by Robin Roseau
“So please don’t be mad at us.”
“I’m not mad,” I said. “I imagine this went about how you expected.”
“Not entirely,” Tyleeza replied. She cocked her head. “We expected you quite a bit redder than this. I think you’re a little mad. But otherwise, yeah, about.”
I tugged the ropes, but I knew I wouldn’t release myself. “What’s the plan?”
“Well, we did warn her she’d lose herself. She didn’t believe us.”
“Yes, yes. I could have told her this wouldn’t work. And?”
“And, one of us will take her, and one of us will take you.”
“I would have liked a real chance.”
“She has a point, Tyleeza.”
“We’ll give you a chance.” She held up one of the two-ended devices. “Maybe you can outlast one of us. Choose.”
I looked back and forth between them. “It doesn’t matter,” I said. I looked away.
“Yep, she’s mad.”
“I’m not mad,” I said. “But I feel betrayed, and I’m disappointed. Not in either of you.”
“That’s because you’re thinking of this as her betraying you to us,” Tyleeza replied. “Which, in the scheme of things, would it really be that bad?”
“No. But I feel like my trust was misplaced.”
Tyleeza slipped into the trench and knelt beside me, leaning over me. When she turned my chin to face her, I let her, looking over Shalendra’s head. “She wanted what she thought was her best chance with you. She tricked you, but it wasn’t to hurt you. We’re going to pull her off you, and then if you don’t pick, it will be me. With the mood you’re in, you could still win.”
I looked away again. It took both of them. Shalendra was basically dead weight. But they pulled her from me and then backwards, to the other half of the trench. They didn’t bother securing her; she wasn’t going anywhere. Tyleeza came back and asked, “Me, then?”
“Sure.”
Tarleet settled down beside Shalendra. I didn’t worry about that anymore. Tyleeza straddled me, settling down, resting on just one leg.. I looked at her. “I don’t want to do this if you’re mad. This is supposed to be fun.”
I sighed. “I’d like you to take your time with me. Can you do that, Tyleeza?”
She grinned. “Happily. I’m going to do this first.”
I nodded. She shifted around a little, and then she began teasing me, going right for the gold. She used her hands, and the device, and then it slid easily into me.
Then she shifted, moving, until she lowered herself, smiling. The device pressed deeper, but I felt as she took it herself. She did it a little at a time, smiling, and then grew still. “There,” she whispered. She leaned forward, lowering her lips near my ear. It changed pressure, and I gasped a little.
“There we go,” she said to me. “We’re going to share you, Sa. It will be the four of us, not two-and two. Would you like that?”
“Yes.”
She continued to whisper to me, gentle whispers into my ear, and to touch, and to stroke, and to move. I felt the magic taking over, and then the way I had landed here stopped mattering. “Don’t stop.”
“I won’t, Darling,” she whispered. “Surrender feels so good, doesn’t it? To just let your concerns melt away, to trust someone else for a while.”
“Yes.”
“Is there anything special you want, Sa?” I told her. She giggled and said, “We can do that, Darling. There you go. There you go, my pet. There you go.”
I lost myself to her.
* * * *
She held me for a while, there in the trench. It couldn’t have been that long, or people would have helped me to clear the field. But I became aware, cradled in Tyleeza’s arms. I was dressed in red and felt very, very good. “There you are, Sa,” she whispered. “Ready to go home?”
“Yes.”
Staff
Allium, in good spirits, arrived in Charth. She settled in then met with me. “So. You didn’t burn down the embassy, and as best I can tell, my staff is intact.”
“Hey!” I complained. “Your staff are all troublemakers, every single one.”
She laughed. “I imagine. I saw some red, and I heard something about you engaged in a three-on-one.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “So.”
“So,” she echoed. “I offered my recommendations.” She slid a sheet of paper around to me. “They can improve overall transportation by improving the road as far as they can, and then setting up a transfer station.”
“As we’ve discussed.”
“The rest will take time. They’ll widen the road as we’ve discussed, cutting into the cliff, and in a few pieces, short tunneling.”
“Hard work.”
“It will pay off in the long term. There are two places they need to tunnel, but we surveyed as best we could, and I recommended different entrances and exits. I don’t know if they’ll do it; it would take years, and there is risk.”
“Just doing the rest of this would help.”
“Yes. It just means everything needs to be packed in a way that it can be transferred from wagons to pack mules.” She gestured. “This is at least a ten-year plan, maybe twenty. But once a tunnel is dug, it’s a lot easier to maintain.”
“Good work, Allium.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “How soon do you want to return to Barrish?”
“I wouldn’t be upset if we were forced to stay here longer, but now that you’ve caught up to us, I’m out of excuses.”
“Give me a few days, then.”
“Sure.”
* * * *
That time passed quickly. It was an easy time for me, and I spent most of it with Shalendra. We hosted one event at the embassy, and we were down to our last full day. Dinner would be at Olivia’s home, dinner and a dance afterwards.
But it was mid-afternoon when my staff caught up with me. “Darfelsa, could we talk to you?”
“Of course. Shalendra, we can bathe together in a bit, if you like, and then start to get ready. I’ll find you.”
“Sure.”
I let my staff lead the way, and they brought me to my quarters. Oh, it wasn’t everyone; I didn’t have my entire honor guard. But Sergeant Felist was with them, plus the ones I’d brought from Gandeet. We settled, and then I asked, “What’s up.”
“This is, well, it’s sort of a personal conversation,” Renishta said. “And sort of a conversation with the princess.”
“Okay,” I said slowly.
“We’ve been having practice challenges.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“How much do you think about the last person who owned you?”
“I’m not sure I understand the question.”
“We’re sort of… fixated,” Terla said. “Are you?”
“Oh. Well, I think kindly of her, but I don’t know that I’d use that word. Is it a problem?”
“Yes, and no,” she replied. “It’s not getting in the way, or anything like that. And I like her. But we’re leaving tomorrow.”
“And you don’t want to leave?”
“That’s not it at all.” She looked frustrated.
“I think about serving her,” Tess said in a low tone. “Darfelsa, no one has treated me like you do.”
“Us,” Terla said. “No one has treated us the way you do.”
“I don’t want to think about serving her, Darfelsa,” Tess continued. “If anyone, I want to think about serving you.”
“Valsine said this fades with more practice challenges,” Renishta supplied. “But once we leave here, when will we get more?”
“We don’t know what to do,” Selzen said. “Well, that’s not true, but we don’t know if you’ll go along with it.”
“Valsine isn’t sure this will fade with time,” Renishta said. “She said we’ll always love our First, and I think she’s right. I don’t mind that. But for a long time, she was the one I thought about. But now it’s whomever I belonged
to last.”
“Right now, for me, that’s Renishta,” Terla said. “Which isn’t so bad.”
“If we don’t come up with another plan, then I want to let Terla win me,” Renishta added. “But we’re pretty sure if I’m her last, and she’s mine, that… And that might not be so bad, but it might get in the way of our jobs.”
“If the two of you decided to become a couple, I would support you,” I said.
“But if we have a fight, a bad fight, then you’d probably have to give one of us up, and neither one of us is going to volunteer to be the one to walk away.”
“We’re not sure we’re really compatible, long term,” Terla added.
“You’re all asking for a practice challenge with me, aren’t you?” They nodded. I looked at Mariya. “You, as well?”
“They came to me about it,” she said. “Yes. I wouldn’t want to be your pleasure slave, Darfelsa. I think that would be confusing. But you could make me one of the other kinds. You’re my princess.”
“Mariya,” I said gently.
“That would be better than continuing to think about her.”
“Ahm?”
“No,” she said. “That was way too distracting. I challenged Bess for an overnight.”
“Ah.”
“I thought about asking Allium, or someone else here. But you’re my princess,” she repeated.
“So what is your plan?”
“We didn’t finish one.”
“I want mine to be a long time, though,” Tess said. “A month.” That would include a week or two in Barrish.
“That might be hard to explain.”
“Valsine said you might be able to adjust how much resin I wore, but that if you can’t, Claary can adjust it, and she can help you give me different colors. It doesn’t have to be a pleasure slave. And I could wear other clothes over the resin. No one would know.”
“I’m fairly sure everyone traveling with us would know. Your sister would know.”
“And none of them would care. I bet some of them do the same thing. I know that Valsine has already talked to Allium about arriving in Barrish while still wearing red. Darfelsa, like Mariya said. You are our princess. I know for myself, if I’m going to think about kneeling to someone, it should be you.”
“I don’t know what to say,” I whispered. “I am… I am overwhelmed by your loyalty. I don’t feel like I’ve done anything special.”
“We’re with you, now and forever,” Mariya said.
“I don’t want you sharing me with Shalendra,” Renishta said.
“You don’t like her?”
“I don’t know how I feel about her, but I don’t want my loyalty confused. Whether or not she becomes your consort, my loyalty is to you, and I don’t want it muddled.”
“Does this mean you don’t want her to know what’s going on?”
“I don’t care who knows,” she said. “In fact, I bet this is easier for you if a few people do know.”
“Shalendra and Allium, for sure,” Terla said. “And Valsine will figure it out, whether we tell her or not.”
“Claary, if we’re going to do more than one color,” I said. “Gionna, because she’s going with us, and she’s not an idiot. And Olivia, because I think we need her advice.”
“That’s fine,” Renishta said. “We thought you’d have to talk to some of them.”
“So we’re all agreed on that?”
They nodded, and then Tess said, “You’ll let us do it?”
“We’ll ask Olivia for a conversation this evening,” I said.
* * * *
I found a chance to tell Shalendra, “My staff has requested a conversation with Olivia. You’ll be there. They’re going to say some things that might bother you. I need you to support me, regardless.”
“Of course. Do I get a hint?”
“No.”
“You’re a brat.”
“I know.”
“I want something in return.”
“Oh, so we’re negotiating?” I thought about it. “No. If you’re the right woman, Shalendra, then we don’t trade that way. When I tell you I need something from you, you need to give it to me.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“So you may ask, but it’s a separate issue.”
“I want you in red. It doesn’t have to be long. Overnight, maybe. When am I ever going to get another chance?”
“Do you have a longer argument planned?”
“And I want to be yours, too. I don’t care who goes first.”
“This is getting more interesting. Explain.”
“So bossy,” she said with a smile. “I’m still thinking about Tarleet, and I want to replace those thoughts.”
I laughed. “And you think I’m fixated on Tyleeza?”
“Aren’t you?”
“No. I think kindly of her, but the tendency to do that seems to become weaker with more challenges.”
“Oh. Well. I want to replace thoughts of her with thoughts of you, and I want this experience, whether it makes you feel more committed to me or not.”
“I tell you what: you may bring up this request during the conversation with Olivia.”
“Why can’t you just do this for me?”
“I want you to trust me. You’ll understand later.” I smiled. “If you think I was wrong to put off an answer, I’ll let you have me for three days. You can pick the terms for when I own you.”
“A week.”
I laughed. As I was pretty confident, I smiled. “I need to be fully myself when we cross the Verlies River. You may have me as fits schedules of the other things that will be discussed.”
She smiled broadly. “Deal.”
* * * *
Everyone looked lovely, and I was quite pleased to see Gionna in a gown. I liked her leather, but this was better. We offered greetings, and when I had a chance, I whispered into Olivia’s ear, “My staff has requested a conversation with you, perhaps a half hour. Gionna and a few others, too.”
“When?”
“As soon as we can manage.”
She nodded, and it was ten minutes later that she turned to me. “You requested a conversation?”
“Gionna, we need you. Allium and Valsine, too.” I collected all my little ducks, and then we followed Olivia through her house. We got settled, and then I said, “I want my staff to explain, and then I also want Shalendra to add what she has to say.”
My staff all looked at Renishta. She said, “Well, I guess I’m the spokesperson.” She then outlined everything we’d discussed earlier. No one interrupted.
Shalendra’s jaw dropped once she figured out what was going on then turned to me. “Fine. You were right.”
“I usually am.”
Renishta finished. “Before you comment, Olivia, Shalendra has things to say.”
“First,” Shalendra said. “In case anyone is wondering, I will support whatever is best for Darfelsa and her staff.”
“Thank you, Shalendra.”
And then she told me her plan, as well as the agreement we’d made. Gionna giggled about it. “She’s not paying up on that offer.”
“No, but she still said she’d give me what I asked.”
“I did,” I agreed. “Now, we have people who know more about this than I do.”
Olivia nodded. “This isn’t uncommon. It doesn’t happen to everyone. When it remains prolonged, then it’s generally understood the woman will probably seek a permanent enslavement.” She looked about, her gaze settling on Tess for a moment. “You already have strong feelings for Darfelsa, as you should. But this will enhance those feelings.”
“We want that,” Tess said.
“I told them if they could fit in more practice challenges, it gets easier,” Valsine said.
“Gionna, do you want to comment?”
“Only that I agree with you, Olivia,” Gionna said. “My approval isn’t necessary, so I’ll only speak for myself. I support the basic plan.” Then she grinn
ed at me. “All of the basic plans.”
“Allium?” Olivia prompted.
“I support the basic plans. There are logistics to work out.”
“There are,” Olivia replied. “Darfelsa, you haven’t said how you feel, but I imagine this conversation would have a different feel if you intended to turn them away.”
“I want to make the right choices,” I said. “Shalendra needed to hear all that for what should be obvious reasons. The others here probably needed to hear, because either we need your help or you would figure it out, anyway. And I wanted advice from everyone here. Valsine, what do you think?”
“I think you should do it,” she said. “I agree with Gionna. I support the entire plan.”
“Tess has asked to be enslaved for a period, lasting until after reaching Barrish.”
“I don’t see that as a problem,” Valsine replied. “I’ve already asked Allium to do that to me, but so far, she’s been resisting.”
“I don’t want to explain it to Ralifta,” Allium said. “And there’s no way we can show up and she won’t notice.”
“Then don’t explain it to her,” I said. “I will. I promise you: Ahlianna will be amused.”
Valsine snorted. “I bet.”
“I think Mother will be, too, but we probably don’t want Grandmother to find out.”
“We couldn’t hide it from Queen Ralifta,” Valsine said. “But if we put me in regular clothing and don’t actually acknowledge me as me, no one needs to know.”
“Why do you want to do this?” I asked.
“Because I think it’s time we begin setting precedent, although it’s not really my place to make that decision.” She grinned. “But there’s not one thing wrong with me suggesting it, is there?”
“No, Valsine, no reason at all.”
“I actually like setting the precedent,” Olivia agreed. “But on that, it’s not my decision.”
“I would say it’s Allium’s, Valsine’s, and then mine,” I said. “Allium, no one is going to force you.”
“If she won’t do it, then I want to join Tess,” Valsine said. “Make me a clerk. I’d rather be red, though. No piping, either, but if Claary is passing out other colors, she can give me swirls.”
“Allium,” I said. “I will support you. I’d rather she was yours, and I won’t take her myself unless you specifically offer her to me.”