by Robin Roseau
“Did you do it?”
“Yes.”
“And you would do it for me?”
“If we get to that point, yes, I’d do it for you, but you’ll have already done it enough to understand.”
“You have to be a student before you can be a teacher?”
“It’s not that exactly, but yes.”
She nodded, smiled, and said, “Oh, look? I’m still sitting here.”
“If you present yourself to Mother and formally ask to offer suit, we’ll accept,” I told her. She began grinning broadly. “I don’t know the schedule. You’ll receive invitations. I train with the guard every morning, typically early. I would like you there, at least once, sometime in the next few days.”
“To train with you?”
“Only as the last lesson in what to expect of me. No, I don’t expect you to join the training.”
“I’ll come tomorrow morning.”
“Good.” I stood, she with me. I was going to lead her to the door, but she closed the scant distance and set her hand on my cheek. And then she brought us together.
The kiss began chaste, but it didn’t stay that way. Oh, there was one small, chaste kiss, but then a second, and a third, and by the end of that, I was holding her tightly, and she, me. “Will you give me a real opportunity, Princess?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Good.”
* * * *
That afternoon, I met Isilynor Trisvyre. She was 18, at least as lovely as Tisha, and also intelligent. We had a lovely chat. Ahlianna was in a gentler mood. And then Isilynor was absolutely aghast when I explained about travel.
I left it to her decision, but I could see she didn’t know how to withdraw herself. “Princess, I-”
“You have to decide something, Isilynor. Do you think this is something you could absorb and grow to embrace, or will you remain as horrified as you currently appear?”
“It’s not about you. Princess, I really like you.”
I smiled. “Stand up.” We did, and then I kissed her cheek. “You are lovely and very sweet.”
“I’m so sorry.” She fled.
I hadn’t even gotten to talk about Ressaline.
Grandmother had another one, already waiting to talk to me. Tynnelia Syrric and I hated each other at first glance.
Oh, it probably wasn’t that extreme. But we talked for all of twenty minutes before she said, “Princess Darfelsa, I think someone else might be a better fit for you.” We both stood; she thanked me for her time; I apologized she had come so far. And then she was gone.
“Well,” I said to the closed door. “When you’ve got it, you’ve got it. Three women seen, two eliminated. Excellent.”
* * * *
Mother invited Tisha to dinner that night, an intimate dinner with just the family; Gionna, Allium, and Valsine were honorary family. Partway through the dinner, Tisha looked across the table to me. “You said I shouldn’t talk about the things we discussed.”
“You shouldn’t talk about them with the other women,” I said. “I’m not sure how much Grandmother knows, but as you can imagine, Gionna and Allium are quite well-informed.”
“Ooh, what is it you want to know?” Gionna asked. She didn’t wait for an answer but turned to Allium. “I bet she wants us to spill secrets.” She turned back. “Yes, I can confirm: Darfelsa is an amazing pleasure slave.”
“Gionna!”
“She’s been yours?” Tisha asked.
“No, no,” Gionna replied. “But word gets around.”
“Gionna,” I said again.
“What?” she asked. She grinned at me then turned back. “Would you like to meet one?”
“Meet one, what?”
“A pleasure slave.”
“You have one here?”
“I do, actually,” Gionna replied. “You can meet her after dinner.”
“Gionna,” I said. “Behave.”
“Oh, please. She’s dying to meet Ahm. Everyone is.”
“True, but behave, anyway.”
“Do I have to?”
“Child.”
She snorted, smiled again, and then asked, “What was it you really wanted to know?”
“You are only women, yes?”
Gionna turned back to me. “You didn’t tell her a thing!” She didn’t wait. “Yes. No men. One big slumber party.”
“Hardly,” Allium muttered.
“But you still have children.”
At that, Gionna settled down. “Yes. It’s magic, literally. Our daughters are always planned.”
“If I come with Darfelsa, I would have to have a First.”
“Yes,” Gionna said. “You would.”
“With whom? You?”
“No, you have to be a…” Gionna trailed off and began to grin. “Citizen,” she added finally.
“That just occurred to you?” Allium asked. “Seriously?”
“Yeah,” Gionna did. “No one ever said I was Mother’s smartest child.” Several of us scoffed.
“I don’t understand the joke.” Allium enjoyed explaining it. “So, it could be with you?”
“Technically, yes,” Gionna said. “But that’s probably not the right choice. We actually encourage people to find a First with someone who can be a little motherly. A woman in her first needs quite a bit of nurturing to come out of it healthy. I can be nurturing, but others are better. A little more maturity would help. Five years from now, maybe.”
“You would make sure any woman had a lovely First,” I said. “It would be different than with someone else, but you take your responsibilities seriously, and you would take care of her.”
“Sure, throw the R word at me.” She grinned again. Then she turned to Allium. “You got me drunk!”
“I did no such thing,” Allium replied. “I’m sure that was Valsine.”
“The two of you got me drunk!” She turned to me. “While you were interviewing lovely women and scaring them away, they got me drunk.”
“You’re not drunk, Gionna. You’re only slightly inebriated.” I grinned at her.
“Am I slurring my words?”
“I can’t tell, but your accent is thicker than it normally is. Or maybe those are slurred words. You’re really blaming Allium for pouring alcohol down your throat?”
“They took me shopping,” she said. “And then… Valsine got me drunk!”
I laughed. Valsine put on an innocent expression. “How did I do that?”
“You-” Gionna broke off.
“Is it always like this here?” Tisha asked, sipping from her glass.
“No, not normally,” Mother replied. “Gionna is a rare visitor.” Tisha snorted, almost snorting wine up her nose, or so I thought. “Valsine, why did you get Gionna drunk?”
“There’s no evidence supporting such a claim,” Valsine said seriously. “I simply suggested she celebrate her purchases with a little drink, and then she decided to buy a few more things.”
“You encouraged me to buy all of them.”
“Well, you’re going to look lovely. The princess has exquisite taste.”
Gionna lifted her wine glass, got it halfway to her lips, then stopped, staring at it. She set it back down and asked for water before turning to me. “This is your fault.”
“How is it my fault? I was busy scaring women away.”
“Exactly. You should have been there, protecting me from your cousin.” She shifted her gaze. “And where were you?”
“I was helping Darfelsa scare women.”
“Oh.” She looked down, then accepted the glass of water. She sipped at it and set it down. “I’m sorry. I wanted to be charming tonight.”
“You’re fine,” Ralifta told her. She turned to Father. “You are quite outnumbered tonight.”
“I’m always outnumbered,” he said. “I can imagine far worse fates.” He looked about. “I consider this an illustrious group. We have my favorite queen, my favorite ambassador, my favorite three princesses, my favorite m
other-in-law, an honored cousin, and a new friend.” Grandmother scoffed when she was mentioned.
Things calmed down after that. We finished dinner, and then Mother said, “Why don’t you give Tisha a tour of the palace. Perhaps Gionna and Ahm could meet you.”
“The gardens in fifteen minutes?” I asked Gionna. “It's a lovely evening.” I grinned at her. “Can you walk straight?”
“Yes, I can walk straight,” she said.
I stood and offered my arm to Tisha. She walked around the table, and I guided us from the room. We headed down the hall, and she asked me, “Is it always like this?”
“No. Gionna was in a strange mood. When it’s just the family, we tend to be informal but not typically at all weird.”
“Even though the king is outnumbered?”
“He holds his own,” I replied. “Grandmother can be a disruptive influence.”
“She seems very strong-willed.”
“That’s a good way to put it.”
“She scares me.”
I smiled over at her. “She is typically very intimidating. Growing up, Ahlianna and I were both scared of her.”
“I haven’t decided what I think of Princess Ahlianna.”
“She’ll be an amazing queen,” I replied. “And has been a fabulous sister. She was a little intense with you this morning, but give her a chance.”
“I will.”
“Good.” I showed her about, and then as we turned towards the gardens, I said, “I never asked you why you want to marry me.”
“I haven’t decided that I do,” she said.
“Well, you’re here. You want something.”
She smiled for a moment. “It’s simple and complicated at the same time.” She pulled us to a stop, turning us towards each other. “I don’t want to offer a simple answer, and I don’t want to rush a full answer.”
“Well, then,” I said. “I just won’t let you go tonight until you’ve explained.”
She smiled. “Perfect.”
* * * *
We found Allium, Gionna, Valsine, Ahlianna, and Ahm strolling the gardens. As we approached, I whispered, “There are protocols. Do not touch the slave without permission from her owner. Normally you wouldn’t even ask, unless you have a relationship with her owner. In this case, you may ask, or Gionna may offer. I also ask the slave, as she’s still a person.”
She nodded, and then we closed the distance.
Tisha stared at Ahm. That wasn’t surprising. Gionna provided a brief introduction. Tisha dropped my arm and walked around Ahm. “What is she wearing?”
“That may have been lost in our conversation this morning,” I said. “It’s magic material.”
“Magic?”
“It’s a resin made from the sap of a particular plant,” Gionna said. “I presume Darfelsa explained challenges. As part of a challenge, the participants are coated in the sap, and when it’s done, one of them remains like this. I imagine you’re curious. You may touch her.”
Tisha moved closer. Ahm looked over, smiled, and held her arm out. “Does she speak?”
“Ask her something,” I suggested.
“Do you mind if I touch you?”
“I’d like that,” Ahm replied. “It feels really nice.”
Tisha’s first touch was tentative, but then, like most people, she stroked the arm. “Oh,” she said. “It’s like… I don’t know what it’s like.”
“Tisha,” Gionna asked. “Do you mind if she’s a tiny bit forward with you?”
“Hmm? Um. No. Sure.”
“Ahm, caress her face the way I like.”
The slave nodded, turned to fully face Tisha, then lifted both hands. Tisha held still, and Ahm cupped her face, palms resting against her cheeks, fingers under her jaw. And then she slid her hands to the back of Tisha’s neck, then up her head. She did that again, and Tisha closed her eyes. “Oh,” she whispered. “That’s nice.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Ahm whispered. “This is one of the things Gionna lets me do when we can’t do much more.”
“She’d do that for hours, if I let her,” Gionna said. “Although she would also step it up if I let her.” Then we said nothing as Ahm pampered Tisha for a minute. Tisha grew increasingly comfortable, and her hands found Ahm’s hips, steadying herself, her eyes still closed.
“She’s barely touching me,” Tisha said eventually. “And…”
“I know,” Gionna said. “One more thing. Hug her, Tisha.”
“I like hugs,” Ahm declared. Her hands shifted, and then Tisha stepped closer, accepting the offer. The two hugged tightly, Tisha lightly running her hands along Ahm’s back.
Then, slowly, they separated. Ahm turned to Gionna, who put an arm around her and kissed her head. Tisha moved to my side and took my arm. She looked a little glazed, which was an appropriate reaction, I thought.
“I think,” said Ahlianna, “That Tisha is beginning to understand why the Ressaline women find opportunities for a little decadence.”
Tisha focused on my sister. “There are implications to the things I’ve learned today.”
“If your suit for my sister comes to an early conclusion,” Ahlianna asked, “Are you going to present those implications in some manner sure to cause public problems for me?”
“No,” Tisha replied. “Darfelsa said nothing she told me was a secret, though.”
“What happens in Ressaline is far away, and most people don’t pay much attention,” Allium explained. “Anyone who does pay attention undoubtedly has put two and two together, like I believe you just did.”
“You’ve spent time in Ressaline, Princess Ahlianna.”
“Yes, I have, once shortly after turning 18, and then again two years ago. I’d go more often, but my duties are diverse, and it is difficult to justify time away.”
“Have you dressed in this unusual fashion?”
Ahlianna considered for a moment, then inclined her head. “I have.”
“The worst part is this,” I said. “I didn’t get to see it.”
“Poor baby,” Ahlianna said with a smirk.
“I know,” I agreed.
“We were going to play a game,” Gionna said. “Join us?”
“Next time,” I replied. “We’re going to enjoy the gardens and talk for a while.”
“Thank you for introducing me to Ahm,” Tisha said. “Ahm, thank you for letting me touch you, and for how you were touching me.”
“I like to touch,” she replied. And then they went one way; we went the other.
We strolled, and then eventually sat down on a bench facing a small pond, shifting to holding hands. “It is hard to believe this is real,” she said, her tone low.
“Sometimes I have a hard time envisioning things through other eyes,” I replied. “I try to see all of this through the eyes of someone new to it, through your eyes. I have no idea what people see when they look at me. Maybe you see a spoiled, entitled princess.”
“I don’t think you’re a spoiled, entitled princess,” she replied. “And now I don’t know what I used to think, either.” She shifted on the seat, facing me a little more fully. “My motivations are confused.”
“I’d like it if you worked through them with me.”
“I’ll try. Some of my reasons are purely selfish, either for myself, my family, or my region.”
“I would hope that spending time with me wouldn’t be a great sacrifice,” I replied.
She offered a smile. “I think I warned you this might come out poorly.”
“And I just tried to tell you that if you weren’t being at least a little selfish, that I’d wonder why you were doing this to yourself.”
“Oh.”
“Let’s talk about those selfish reasons for a minute.”
“All right. There’s an image of what your life must be.”
“Some of that is probably accurate, and much of it probably is not. Did you know I’m not rich?”
“I’d say this palace you live in might
disprove that statement.”
“Oh, I am certainly privileged,” I replied. “But I have no income, and I’m not allowed to have one.” I talked about that for a minute or so. “Our children would have opportunity. But there is no promise for position, no promise at all.”
“I didn’t know any of that.” She paused. “In case you’re wondering why I said I was being selfish, it’s not about money. I suppose the palace is part of it.”
“Understandable.”
“You’re beautiful,” she said.
“Thank you. So are you.”
“Thank you. So there’s the selfish part of being with someone I find beautiful. That’s not only for me, but there’s prestige, even if you weren’t who you were, and more prestige, even if you weren’t beautiful.”
She looked around for a minute. “I like the way you look at me. I like the way you talk to me.” She returned her gaze and grinned. “I liked our kisses earlier.”
“I did, too.”
“This match also represents opportunity.”
“Yes,” I said.
“Opportunity for me. I may not have influence, but I would have at least a portion of your attention, and with that attention is the ability to talk to you.”
“On your own behalf, that of your family, and the region.”
“Yes. And maybe that won’t ever translate into anything useful, but it has the potential to, and far greater potential than anything else I might do.”
“That’s fair. You understand that we’re careful about favoritism, and if it’s influence for your region you want, my grandmother holds sway.”
“But she won’t live forever.”
“Fair enough.”
“Is it wrong to think about these things?”
“No. Whether you admitted it or not, I’d assume they were a portion of your thinking. Is that all?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “We don’t know each other well. And I don’t know how much of your life you would share with me. I don’t know whether you would just pull me out for public appearances, but otherwise I would sit in my own quarters, raising children.”
“I think our conversation this morning should tell you that’s not my vision,” I replied. “I would want you a full partner in my life.”