Elf Maidens of Thurn

Volume 1: Alexandrescu and Cassandra

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Chapter 1: An impossible problem to solve.

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"In short, Alex, you are tasked with solving the Elf Maiden problem," says the Chief Procurator, bringing his twenty minute monologue to an end.

"I was under the impression that General Wang was attending to that matter," I reply.

"He was. As was Lord Grenville and Justice Fallow before him. All failures. Men whose brains live between their legs. That's why I'm giving you the task. You are eminently qualified."

"What eminent qualification would that be?" I ask.

"Your friendship with the Emperor's daughter, of course. The Emperor might at least consider whatever you propose without rejecting it out of hand."

Cassandra and I enjoyed a two-year platonic friendship while we were studying history together under Professor Hans. These days the whole subject of Thurn's 'ancient' history is forbidden knowledge. Any historical records referring to events more than a hundred years ago are locked away in the castle archives. Access is restricted to the Keeper of the Scrolls, and to students, like Cassandra and me, who obtain a special permit from the Emperor himself. I doubt Cassandra and I would have gained the permit had Cassandra not been the Emperor's own kin. Even so, our access was limited to events within the last two hundred and fifty years. I wish we could have researched further back into our history, but I nevertheless enjoyed my time studying history with Cassandra. It was a pleasant experience that came to an end when I was appointed to my current government position.

Cassandra and I have neither seen nor contacted each other for over eighteen months. Consequently, our former friendship hardly qualifies as a gateway to the Emperor's favour. But the Chief Procurator isn't going to listen to any argument on that point. Both he and I know that I'm being given this hopeless task because he regards me as a threat to his own position. Having me destroy my own career by wrestling with a problem that few Thurnian men want solving would fit nicely with the Chief Procurator's ambitions.

You might ask 'what is the Elf Maiden problem?' An excellent question that has no easy answer. At its core, the so-called problem relates to the disruption that the arrival of Elf Maidens caused to the traditional Thurnian lifestyle; a hierarchical way of life that has purportedly existed for many centuries. That disruption was triggered fifty years ago by the arrival in Thurn of 'elves', a previously unknown race of people, discovered during one of Thurn's rare voyages of exploration. The invaluable contribution 'elves' now make to Thurn's commerce and industry is conveniently ignored when criticising the social effects that adult elves... Elf Maidens... have on Thurn's wider population and way of life. Any upheaval in Thurnian traditional social norms is invariably referred to as an Elf Maiden problem. It's far from certain whether the changes attributed to the presence of Elf Maidens are a problem at all.

Even now, there are huge gaps in our knowledge about Elf Maidens. Nobody alive today can determine with any certainty whether the group of a hundred or so female 'elves' brought to Thurn came willingly, or if they were kidnapped. Either way, the 'elves' arrival rapidly changed Thurn in so many ways that scholars and officials still struggle to understand the full impact on Thurn society.

To my mind, one obvious solution to the so-called Elf Maiden problem would be to return all the 'elves' to their homeland. Unfortunately, nobody knows where that is after all these decades. Having transported over a hundred adult female elves to Thurn, Gregori's charts and journals of his expedition were promptly destroyed by order of Thurn's ruling council. The reason for such wanton destruction of historically significant documents is one of many state secrets that men like the Keeper of the Scrolls jealously guard.

In any case, a wholesale rounding up and deportation of elves will be unacceptable to the elite of Thurn. The Emperor is reputed to have a harem of twenty Elf Maidens. He clearly has no interest in parting with any of them. It's a miracle that he still has the stamina to rule his empire.

The underlying disruptor from the addition of Elf Maidens into Thurnian society is one of biology. Thurnians and 'elves' are two distinct races. We are compatible in many ways, but with a few important differences. Outwardly we appear the same, apart from the enlarged and pointed ears of 'elves'. Both our races mature at more or less the same rate, and few of us live beyond our fortieth birthday. However, each race has obviously adapted over time to respond to the extremes in the climate of our natural habitat.

Thurn enjoys a pleasant temperate climate for eight months of the year. However, the bitterly cold winter storms are brutal, and deadly for infants and the old alike. The seas to the north and east of Thurn freeze in winter, and floating ice is a hazard for sailors even during the height of summer. Nature has adapted the reproductive clock of Thurnian women so that they are only fertile for three weeks in summer. Babies are born in the spring, giving them time to grow, and a much greater chance of survival during the following winter. Similarly, a male Thurnian's sexual drive is equally dormant until he detects the pheromones of a fertile woman. It has been nature's way of ensuring peace and harmony in Thurn for centuries. Except, of course, in the short Rutting Season, when Thurnian women come into heat, and men get territorial and possessive. During those three weeks or so, normally docile men get aggressive and squabble for the right to copulate with equally eager women.

The well established reproductive-cycle in Thurn was disturbed fifty years ago. Emperor Rambold commissioned his cousin, Gregori, to investigate rumours of a habitable land across the sea, far to the south of Thurn. After weeks at sea, a verdant land was located. Gregori named it Rambold in honour of the Thurnian Emperor. According to the few records that remain, Rambold enjoyed a moist subtropical climate, with plentiful fish in the rivers, and trees laden with fruits and nuts. The sailors initially thought Rambold to be uninhabited, but deep in the forest they discovered a nomadic race of people. At first glance the natives appeared identical to any Thurnian man or woman; except for their ears, which were noticeably larger than those of the average Thurnian. Gregori named the new race 'elves'. Of course, they weren't the elves of fairy tales, but the name has stuck ever since. As the explorers discovered to their cost, Rambold's forests were also home to several species of large predatory animals that hunt by stealth rather than speed. Sharp hearing was essential to survival in the forest, which may be why nature adapted the 'elves' to cope with such dangers.

Another difference between the two races is the strong body odour of the elves. More recent research has shown that their body odour deters wild animals from attacking them. However, many Thurnians, women in particular, find the odour repulsive. The derogatory term 'stinking elves' is commonly used in many social circles. Thurnian men are more tolerant of the elves' odour, but for completely selfish reasons.

The most important discovery from the initial encounter with the elves... at least for Thurnian men... is that elven women are fertile for around fourteen days every month. In the rich miasma of the tropical forests, the sexual pheromones an elven woman emits when she's in heat are particularly strong. The explorers suddenly discovered that their sexual drive was at full strength, and that elven women in heat were willing to make use of what the men had to offer. The common belief that Thurnian men are better endowed than elven males in that department has never been proven.

The discovery spelt disaster for the elven people they met. The now rampant Thurnian men rounded up as many elven women as they could find and transported them back to Thurn. No official records of the incident survive, but a seaman's letter to his brother implies that any elven men who tried to rescue the elven women from the explorers were promptly killed. The rest of the elven community fled into the forest. The whole incident is probably one of the most inglorious episodes in Thurnian history. Perhaps that's why the official records were destroyed?

Over the last half century, more has been learnt about the elven women. When they disembarked in Thur they were initially classified as domestic animals. They were required to wear a collar and be kept on a leash. Over time, a mishmash of laws have been passed to give adult elves a place in Thurnian society, albeit a very lowly one. The requirement for them to be kept on a leash was soon revoked, but the need for them to wear a collar still remains for some illogical reason.

The discovery that an elven woman can become pregnant after sex with a Thurnian man meant the population in Thurn quickly increased. However, a child born from such a union is always female, and a near exact clone of her mother. It seems that while a Thurnian man is able trigger an elf's gestation, his seed plays no part in determining the features of the child.

Although adult elves are no longer classified as animals, they have few legal rights. Furthermore, they may only live in designated ghettoes, and work in particular trades. Because of their strong body odour, they are banned from being indoors when they are away from their ghetto. Not that any man seems to mind when an Elf Maiden is in heat. The stronger the smell, the greater his desire becomes. An elven woman is equally helpless to the effects of nature, so in some respects she is a victim of her own body.

These days the law defines an adult elven woman as an Elf Maiden. Another law stipulates that the population of elves mustn't exceed one thousand throughout all of Thurn at any one time. It's an impossible law to enforce. After three generations of Elf Maidens being bred like rabbits, that limit must surely have been exceeded. The annual census of the elven population is an approximation at best. It is common knowledge that more and more Elf Maidens are being secreted away in the harems of powerful Thurnian men, and no census includes them. The Emperor may have the largest known harem, but he is by no means the only wealthy man who has one. Even the Chief Procurator is reputed to have three Elf Maidens kept on his estate. The tally of adolescent elves never makes sense. Dozens of them simply disappear each year. Unfortunately, fatalities may be high among adolescent elves, given the wretched conditions in which they are expected to work. The absence of any requirement on Thurnian employers to report fatal work accidents among their elven workforce may explain the census discrepancies. Regardless, a combination of the brutal winters, harsh living and working conditions, and the occasional cull of adolescent elves, ensures the size of the elven population is kept under some form of control.

So, how am I expected to solve a problem that few Thurnian men want solving? There's evidence that the indigenous population of Thurn is declining, or at best, static, despite the overall increase in Thurn's total population. The fall in the size of the indigenous Thurnian population is the real issue that needs solving. Behind the smoke screen of blaming Elf Maidens for the problem, I believe the decline in the indigenous population is because of the increase in male aggression. More than one bloody feud has been triggered over the last few decades. Feuds which have directly or indirectly ended the lives of many hard-to-replace indigenous Thurnians.

Unfortunately, the casualties from the upturn in violence are dismissed as irrelevant by the sages and scholars who have the ear of the Emperor. Their collective wisdom holds that the cause of the population decline is because Thurnian men are too busy copulating with Elf Maidens all year round to mate with a Thurnian woman during the Rutting Season. Their hypothesis holds that the pheromones emitted by an Elf Maiden in heat overpower those of a Thurnian woman during the Rutting Season. They claim that a man's instinct diverts his attention towards mating with as many elves as he can. Despite the theory's popularity, it's one that the facts easily discredit. There has been a small but steady increase in the number of babies born to Thurnian women each year. It's simply that in recent years, the number of Thurnian deaths exceed the number of births.

I face a seemingly impossible task. If there was some way of allowing men to enjoy the pleasures of an Elf Maiden without triggering the unwelcome side effect of their macho aggression, then a solution might be found. But I can't see that ever happening.

The Chief Procurator gives me three months to come up with a solution. Clearly repeating the ideas of my predecessors on this thankless mission would be pointless. My first step is to review what my predecessors proposed. Justice Fallow had come up with the idea of deporting the elves to the barren wastelands that lie across the icy sea to the east of Thurn. Presumably they would be left there to die out since the population would be entirely female. While the seed of a Thurnian man has no influence on the features of an Elf Maiden's child, his seed is nevertheless necessary to trigger gestation. On the Chief Procurator's advice, Justice Fallow's idea was referred to a committee for review. However, the chosen committee had ceased to exist years ago, so the idea has been indefinitely shelved. Lord Grenville must have been drunk when he wrote his report because it is twelve pages of gibberish. I doubt anyone understands the contents of his report, but nobody has been rash enough to say so. Openly criticising such a report would be a quick way to volunteer to take up the task yourself. General Wang's proposal to execute all pregnant Elf Maidens was rejected as being too callous and cruel.

My next step needs to be learning more about the lives of Elf Maidens, and elves in general. I've never set foot into one of their ghettoes, nor have I been to the factories, farms and mines where most of the adolescent elves live and work for nine months of the year. It's something I must now remedy if I am going to have any chance of finishing my mission.

The next morning I set off for the city's main elven ghetto which is located to the west of the city walls.

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Chapter 2: Into the ghetto

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The stench makes me gag as I walk towards the old abandoned docks. The stink of rotting seaweed, open sewers and garbage is overpowering. Not that the new docks further down river smell any better. The pungent body odour of Elf Maidens must be like perfume by comparison. It shouldn't have surprised me that elves are made to live in the least desirable parts of the city. How any living being can be expected to live in an area like this is beyond me. Nor is it a safe place to be. It's the haunt of criminals and drunks as well as those who, like the elves, are banned from venturing inside the city walls. I waived the offer of an escort as I felt the presence of an armed soldier would simply drive into hiding those I wish to interview. I've taken the precaution of dressing in my scruffiest clothing to blend into the surroundings. Even so, I'm better dressed than those around me.

My first stop is at a run-down building with a large faded sign proclaiming it to be a House of Delight. It's the colloquial name for an elven brothel that Elf Maidens frequent when they are in heat and are wanting sex with a Thurnian male. Despite the wretched surroundings, trade seems to be steady. I enter the building and I'm immediately accosted by a scruffy old man.

"Entry charge is a groat," demands the man. "Negotiate a price with the wench of your choice."

I toss a small coin at the man and work my way towards the back of the building. I'm not prepared for the sight before me. I suppose I should have done more research before venturing here, but there's no turning back now. Three poorly dressed Elf Maidens are sat on rickety beds. The mattresses are badly stained from what must have been years of use. I scrunch my face in disgust.

"We mean no offence, sir," says the one in the middle, clearly unsettled by the obviously fake scruffiness of my clothing. "A copper coin will buy you the use of any one of us."

"I'm not here to satisfy my base desires. I am doing work for some important people and I need to learn more about your lives here in Thurn. Will one of you talk to me and help me get the information I need?"

The three Elf Maidens look at each other assessing whether I'm a fool, or someone dangerous. They talk briefly in what I assume is their native language. These women must be second or third generation clones of the original elven women, so who has taught them their native language? Our forty year lifespans means that none of the original elven women will still be alive today. The survival of their native language is something none of the scholarly articles I've read about the elves of Thurn bother to mention.

Our discussion is interrupted by the entry of a man wearing the sort of clothes typically worn by a tradesman. He ignores me and stands in front of the three Elf Maidens with his cock already out of his pants.

"Two bronze bits for the wench who will satisfy my cock," he offers.

It's an insulting offer to my mind. Two bronze bits will buy a bread roll. Hardly a fair price for sex with an attractive woman, even if she is an elf. But the Elf Maiden covered in cum readily accepts the offer. The man tosses the coins onto her bed and she spreads her legs wide. There's a noticeable increase in the smell of her pheromones coming from her pussy. It has the desired effect of making the man's cock swell and go rock hard. It causes my cock to rise as well. Stupidly, I hadn't prepared myself for this.

I assumed he would fuck her, but he simply masturbates in front of her and adds his cum to what is already covering her. The whole transaction is over in less than three minutes. He leaves without saying a word.

"Why do you look so puzzled, Sir?" asks the talkative elf.

"I always believed that Thurnian men fuck you when they want sex."

"Some do, but many simply spill their seed over us. If they fuck us, then we may become pregnant. A pregnant elf is no use for sex as she stops producing the scents that trigger a man's cock. Far better for them to keep us in this state, even if it deprives us of the satisfaction we crave. Besides, people are already complaining about there being too many elves. It was only two years ago that dozens of adolescent elves were rounded up and taken to the work camps deep in the forests. None of those taken have ever returned."

"Which is something I hope my work will put an end to, but I need your help. Will you help me?"

"Are you willing to pay for my time? I could make a couple of silver coins here today if I'm lucky."

Somehow I doubt the Elf Maidens here would earn anything like that sum if I left them to their trade, but I'm desperate for more information.

"Two silver coins for your time until dusk. An extra silver coin tomorrow if I find today's information helpful and I need to learn more."

"OK. I agree," says the elf with an eagerness that confirms she was lying when she estimated her likely earnings in this wretched place.

"Good," I say as I hand her one silver coin. "One now, one at dusk. Is there somewhere more private we can talk?"

"I know a place nearby where we won't be disturbed. Follow me."