The Delegation

by Robin Roseau

  She led me to a twin of the woman I’d met a minute or two ago. She noticed us heading for her and smiled broadly, and was practically quivering by the time we reached her. “Dee, have you met Allium Cuprite?”

  “Not yet,” Dee said. She stepped forward and wrapped me in a hug. “I hope you’ll ask me to dance later,” she whispered before kissing my cheek. Then she stepped back, but she captured my hand as she did so, and so I found myself holding hands with the slave.

  I wasn’t at all sure how I felt about that, but I wasn’t going to rebuff her.

  “Dee,” said Claary. “Allium would like to ask you and Bee a question. Do you know where your sister is?”

  “She should be back in a moment.”

  “Let us intercept her and step outside,” Claary said.

  “I’m not allowed outside.”

  “We’ll find Olivia,” Claary said.

  “All right,” Dee said. “This way, Ms. Cuprite.” She pulled on my hand, and so I found myself following the slave with Claary, chuckling, following me.

  “It’s okay if you stare at her ass,” Claary said.

  I looked over my shoulder at her, but I didn’t say anything.

  * * * *

  We found Bee. She immediately frowned. “I saw her first, Dee!”

  Dee giggled. “Maybe she’ll ask us to both dance together with her.”

  “Maybe.” And then Bee stepped forward and claimed my other hand.

  “We’re to find Olivia,” Dee said. “Ms. Cuprite wants to ask us a question outside.”

  “We’re not allowed outside.”

  “And that is why we’re finding Olivia,” Claary said.

  Well, Olivia was no longer at the entrance, and so it took a minute or two before we found her, talking to a mix of Flarvorian and Ressaline women. Claary made a gesture, and so Olivia said something to the others and stepped to the side. The slaves led me to her, Claary standing over my right shoulder.

  “Olivia,” said Claary. “Allium wants to ask Bee and Dee something.” She stressed that word, and I saw understanding in Olivia’s expression. “I thought she might be more likely to believe the answer if it was asked outside.”

  “Ah,” said the duchess. “Perhaps you’re right.” She turned her gaze to me. “I believe I must return to my official role for this conversation, Ms. Cuprite.”

  “That is probably best,” I said a little coldly.

  “You shouldn’t judge until you understand,” said Lady Olivia. “Ms. Cuprite, if Bee and Dee indicate every desire to remain with me, would you apply force to separate them from me?”

  “You admit they are your slaves?”

  “I don’t simply admit it; I declare it proudly.”

  “Flarvor does not recognize such a claim.”

  “I understand that. You wish to offer a choice. You expect one answer. You’re not going to get the answer you expect.”

  “You seem awfully confident.”

  “You’re then going to come to other conclusions, wrong conclusions. I am not going to allow you to remove my property from my care against their will.”

  “They’re slaves,” I said simply.

  “And when they tell you they wish to remain mine, what are you going to do about it?”

  I stared into her eyes, flustered. “I don’t know,” I admitted.

  “Are you going to attempt to force them to leave me against their will.”

  “You seem quite sure of yourself.”

  “I am sure I do,” she replied. “You may ask your question here. Or you may ask it outside. But I will only allow you to take them outside if you promise you will respect their answer, even if you don’t understand it.”

  “You’re confident because-”

  Before I could finish that, she closed the distance and set fingers across my lips. “Diplomacy, Ms. Cuprite,” she said. “I will finish that for you. No, I am not holding something over their heads. If you promise to use no force, I will allow you to take them outside, but I will observe. I will respect their answer if you vow to also respect their answer.”

  “So, if they tell me they want to leave you, you’ll let them.”

  “Yes.”

  “No!” said Bee. She and Dee both dropped my hands and pressed against their owner. “Olivia, don’t let her take us!”

  Olivia pulled one head down and kissed a forehead, then did the same with the other. “It is your choice, my lovelies,” she told them.

  “We don’t want to go outside,” said Dee, or perhaps it was Bee. She turned to look at me. “You can’t make us.”

  “No, lovelies,” Olivia said. “She can’t. But if I ask you to step outside with her and answer her questions, you’ll do that for me, won’t you?”

  “Do we have to?” Bee asked.

  “I’ll be with you, close enough to come if you need me,” Olivia promised them. “Now, be good girls.”

  “Yes, Lady Olivia,” they said together.

  At that, she turned her gaze back to me and cocked her head. “Feeling a little less confident, Ms. Cuprite.”

  “I haven’t felt confident since Minister Heliodor said I’d have to present my findings in front of you.”

  She offered a smile. “I understand this is shocking. Will you promise to use no force?”

  “If they offer a different answer when you can’t hear, you’ll allow them to leave.”

  “We don’t want to leave,” Bee said.

  “Let her ask that outside, Bee,” Claary said.

  “I won’t use force,” I said.

  “Very good. Let us go.” As a group, her slaves pressed against her, Olivia turned, and I found myself following her to the front door, Claary beside me. And as we walked, I wondered what sort of diplomatic mess I was making.

  We stepped outside. Lady Olivia quietly said something to both of the women. They separated from her, and she turned to me. “You may take them to the street, right in front of our gate. You may ask them whatever you want. It is their choice whether they will answer, but they are incapable of lying. You will doubt them, anyway. But perhaps you will understand that you don’t know everything. You’ll have to decide whether you’ll return to our event. I hope you do. If you allow me to kiss your cheek and call you Allium again, you’ll be quite welcome.”

  I nodded, making no promises, and then stepped forward. The women didn’t take my hands but instead they followed me, although they fell behind, and at the gate, I had to turn and wait for them. They stopped and looked over their shoulders at Lady Olivia, who smiled and gestured to them. And so, heads down, they joined me just outside the gate to The Green Room. “Please don't try to make us leave with you,” one of them said. I had lost track of which was which, and so I’ll guess it was Bee.

  “Help me understand why,” I said.

  They both looked up. “You think our smiles are false,” Dee said.

  “Yes. I think you’ve learned to convince them you’re happy.”

  “You’re wrong,” she said. “We are happy. We love Olivia. She is so very good to us, and she’s kept every promise she’s ever made. Not only promises to us, but promises to everyone.”

  “But you’re slaves,” I said.

  “Our lives are perfect,” Bee said. She reached out and took her sister’s hand. “We’re together. We’re loved. I love my sister, and she loves me. We love Olivia, and she loves us. Claary loves us, too.”

  “She does?”

  “We wanted her to become a slave with us,” Dee said. “But Olivia needed her to become a citizen instead.”

  Bee looked around, somewhat nervously, and even looked over her shoulder at Olivia before turning back to us. “Please don’t try to force us to leave with you. We couldn’t be friends if you did that.”

  “I won’t force you,” I replied. I looked from one to the other. “She hasn’t threatened you? Maybe she’s keeping another sister as a hostage.”

  “No,” said Dee. “We love her, Ms. Cuprite.” She held up her hands
in a pleading gesture. “You won’t understand, not yet. If you’re brave enough, you’ll understand eventually.”

  “What does that mean.”

  “We’re not allowed to tell you about that.”

  “Lady Olivia said I could ask any question I wanted.”

  “Yes, but we know what we can answer and what we can’t. We can’t answer that. But we’re hers, and she’s promised to keep us forever.”

  “And that’s what you want?”

  “Yes,” they said together. Then Bee continued. “Please, Ms. Cuprite. Please will you hold our hands now and be our friend?”

  I looked into her pleading eyes, and I melted. “I’d like that,” I whispered. “Call me Allium.”

  They both squealed, and then not only did they take my hands, but they stepped to my sides, each wrapping an arm around me, and I found myself walking back to a smiling Lady Olivia, Claary at her side. But they were both trembling, and so I apologized for scaring them.

  “It’s okay,” Dee said. “We’re friends now, but we aren’t allowed to ask anyone to dance.”

  “So, you have to ask us,” Bee said. “We love to dance!”

  We came to a stop with me directly facing Lady Olivia. “Girls,” she said. “Give me kisses then go inside. I’ll find dance partners for you in a few minutes.”

  They squealed again, released me, and both embraced Olivia. Right in front of me, she gave them the most passionate kisses I’d ever watched, but then as she was kissing Bee, I turned away and waited until the slaves were gone. Without looking at Olivia, I said in a small voice, “I don’t understand.”

  “I know you don’t,” she replied gently.

  “I didn’t, either,” Claary said.

  “I can image Bee and Dee begged for friendship,” Olivia said. “And they’re nearly impossible to say ‘no’ to. Are you telling me ‘no’?”

  I turned to look at her, entirely unsure what to do. “I think I made promises to them.”

  “I’m sure they will interpret whatever was said as a promise,” Olivia replied. “But that better not be the only reason you step inside with us.”

  I paused. “They told me you have kept every promise you’ve ever made.”

  “That’s probably not absolutely true,” she said. “But I am careful in the promises I make.”

  “She’s never broken one to me,” Claary said.

  “Well, I don’t break my promises, either,” I said. “I don’t understand everything, but I would like to return to your party, Olivia.”

  “Cheek,” she ordered. I laughed and stepped closer, offering her my right cheek. She reached for me, and I didn’t resist as she pulled me to her. She kissed the right and brushed the left. Then she whispered, “Don’t worry about understanding. Relax. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy the attention.”

  “I am unaccustomed.”

  “I know,” she replied gently. “I made promises to them, so I must go inside and direct dance partners to them. Please offer Claary a cheek and let her lure you to the dance floor.” And then she kissed my cheek again before releasing me. I watched after her as she turned and stepped back into the building.

  Claary stepped to my side. I glanced at her then asked, “What is she doing?”

  “Cultural exchange. Dance diplomacy.” She paused. “Trying very, very hard to make friends.”

  “I would have been deeply insulted if the roles were reversed.”

  “She knows our ways are strange to you,” Claary explained. “So. Are you going to turn around and run?”

  “Why do you ask that?”

  “Because I’d be shocked if you announced you hadn’t considered it.”

  I turned to fully face her. Then I answered her question by leaning forward slightly and turning to offer my cheek. She smiled, collected me in her arms, and spent time kissing, first the cheek, and then my ear. “Dance with me,” she whispered.

  “I may not know the style.”

  “Simple styles tonight,” she said. “Dance with me.”

  “I’d love to.”

  Chapter Four

  Claary took my hand and led me to the ballroom. Musicians were playing. Several couples were dancing. I saw Bee dancing with a woman in dashing leather, and Dee with someone in a gown. Bee was following, but Dee was leading. Claary let me watch for a minute before she turned me, and I found myself in her arms.

  “Do you know this style?”

  “No. I don’t get out much.”

  “Lean against me and relax,” she said. “I find it helps when I close my eyes and trust my partner.”

  “I’ll try,” I said. And so, I gently closed my eyes.

  For several measures, she simply held me, and then we slowly shifted back and forth. Then she stepped towards me, and I found myself stepping away.

  I don’t know if it should be called dancing; much of it was simply walking in time to the music. But as I grew more relaxed, she began adding more musicality.

  I became lost in what was happening. I’d never danced like this with another woman. I’d barely danced with anyone, ever. But Claary was warm, and it felt good to let her hold me. It felt good to move together.

  We danced for that song, and for another. And then she held me but whispered, “I want to introduce you to a few people, but let us talk for a minute first.” She took my hand and led me to the side of the room. We stood close together, talking into each other’s ears as Claary held my hand, her other set gently on my hip. “The protocol is anyone may ask anyone to dance. If you invite a dance, you are offering to lead, but if you prefer to follow, you may hold your hands up as the follower.”

  “I don’t know how to lead.”

  “Bee and Dee both can lead,” she said, “as can anyone wearing leather tonight.”

  “And you.”

  “And me,” she agreed. “I cannot guess for the other Flarvorians, but if you ask any to dance, you can figure something out together.”

  “Have we had our only dances?”

  “Only if you turn me down when I ask again,” she replied. “Come.” She took my hand and led me from the ballroom.

  * * * *

  I met a dozen women, most of them in leather. I struggled to remember names. But then she introduced me to two women in gowns. I met Kylia Opal and Rishia Indite. “Kylia and Rishia are members of our most trusted trading partner,” Claary said, “And two very close personal friends.”

  “The kisses were a clue,” I said with a laugh.

  “Claary is amazing,” Rishia said. “We stay with her every time we go to Charth.” She turned to Claary. “Please invite me to dance.”

  “Will you dance with me, Allium?” Kylia immediately invited. Claary waited for my assent before she took Rishia’s hand. Kylia wrapped mine in hers, and so we followed the other two back to the ballroom. I lost track of Claary and Rishia but turned to Kylia.

  “I can’t lead.”

  “I’m not a good lead, but we’ll do our best.” She held her arms up, and so I moved into them.

  She was lovely, and I liked her, although I decided it was easier dancing with Claary. But as we danced, she also whispered to me. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “I’ve been learning some of the most shocking things.”

  “Please don’t ask Rishia and me to explain,” she said. “We’re clearly biased.”

  “Can you explain that?”

  “After our dances,” she said. “Shh.”

  I giggled. Yes, I giggled. But I enjoyed the rest of my two dances with her. “I see Rishia and Claary are heading towards us, so she’s about to ask you to dance. We only have a moment. We’re the only trading company allowed to transport goods past the border.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. To operate inside Ressaline requires a certain price. Lady Olivia does not want us to explain that part to you, and we’re going to honor her wishes.”

  “To me, personally?”

  “To anyone we meet at any event
she is hosting,” she clarified. “So that now includes you. The leaders of the other trading companies know the price, and of course, the king does. The others are unwilling to pay it. Rishia and I look forward to it, but we don’t tell anyone else. Now that Lady Olivia specifically asked us to tell you.”

  I laughed.

  “But we have a vested interest, Allium,” she continued. “We’re getting rich from our trade agreements. My family was already wealthy, but Rishia and I are still kids, practically, and we’re getting a percentage for each caravan we escort to Charth. It’s a small percentage, but it’s a small percentage of a big number.”

  I was still looking into her eyes when I felt Rishia and Claary step up behind me. Kylia returned my gaze, holding an easy smile. I saw not the slightest hint of guile. Rishia put her hand on my shoulder. “Will you dance with me, Allium?”

  I turned to her. “I would be delighted, if you will lead.”

  She held up her hands, and I stepped into her embrace.

  * * * *

  It was twenty minutes later that I saw Dee – or maybe it was Bee – in a rare moment of not dancing. I made a beeline to her and barely reached her ahead of one of the Ressalines. I stepped aside with a gesture, but the woman said, “No, Ms. Cuprite. I insist, but perhaps I might have a dance with you later.”

  I turned to Dee. “Would you dance with me?” I held my hands up as the follow. She smiled broadly and even bounced a few times, a reaction I’d seen from her when other partners had asked her to dance. She collected me, pulling me to her, and then she led me into the song.

  I closed my eyes. Dee was an excellent dancer, and it felt good to allow her to lead me around. I could practically feel the joy wafting from her. “I don’t understand,” I whispered.

  “I know,” she said. “This is who we are.”

  “I’m beginning to understand that much. This clothing you wear is very unusual.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “It feels odd. Slippery.”

  “I know,” she said. “It’s a magic resin.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You know what magic is.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Yes. The resin comes from a type of plant, but the queen shares her magic with some people, and that is how they make it magic resin. I love wearing it. It feels so good. And I love touching you through it.” Her hand slipped up to caress the bare skin she could find. “Do you mind?”