Fealty: Statecraft
"How much longer until we reach the capital?" Pachacutec asked excitedly.
The jaguar sighed. This was only the thousandth time the tayra had asked such a question. "Still several weeks," he said, "depending on how the rest of the recruiting campaign goes."
Pacha pouted and gazed out at the mountainous countryside from his seat beside the emperor on the royal litter, held aloft by four members of the honor guard. A finely-woven canopy kept the sun off them to make the humidity slightly more bearable.
The emperor knew the real reason Pacha kept asking. Until they reached the capital and the harem's acceptance tests could be administered, the tayra was still in danger of execution. The jaguar wasn't exactly a proponent of the "only-a-royal-concubine-can-touch-the-emperor" law, but he wasn't about to cause a kingdom-wide scandal by breaking that law. Even if it meant having his new toy killed.He hoped he'd never have to make that decision.
In the three days since he met Pacha, they hadn't had another opportunity to relax together. As soon as they came back from the temple near Pacha's village, the emperor's grand caravan had to leave for the next village. Travel always tired him, so by the time they set up camp for the night he was falling asleep and in no mood for sex. Then bright and early, enter the next village, make the recruitment speech, feast, welcome new recruits into his army, and then travel toward the next village, where the process would start all over again.
During the first speech after his tryst with Pacha, he felt more energized, more alive. His advisors said he spoke more passionately than usual, and the result was twice as many recruits from that village than expected. The generals were elated. However, the next two speeches had been incrementally less passionate. Yesterday's had felt like the same old speech he'd already given nearly thirty times this season, and recruitment numbers ended up below expectations.
It couldn't be coincidence that he performed better after having his sexual desires fulfilled. He needed to lie with the tayra again. If he didn't want this campaign to stretch on forever, he would need every speech to be his best. He would need Pacha every night to satisfy his feline sex drive.
"Is something wrong, your majesty?" Pacha asked.
"Just planning," the emperor said. "Are you familiar with these parts, Pachacutec?"
"Unfortunately not, your majesty. I have never traveled this far from my village. Why do you ask?"
The emperor wasn't going to say 'I want you in my bed every night.' Doing so would inflate the tayra's sense of worth and lead him to be just another entitled brat. He needed to remain aloof so the tayra would continue trying to prove himself.
"I need someone who can give me intel on the villages we're recruiting from," the jaguar said, "but local advisors like you are hard to come by, and their knowledge is usually only of their immediate area."
The tayra seemed to shrink slightly. "Do you usually send anyone ahead of the caravan to scout out the village before you arrive?"
"Of course," the emperor scoffed. "How else would the villages know to prepare a feast the next day?"
"No, your majesty, I mean sending someone ahead to see what the village is like, what's going on there?"
"Pachacutec, we already know what the villages are like. We have maps and notes on their population counts, as well as their main imports and exports."
"But your majesty, do we really know what the villages are like right now? They might be having food shortages, local drama, sickness, or they might even be prosperous and able to offer more recruits. Knowing this ahead of time would allow you to tailor your message to each village."
The jaguar snorted. "What do you know of politics and recruiting?"
"Not much, I admit," the tayra said, "though I do know something about convincing people. Do I not, your majesty?"
A smile crept onto the emperor's face. "That you do, my ffffine subject." He almost said 'friend.' "Very well. We shouldn't be too far from the next village now. Go there and find out what's been happening lately, especially if there is anything that may be useful for recruiting purposes. Report directly to me by nightfall."
Pacha looked alarmed. "But your majesty, that's less than two hours from now!"
The jaguar chuckled and leaned in close. "Then run fast."
The tayra was frozen with indecision for a moment, then jumped up from the litter and sprinted off past the vanguard of the army and out of sight.
* * *
"So, my subject, what have you discovered?"
Pacha snapped back to attention; he had been staring at the lavish decorations of the royal tent. The tayra had spent the previous three nights in a tent with some of the other advisors, so this was his first time viewing the emperor's private residence. Gold and silver goblets, bowls, jewelry, and trinkets were on display on every finely carved piece of furniture. The walls were all of colorful, thick fabric, billowing gently from the breeze outside and arching up to the pointed top of the structure. The tayra had likely never seen so much wealth on display before. He better not get any ideas of taking some for his own, the emperor thought unhappily.
"The village ahead still has about the expected population of two hundred and fifty persons. No signs of disease outbreak, though they have a food shortage at the moment."
"Food shortage?" said the jaguar. "Their harvest season should have been only weeks ago."
"Very true, your majesty, but they say their granary burned down last season and has not yet been rebuilt. Without being able to keep the grain dry and away from vermin, they've lost a considerable amount of what they harvested."
The emperor growled softly. "How unfortunate." For the campaign, of course. With hard times in the village, it would be very unlikely they'd be willing to send away their young and able-bodied men. They'd get one, maybe two new recruits.
Pacha still looked anxious. "You look like you're not done with the bad news," the emperor said. "This displeases me."
"Y-your majesty, the villagers were told by your heralds to make ready for the feast tomorrow, as they should, but when whispering to each other they fear that after feeding us they won't have enough food to last them until next harvest."
The emperor sat down on his bed and put his head in his paws. He let out a groan of frustration. This was quickly turning into a public relations nightmare. Instead of entering the village like a awe-inspiring god-king, he would appear to the impoverished villagers like some fancy thug demanding to be fed at their expense. A revolt would be just as likely as a recruit.
But how to turn this to their advantage? There had to be some way, but he just couldn't think straight. Was it the leftover frustration from the last village? The long road taking a toll on him?
"My liege, if I may," Pacha said, "since we have so many troops with us already, I suggest--"
"You suggest?" the jaguar growled. "I have been able to pull strings to keep you here as a personal assistant. Do not think for a second that you are one of my advisors. I know what you do best, and it is not statecraft."
The tayra shrank slightly. "That may be so, your majesty, but I also know what it's like to live in a small village like this one. I know how these people think, and I know what can and cannot work in this situation."
The emperor glared. Pacha's eyes were fixed on the ground. The nerve... This subject clearly didn't know how to speak to royalty. Someone needed to teach him a lesson. But there were too many important things going on right now that needed his attention. He could practically feel the weight of it all, always pressing down on him, never letting him think clearly.
The tayra was still standing attentively by the doorway. The tayra with that sweet, svelte frame. Maybe that's what he needed to think clearly.
"On your knees," he ordered.
Pacha briefly made eye contact and obeyed wordlessly. The emperor clasped his paws behind his back and strolled to one of the chests of jewelry. Yes, he was sure there was a piece somewhere in here that would help. "Several times I've allowed you to speak your mind freely in my presence. And each time you do so, it is in such an impudent manner that it takes my full capacities not to strike you."
He sighed. "Sometimes you are a shy, submissive subject, and other times you have the brazen nerve of my younger generals. I have not yet figured it out. But I will."
"Your maj--"
"No. No speaking right now." Ah, yes, there's what he was looking for. He pulled it out and held it up. The golden collar shimmered in the soft lamp light. Compared to some of his other pieces it was plain--no gemstones, only geometric patterns in its surface, and holes at regular intervals near the edges. It had been a gift from a foreign dignitary, a wealthy llama, but it was far too small for the emperor's muscular neck. It didn't feel like it was worth having a goldsmith expand it to fit him properly, and so it had sat at the bottom of his stash for some time.
He approached the tayra. "Look up," the emperor said. Pacha looked into his eyes, curious. The jaguar put the collar around Pacha's neck and clasped it in the back. It fit well. "While you wear that collar, you do not speak."
Pacha tried looking down but couldn't bend his neck enough. "It's so heav--"
The emperor snapped his fingers. "No. When I snap, you have done wrong. And you do not speak while wearing that collar. You will communicate in other ways, but using words is forbidden. Do you understand, pet?" The word had come unbidden from his lips. Pet? Though it did fit. This tayra needed some taming, after all.
Pacha opened his mouth, thought better of it, closed it. He nodded instead.
"Good." He walked back to the chest and pulled out a gold chain with a clasp on one end. Not too thin, nor too thick. It was intended to drape across a shoulder. Or maybe it was the hip. He honestly couldn't remember what half the jewelry he was given was for. This should work.
He went back to the tayra and slid the clasp through one of the holes in the gold collar. "There. You are now bound to me physically. This chain and collar represent the obligation you have toward me. Your life is in my hands. I will help lead you through the situation you have gotten yourself into. But only if you obey. Do you understand?" Pacha nodded. "Hmph, you do not seem terribly enthusiastic about being allowed to live. I said, do you understand?" The tayra nodded vigorously.
"Good boy," the emperor said. "Just as I snap to signal you have done wrong, I say 'good boy' to signal you have done right. Hearing 'good boy' will make your chest puff out in pride. Hearing 'good boy' means your master is pleased, and therefore you should be, too. Do you understand?" The tayra nodded.
The jaguar walked around behind the mustelid. He could see the toned muscles beneath the short, brown fur. He remembered them well from when he was pounding Pacha from behind. "As much as I would like to keep that collar on you indefinitely, you and I are obviously not in a position to do so. People would start asking questions about the nature of our relationship. So when you are out in the world, you will not wear the collar, and you will be allowed to speak normally." He put his paws on Pacha's shoulders and gave them a squeeze. "But while you are here and wearing the collar, know that you are safe under my protection. While you wear the collar, you are comfortable, relaxed." He felt the tayra's shoulders loosen.
"Good boy. Now, I want you to stay right here while I have a quick chat with the guards outside. Stay." He set the leash on the ground and went to the jewelry box again, dug around and found a matching pair of gold hoop earrings. They were small and thin, but would do the job.
A few seconds later, he pushed aside the cloth door and stepped into the cool night. The chirping and whirring of bugs filled the air, layering over the warm sound of crackling campfires all around. He looked up. The stars were always a sight to behold this far from the capital.
The guardsman on either side of the doorway stiffened. "At ease," the emperor said. "Has there been anyone lurking around?"
"No, your majesty," the guard on the right said. He was a short caiman who carried two obsidian-edged swords. The other was a cougar holding a shield and a spear.
"Good. I shall not be seeing anyone tonight. If one of my advisors or generals comes by, tell them I am asleep and will see them in the morning. Both of you saw Pachacutec leave not long ago after a very brief visit, and last saw him heading toward the advisors' tent. And neither you two, nor anyone in the honor guard, heard anything but my snoring tonight." He handed each of them a gold earring. "Understood?"
"Yes, your majesty!" the guards said together.
The emperor went back in the tent. Pacha was playing with the end of the gold chain, but otherwise had stayed in the same spot. "Good boy," the jaguar purred. "If I'd known that all it took was a collar to make you obedient, I would have done so days ago." He walked past the tayra and laid down on his bed. "Now, my pet, let us see if you know any other tricks. Come," he said, and patted the bed.
Pacha scrambled to his feet and went to the bedside. He kneeled once more when he got there and looked up into the emperor's eyes for further instruction.
"Excellent. You fall into the pet role rather easily. Now, let us try something more complex." He pointed to a small chest on the floor on the other side of the room. "Fetch me the small bottle with white stripes."
Pacha scurried over and bent down to open the chest. His blue loincloth shifted aside just enough to let the emperor see the tayra's balls and erect penis. The jaguar chuckled and admired the view.
Pacha found the bottle and returned quickly. "Good boy. Now, take out the stopper and pour some on your paw. Careful, it comes out quickly."
The tayra did so. A small puddle of the aromatic liquid now sat in his paw. He gave it a sniff. "Is this lube?"
The emperor snapped his fingers and pointed at the tayra. Pacha cringed and closed his mouth. "No talking, remember?" Pacha nodded and gave a sad whine. The emperor couldn't really blame him, though. It would take some getting used to. "But to answer your question, yes, that is lube. Of the finest quality in the empire, with excellent physical properties and a light floral scent. Do you like it?" The tayra nodded.
"Good," the jaguar said and pulled aside his robes. His thick, feline cock stood erect. "Lube me up."
The tayra was frozen for a second, enraptured by the sight of the majestic rod, before reaching out and rubbing his paw slowly down its length. The jaguar shivered from the sudden cold on his most sensitive area. "Mmf, good boy," he purred. "More, my pet." Pacha obeyed, and soon had the emperor's shaft covered in the slick liquid. The soft light from the lamps shined off it. "Make sure you put some extra near the bottom. You will need it." The tayra blushed.
The emperor reached out and took hold of the mustelid's gold chain. He gave a light tug toward him. Pacha put the stopper back in the bottle, set it down, and hopped up on the bed beside him. The emperor raised an eyebrow at him and tugged again. The tayra hesitantly put a leg over his bulky chest to straddle him.
"Take off your loincloth," the emperor ordered. Pacha did so and tossed it aside. His pink dick was perky, excited about what was to happen. He still wore the gold cock ring at his base, as well as the gold ring around his balls. The emperor smiled. He gave some slack to the chain so he could hold onto it while lounging with his paws behind his head. "Now, my pet. Sit."
Pacha reached back and guided the large shaft into place. The emperor could feel when his tip touched the tayra's warm entrance. Without hesitation, Pacha sank down and let the shaft push its way inside him.
The emperor grunted. "Good boy..."
The lube was already making things much easier. Three days ago they had to fight for every inch, but now the tayra was able to sink down two, three, four inches before even pausing. The tayra let out a breathy moan, then tensed up, expecting to be snapped at. "Sounds of pleasure are just fine," the emperor reassured him. "Relax and keep going." The tayra nodded and continued his efforts.
This is the life, the emperor thought to himself with a grin. Lounging while a tight little subject pleasures you. It made him miss his harem. But out on campaign, this was certainly as good as it could get.
The tayra switched to rhythmically going up and down on his dick, every downward motion spreading his insides a little wider. His eyes were closed and he was panting softly. The emperor watched Pacha's face closely, relishing every little twitch of discomfort, every little moment of rapture. The mustelid's pink prick bounced up and down, tapping the jaguar's fuzzy chest. The emperor knew it would make a mess of his fur very soon, but tonight he didn't mind.
The emperor could feel his dick plunging deeper and deeper into Pacha's tight depths. His balls churned out pre, making the tayra's insides even more slick and accessible. "Good boy," he crooned. The tayra gave a happy whine.
"Now, put some more lube on me. You're going to need it." Pacha blushed and reached over for the lube. He raised himself up so just the tip of the emperor's dick was inside him, and applied more of the cold, thick liquid to the shaft. The jaguar shuddered. He loved that feeling. Pacha helped warm up his rod by sinking down on it once more, letting out a breathy sigh as he did so. He slowly worked back up to his earlier rhythm.
The jaguar knew he was getting close. He pulled on the chain. "Deeper."
Pacha closed his eyes and grunted as he went a little further down on the emperor's shaft. The jaguar could feel the tayra clench down on his rod every time he pulled back, letting the small, soft barbs of his feline dick drag against the sensitive flesh. But his subject was still going too slowly for his liking. He put the end of the leash between his teeth, put his hands on the tayra's hips, and pushed downward. Pacha gasped as the widest inch yet forced its way inside him.
"Very good, my little cocksleeve. Are you going to cum for your emperor?" Pacha nodded, his smile slightly strained from the discomfort of being stretched so wide. "Without using your paws?" The mustelid hesitated for a second, then nodded again. "Show me," the emperor commanded.
Pacha leaned back and put his paws on the jaguar's muscular legs to balance himself. He got his legs under him and started going up and down on the emperor's shaft quickly. He was panting faster. The emperor moaned as his dick went in and out with increased fervor, building up to a frantic pace. The tayra's ass was pounding against his full sack--he was going tip-to-base with every motion now.
The jaguar growled and bucked his hips. He couldn't take much more of this. He reared his head back to pull on the leash. "Harder!" The tayra complied, and after a few more motions leaned back and sat his full weight down on the emperor's cock.
The jaguar stifled his yowl as he hit orgasm. Stream after stream of royal seed flooded the tayra's tight insides. The sensation was too much for the mustelid, who cried out and shot his own load over the emperor's chest and muzzle. Pacha's insides squeezed the jaguar's dick with each shot, milking more and more feline spunk from the girthy shaft. Thick globs of cum seeped from the tayra's hole and coated the emperor's groin. The jaguar's balls were almost empty, and squeezed the last of their contents into his play toy, whose own shots were slowing down and becoming weaker.
The two panted as the orgasms finally subsided and the euphoria lingered. They were both covered in sweat. Pacha gave a contented murr and leaned forward to cuddle against the jaguar's cum-splattered chest. The emperor considered telling him 'no,' but affection should be rewarded, not punished. He patted the tayra on the head instead. "Good boy." Pacha did a happy wiggle.
The two lay there for a few minutes listening to each other's breath slow and eventually turn into a contented silence. They listened to the sounds of outside: bugs chirping, campfires crackling, soldiers laughing as they drank the night away. The emperor realized in that moment, he was truly content.
But as much as he wanted to savor it, there was still business to attend to. "Now, I think it is time to take that collar off and continue our conversation from earlier. What do you think?"
Pacha tilted his head and bit his lip. He couldn't decide.
"Relax," said the emperor. "We can always do this again. I can put the collar back on you any night, and you will be safe here with me. Do you understand?" Pacha nodded. "Good boy." The jaguar reached behind the tayra's neck, undid the clasp, and slowly removed the collar. He set it and the chain on the bed next to him. "There. You may speak again."
Pacha nodded, caught himself. "I mean thank you, your majesty."
"You are welcome." He wished all his subjects were this grateful. "Now, what were you saying about my troops?"
"Hm? Oh yes, I was going to say I had an idea about how to use your troops to end the food shortages."
The emperor narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure where this was going. "Go on."
* * *
The faces of the villagers were hard and unwelcoming as the emperor and his honor guard proceeded to the main square. No matter the species--whether it was capybara, ocelot, coatimundi, or llama--they all wore the same expression. Even the children glared from the doorways of the houses. The shacks were of wood, most with sagging roofs, and the main road between them was hard-packed dirt that threw up little clouds of dust when tread upon. Soon, the emperor could see the remains of the granary, off to one side of the square. Its stone legs, which kept the food away from vermin on the ground, were still charred from the blaze, and nothing now sat atop them.
It struck him how unusually quiet it was. Normally there were musicians playing, drums ringing out, crowds cheering and clamoring to behold him. But the only sound was the marching of the honor guard as they formed a circle for the emperor to speak from. No doubt they were aware of the quiet, too. The emperor could see them gripping their spears tighter than usual, could see their eyes darting about suspiciously. They didn't like the situation.
A guardsman placed his gold-covered wood pedestal on the ground and helped him up. He surveyed the crowd. Usually he felt powerful standing up here, but today the villagers made him feel small.
"Times are hard," the emperor started. His voice echoed across the square. "You all know this better than I. You have worked hard tilling this land to make it fertile. You have waited patiently for the harvest. You have put everything into gathering and preserving your food so your families can eat until the next harvest. And you are willing to defend what you have worked so hard for. I know because I am doing the same right now, growing and defending an empire. But I would be a fool to imagine the empire can stand without looking to the needs of its own people.
"No doubt you have heard about the planned feast. And no doubt you have realized what such a thing would mean for your food supply. I know that cancelling the feast will not change your attitude toward me, nor will it fix the problem of your food shortage. But I believe I know what will." He clapped his paws together.
The villagers looked back to the main road as they heard troops approaching. The masses parted to let the soldiers through--they were carrying saws, hammers, measuring equipment, lumber.
"My engineers will rebuild your granary. You will no longer need to worry about your food spoiling. Furthermore, to make up for lost supplies, my troops have donated spare rations to help fill--"
The emperor couldn't even finish his speech before the crowd's cheers became too loud. They didn't need to know the details; they just knew they didn't have to worry anymore. The crowd pressed in close, and it was all the honor guard could do to hold them a safe distance from the emperor.
He smiled warmly at them, shook as many hands as he could. A few of the younger men even pledged themselves to him, saying they would be honored to join his army.
Pachacutec was right, the jaguar thought. How did he know it would happen like this? One thing was certain: from now on, the emperor was going to have meetings in his tent with the tayra every night.
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