One - The Brave Queen
Her husband, the Prince Consort, had fallen in a vain effort to protect her allies from the conquering force. The few troops of her armies that had come back reported what they had seen. The invaders did have some mercy, but tolerated no defiance. The nobles of their allied neighbour who swore fealty to their new lords and masters were allowed to live, and their families unharmed. Those who did not, would be executed, and their wives and daughters transformed into the banners held aloft by the regiments of the horde.
And now, under those banners, that conquering force encroached upon the Queen's land. The messenger from their general confirmed these claims, and had delivered a particular offer of surrender. An offer the Queen knew she could not refuse.
She had only been made Queen upon her father's death a decade ago to prevent a rival kingdom taking their throne with one of their idiot princes staking a claim - a kingdom crushed months before by the conquerors. She became Monarch to save her people from subjugation. In a way, it was perhaps fitting she should end her reign for the same reasons.
"Your Majesty, there are other options, our armies can still fight," her Minister pleaded.
"And they shall not survive. We have lost many of our best warriors, all we have left are boys, farmers, and old men. How many knights can ride? How many swordsmen can march? What suffering will our people have to endure if we resist? Shall we be forced to give our daughters as mastheads for these regiments to march? No. We must surrender, and I shall surrender myself," she said, her word final.
And so, she went to the stables, mounted a horse alongside the last Captain of her Guard, and rode out to meet the army at the border. She was taken to the General's tent. A parchment lay ready to be signed.
"I assume you are here to surrender, Your Majesty?"
"General, you offered me surrender to spare my people your invasion. I offer you myself, that I spare my nation's daughters from being banners or hostages."
"A wise choice. As promised, only one banner shall be raised from your nation, Your Majesty. Your former soldiers shall become part of my forces, and march with you at their head."
The Queen signed her abdication and surrender, and moved to disrobe. She had known the fate she was surrendering to, and had simply worn a plain white robe. Unclasping it, the cloth fell from her frame, leaving her nude. The General had two of his soldiers direct her to a bannerpole outside the tent, an antlerlike central bar for mounting her arms above her head, her legs bent back on the central pole, and the flag itself hanging above blank. Two silver skulls hung from chains on the antlers.
"Your courage will hopefully serve as inspiration to others. I personally am thankful we have avoided slaughter this day. Your former people will be told of your heroism. May marching beneath you inspire them to more," The General said, and let one of his mages complete the task.
With a flash of magic, the former Queen felt the cold of metal begin to spread. Her pale naked form turned polished and golden, reflecting the sunlight like dazzling glitter. It spread and spread, every inch of her transforming through and through. She kept her face as expressionless as she could, even as her body aurified. The gold flowed over her breasts, up her neck, and then over her face. As her eyes became globes of precious metal, she felt her consciousness slipping away.
And where once had been a brave ruler, was soon to be the permanent monument to her own sacrifice. No reversal would come - the spell's permanence would be cemented in hours. The new banner was lifted by the General, and handed to the Captain that once had served under the woman that had become it. Upon the blank flag, there was now an image of the Queen, depicting her holding a shield before herself. The skulls eyes now glowed a gentle yellow.
"We shall head for our land. You shall raise my new regiment below this banner, in tribute to the Queen who gave herself to spare you. Rejoice, and welcome to my forces. But do not rejoice long, Captain... We shall soon march again."
Two - The Incentives
Once, there had been three Principalties. The rulers of these lands were still formally Princes, but were also now Captains of the General. Captains who were given time sensitive tasks. The three Captains of the Empty Banners commanded the regiments that took the highest casualties, for they had to complete tasks as fast as possible.
For their Banners were not empty when they marched. And the General had need of his Empty Banner forces once again. The Captains had been summoned, and stood before their General. Their wives were with them, all three women wearing nothing at all. No other banners wore clothing, after all.
"Your task, Captains, is simple. The castle at the Grey Forest has held us for three days now. I do not expect it to hold us for a fourth. Send forth your wives," He ordered.
The three men stood back, their nervous spouses walking forward. The three took their positions.
Upon a bannerpole of Bronze, one Princess was transformed from flesh to match her new mount. She was handed to her husband.
Upon a bannerpole of Silver, another became like a precious mirror in the shape of a woman. Below her reflective form, her husband and his army would march.
And upon the banner of Gold, the last Princess, the lead Regiment, was aurified. Her husband took her, and stood alongside his fellows,their own wives now banners.
"Captains, you have eighteen hours. You know your task. I expect it done."
The three saluted their General. Their regiments knew the stakes. They would save their wives once more, and their foes would be shown no mercy. No fears of casualties would daunt them. The castle would fall. For failure's price was more than just the permanent transformation of their wives, but their own deaths - and their forever bannered wives would be made icons for new commanders.
Three - Seven Sisters
Even the mighty conquering army would sometimes have difficulty with powerful nations. They would either attack him, or have to be attacked. One such nation was a new threat, and the General knew that he either would have a costly and long campaign ahead, or have to think of an alternative.
An alternative he had. The nation had six key nobles and their king heading their defence. They were skilled tacticians all, commanded a powerful army, had built excellent defences... but were vain and lecherous men. Each had pretty trophy wives, and many a mistress each. They collected riches and fine art in abundance. They would kidnap any pretty woman that took their fancy. Sometimes they would let the woman go - but other times, they would simply add them to their palace staff, a virtual harem each.
And so, the General offered them a gift. For peace.
"These seven banners were sisters under a King defeated many years ago. Seven of my Regiments have marched under them since. And now, I gift them to you, that we may avoid the need to march against each other," He said at the meeting.
The King was delighted in his gift. His six commanders too. They agreed to peace, and returned home with their trophies.
"What a fool he was. Some conqueror, he! Captures beautiful women like this and just gives them away? Hah, if he thinks he'll see peace he has another thing coming!" The King laughed.
The Seven Sisters were placed in the homes of their new masters, in trophy rooms. The King placed his down, and ordered a maid to polish it as he headed to his quarters, dragging two other maids with him.
The maid, thankful to have avoided that task, began her duty, not noticing that the skulls on the banner began to dim their glowing eyes. She did, however, notice as the gold faded on the body of the banner.
She gasped, as the banner returned to life, but before she could cry for help, the nude woman grabbed one skull, and in a blinding green flash, the maid felt herself immobile. She felt a coldness creep up her legs, the cry for help frozen in her lungs. The former banner looked on dispassionately as the maid turned to stone.
The newly unleashed assassin took the other skull, heading for the king's bedchambers. Two guards and another hapless maid became collateral on the way, but the target was near. Bursting the door open, the assassin raised her skulls at the startled king and the five women in his bed - his trophy wife and four reluctant maids. The women screamed and scrambled for cover, the lecherous King was more busy staring at this nude intruder than startled - but with the green flash, was soon staring forever.
Across the kingdom, her six sisters had performed similar tasks, leaving nobles and any others that crossed their paths forever frozen. By the break of dawn, as the kingdom realised their rulership had been petrified forever, panic would begin. Lesser nobles would strike out to grasp power, subjugated commoners would rise against a nobility that treated their mothers, wives, and daughters as tribute to be taken. By sunset later that day, it would be full blown civil war amongst a dozen factions.
And the Seven Sisters would have rode back to their General, awaiting another task, as his army waited for the ideal time to move in on the kingdom that they had left collapsing behind them.
They had indeed been daughters of a king. But they had killed him themselves, each holding one of the seven daggers plunged into his back. The General had offered them employment when they invited him in, and they found that they all rather enjoyed - and were quite skilled at - regicide.
The King now petrified in his bed with a terrified harem was just the latest proof of that.