Amazons of Accor

It was a dark and cold evening in the coastal city of Deni. Fog and mist filled the night air, nipping at the thick pale skin of the fur-covered Nordics as they closed their shops. As the mead halls slowly came to life, filling the night air with the scent of smoked pork and beer, the town guard took to the streets and towers to keep watching over the small merchant town.

As one of the guardsmen looked across the great ocean from his watchtower with a single jug of mead in hand, he caught a glimpse of a dim light in the distance. As he peered into the fog, he could see the silhouette of a large war galley drawing closer to the docks. Clacking his cup onto a nearby table, the large man reached over for the large hanging bell and tugged the rope, calling out, "Ship approaching!"

Soon three guardsmen, lead by their captain, made their way to the docks' and waved their torches in the air to help lead the ship in. Moments later, a large galley emerged from the mist and glided into ports, its thick frost-covered hull creaking against the waves. The hull was adorned with black and red round shields with the helm of the god of war, Aries panted in the center with blood-red ink, while on her bow was the statue of the goddess of passion, Aphrodite. An odd combination, to be sure but not unheard of in the lands of Helena.

At first, the people of Deni thought this was another wealthy Greek noble or a Kanein Warband coming to remind them that they were the dominant power in Helena. They had been getting quite a few of those lately with the current civil unrest in the region and the village not being of Hellenic heritage. Regardless of who it was, the visits were rarely pleasant as the Greek nobles would often look down on them with suspicion.

As the crew of the vessels came into view, the men of Deni caught glimpses of the metallic bronze armor that most of the Hellenistic nations were know for. Upon seeing the armor, the captain and his guard immediately braced themselves for a shower in insults from a man dressing in fine robes and wreaking of perfume. However, as the soldier's faces came into view, they were pleasantly surprised to find that the ship was not crewed by men but by the lovely tan-skinned warrior women of Accor. Even better, the ship belonged to their Queen, Hyphiroe, who was standing at the vessel's bow. Dressed in her iconic golden armor and a fur cape made of bare skin, she waved at the large men on the docks and called for them to guide her in.

Deni and Accor were very close allies, and their nobility were even closer friends. While the merchant town provided the Amazons with wealth and iron, the Amazons provided the Nordics with military support. On more than one accusation, the Amazon warriors had rushed to the small merchant town's aid, saving them from other Nordic tribes, the Western Empire's armies, and the occasional orc raid. So strong was their alliance that some people believed that Accor and Deni were the same countries. It was even rumored that King of Deni and Queen of Accor were married when in actuality, the King just had a very fit wife.

As the guards pulled the ship in, several of the younger Amazon warriors quickly pushed their way to the side of the boat so that they could see the strong nordic men. They were a little disappointed to see that they were covered from head to tow in fur, but the men's broad shoulders were more than enough to get the girls excited. Hyphiroe roiled her eyes at the youths and sternly told them to return to their post. "We are not here to mate!" she shouted. Needless to say, the girls weren't the only ones disappointed by this news.

Once the gangplank was lowered, the captain of the guard stood at the plank's foot and waited for the queen to come down. The wind lightly blew through the cold night air and brushed through the strong and beautiful Queen’s long raven hair as she made her way off the ship. Her strong hips lightly swayed under her fur cape as she walked, and she eyed the guards with pouted lips, which more than warmed the men's chest and tunics. Accor's queens were world-renowned for being incredibly beautiful and distracting, something that the Accorian nobles used to their advantage when approaching the diplomatic table. They found that diplomats of men were quite a bit more agreeable when they were fondling over their strong curves, lovely legs, and seductive smiles.

However, once she recognized the guard captain, she dropped the seductive queen act and gave him a large smile. “Albius!" she called out, hugging him, "I apologize for arriving without warning. Accor’s talks with the City-State of Arcon have detreated, so I have to keep my movements secret.”

“We understand, Queen of Accor,” Albius replied as he knelt before her and lightly placed a kiss on her wrist, his dark beard tickling her skin. “It is always a pleasure to host the Queen of Accor.”

Hyphiroe smiled down at Albius as he rose to his feet, “The pleasure is ours, Albius. Now, if you would, please direct me to the King and Queen of Deni. I have something important to discuss with them.”

“Very well. They should still be in the Grand Hall,” said Albius with a smirk, “Knowing the King, he’s probably drunk off of his ass or hip-deep between the legs of Queen Resia, or both.”

The Queen Hyphiroe flinched a little from his vulgar words but kept her smile, “Though I don’t doubt that for a second Albius, might I request that you not use such vulgar language. There are innocents present.”

Albius gave her a confused look before watching her turn her smiling gaze down to her hip. Following her eyes, Albius let out a chuckle when he saw two young teenage Amazons standing just a hair over the Queen’s hips. Seeing that one of them had a small golden band around her brow, he knelt down and gently took her hand. “Forgive me,” he said with a playful smile, “I didn’t realize that I was in the presence of the Princess of Accor as well.”

As he gave her hand a light kiss, the young teen gave him a sower look, a look that was quickly whipped away by her mother pulling back on her braid. “Xira, show respect!” Hyphiroe said sternly.

Xira let out a long sigh before giving the captain a light bow, “Forgive my manners, Sir.”

Albius chuckled and stood up to face the Queen, “Don’t worry your highness. I have a daughter that's around her age, and she can be a handful as well.” He then looked down at the second girl, who, unlike the princess, had a far more cheerful expression on her lips. She didn’t look like she was related to the Queen. If anything, she looked like a young Nordic girl with her blond hair, light skin, and blue eyes. “And who is this smiling beauty?” he asked her.

“Thea,” the girl chirped, “Personal bodyguard of the Princess of Accor.”

Albius chuckled, “Is that so.” Looking at Xira, who was groaning and rubbing her brow, it looked like the title wasn’t official, “And what is it that you are protecting the Princess from?”

“Snakes!” she said loudly so everyone could hear, “Xira really hates snakes!”

“Thea!” Xira snapped at her, “If you don't stop telling everyone that, I'm going to kick your ass!”

“Behave you two!” said Hyphiroe pressing down firmly on the girls' shoulders. She then turned back to Albius with a strained smile. Could you please take us to King Devus and Queen Resia before I strangle my lovely young Amazons?”

“Of course, Your Highness,” he said with a quick bow and a light chuckle. “If you would fallow me. I think it would be best to direct you to the den while I fetch the King and Queen. As I mentioned, they are probably not in a position to be entering such young guests.”