The pragmatic princess

[Strangebuddy]

So there’s an idea I’ve had for awhile but my main problem has been making it, well, sexy. I have seen the idea done in similar stories (like Orc Dominion) but I want to out a further twist on this.

The idea: your typical epic fantasy setting, nations that were formerly allies against evil have turned to playing political games while dark forces grow stronger, in a small kingdom, the king and Queen have died and the First born prince and princess have gone missing or been captured, leaving only the inexperienced middle or youngest princess, whom no one expected anything of.

The princess receives wedding proposals from the kingdoms allies and former allies, the growing forces of darkness and various opportunistic forces of bandits and wild monsters wait with baited breath on her action.

She then makes an announcement: she’s going to marry and ally with the growing forces of darkness. After all, she had been raised knowing that her only duty was to be a wife for political purposes and bear children so the Royal lines would continue. The forces of Darkness currently are the strongest power in the known world and they’re willing to accept her proposal while allowing her people to tend the fields and continue trade into their territory...so there’s not much of a reason in her mind to not join with them.

Like I said though, it’s fine for a gag but I don’t know where to go from there. I do want her to not be stupid: she does actually weigh the risks and is wanting what’s best for her country, she just doesn’t have the same moral qualms her kingdom’s former allies have or care what the church thinks. So if her husband is to be “the butcher of the innocent” and his request is the slaughter of five vassals of the kingdom or for an attack to be made against the kingdom’s neighbor, she’s fine with it, as long as her country remains overall safe.

But how to make it sexy? That’s my problem since I want her to also not have a lot of qualms with things like humiliation or exhibition (for example, if she was asked to walk nude to the altar or wear a dog collar, she would just do without complaint). Sex still feels good to her she might be more lustful over time but no matter who her husband/s or wive/s would be, she wouldn’t be shocked.


Some ideas I had:

1. Don’t make the princess the main character. Instead make a maid, a friend, or an envoy from another kingdom who comes to the wedding and observes the perversions the castle is now overrun with before falling to debauchery as well.

2. Make it a lovestory. Who ever her husband or wife is, while evil, is also not interested in someone who doesn’t see herself as more than a tool. Until the princess starts showing what she wants for herself (both in and out of the bedroom), they won’t fully consummate the marriage. So lots of teasing followed by bonding, then repeat as the princess starts having demands of her own and eventually opens up about what she really wants.

3. Princess finds she isn’t to be married but rather made a ruler for the army. She won’t be given a husband but rather will be allowed to freely take who she wants as a lover (instead of a bond of matrimony or blood, she instead takes a mark pledging loyalty). Related to 2 she’s never been told to indulge in her own wishes and at first she does nothing with that power but one day, as famed warriors visit her court, pleading princesses and princes, desperate to make deals for peace are put in front of her, she can’t resist and indulges in ever increasing acts of lust.

 

[AlinaX]

The obvious one is that she must suffer in place of her people. They will be granted freedom, but she will be tormented and humiliated publicly - a sacrifice she makes reluctantly but willingly because the alternative is invasion and destruction.

But perhaps there is a rebel hard core who kidnap / rescue the princess out of national pride, even though this risks a terrible fate for all - and perhaps the princess has learned to crave humiliation.

 

[LupusDei]

Another take could be, that the "growing evil" isn't that necessary evil even as much as they are the expansionist other in relation to the crumbling, decadent old powers now reduced to balkanized remains hampered by inflexible worldview. Sure they are sexually liberated slave owners abusing chaos technology instead of honest order magic, but they're economically superior at least short- to mid-term and growing over their borders, likely no matter what.

The girl's unthinkable decision comes from sober assessment of the situation as much as willingness to break out of her family's backward ways (even if she's maybe not fully sure what that entails actually).

She's subjected to things her previous circles would see as humiliating, such as nudity or overly revealing outfits and public consummation of her marriage, but she herself finds it rather trilling that anything. At the same time it's implied she's given opportunity to enjoy much more freedom and power than she could ever expect in her old society, but maybe with some new point restrictions that aren't for her obvious (probably highlighting the systemic differences between the powers). She then goes on a quest to explore her own sexuality and desires, including a power mad trip, perhaps, suffering mild consequences where she oversteps her not so clearly defined boundaries.

While her old circles see her as now thoroughly corrupted by the dark side, but can't quite disown, and secretly adore and desire, so almost willingly opening themselves to her corrupt influence.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think AlinaX hit it right on the nose. Make it a reluctance/humiliation story, where the princess agrees, reluctantly, to go through various sexual/public humiliation rituals in exchange for her people being spared by the bad prince.

How about this: eventually she comes to enjoy her sexual humiliation, and she also lifts a curse that was on the bad prince so he's no longer bad. They live happily ever after. It's a variation on Beauty and the Beast.

Definitely tell the story from the point of the view of the most interesting character, who undergoes the most interesting transformation. That's probably the princess.

 

[Strangebuddy]

Lupusdei’s idea is more what I was thinking. With her accepting everything that will come to her but then finding she actually has a passion for it.

But since humiliation has more interest, I think there’s a little twist I can put on things: instead of just having the princess just suffering, she gets more embarrassment from the arrangement: instead of one wedding to a sadistic lover or becoming a sex slave for the dark forces, she is married to the army.

Each month or week, she must meet a new lover in the chapel, swear her vows, and then become their bride. She still rules and holds the political power but outside of her court, she belongs to her new husband or bride.

What also makes her surprised and embarassed is that her new spouse can come from anywhere in the army and each one has different tastes. For example, her first husband is camp cook who comes to the chapel still smelling of the night’s main course. For a week she retires to her chambers to be bred by a portly older man who wants to enjoy every inch of his young bride.

She then is married to a monster tamer who personally feels uncomfortable with physical intimacy but likes summoning monsters and tentacles to pleasure his new bride.

A naga bride who spirits her away to constrict around her, a group of goblins who act as one, a giant who has never had sex, a dragon, etc.

The princess comes to enjoy the new varied experiences and she comes to be loved by the dark forces as after all, anyone of them could be her new spouse.

 

[Thalius]

Another take could be, that the "growing evil" isn't that necessary evil even as much as they are the expansionist other in relation to the crumbling, decadent old powers now reduced to balkanized remains hampered by inflexible worldview......

She's subjected to things her previous circles would see as humiliating, such as nudity or overly revealing outfits and public consummation of her marriage, but she herself finds it rather trilling that anything. ......

While her old circles see her as now thoroughly corrupted by the dark side, but can't quite disown, and secretly adore and desire, so almost willingly opening themselves to her corrupt influence.

From a literary point of view, this is probably the best solution

I see also two other interesting possibilities:

1. the world is subject to the rules of the Fisher King. Good ruler -> the country is doing well. But since she is now a ruler in the realm of evil from now on, she has to do evil things herself or her subjects will suffer. You follow her as she conquers other kingdoms side by side with her husband, and publicly humiliates their kings and queens. Possibly she is also a good mage, who uses her abilities (transformations?) for this.

2. the agreement was that she marries the future king of the evil empire. What was concealed from her is that all sons (and daughters) of the king, whether human or demi-human, whether from the marital bed, bastards, adopted or conceived by magic, are equally entitled to the throne. But all of them are aware that in order to become the future king of the kingdom, they must marry the titular princess, consume the wedding, and ideally produce a successor.

 

[SimonDoom]

Lupusdei’s idea is more what I was thinking. With her accepting everything that will come to her but then finding she actually has a passion for it.

But since humiliation has more interest, I think there’s a little twist I can put on things: instead of just having the princess just suffering, she gets more embarrassment from the arrangement: instead of one wedding to a sadistic lover or becoming a sex slave for the dark forces, she is married to the army.

Each month or week, she must meet a new lover in the chapel, swear her vows, and then become their bride. She still rules and holds the political power but outside of her court, she belongs to her new husband or bride.

What also makes her surprised and embarassed is that her new spouse can come from anywhere in the army and each one has different tastes. For example, her first husband is camp cook who comes to the chapel still smelling of the night’s main course. For a week she retires to her chambers to be bred by a portly older man who wants to enjoy every inch of his young bride.

She then is married to a monster tamer who personally feels uncomfortable with physical intimacy but likes summoning monsters and tentacles to pleasure his new bride.

A naga bride who spirits her away to constrict around her, a group of goblins who act as one, a giant who has never had sex, a dragon, etc.

The princess comes to enjoy the new varied experiences and she comes to be loved by the dark forces as after all, anyone of them could be her new spouse.

The story should be whatever you want it to be. But this is my advice. If it's an erotic story, what's the erotic focus? Put aside all the other stuff -- the fantasy worlds, princess, dark forces, etc. What's the kinky thing you want to say in your story? Build your story around that.

Maybe your story isn't principally kinky. Maybe it's a fantasy epic that has some kink in it. Like Game of Thrones. That's fine. But if it's going to be, first and foremost, an erotic story, think about the thing that makes it erotic FIRST, rather than trying to adapt your fantasy story to figure out a kinky angle.

What's the single most important thing you want to get across in this story, in one sentence? Answer that question and the rest will come more easily.

 

[Hypoxia]

An IRL pragmatic princess or prince invites their critics, competitors, and other likely enemies to a sumptuous gathering and slaughters the lot. This traditional move is rather more effective than appeasement. What, the Dark Powers sent ambassadors to court? Have their hats nailed to their heads.

Not very erotic, alas. Pragmatism is like that. So give the princess a sorcerous aide who imbues the young-but-not-naïve royal with sex-magick powers of seduction and enslavement, to dominate her critics, competitors, and other foes. What, the Dark Powers sent ambassadors to court? Fuck-em to delirium.

 

[davion2308]

How about

The Princess knows she has to submit to the evil one to bring benefits to her kingdom. She willingly plays along and it turns out she actually enjoys it, despite the original fear of forced sex from her husband.

Not only is she getting great sex, her people are benefitting and they think she's suffering for it. How do they respond and what support does she get?

 

[Carfax]

That's a great story idea I'm curious if you thought to make the princess a figure head perhaps using magic or a form of hypnosis making fully aware of the horrible things shes doing living captivated in her head helpless and tortured by the events? Yet unable to do anything about it let alone cry out? Having the public image of being a debauched debased hedonistic evil person yet in truth rather innocent? While some other force or person or group of people play her like a sexual puppet.?


At any rate whatever you choose to do I look forward to reading it !