, Adi smiled. "Thank...Thank you." she whispered, gently taking the woman's hand and squeezing it tightly. "You...you don't know what it means to be to finally not be used or abused by someone. ... well...abused."
Then she let go of the hand and walked over to the spring and stripped. Stepping into it she sighed and practically melted into it. "This feels divine."

Qana returned the smile and the hand squeeze. "I imagine it was very hard on you," she said as she took a seat on a bench nearby the spring. "Those are pure waters taken from the snow on the mountain, they are cleaner than any other hot spring or lake this world has to offer. As my guest you are permitted to use these chambers whenever you so wish." She smiled down at Adi.

"After all that has happened I would consider living in a convent a nice reprieve." Adi admitted as she leaned back into the waters. Looking to Qana she smiled softly, "Thank you again."

"There's a convent in my village, if you so choose to join them," Qana softly smiled, thinking it a joke. "It's no trouble, dear. Though, I would like to apologize for the way you were brought here. I knew you wouldn't willingly come here." Looking down at Adi, she reached down to stroke the top of her head. "You have lovely fur. None of the other anthro people in my village have fur quite as lovely as yours. I'll have to make sure you get pretty things to bring out the natural color."

Blushing at the compliment Adi looked up at him and smiled at him. "Thank you Queen."
Then she started to scrub the scents out of her fur. She didn't want to smell like sex, Devlin, Risk, or any of the number of people she slept with within the last few days. "Queen Qana? Are you serious about their being a convent?"

Qana returned the smile with one of her own and returned her hands to her lap, folded together. "Oh, yes," she replied. "Many women in situations like yours run away and end up in these mountains. It happened so often that I decided to do something about it and I had the convent built. There is also a temple for priests. Not too many men have shown up in such situations but unfortunately there have been a few. In those places, the women and men will be safe." She smiled like she knew a secret. "Actually, they are safer than the rest of us. To protect themselves from unwanted sexual activities, I had the black smith construct... 'devices' that would protect their newly found virtues. If you would like, I could have the blacksmith make you one?"

"I...I would like that." Adi admitted as she stood up and looked at Queen Qana. "I...I would like the key though because I know I will get the urge again...I just want to keep others from using me."

The Queen nodded to Adi. "We will visit the blacksmith as soon as dinner is finished and don't worry, my dear, that key will be all yours." She smiled to Adi as she, too, stood up and retrieved a fluffy towel before holding it out to Adi.

Smiling Adi clapped her hands together happily. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, hugging the Queen. Then she carefully fixed her hair and then she smiled at her. "How can I repay you?" she asked, slipping into the dress from before.

The Queen giggled at Adi's happiness as she returned the hug. "It's no trouble at all, just being here is payment enough for me. The thieving wolf is coming because you're here and when he gets here I'll finally get back what he stole from me. But enough of this, we have plenty of time to talk about it later, he won't be getting here for some time. Now, it is time to eat. I am famished and I'm sure you're hungry, too, it's been quite a long day." She smiled to Adi and then led the way out of the bathing room and to one of the dining rooms. This one was small and obviously very personal. It had a round table made of white wood and high back white-wood chairs with designs on the backs and the arm rests. It was large enough for four places but a servant had removed two of the chairs so it would be Adi and Qana sitting across from each other. The food was already laid out, lots of different kinds of foods and drinks. Two servants came over and pulled the chairs out for Adi and Qana.

Sitting down she looked to the Queen, smiling softly as she then looked down to her plate. "Do you know how far it is to Queen Nephele's realm?" she asked, sincerity in her eyes. "I really wish to go home."

Qana let out a soft "hmm" as she thought about it for a moment. "I have not been there in a very long time, but if memory serves, it might only be a day or two more of travel," she turned her black eyes to Adi. "So you hail from Queen Nephele's realm? May I ask how you came to be so far from there?"

"I was kidnapped from my home by Risk and given to King Devlin as a harem-girl." sighing softly, "Bur Risk saved me again and he apparently cares for me." then she smiled and pushed her fingers together happily. "My mother is Queen Nephele."

The Queen let out a thoughtful hum as she listened to Adi's story of how she ended up so far from home. She lifted her napkins and dabbed at her lips in a delicate way. "That sounds like a very Romantic tale," she started. "The vile beast who kidnapped you ended up being a handsome prince who saved you. Like something out of a fairy tale," a Grimm Fairytale, maybe. "Oh! Your mother is the queen?" She looked startled at the news, having not known. "My, my, then I will have to call you a Princess from now on. Beg pardon for my rudeness, I had no idea."

"I am far from a princess now." Adi answered, looking to The Queen with sadness in her eyes. "I have no right to be called such." Looking down at her plate she carefully continued to eat the greens. "Besides...I am not even married and I am sullied so in the end I am diminished."

The Queen frowned at how Adi thought of herself. "Do not think of yourself in such a way. I'll let you in on a little secret. Most men can't even feel the hymen when it is torn, so if you simply let your husband-to-be think you are a virgin then he will believe it." Qana let out a little sigh. "What has happened in your life is not your fault and you should not think it such. You are not sullied, simply dealt a bad hand but from now on things will be better. It upsets me to see another treated so horribly as you have been and I will do everything I can to help you recover from what has happened while you're in my kingdom," Qana smiled at Adi. She was not the kind of person who based opinion on whether or not a female was a virgin or a slut or what have you, she cared about their personality and all that good stuff.

"It doesn't matter if he believes it or not....I have no plans on getting married once this little adventure is over. I just...I will live peacefully and live by myself in a nice house near the capital. I might not even go to my mothers I just know I will be safe there." she admitted, clasping her hands together looking up to Qana. "Thank you Queen Qana."

Qana lightly shrugged. "To each their own, I suppose. If that will make you happy then I support your decision," she smiled to Adi. "I'm sure Queen Nephele misses you and would like to see you again," she dabbed at her mouth and set her napkin down. "You're quite welcome," she carefully stood up. "Now, I believe we are to see the blacksmith, let us be off, my dear." She led the way out of the room and the castle and look a stone path to the blacksmith's place. Even though it was lightly snowing, none of the snow was on the path, done through magic so that no one would have to trudge through it. "Mr. Weiss?" Qana called out from the front entrance. "Are you in?"

"I'm here," Weiss replied as he entered through a doorjamb in the back. He was wiping his hands off on a rag. "What might I do for you, my Queen?"

"There is another maiden in search of your... 'special equipment'." She replied.

He let out an "ahh" and nodded. "Please join me in the back, ladies," he motioned to the back and then went back through, Qana following. He pulled a large tarp off of a reclined chair. "Please have a seat," he said to Adi.

It happened very fast and soon Adi was sitting in a reclining chair. Looking up at the ceiling she clutched at the arms of the chair and shivered at the thought of finally having complete control over what happened to her down there. Smiling she looked to Queen Qana and Weiss and giggled. "Thank you in advance...."