The sun was close to setting beyond the western edge of the valley when Queen Amerlin led the surviving warrior women and men back in to the village after successfully beating off yet another attack on the village from one of the other three villages there in the Forest Valley. As it had been the last several times, both sides had lost yet more of their fighters before a retreat by the attackers had been forced to occur. Releasing the warriors back to either the warriors main hut or to their respective huts, the queen turned and entered a set of huts that served as both her throne and her living quarters among other things. The first chamber was where she conducted all the villages business and at the one end a large chair sat where she settled tired and called for her councilors to discuss the war and what could be done about it. The war had been taking its toll on all four villages where each had just four years ago close to ten thousand fighting women and men, though the men until recently had served only as defenders of the villages themselves while the women went to the actual battles. However the attrition had taken its toll and barely 1,500 to 2,000 fighters were left to each village.
As the councilors arrived a look at their faces told her they bore more bad news and she demanded they tell her at once what it was. They in turn looked at each other, it was clear none of them wanted to give her the bad news, but one at last stepped forward and told her. “We discovered a spy here in the village while you were at the battle, we have been able to determine she is not from any of the other three villages, but is instead from far across the high plateau and the smoking mountains beyond.”
The weariness that had washed over Amerlin faded at the news and she demanded to know what else they had learned, but the spy had refused to tell more. Rising from her chair, she snapped out orders to have her special elite squad summoned to take duty here at this hut complex and to have the spy brought to her ‘special chamber’ at once. The councilors nodded and left at once to follow her orders, the queen was going to do her own style of interrogation, and she did so always alone with the prisoner. They did not relish the fate that now awaited the prisoner. The queen in turn left the official chamber and entered her quarters and stripping off her battle gear, left it laying on a chest and walked naked as the day she was born in to her ‘special chamber’ and awaited the prisoner’s arrival. It would not be long before a woman was thrust roughly in to the chamber, also naked and the door closed and a heavy bar could be heard dropping in to place on the other side.
Quickly looking around, the spy realized the door she came through was the only one and there were no other windows and openings in there either. Little did she know the floor had two layers of wood on it and the walls of the hut were in three heavy layers that would prevent anyone from easily breaking through the wall either from in there to the outside or vice versa. She barely had time to digest what she did see when the Queen appeared out of a darkened corner and the look of cold fury in her face made the spy suddenly look again for an exit for a couple seconds before the queen with a battle cry sprang at her and took her to the ground and began her ‘interrogation’ of the spy. Little did she or would she know was that the queen’s elite guard now stood watch around this particular hut from the outside as well as a handful remaining in the queen’s chamber with orders to not open the door except under her command. The spy had no chance to go anywhere or hope to escape and perhaps realizing that and perhaps coaxed by the queen to try and take her, she began to fight back realizing it may be the only thing that might save her life.
It would not be until close to dawn before the queen’s voice came from inside ordering the door opened and as she stepped out looking hot, disheveled, and bothered, she gave orders to “take the dead meat inside and feed it to the pigs, it’s the only fate it deserves.” As the hauled the badly battered body away, the queen dismissed her guard and then threw herself in to her bed and allowed herself to get some sleep while she considered what she had learned and how to deal with it.
It would be late morning when she finally woke up, and perhaps explored a dream she had, or a vision or an idea. What it was would soon become apparent as she went to her official chamber and had paper and ink brought to her and wrote three letters, one addressed to each queen of that village, and each essentially said the same words.
‘Yesterday, a spy was caught in our village and you may wish to conduct a search of your own to find one that may be in yours, I have information one is in each village. From the one in here which I personally interrogated, I have learned that all of our villages faces a new threat that will threaten to destroy us all unless we can stop this war between us now, and return to the rule of just one as queen. There is an army coming from the smoking mountains that will arrive in perhaps four months with close to ten thousand fighting women at the command of a queen Contrez. With those numbers she could easily overwhelm each village singly. Only as a united set of villages and fighters can we hope to stop her advance and conquering us.
Many generations ago, our people had a similar problem, and it was resolved by having all the queens meet in the formal challenge of Queen’s Duel to the death in which we alone fight each other until only one remains alive among us to become the one queen to unite us and lead us against this new and dangerous enemy. I therefore formally call for queen’s duel on the sacred isle in the Sur River to take place in eight days time when the moon is high. The fact I wrote this shows I am willing to risk it all, and I urge each of you to equally accept the challenge I await your response. ‘
Each letter went out in the hands of a fast young runner for immediate delivery, and as they left she called her councilors and told them what she had done and accepted no arguments. “We have no time for a long fight between the tribes, and we can afford less the loss of another fighting woman or man’s life except against this new threat. You know as well as I none of the queens would be willing to just surrender her crown, this however puts the challenge and the responsibility right on their heads by rite of formal challenge. Like me they hold their claim as queen by being the villages best fighter, I am sure they will accept not just because it will help save us all, but because they feel they are the best among us and will emerge the sole queen in such a duel.”
Within a few hours, she had her first response from Queen Shannar which was the nearest village accepting the challenge. The others would take longer, but within the next three days Queen’s Lurren and Dabbrel both accepted, though Lurren who was her most hated of the queens had to also include a caustic note stating she hoped she had the chance to fight her and looked forward to hearing her death rattle after she slowly and painfully took her apart. The duel now formally accepted, plans moved forward quickly as she gave orders to the local priestess to send her people to the sacred isle to prepare it for the battle, as well as preparing herself as well knowing she would soon be facing the hardest fights in her life within a few days and might not walk away from it.
The remaining days passed almost too quickly for Queen Amerlin’s taste and about two hours before dawn, with a young priestess and twelve of her hand picked warrior women with her left the village for perhaps the final time to travel to the Sur River and the sacred isle to face her destiny. Her departure was timed right to have her arrive just as dawn was topping the eastern edge of the valley and she could see two of the other queens were already there, and the final one, Queen Dabbrel who had to travel the furthest arrived within minutes herself.
Stepping forward to the bank of the river, Queen Amerlin formally removed her clothes and gear and plunged in to the swift flowing waters and swam with sure strokes towards the isles, noting as she did so, the other queens were likewise preparing to enter the water. Almost all stepped on to the shore of the sacred isle at the same time and as they moved towards the center of the isle, her warriors as well as the dozen from the other queen also emerged from the waters and began to form a loose ring around the edge of the isle alternating a guard from each village before the next of a village so they were evenly spaced. The isle itself was perhaps 20 feet wide at the narrowest point and about 60 at the widest and ran close to 120 feet from one end to the other. It was low this sacred isle, the highest point perhaps three feet above the waters edge at the moment, and during the strong storms that came through the valley in the rainy season it was not uncommon for the isle to disappear completely under the rising waters.
All four queens stopped about a dozen feet from each other exchanging wary glances at each other trying to size each other up as they may soon be fighting them in either the first or final round if they survived the first. In to their midst stepped a young women wearing only the ceremonial garb of a priestess in training and brought before her a small simple leather sack and from it produces four pears two white and two black. Behold the pearls of fate that shall decide who shall fight who this morning, those drawing the white pears will go to the upstream side and the black to the downstream side to face their foe.” Dropping the pearls in to the sack she raised it to their eye height and declared “All draw but hide the pearl until all have drawn and then show them at once.” One by one the four queens reached in and drew a pearl and at the word of the priestess opened their hand to display it.
Amerlin found she would have to face off against Dabbrel as they held the white pearls and without further word they handed their pearls to the priestess and turned towards that end even as Lurren and Shannar with their black pearls did the same and started towards the other end. Secretly, Amerlin hoped that Shannar won the first fight and suspected she would as she had a clear height and weight advantage over the other queen, but then she sobered up as she and Dabbrel reached their end and studied each other closely while they waited for the signal to start.
Immediately she realized that height and weight wise they were almost an even match, both stood at 5’10” and she knew she was about 185 pounds on a solid muscular body, Dabbrel might be a pound or two less of that much, and their biggest differences was in their overall build with Dabbrel having what looked like more powerful legs and thighs while she had a clear edge in her upper body and arms development, the fight she realized could potentially be very long and hard between them given their closeness before one of them finally breathed her last.
Down at the other end the two women there were likewise studying each other, Shannar was easily the largest of them all standing at 6’4” on a powerful looking 230 pounds of meat and muscle and she was clearly scowling at Lurren who was not too far behind her stats wise at an even 6’0” and a weight of 205 pounds on her large boned body, there was clearly no love lost between the two women but not surprising it was Lurren who had started the fighting among the villages a few years ago when she demanded the other tribes surrender land to her for her hunter’s exclusive hunting rights. All four had an about equal amount of land that their agreements gave exclusive rights to as well as about half the valley open for all to hunt, now Lurren wanted the others to give her some of that land, and they all said ‘no’ so she began to attack to take it by force.
Amerlin’s musings on Lurren was interrupted as the young priestess seeing they were all in position began the formal declaration. “This is a duel of the queens to determine which of you shall rule over us all, you now face one of the queens and you must fight her to the death, she who survives shall face the winner of the other fight at moonrise tonight fighting until only one remains standing. As a priestess of the Goddess of the Warrior Women, I shall serve as the final judge of when a queen has left this world to enter her great hall for her final judgment. With our Goddess to serve as witness to these battles. . . . Fight!” That said, she stepped away from the center and towards the ranks of warriors to watch the two struggles even as the warriors would. The warriors were there with a very special duty, to keep out anyone or anything else that might interfere with the fighting between the queens, and should one of those queens show a sign of the coward and attempt to leave the isle, they would spear her on the spot killing her, with the other would winning by default.
Shannar and Lurren wasted no time as they charged each other crashing together and going down in a rolling tangle of arms and legs that broke apart as Shannar gained the advantage and got her legs around Lurren’s waist for a scissors and started to crush the strength from her in a series of sharp pelvic thrusts. The attack however didn’t last too long however as Lurren went to the dirty tactics to break the hold delivering a rapid fire series of punches to the crotch of her foe getting several howls of pain before the legs loosened and she broke free and rolled to one side, but as she rolled, she found her own chance for a scissors and her legs found and clamped tightly to the head of her foe and she leaned back trying for the best pressure and fell almost at once a victim to Shannar’s own extra height as her legs lashed out catching her with a hard kick to the head and as she partially collapsed, her head fell between her legs in turn and they closed with deadly intent ready to try and crush her skull.
At the other end, Amerlin and Dabbrel also closed, but not to crash together but instead began a series of fast tie ups and breaks as both sounded out each other’s possible defenses and weaknesses. For a moment it looked like advantage went to Dabbrel as she caught Amerlin in a single leg pick up trying to upend her, but as she lifted, Amerlin half lunged forwards catching the one arm’s wrist and then used the falling motion to drag her down and forward, her captured foot slamming hard to her foes stomach and then flipped her up and over her head to crash on her back, her grip on the wrist still there, while her leg now free, she rolled hard to face her and jerked her foe to one side getting her off balance even as she rose and slid behind her for a hammerlock and jerked her off her feet using it and began to bounce her seeking to break the arm and limit her abilities. Dabbrel lashed out at one with a mule kick catching her squarely to the stomach and making her drop the hammerlock briefly allowing Dabbrel to spin behind and reverse the hold and jerk her off her feet in turn and then try to shift her higher in to a single shoulder backbreaker. Amerlin grimacing at being caught in the reversal kicked high as she felt the shift to the backbreaker and expertly rolled herself off her foe’s shoulder and behind her but Dabbrel was almost as fast as she felt the roll off she leapt forward and turned getting a couple feet between them leaving them facing each other once more.
Lurren and Shannar in the meantime were both straining and trapped in between each other’s legs and a slow struggle was under way as both unwilling to release was attempting to worm their foe’s heads further up towards their thighs where they could get enough pressure on the head to crush them unconscious and even kill them that way if they wanted to, and both women had thighs more than powerful enough to crush the skull if they got it on right and tight. If either faltered in the slightest the other would gain at once and the fight could quickly become one sided and deadly and they both knew it.
From the point of view of the priestess who was watching this pair closer as they were closer to a kill right now, it looked like Lurren was taking more damage if her labored breath and deep moans of pain were any clue, the moans and sobs were easily 3-4 times more than what she was extracting from Shannar and she was looking like she was succumbing as Shannar suddenly managed to inch the head of her foe a couple inches closer to the deadly thighs. Desperate perhaps to break free or force Shannar to yield a bit herself her hands sought a target and found it in her foe’s breasts as she sank her hands claw like in to them and started to try and destroy them inflicting cruel and massive pain in the process and got a response from her foe as she matched her attack. But here Lurren was much better at these tactics, and her shorter height made it easier to get at her foe’s breasts and she was doing a lot more damage if the jerking of Shannar was any indication but she was writhing as well as she took similar damage. Shannar however had been caught in perhaps her one weakness which was sensitive breasts and she was paying for that and desperately she unlocked her legs and kicked hard at Lurren’s head to break her own scissors. Lurren however had hoped for this and ducked the dual kicks but took a glancing blow. It rocked her but didn’t break the scissors she had on and she shifted a bit and suddenly her legs now were around Shannar’s head and she went for full pressure seeking to crush her foe’s skull and end the fight. Trapped, and knowing the claw hold on her foe was not enough, Shannar went for her only potentially deadly option and slid her arms around Lurren for a bearhug and drawing her body close as possible applied full pressure seeking to break the ribs and drive them in to her lungs and heart.
Up at the other end, Amerlin and Dabbrel had again locked up seeking to bring the other down in what was so far an even fight, and as they tried several tie-ups their hands met and for a few moments the fingers of one hand locked in the classic fingerlock tie up of ‘Mercy’ and their eyes locked for a moment and then their other hands rose and they locked in turn and they started to struggle to drive each other to their knees, clearly seeking the advantage. Almost two minutes passed as they strained against each other, their bodies also pressing against each other in an attempt to use it to advantage with no apparent yielding to the painful hold in sight for either though the faces of both clearly reflected the strain and pain. Amerlin’s ear was inches away from Dabbrel’s mouth as they struggled, and Dabbrel offered her a dare that could potentially end the fight very quickly if she was willing to risk it. “No law about us taking this in to the water is there?” She half breathed, “It could end very quickly for whoever ends up submerged, care to walk this in to the water say between waist and chest level?”
Amerlin’s eyes lit with an almost savage flare at the daring offer, she had never fought this queen before but knew from stories she had been a honorable fighter, pushing away briefly their hands still locked and straining even now, she looked at her face looking for deception and saw only the challenge and her willingness to take her chances as well. Slowly, Amerlin started to ease up on her struggle with the fingerlock, for a brief moment her wrists bent well back getting an extra hiss from her but then the pressure from Dabbrel eased quickly as she realized what Amerlin had done and the two quickly eased off all pressure remaining locked with just the fingerlock and arms stretched out between them. Then slowly the two began to side step towards the river’s edge, the guards seeing it drawing back and also closer as several filled the gaps closer to these two incase either or both broke to flee, but they stepped in the water and continued to side step as the waters rose with each step until it was about a third of the way past their waist going up towards their chest before they stopped.
Eyes met in agreement this was deep enough for what they had in mind, one forced to their knees here would be several inches below the surface and not find it easy to break the surface for air to survive, and once to both knees, the one standing could usually force them to lean back using body weight to their advantage and here that also meant straddling the body under water using it to keep her under for good until she drowned. A brief tightening of their fingers to signal they were ready to begin and then the struggle resumed again as both women this time began to tap reserves knowing they had to win this dangerous duel and force the other down.
Shannar and Lurren were themselves locked in a deadly two way struggle and neither had any qualms about holding back. Lurren seemed to have the edge here with the legs locks solidly around her foes head trying to break the skull or at least put her out cold so she could end it another way. Problem was the bearhug while at a not best angle was all but stopping her air leaving her lungs on fire and able to draw only short rasping breaths and her own strength was starting to fade as fast as Shannar’s. Then the head of Lurren snapped back and a strangled scream came from her lips as she felt one of her lower ribs snap and seconds later a second one cracked as Shannar dug deep in to her reserves trying to end it. Unfortunately neither hit the heart or lungs, and it had been a last desperate attempt by Shannar as her strength then began to fade fast, and Lurren found her breath returning and realized she had beaten the other queen as the arms loosened and fell away and her foe was borderline unconscious. The priestess seeing this also closed in ready to watch the finish and declare the victor.
The victory was Lurren’s it was clear she could have cracked her skull now as she resettled her scissors a final time or even locked the neck in them, but instead, she unlocked the near unconscious woman from her deadly grip and rolled her on her back straddling her waist. Quickly locking her foes legs with hers in a grapevine she leaned forward and wrapping her arms around her foes head decided to humiliate her with a breast smother death. As she settled her fatal grip, she could not help but taunt her victim “My body is open, come try your bearhug again and see if you can finish me off before the last of your final breath gives out.” To Shannar’s credit weakened as she was, she took the challenge her arms rising and wrapping her in a bearhug as she tried a final time to kill her throwing the last of her waning strength to break the damaged rib and hopefully drive it fatally in to her foe.
At the other end, Amerlin and Dabbrel were in their own power struggle, Amerlin had better arms and wrists strength wise, but she was contesting it against the stronger legs of Dabbrel who could potentially resist long enough to match and then capitalize on the fingerlock if she held out long enough. A good three minutes passed as they both strained together seeking to drive the other under, and about then Dabbrel began to score the advantage as she began to force Amerlin down, dropping her briefly to a knee and submerging her a few seconds before she broke the surface gasping for air and worked her way to her feet. A second time Amerlin started to buckle and she struggled back up before she disappeared below the surface and realized that she may be the one who might end up trapped there. She was not about to surrender without a fight and went for a different tactic as their arms went overhead again trying to force the other down and she suddenly stepped back a pace and wind milled the hands around and down so the fingerlock faced down instead and caught Dabbrel off guard and bent her wrists way back inflict severe punishment to the wrists and forcing her to rise to her feet and half danced as she strained to relieve the pressure tearing her wrists up.
The next minute Amerlin held the upper hand as she kept the hands down below blocking her foe’s best attempts to windmill them back and then when she felt it was right, eased enough to let her think she was getting the hands back up and then helped her raise them over their heads. The damage was done however, and her wrists weakened badly, Dabbrel looked startled as she found her knees buckling as her wrists bent back again at an extreme angle and she disappeared under the waters. Seconds later she surfaced driving herself partially up but not fully as Amerlin with the advantage now pressed it home and again Dabbrel went under and she struggled for the better part of a minute before she could force herself up again to gain some air before she was forced under a third time, and this time Amerlin made her move to try and straddle her and end the struggle.
Under the water, Dabbrel was fighting desperately for her life and tried to scrape back under the water seeking the shallow water and bring the fight back to land before she drowned. She already had taken some water and in desperation she managed a fourth time to fight to the surface and get her bearings on the shore and as she was forced down again tried again to work the fight back to the shore and keep Amerlin from getting the fatal straddle on her. Feeling her strength fading fast and her lungs about to take on a fatal level of water she had little hope or options as she felt the legs almost lock around her. A final desperate strategy came to her and drawing what she had left went for a surge up and broke the surface and kept herself up as she gasped and managed a couple gulps of air before Amerlin forced her down and under again, but this time as she went under, she jerked hard on the locked hands and with Amerlin leaning over her, she went under drawn by the move with little chance to take any extra breath of her own and as she did Dabbrel broke the fingerlock her arms closing desperately around her foes body in a bearhug determined to keep her under as well and hoped she had enough air to outlast her. Realizing what had happened, Amerlin knew she could not break this kind of desperate bearhug and matched her bearhug for bearhug determined to crush her breath out of her and heard a muffled scream as her pressure drove some air from her cutting her own air down in turn and the two settled in to the deadly crush out knowing this was the final hold in their fight.
As the water roiled around Amerlin and Dabbrel as they twisted and rolled under the water seeking an advantage, Lurren was pressing her own home as she took the damage from Shannar, her ribs bruising under the desperate final attack of her bearhug and her face a mask of pain showing it but she held on tightly and after a half minute or so the arms fell away a second time and Shannar began to buck franticly as her body convulsed for a lack of air and then with a final tremble went still.
The young priestess quickly moved forward and began to test her for life lifting her arms and legs and then dropping them and each time it fell with a limp thud. This she did for the better part of the next minute and then satisfied she nodded and rising to her feet declared “Lurren has survived the first fight in the Queen’s Duel, Shannar no longer lives and her spirit is on its way to the judgment of our Warrior Goddess for her final judgment.” Rising to shaking feet, Lurren looked towards the other end even as the priestess hurried that way herself and saw the churning waters and realized the fight had gone in to the waters. She didn’t dare go too close knowing she could not interfere but hoped both would perish under the waters leaving her the sole survivor, as she touched her damaged ribs and breathed a prayer it would happen. With damaged ribs, if the other queen was intact when they met that night she would be at a disadvantage, she did not care to have to face in such a death fight.
A disappointed hiss escaped from her lips as she saw Amerlin suddenly surface and reaching in to the waters started towards the shore dragging Dabbrel by the hair, it seemed like she had lost the fight and the priestess as Amerlin dropped her on the shoreline checked her and saw the faint rising of her chest and barely breathing rose and said “She lives yet, continue the fight.” Amerlin came forward as the priestess stepped back and dragged her up to her knees and then leaned her back straddled her body and locked her hands around her throat to end it. Dabbrel’s lips fluttered as she felt the hands close and began to choke to death her voice not much above a whisper she managed to get two word out, with what she had left but it was enough to make Amerlin let go and step back for a moment.
The priestess also heard the words and as Amerlin considered the words then dropped in front of Dabbrel she knew that the defeated woman had been granted an honorable death. Her two words had been “Queen’s Embrace” a traditional struggle when one challenged a queen for her throne and both locked in a bearhug and fought to the last. It was considered a duel of honor among women, and as far as Amerlin was concerned, Dabbrel for her daring and resourcefulness had earned that final request and she would grant it.
Still coughing up water from her lungs, Dabbrel slowly rose upright to her knees but could not find enough to get to her feet, but Amerlin allowed her to lock with her in the traditional mirror bearhug of one arm in and one out and then they began to fight. It was no contest and Amerlin quickly broke her foe’s bearhug and could easily have gone for the more powerful inside grip to end it but smiled and raised her arms inviting Dabbrel to take the inside grip. A slow smile crossed the almost dead queen and she accepted the offer and as Amerlin’s arms took the outside grip they began to fight in earnest. It was still no contest though it would take a few minutes as Dabbrel held on stubbornly and Amerlin winced as well and at one point gave out a loud groan suggesting she had a problem as well with her ribs but Dabbrel eventually wilted her arms unlocking and Amerlin went for the finish shifting to the inside grip and stopped her breath completely even as her arms bunched and strained and then several ribs gave at once and blood burst from Dabbrel’s lips and all knew she was dead. Immediately Amerlin released her grip and slowly rose as the priestess began her checks on the other and soon rose and proclaimed the fight over and Amerlin the victor here.
Looking across the sand she saw Lurren’s scowling face and knew that the fight that night would not be easy, she and Lurren hated each other with a passion, and chance were they would both hold nothing back to kill each other, even if was not for such stakes as they now had before them, the ruler ship of all the Forest Valley Amazons. Slowly both women swam to opposite sides of the river to rest and prepare for the fight that night. No bandages were allowed for either as they would have to fight in the nude as before, and word soon ran through both camps that the other woman had a busted rib making the fight slightly more even and at least in Lurren’s camp, she made plans to make them her primary point of attack. The only respite both women would get during the next seven hours before moonrise and the start of the final fight was a liquid drink prepared by the priestess for both to help ease the pain, beyond that, rest was their only option, and for both such did not come easily.
As moonrise approached brightening the eastern edge of the valley, both queens rose from where they rested and with the guards and the young priestess in tow, swam once more to the sacred isle for their second and final fight. This time as the guards spread out as before they were not quite as far apart and in fact they covered only the central third of the isle since there was but two left and no need to separate different fights. Less than ten feet separated each guard as they formed a rough circle around the queens and the young priestess that stood between the two women.
No pearls were needed this time to see who fought who, and instead she produced a circlet of pure gold and set with eight exquisite black pearls and showing it to both women declared, “Behold the crown of the one queen. Only twice in our history has this been worn after a duel of the queens to determine just one queen to rule over all, the eight pearls represent the eight original villages that existed at the time of the first such battle between the queens and shall be worn once again by whoever survives this night as the one queen with all rights and powers granted by our laws and the laws of the Warrior Goddess.” Raising her voice so all could hear her, she shouted “Under the watchful eye of our Goddess and for the sole rule over us all Let the Battle Begin!” and then she quickly stepped out of their way as Lurren immediately charged at Amerlin and tried to nail her with a dropkick aimed right for the chest and ribs hoping to nail the broken one.
Amerlin read her move right and moved herself spinning aside and allowing Lurren to miss her, but could not capitalize on her passing as the other women rose almost as fast as she hit and closed a second time this time going to her fists and her brawler style of fighting lashing out at both breasts seeking to see which rib was busted so she could better concentrate on it. Amerlin tried to block the blows, but both scored hard and got a hiss of pain from her as the one connected and then leapt back a couple feet, partially to avoid the fists but more so as she countered with a roundhouse kick to her foe’s own chest and scored and then a returning sweep of the kick going the other way revealed the fact that Lurren has not just one but two damaged ribs and it was Lurren’s turn to back away as she dropped in to a cautious defensive crouch to see what Amerlin would try next.
It would not take long as Amerlin tried to close and Lurren backed away getting this response a couple times and angered, Amerlin rushed the women which was Lurren’s plan hoping to get frustrated and leave her with an opening. Amerlin however surprised her by not going for the torso as she would have but instead went to a low drop kick instead targeting the legs and slamming solidly in to the knees and knocking her off her feet to land face down with a surprise howl of pain. As she fell, Amerlin was already half rolling and half crawling and managed to get on top of her foe and grabbing her hair jerked the head up and slid her hands under the chin for what is known these days as the camel clutch but for them it was simply the ‘neck snapper’ and drew it up and back attempting to do just that and end the fight between the two.
Lurren rose with the hold arching her back under the pressure and moaned as her neck strained toward bursting and tried to arch back some more herself but the weight of Amerlin on her back prevented all but a few inches and she was in serious trouble. Not about to have it end now, she went at once for the dirty her hands lashing for Amerlin’s face and eyes and with a curse, Amerlin let go and rose to her feet knowing full well if the fingers found her eyes it would not be just a tear making rake she would try but to gouge the eyes out blinding her forever and making her a very easy target to finish off. She didn’t however give up all her advantage as she grabbed the wrists of her foe’s seeking hands and drew them painfully back in to a surfboard and tried to get enough pressure to literally dislocate the arms from the shoulder socket and cripple her foe.
Lurren rose struggling against the knee to her back trying to keep her down on her knees and with her extra height was able to negate the attempts on her arms and with a fierce jerk broke one arm free and turning swung for the head of the queen and Amerlin ducked the blow and kicked the back of Lurren’s leg dropping her to her back and then Amerlin scored a second time as she bent the captured arm in to a mean arm bar and dropped with a knee hard to her broken rib getting a new howl of pain as she worked on the arm for several seconds before with a grunt and using raw power Lurren forced herself to her knees and then rose getting the pressure off her body.
As she rose she tried a counter attack throwing her arm around Amerlin’s head and tried to close the gap in such a way as to get an one armed smother with her breasts on the smaller queen hoping to weaken her enough to get the other arm free and lock both arms around her head and finish her off. For Amerlin the situation had become dangerous as she fought against the attempted smother. Lurren managed to get her to the point where the side of her face was crushed against one of her massive breasts, her nose and mouth inches from sliding down in to the cleavage if Lurren could get enough pressure and twist her head to force it down and she was resisting with the strength of her own neck muscles and knew it was an unequal fight her foe’s arm was powerful enough to slowly but without doubt overcome her neck muscles and drive her in to the smother, she needed to counter it but didn’t dare let go completely her foe’s arm as it would lock before she could fight free and send her in for the seal it was too close. Taking a chance, Amerlin shifted her arm bar a bit so she could go to a single arm bar, her arm wound tightly around Lurren’s to keep it locked and away from finishing the hold and released her other hand and arm, the hand rising and went to the dirty and erotic in turn as it sank deep in to the exposed breast of Lurren and got a hiss from her in turn and an alarmed look crossed her face as she felt the fingers sinking deep and probing, hoping Amerlin didn’t know the trick she knew, but then moaned and bucked as Amerlin proved she did as she found the gland and nerves deep behind the nipple and closed on them pinching and squeezing without mercy. It was a sexual nerve and most women who knew the trick oft used it in a fight because the pinching and squeezing would trigger in most an almost immediate sexual climax and Lurren was herself not among the 10% who could resist such and she now found herself in trouble as the painful and erotic claw was used and she bucked unable to contain the erotic climax that came again and again as Amerlin ground the points.
Realizing she had few options as she climaxed a third time, she suddenly abandoned the attempted smother and used her now free arm to slam down on Amerlin’s hand in her breast breaking the hold and then a hard twist broke the arm bar and she half stepped away and turned trying to shake herself free of the erotic fog that surrounded her and focus on Amerlin she attacked her by charging her, fists rising to strike the damaged ribs of her foe. The move was both slow and clumsy as her erotic state slowed her perceptions and Amerlin blocked both blows with ease and slapped her fists down before she surged in herself arms rising and trapped Lurren with a bearhug using the outside grip and pinning her arms to her side even as she poured on the pressure getting first a moan and then a scream of pain from Lurren as the pressure rapidly built up threatening and then breaking the cracked rib.
A small hiss of frustration escaped from Amerlin’s own lips as she felt the rib go but failed to do fatal damage to lungs or heart and increased the pressure again intent on keeping her arms trapped and stopping her breath outright. Both succeeded as the pressure built and within seconds Lurren’s mouth was opening and closing uselessly as she fought for air denied and a look of panic appeared. Her arms tried to fight the pressure of the bearhug and rise inside Amerlin’s own arms to secure a matching bearhug but were denied by the pressure. Desperately, she tried to slam a knee up in to the groin but Amerlin had expected it twisting her own lower body and partially blocking it so it glanced off her thighs instead. It was risky itself that move as after several attempts her thighs began to scream in pain and she knew they may buckle if it took much more of this.
Lurren was weakening rapidly with two ribs gone and on fire and her lungs not so well protected Amerlin had her air intake cut off and she was slowly fading out and realized with horror she might just be losing the fight she had been so confident she would win. Moments later, it got worse for her as Amerlin to protect her thighs jumped up and forward crashing to the ground with her underneath still trapped and taking the full weight of the impact and felt a third rib crack from it, and then Amerlin’s legs grapevined her spreading them apart ending the attacks to her groin as well.
Perhaps sensing the fight was coming to a close, the priestess was herself approaching to watch the end of their struggle and it was clear that Lurren was all but finished now in her eyes as she began to buck from a lack of air going in to her death throes. Then to her shock and surprise, Amerlin unlocked her finishing hold on her foe and rolled off her and to her own hands and knees. Moving around to her foes head she grabbed an arm from the severely weakened woman and rolled her over on to her stomach even as Lurren coughed and gasped and tried to weakly rise to hands and knees. It was her final and worst mistake as Amerlin from her position slammed both fists to the back of her head driving her face first to the dirt and then planted a knee on her head as she reached over her body under her arm pits, her arms going deep and emerging under her shoulders to reach up behind Lurren’s head for a reverse full nelson and locker it on.
To the eyes of the young priestess this hardly seemed like a hold to kill with but moved closer to watch as the struggle continued and Amerlin used the hold to literally roll Lurren’s head underneath herself her back rising in the air, and as it did, Lurren found herself straining against the hold and face up under herself and literally unable to move except try and kick up and out and she had no strength left for that kind of a move,. The move became moot however as Amerlin made her next move as she shifted forward her own upper body sliding up on her exposed back and used her body and weight to press down on the back and roll Lurren in to a tighter ball and from beneath Lurren screamed a shocked “NO! You would not, you could not!” as she saw her fate literally hanging before her eyes. Suspended just above her face were her own large breasts and now as Amerlin tightened down on the Nelson slowly raising her head face up and pressed down on her back with her body, the breasts her own breasts were slowly being forced over her own nose and mouth, she was about to be smothered to death by her own breasts.
From above her, Amerlin’s voice came to her ears. Her voice as cold as the waters of the Sur River itself in the winter, “It was your greed and arrogance that started the war between the four villages, your hatred of the other queens including myself that kept the war going and put us in a position where we may now not even survive the attacks of an approaching army. For this I condemn you to suffer your death in the most humiliating way possible, smothered to death by your own breasts, the same ones you used to kill so many others with including Queen Shannar!” Realizing her death was here, her nose already covered and her mouth about to be sealed, she cracked and begged for mercy and found none as the breasts pressed closer, another press and she would be sealed in and start to slowly smother to death.
Desperate, willing to try anything to escape a death like this she cried, “I call for the Queen’s Embrace!” seeking the other way to her death and a possible attempt to escape and win the fight. From above the terrible pressure eased and for a moment she began to hope but then the pressure came again and the seal slid home stopping her breath as Amerlin snarled “You have never ruled or fought with honor, you do not deserve such an honor as the Queen’s Embrace!” Trapped as she was, Lurren strained uselessly against the iron hold as her air ran out and she went once more in to her death throes. This time however there would be no release from Amerlin, as she dealt out her version of final justice to her hated foe and felt her struggles weaken and stop. The priestess stepped forward as it looked over but Amerlin told her to wait as she could still feel some life in her yet and held her there a good two minutes more before finally letting go and as she rose to her feet, Lurren unrolled limply to flop on the ground clearly dead her eyes still open wide, and reflecting perhaps her final horror at the irony of being killed by her own breasts.
Formally despite the apparent fact the young priestess checked Lurren for a couple of minutes to be sure and then rising and tuned to Amerlin and commanded her to kneel. Formally and obediently Amerlin sank to one knee as the priestess displayed the circlet for all to see in the moonlight and then placing it on her head declared. “With myself serving as the eyes and will of our warrior goddess I have watched and served as her witness the dueling of the queens to determine who shall reign as the one queen. With this I so honor you Amerlin, may you rule over us all with both the ferocity and the wisdom of our goddess in that what is yet to come.” Setting the circlet on her head, she stepped back and shouted “Hail Queen Amerlin the one queen over us all!” and the shout was echoed by all the guards.
Amerlin’s own legs were trembling from the exhaustion of the two fights and the injuries and half hoped her first act was to not fall flat on her face. She managed however to stay up as she looked at the assembled guards, now all hers along with the villages they represented, and gave her first formal orders. “Dispatch two of you from each of the villages as runners to bring news of the duel and to declare me as their queen over all villages. Further, four of you from the villages of Dabbrel and Shannar will prepare a litter for your former queen and bear her back to the village she ruled over and there she shall be honored and buried with the dignity of rights bestowed to warriors who have died in epic battles for they have earned that right in the past as well as this day.” Looking down at Lurren’s body she then declared “This one however never proved such worthiness, her body is to be left here for the animals to feast upon.” And that said, she led them all to the waters edge and back to where she had her camp set up between fights where the priestess began to finally tend to her injuries and the messengers and the bodies of the two queens were borne away to their villages.
Dawn found them still at their camp as Amerlin rested late in to the morning even as several more from her own village arrived after hearing the news she ruled still and a splendid ceremonial stretcher was built and the queen was woke up and asked to ride it back to the village. For a moment it looked like she would but then refused and signaling them to all follow, she began to walk back to the village instead refusing to show that she had been that badly weakened. Her pace was slowed by the injuries, but she kept going and entered the village bandaged but on her own two feet to the cheers of the village people and made her way to her own hut where rather than resting she began the process of preparing for the approaching army.

To Be Continued:
Amerlin vs. Contrez