A disappointing turnout

"I suppose we've got a ways to go." you observe to Klaus the militia captain as the two of you observe the field outside of town set aside for the first Royal Agent trials. There are a handful of ladies present, most of whom are obviously civilians hoping for a miracle. The prisoner is standing at one end of the line, studiously ignoring everyone else while rubbing her wrists absently. She watches the horizon wistfully.

The only other silhouette of note is a dark elf. Her daring clothing indicates nobility to your practiced tastes, as does her bearing. Her hair is pure white or platinum blonde depending on how the light catches it, and hangs down past her sweet, grabbable ass. Her proud breasts are straining at the white fabric that barely contains them, pushed up even further by her arms crossed beneath them. Her gold eyes contrast with the dusky brown color of her skin to present a striking, exotic look. The clean lines of her legs are sheathed in soft thigh-high boots that end a tantalizing distance from the bottom of her short tunic. A decorative rapier rides low on one flared hip. You find yourself really hoping that she works out, as you've always had a soft spot for the elves. Back home, you were given rulership of Alfheimr and always felt protective of its people.

"Yes sire." Answers Klaus, unaware of the turn in your thought process. "We've always been one of the smaller towns, and the recent troubles we've been through Stonegate's reputation has suffered. Not saying that you won't turn things around, but until you do this is honestly a bigger turn-out than I was expecting." Some might have been offended by the captain's blunt honesty, but you've seen too many campaigns ruined by suck-up officers. You appreciate competence over sycophancy. So you simply grunt in agreement. "Well, line them up Captain. I'm not lowering my standards just because of a low turn-out. If none of them make it, none of them make it."

"Fall in!" he bawls the order, and the assembled ladies line up with varying degrees of success and haste. The dark elf is watching you carefully, arms still crossed beneath her chest defensively. The prisoner on the other end of the line obviously feels like these things are beneath her, based on the rolled eyes and annoyed expression. She takes her time, enough that its clear that she is making a performance out of it, though she does eventually settle into a military-style position of attention. The nondescript fillers stumble their way through the motions, most of them seem to fall back on some of the lessons the militia have been learning. You suppress a sigh. You already have militia guards. You're looking for the elite now. You understand where they are coming from though. The promises you've made for those that are accepted will set them up for life. It shows they are willing to give try, even if their chances are long. Personally, you've already discounted most of them, but allowing them to continue will maintain the impression of fairness. Before things continue, you need to make some attitude adjustments though.

"Thank you for your time, but if you don't want to be here, then don't." You tell the prisoner bluntly. "You've already got some serious strikes against you, and you're not doing a thing to convince me that you want to turn over a new leaf. I thought that you were ready to be serious. I'll have the guards return you to your cell and you can cop all the attitude you like there." You turn to wave Klaus over, but she grabs your arm impulsively. You give her a flat look, though inwardly you were expecting something like this. Otherwise you wouldn't have wasted your words provoking her. You have high hopes for her, but not as she is now. She is trying to look casual, but her pupils are dilated and her hands are cold. "Wait." She says, somewhat unnecessarily, with her cultured accent. "I... I do want to be here. For you. I'll do better, I promise." Manipulative. She's probably used to twisting men around her finger, and its readily apparent that her taste of freedom has made the prospect of going back to jail much more unacceptable. You'll play those games though, if it gets you what you want. You actually enjoy the challenge of taming this little handful. You lean into her personal space, shamelessly using your large muscular frame to add to the challenge. "Prove it." You demand, before turning and walking down the line.

Some of the other ladies are obviously enjoying the prisoner's discomfort, though they think they are hiding it. "Shoulders back, , head and eyes front, heels together." You command, making corrections as you go. Though you don't let it show, you do enjoy exercising your authority like this. A line of obedient women presenting themselves for your inspection. Speaking of which... "Why are you here?" You demand of the dark elf, as challenging in tone as you were with the prisoner. She has made no effort to emulate the others and remains in her casual pose while she watches you. She hesitates for a moment, before sweeping a hand gracefully over to the side. "May I speak to you privately, lord?" She asks, instead of answering your question directly. Still, you may be going soft but you're genuinely curious about her. You had thought that the elves were wiped out. Finding even one survivor here was thrilling. You consider the possibility that she is here to **** you, but discard the possibility after a little thought. The only groups you've made enemies of so far are the Fell and Zeus's little band. She doesn't have any of the signs you've come to associate with Fell-taint, and Zeus will be occupied with his own plans from what he said. Additionally, if she were here to attack you, the presence of a few half-trained militia girls is unlikely to make a difference anyway. So you nod in acceptance and walk over to the side, leaving her to follow your lead.

You stop out of earshot and turn back to her, folding your arms across your broad chest to signal your impatience. She picks up on it of course, but does not react to the challenge. Instead, she looks away as she chooses her words carefully before fixing you with her golden gaze. "Our people have always been few in number. Recently, the Fell have overrun our village, leaving the survivors without a home and on the run. I am the daughter of our king, and I have come to investigate you claims. Do you really have a way to deal with the Fell? Others have made that claim, and have failed. We can't afford to be taken in by false promises."

You hear the question that she's careful not to ask loud and clear. 'Can you protect us?' Her hesitation to speak in front of the others makes more sense now. She is from a proud people, ad they are in a **** situation. It would be easy to take advantage of them. You decide to take a chance of your own. "There is an artefact from my world known as Pandora's Box. It was made to hold all the ills of the world. Since the Fell are manifestations of those ills, they are **** to it. It is lost to us for now, but finding it again is one of my top priorities. If we can find the Seeds of Corruption that are the source of the Fell and seal them in Pandora's Box, we will stop them at the source and they will no longer be able to manifest in this world."

She looks surprised, considering your words wide-eyed. No doubt she had expected more empty promises, but what you have offered is genuine hope. You see her delicate features move thoughtfully, then firm into resolve. She meets your gaze again and announces formally. "Then, if you will shelter our people, we will pledge ourselves to your service unconditionally and I will serve you personally in whatever manner you desire." She finishes with a bow from the waist, her hands at her sides and her heavy breasts swaying as you get quite the eyeful. You almost snort in amusement, enjoying yourself more than you had thought that you would when you saw the limited options. It looks like she's another one that's used to batting her eyelashes and getting men to do what she wants. Well, you're not opposed to that either, though you're not about to lose your head over a scantily-clad seductress. "Stonegate has suffered our own trials, and I cannot promise you ideal living conditions until we finish rebuilding. That being made clear, your people will be welcome here. As for your own offer of service, that will remain to be seen. Complete the trials, and you will be one of my Agents. I have high standards." You finish in warning.

"Then I will simply have to convince you of my worth." She says plainly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "With your leave, sire?" You nod your agreement and she returns to the line, lining up and standing at attention with dignity as if it were her idea to begin with. Well then, time to get things sorted out!