The Resistance members and I moved through the Jungle at a moderate speed. Even at its safest, the Jungle was never truly safe, therefore, we used caution as we moved. Jenna stayed close to my side, and the others kept some distance out of reverence, or perhaps fear.
We encountered a couple Ibex near the boundary of the grasslands. They had been too focused on their fight for dominance to pay attention to our approach. One of the group behind us let loose two arrows in quick succession, instantly felling the two beasts. Their necks were slit, and allowed to bleed as we continued our trek through the Jungle.
There was some fear that the blood trail would draw in predators, but I countered that culling such beasts would only help us in the long run, so we'd let things be, but be even more vigilant as we travelled. It was nearly dark by the time we started across the drawbridge. Lyssrah met me at the gate and flung herself into my arms, embracing me tightly as she planted her lips on mine. She was a bit too eager with her tongue, and nearly caused me to vomit, having even a lover's tongue going down one's throat so far tended to make one gag.
The sight of their Queen, fiercely kissing and hugging a Lizardwoman was a shock to say the least, but Jenna just smiled indulgently. "My Queen, why are there Lizardfolk here?!" Asked one of the new Men incredulous.
I looked daggers at the man. "There aren't Lizardfolk here, there are Lizardwomen here, as they had been confined and treated like property, the same as any human had been. Further, Lyssrah is my wife; she is bonded to me in a way that would literally cause her death if she were kept from me for too long. Should that happen through any direct or indirect means, through any action, or inaction on ANYONE's part, that person will face my wrath. Make no mistake, she is second ONLY to me at this point in time, and we will rescue ALL Lizardwomen, and their eggs, even as we rescue our own. An attack on her is high treason, which will result in death for anyone related to the perpetrators."
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My words silenced the man, and his eyes bulged. "My Queen," one of the women in the group spoke next. "I feel it only fair that we were surprised to see your... wife. I'm sure Dale meant no offense." She bowed, slightly panicked at this turn of events.
"I don't believe I caught your name yet. Being surprised, I can accept, but acting betrayed, that I can not accept. YOU are not the problem, DALE there, he acts as though merely containing the blood makes them unworthy of survival. There can be NO MISTAKE here, Lizardwomen are captives of their own people, we will save them all." So saying, I turned and strode away with Lyssrah and Jenna, as Marta took charge of arranging rooms for the newcomers.
The kitchen workers took the Ibex to be butchered for dinner, and the castle in general was bustling with activity. Needing to release some of my tension, I went to the ruined city and started to toss blocks around. By the time dinner rolled around, I had cleared a space suitable for construction and arranged enough stone blocks to construct a new two-story house once mortar and lumber were sourced. I knew there would be more prejudiced people eventually, and having space outside the castle walls for those who needed it would be wise.
We ate dinner with everyone, and I could see the tension between a few of the Resistance Fighter Group and the Lizardwomen in the hall. I kept an eye on Dale, reminding him of my promise that anyone related to a person who threatened my wife would die with them. His complexion paled every time he caught my eye.
Segregation seemed wrong to me, but it was looking more and more like I would have to segregate the prejudiced humans from the rest. I would not allow any I had taken as mine to be mistreated by those who had just arrived, and hadn't truly accepted me as their Queen, but only gave mouth service.
Lyssrah and I retired to our chambers, but I had Jenna take up a guard station near us to ensure nobody tried anything stupid with our Lizardwomen members, and Marta took guard on the nursery for the eggs. In the morning, three men had been caught, two in the Lizardwomen's quarters, and one near the nursery. Despite people begging for mercy on their behalf, I had no patience for it. "I made myself quite clear yesterday. There was no room for confusion; the only mercy they will be given is that, because they hadn't managed to directly threaten my wife, their families will live, but they will not." I took their lives with my sword in a single, swift slice. "I am Queen, my will is literally law! What happened here was attempted genocide of MY PEOPLE! I would do the same if someone had tried to kill any of you, why should I behave any differently for the Lizardwomen I have claimed as mine, or their eggs, that will hatch into more of MY PEOPLE!? I should not have HAD to do this, my words alone should have kept them out of trouble, but here they were, attempting to kill MY PEOPLE!"
