by Robin Roseau
“She recovered.”
“Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Yes. Have you discussed children?”
“Probably not enough. I think she’d be a good mother, but I don’t know if she’d be a good mother to my children. My children aren’t remotely as important as Ahlianna’s will be, but I don’t want them to become the kind of woman Valsine nearly became, and that’s a significant danger for the nieces and nephews of the queen. I need to train them for positions of authority: ministers, ambassadors.”
“I bet she doesn’t know anything about that.”
“Yeah. We’ll have to talk about it. Depending on her as my agent? I don’t know if that’s important, as long as she can support me.”
She nodded, and I decided to change the topic. “So, how about you? Your mother sent you here. I bet that was an interesting conversation.”
“It was, but in a good way, one of the best conversations I’ve ever had with her.”
“Really?”
“She has a difficult time mixing dual roles of Mother and Queen. She’s usually only one, and that’s nearly always Queen.”
“But she was both?”
“Yes. It was… nice. Darfelsa, you need to understand something. There is no way I will become the next queen. I don’t even want it. All our queens are, well, they’ve all been like mother. Cold. I don’t know if that’s because that’s what it takes to become our queen, or if the role turns a woman into what it needs. But I don’t want to be that person.”
“I don’t, either.”
“Mother asked me what I did want. And then she actually listened. She actually listened, Darfelsa, which is also rare. She asked questions, really good questions, but not once did it feel judgmental. It was probably the longest conversation we’ve ever had where I didn’t feel like I had disappointed her.”
“I’m glad you had a good conversation, but at the same time, saddened.”
“Well, it was good,” she said. “She helped me figure a few things out. And then she told me she supported me. She gave me authority to pursue what I wanted. On some things, I have full authority. On others, I have authority to initiate conversations, but she wants to be involved.” Then she bounced a little. “She told both Olivia and me that we can make one-time decisions in her name. Use our best judgment then tell her about it. If she doesn’t like it, she’ll just tell us not to do it again.”
“Things like my trip two years ago?”
“Exactly things like that,” she said. “She gave us both authority to experiment with policies, and said she’ll give us time to see if they work, but to contain them to something we can manage.”
“That’s really good.”
“Yes. She wants me to come home now and then. If nothing else, she wants me to cajole.” I laughed. “We discussed how often, and she told me to come home when I felt she and I should reconnect. If she feels I’ve been gone too long, she can always ask me to arrange a visit.”
“So what are you thinking?”
“I asked about every-other year. She said, ‘If that’s what you decide. It doesn’t need to be that formal, unless you want it to be.’ She’s never said anything like that to me about anything.”
“Wow.”
“I said I wanted to be here, and to visit Barrish often.” She smiled broadly. “Darfelsa, what you said about the difference between Barrish and Charth?”
“Yes?”
“Well, one could say exactly the same thing comparing Charth and Ressaline City.” I didn’t respond to that. “No one who has lived in Charth for any lengthy period has moved back to Ressaline City. Not one.”
“Except you.”
“And it wasn’t my choice,” she said. “I’ll miss my mother, but not the way you’ll miss yours. Frankly, when it comes to mothers, you got a better deal.”
I laughed. “I’m sorry, Gionna, but I have to agree with you.” I grinned. “She’d adopt you.”
It was Gionna’s turn to laugh. “I’d let her.”
That was when Olivia leaned over to me. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Are you two going to get things started? Everyone is waiting for you.”
I laughed. “I’m a spectator.”
“Everyone is waiting.”
“Then you should get down there.”
“Oh, come on,” Gionna said. “You know you’re dying to be the center of attention.”
“I’m not,” I said. “I'm really not.”
“Shalendra,” Olivia called out. “Do you want Gionna and Darfelsa to co-host this week?”
“Absolutely.”
“Ahm isn’t ready to be apart from Gionna,” I protested.
“We’ll take care of her,” Bee said. “With your permission, Gionna. Tell her to obey us.”
“Would you like that, Ahm?” Gionna asked. The slave nodded enthusiastically. “All right. You will obey Olivia, followed by Bee and Dee.”
“I’ll be good, Gionna.”
“I know you will.” She kissed her slave then turned and grabbed my arm, pulling me, as I protested, to my feet. “Now, this part I planned,” she whispered.
“You’re a brat.”
“I know.”
She pulled me to the aisle, but I stopped and leaned over Shalendra. “I have half a mind to volunteer you for an event.” Shalendra laughed. “Dee. Bee. Ahm. You have my permission to do whatever you want to Shalendra.” Shalendra laughed again.
Then Gionna tugged my arm, and I let her. But I leaned to her. “I wonder how long before they get her out of her clothes.”
“They don’t go that far,” she said. “They’ll just loosen a few things and reach under a few others.”
* * * *
It wasn’t the monthly event, which would have been chaos on top of chaos. But the stands were full, as was the schedule. I looked it over; there were multiple group events, and as best I could tell, most if not all of my staff was signed up. I wasn’t that surprised. I showed that to Gionna.
“The way they were all talking? You had to expect it.”
“This isn’t what Olivia has always said a first practice challenge should be.”
“You have to trust their opponents,” she replied. “Do they have permission?”
“Yes. I told them we didn’t have any official duties. I’ll probably be a social butterfly for a while.”
We hosted the event. The audience was especially lively, but cooperative. Tess did a one-on-one with Penelody. I thought that was sweet. Rosaniya partnered with Renishta, losing to Lisolte and Valsine. I thought that was a pair of unexpected pairings, but I knew it would go well.
There were a couple of other events, and then there was a delay. Finally the door opened, and Major Bess appeared, walking straight towards us. She was alone, and she wasn’t on the schedule. “Princess Darfelsa!” she called. The audience quieted.
“Major Bess. Is there an issue?”
“Yes, and no. Your Sergeant Felist and her entire squad has turned down all challengers.”
“That is their right.”
“They have explained their duty to you as their excuse.”
I laughed. “Sergeant Felist! Where are you. Are you in the stands?” I looked for her. “Someone find her.” It took a half minute until she appeared in Olivia’s box. “There you are. I’m a little surprised you’re up there rather than down here.”
“These guards had something to do with it,” Mariya said, gesturing to two Ressaline women. “I didn’t think you would want me to make an incident of it.”
“You’re right,” I said. “I understand you have explained your duties as your reason for turning down challenges.”
“We take our responsibilities very seriously.”
“Well, listen very carefully. You have every right to say ‘no’. I’m sure I didn’t hear you or your squad engaging in any of the trash talk during our journey.” That was a lie. “But you will not use me as an excuse. If you don’t want to play, jus
t say ‘No, thank you.’ Major Bess, Sergeant Felist and every member of her guard must be fully capable of their duties by the time we reach Tebradine. They do not have a single official duty prior to that time.”
“Princess Darfelsa!”
“Sergeant Felist, if you don’t want to partake, you may simply say ‘No, thank you.’ If you do not want your squad to partake, they report to you, not to me.”
“We have training every morning.”
“But you will not use duty to me as your excuse,” I said. “If you become distracted, we can resume training later. However, there is one style of event I cannot allow.”
“What is that, Princess Darfelsa?” Major Bess asked.
“I cannot allow some sort of military engagement between forces from Flarvor and forces from Ressaline.” I gestured. “Sergeant Felist represents the Royal Guard, after all. I wouldn’t want to embarrass Lady Olivia.”
The audience roared.
Gionna sidled over to me. “I thought you were avoiding the trash talk.”
“It would be a really bad idea,” I said quietly. “I don’t want that image. I don’t want comparisons. And I don’t think any sort of grappling events are a good idea.”
“You’re probably right.”
Major Bess heard all that, and so she nodded. “Sergeant Mariya Felist!”
The audience quieted. Mariya smiled, folded her arms, and said, “No, thank you.”
“I have a challenge for you.”
“No, thank you.”
“A simultaneous event. You will pick my opponent from anyone in the arena today. I will pick yours. The princesses will choose the event.” I snorted a laugh. Bess had to wait for the audience to calm down before she added, “They get three minutes. If they cannot come to an agreement during their time, then you and I will choose their opponents, and Olivia will choose the event.”
“I’m sorry, but I cannot accept.”
“Why not?” Shalendra yelled.
“You know why.”
“If the princesses can’t come to an agreement, then Darfelsa and I will be partners. You’ll have to pick two challengers, and Olivia will need to make that work.”
“This is your fault,” I told Gionna. “I know it is.”
Gionna laughed. “Darfelsa and I agree. What do you say, Sergeant Felist?”
“I do not agree.”
“Yes, you do!” Shalendra yelled.
Gionna said, “I have just the idea. Trust me, Darfelsa. We’re only involved if we can’t agree.”
“Fine. Fine.”
“Darfelsa agrees! Sergeant Felist?”
“I get to pick Bess’s opponent?”
“Yes, but she can decline.”
“And she and I will have the same role in our respective challenges?”
“Yes.”
“Agreed,” Mariya said. “If my choice declines, my agreement is off, and it’s back to No, thank you.”
Bess laughed. “Sure.”
“What is the duration?” I yelled.
“Two weeks,” Bess replied.
“I’m not doing two weeks,” I replied. “We know if I get sucked into this, I’ll probably lose, and I am currently the acting ambassador. I have events to host. Three days. Or drop me from this little game of yours and you and Mariya work it out.”
“Fine,” Bess said. “Three days. Who is my opponent, Mariya?”
“Lady Olivia.”
Again, the audience roared with laughter. So did the people on the ground. I offered a little curtsey to Mariya for that suggestion. She set her hand on her hip and turned to look at the duchess.
Olivia stood slowly. She looked down at us then waved a finger at Mariya. The audience quieted when she lifted her hand. “What is the event, Princesses?”
“You’ll find out once we do,” Gionna replied. She grinned. “It’s only three days.”
Olivia waved her finger again, but then said, “Fine.”
I couldn’t read Mariya’s expression, whether she thought it was a new way out, or if she was pleased. But she could have stuck to No, thank you.
Bess stepped to Gionna and whispered something. Gionna, grinning, nodded. Bess lifted her voice. “Mariya, your opponent is Ahm, Gionna’s new slave.”
Olivia immediately said, “You two have three minutes to outline an event. Someone start timing them.”
Gionna turned to me. “Who do you want to win?”
“I’m not sure I care. Mariya needs to lose.”
“Oh, please. Olivia or Bess?”
“Bess is the trouble-maker. She gets to lose. Can you make that happen?”
“Absolutely. Trust me.” I nodded. Gionna lifted her hand. “Lady Olivia, we have reached agreement. We will host a drinking game. All participants will be seated, her feet in the resin. We will go in a circle, with each person being given a chance to speak. If any of the others offers a clear emotional reaction, be it a smile, a frown, a laugh, a squirm, she drinks. Every circle around, you will also drink.”
“What are they drinking?” Claary yelled. “This sounds suspiciously like my first challenge with Jessla.”
“Aphrodisiac, of course,” Gionna answered. “Are we agreed, Princess Darfelsa?”
“We are in complete agreement.”
“Excellent. The event will be first after the intermission. Now, can we move on?”
* * * *
Not surprising, Olivia was as cool as a cucumber. Bess was good, but I think she came into it knowing Olivia would beat her. Mariya began quite nervous, and she was rather surprised by some of the details, but she didn’t back down. Ahm was quite excited, but once the game started, she played to win. When it was her turn to speak, she directed her comments directly to Mariya, and by the third round, the sergeant was actively squirming.
I thought it was interesting to see her begin to lose control, although there was a lot at work to help that along.
For a while, the resin was higher on Ahm than Mariya, but once she began squirming, it didn’t take much longer. By the fifth round, she was no longer truly responsive, and on the sixth round, Ahm talked her through a shuddering orgasm.
At that, Gionna stepped behind her slave and began whispering to her, putting her over the edge, redressing her in the resin.
The battle between Bess and Olivia took longer, and Olivia wasn’t immune to the magic, but she beat Bess easily.
* * * *
The group events were fun, but it was near the end of the afternoon when the doors opened, and Shalendra walked onto the arena grounds, flanked by Tyleeza and Tarleet. Gionna moved to my side, and we waited for them to arrive.
“Well,” I said quietly. “Did you come to ask for an event, Shalendra?”
“We have been challenged, Darfelsa.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Two versus two in a grappling event.”
“I don’t think so.”
“I want to see you in red.”
“I bet you do.”
“And I can’t do it.”
“Not without a significant handicap, which I won’t give you.”
“If you agree to this event, I’ll agree to any others you want, but I want this one. Do this for me, Darfelsa. When am I going to get another chance?” She grinned. “We can do one more event before crossing into Flarvor, with a two-week duration. You know you’ll win.”
That would make her my slave at home for about a week. I didn’t want to try explaining that to Mother, and I told her that.
“I want to do this,” she said again.
“She should have a first challenge,” Tyleeza said. “And not against you, Darfelsa.”
I sighed. “Fine.”
Shalendra smiled broadly.
* * * *
It was to be a simple grappling event. Four of us stood in shifts. Gionna called for the beginning.
Shalendra turned to me. “Thank you.” She pulled me into a hug and kiss, wrapping around me tightly. “For luck,” she whispered, be
fore going back to kiss me.
I kissed her back, but she didn’t stop, and she was wrapped tightly, and I could hear Tyleeza and Tarleet. I tried to break the kiss, then pull my mouth away. “They’re coming.”
“I love you,” she whispered. She tried to pull me back into the kiss.
“Shalendra!” I tried to push away. But then there were more arms, grabbing mine and pulling them behind my back. “Shalendra!”
Shalendra held me tightly. Tyleeza and Tarleet led me backwards, and I didn’t put up much of a struggle. They tripped me into one of the troughs, but then lowered me, Shalendra atop me. And then she pinned me in the resin as they pulled my arms out and bound them, and then my legs.
“Don’t be mad,” she whispered into my ear. I wasn’t mad. I was awfully surprised. I hadn’t decided if I should have felt betrayed. “I wanted to get you like this, and I knew I couldn’t without help.”
“You tricked me.”
“Yes, but it’s in fun, Darfelsa.” She began teasing me, touching me.
I wasn’t mad, but I was a little upset.
She touched, and she teased. She opened my shift, and she began playing. There wasn’t a thing I could do to stop her. But at the same time, I wasn’t feeling it, not remotely the way she was. If she’d used one of the devices, the magic would probably have begun to take hold of me, but she hadn’t gotten to that.
While I was lying in the resin, she was kneeling in it, and sometimes leaning her arms in it as she leaned further to whisper to me.
And the resin began climbing her body.
Soon, she was teasing herself more than me, and I watched her eyes grow lidded, and I watched her become lost to the resin, until finally she collapsed atop me, quivering, otherwise barely moving, as the resin climbed to her shoulders.
She didn’t pass out. She was squirming and making little sounds. Unfortunately, the magic wouldn’t finish without one of the devices. Shalendra was lost to the resin, and I was pinned beneath her, bound and unable to move.
“A little help here,” I finally said.
Tyleeza and Tarleet sat down at the edge of the trench, dropping their feet into the resin. They were grinning. “You don’t think we’re going to untie you, do you, Darfelsa?”
“This wasn’t our idea,” Tarleet added. “This was hers.”