Princess Wars

by J. D. Rogers

"A professional assassin. If you see a woman carrying a sword in this part of the world, she's a professional assassin, rest assured."

  "The King of Dunre hired this one to kill me. As you can see. She and her partners failed. Rather foolish of the King of Dunre to think he could kill a barbarian princess that easily." I pulled my scimitar out of its sheath and pointed its curved tip at Tabitha's stomach. "Are you an assassin sent to kill me?"

  Tabitha shook her head no. Quite vigorously. She was afraid of me and I liked it. It was the first time in my life that I could remember someone being afraid of me.

  "Queen Catlett sent me to help you dress. She wasn't sure what women in your part of the world wear and thought you might need someone to show you how to put on a corset and a gown."

  I sheathed my scimitar, unbuckled the scabbard from around my waist, and tossed it on my bed. "We have corsets and gowns in my part of the world. What we don't have are those ridiculously high heeled boots. I can't begin to imagine what purpose they serve, other than to keep you from running away from any assassins that might want to kill you."

  "They serve a definite purpose. They . . . ." Tabitha's voice trailed off as she struggled to come up with a reason for wearing the high heeled boots. "They make you taller."

  "I'd rather be short and able to defend myself than tall and hobbled."

  "I'm not hobbled."

  "Prove it."

  "How?"

  "Let me see you run."

  She didn't do it. Not that I expected her to. Her skirt was too tight to run in even without the high heeled boots. "Where I come from, a LADY does not run."

  "What do you do when an assassin comes to kill you?"

  "Assassins have no reason to kill me. I'm merely the niece of a baron."

  "They have plenty of reasons to kill me."

  "Does that mean you don't want me to help you dress for dinner?"

  I had a feeling that everything I said and did on this journey would get back to Queen Catlett. I suspected that I was already being judged by the queen herself, and if I didn't at least try their fashions, I would be found wanting. "This ship is well defended, so I don't think I need to worry about assassins while I'm on board. As such, you may select a gown and help me dress for dinner."

  When we reached Vassa, I would find a tailor and have some gowns made up in the styles my mother preferred, along with some riding skirts and breeches.

  While I slipped out of the outfit I had been wearing for the last two days, Tabitha selected a red silk gown. She held it up in front of me and pronounced that it would fit me perfectly. I thought it looked too small, but didn't say anything. She knew these styles better than I did. She added a red silk corset, red silk stockings, and matching silk briefs to the growing pile on my bed. Lastly, she pulled out a pair of boots with the wicked looking heels.

  "We have no hot water on board, so you won't be able to take a bath. However, I do have some talc in my cabin. We can sprinkle some of that on you, then scrub you with a cloth. It will be almost as good."

  Tabitha slipped into her cabin and returned with a wooden box. Inside the box was a white powder softer than the finest sand. I wasn't excited about having powder tossed on me, especially after my encounter with Ezerra, but I remained silent, figuring Tabitha was no powder witch. She began circling around me, tossing fistfuls of the white powder on me. When I was as white as a ghost, she grabbed two small cloths, handed one to me, and kept one for herself.

  "You scrub the front. I'll scrub the back," she said.

  I was used to having handmaidens help me dress, but I wasn't used to having someone scrub my naked body. It was especially disconcerting when she finished with my back and started on my bottom. Still, she did her job in a workman like manner and in no time we had the white powder, and any dirt that might have been underneath it, scrubbed off.

  The gown Tabitha selected was made out of a single layer of silk with no petticoats. The lacing started at the top of my thighs and ran all the way to the top of my neck. The dress covered me from neck to ankle and was so tight that I couldn't run in it let alone fight. I felt like a sword sheathed in its scabbard.

  The skirt was the worst part, tight across the hips, tight across the thighs, and narrow enough around the ankles that I could only take small steps. Between the gown and the high heeled boots, walking was no longer something I could take for granted.

  "This is horribly uncomfortable," I said, stumbling around the room and feeling like a horse that had just been saddled, bridled, and hobbled. "Why do you put up with it?"

  Tabitha led me to the mirror that hung on the inside of one of the armoire's doors. I looked tall and curvaceous. My breasts were tucked right under my chin and stuck straight out. My waist looked small enough to wrap my hands around, which made my hips look rounder than normal. My bottom also look bigger than normal. It was the first time in my life I looked at myself and thought that I had a big butt. Of course it was all an illusion, created by the corset and the tapered gown. Well, part of it was an illusion. I wasn't as tall as my mother, or Salisha, nor were my hips as round as theirs, but I was just as big in the chest.

  "There are a couple of things I need to show you," Tabitha said.

  "Such as?"

  "Try to sit down."

  I hobbled to the end of the bed, tried to sit on it, and discovered that I couldn't. The gown, in particular, the skirt, was so tight that I couldn't sit, not without ripping the gown at the seams.

  "There's a trick to sitting." Tabitha glided to the writing desk and pulled out the captain's chair that went with it. I felt jealous watching her move in her boots and gown. She made it look effortless, like she had been doing it her whole life, which I suppose she had. I felt like an old plow horse standing next to a sleek race horse. "Now watch."

  Instead of just sitting in the chair, she bent at the waist, pushed her bottom out, then fell into the chair, letting her legs kick out in front of her.

  "When you push your bottom out like that, it looks like you're putting on a show," I said.

  "You are putting on a show. You're saying to all the handsome and eligible men that are watching you, see how curvaceous I am, see how fertile I am. I can bare you many fine sons. Sons that will grow up to be big and strong. Sons that will care for you in your old age. Sons that will defend your land and your name and your honor."

  "And here I thought you were saying, see how big my butt is. See how many pies and pastries I've been eating. If you marry me, I'll eat you out of house and home and castle."

  Tabitha giggled. "Lucky for us, men don't think that way. There's also a trick to standing up."

  She grabbed the arms of the chair and pushed herself up. At the same time, she kicked her legs up and down. Somehow, she managed to rise out of the chair while looking both graceful and elegant. There was no way that I could do that and still look graceful. I was definitely going to visit a tailor.

  Tabitha moved to the side of the chair. "Now, you try."

  I moved to the chair, bent at the waist, and thrust my bottom out. "So what am I saying right now?"

  "You're saying, see how round and firm my bottom is. I can bear you many strong royal heirs." Tabitha giggled. "Either that or . . . . "

  I never had a chance to hear what else she was going to say because we were interrupted by a knock on the door.

  It was Bokham. "Your Highness, we have a bit of a problem, you're going to have to come up on deck."

  I straightened up and moved to the door as quickly as my outfit would allow. Bokham had also changed, donning a clean version of his red and white uniform. His scabbard hung from his left hip and his right hand was gripping the hilt of his broadsword.

  "What's wrong?" I said.

  "The man whose hand you cut off followed us, then went to the local authorities, claiming we murdered his friends. The local authorities have come to ask us some questions."

  I sighed and stepped out of the cabin. So much for a peaceful dinner.

  Chapt
er 15

  The man whose hand I lopped off was standing on the gangplank arguing with Captain Hubbard. A pair of soldiers dressed in black silk balloon pants, red vests, and black turbans stood between the two men. As soon as he saw me, the would-be-assassin pointed his stump at me and started yelling. "This is all her fault. She ordered her thugs to attack me and my friends. I demand that you arrest her."

  I walked over to the man, which took some time considering what I was wearing. When I finally reached him, I slapped him across the face. "You've been drinking again. After you promised me that you were off the bottle for good."

  The man was so taken back by my action that he just stood there, dumbfounded.

  "You know this man?" one of the soldiers said.

  "He's my brother. And he has a bit of a drinking problem. When he's drunk, he tends to run around telling crazy stories about people trying to kill him. If you leave him with us, I can assure you that we'll confine him to this ship until we leave port. He won't give you anymore trouble."

  "She's lying," Stumpy said. "I never saw her until a couple of days ago, when she ordered her thugs to rob me and my two friends."

  I didn't bother to argue with the man. I just stood there and let the soldiers decide for themselves who was more credible, a screaming one handed man, or a well-dressed woman with a big fancy ship. Needless to say, it didn't take the soldiers long before they decided who they believed. When the man realized that he had lost the argument, he turned to run away. The two sailors Captain Hubbard stationed at the bottom of the gangplank had already moved behind him, so he didn't get anywhere.

  "Take him below deck until he's sober," I said. The two sailors smiled knowingly and hustled the screaming man away, once he was below deck, I turned back to the two soldiers. "Once again, I apologize for my brother's behavior. I can assure you that next time we visit your great city, he will remain at home."

  The two soldiers bowed. I turned to Captain Hubbard. "Captain, perhaps we should make a donation to the high sage's treasury, to pay for any damage my brother has caused."

  "As you wish, Your Highness," Captain Hubbard said with a bow. He pulled a couple of gold coins out of the coin purse attached to his cutlass belt and handed them to the soldier that did the talking. The two soldiers bowed and headed down the gangplank. I had little doubt that the high sage's treasurer would never see those gold coins. Most likely, they would wind up in the hands of some tavern keeper.

  Edgerton burst on deck. He was half dressed. One boot on, one boot off. His waistcoat only half on. "What's the problem?"

  "Captain Hubbard is two gold coins short," I said. "I trust you'll see that he's compensated."

  ***

  We were sitting down to dinner in the captain's mess when we received another visitor. This one was a messenger from the High Sage of Landish himself. It was an invitation to his palace, inviting the lady from Vassa to meet him.

  "The high sage's men must've seen the royal flag flying atop the masts," Edgerton said. "He's probably curious about who you are and what you're doing here."

  "I'd like to meet him. He's not allied with the King of Dunre, so I have nothing to fear from him. Right?"

  "He is not an ally of the King of Dunre. But there are some things you need to know about the high sages."

  "Such as?"

  "They're collectors."

  "What does that have to do with my paying the current high sage a visit?"

  "The high sages collect women."

  "You mean slaves?"

  "More like wives."

  "How many wives does he have?"

  "He's been high sage for less than a year, so not many, around a dozen."

  I picked my jaw off the table. "Twelve wives in one year. You've got to be kidding?"

  "In Landish, the high sage's greatness is measured by the number and the beauty of his wives. I fear that once you enter the high sage's palace, you may never get out."

  "If he's collecting women, he'd probably be more interested in the Lady Tabitha than me."

  "How do you figure?" Edgerton said.

  "Haven't you noticed that most of the women in this city are short with long black hair. They look a lot like me. I don't know how things work in Vassa, but in the rest of the world, tall blonds are always in greater demand than short brunettes. If we leave the Lady Tabitha here, I suspect we'll be fine."

  I figured if I was in danger, I'd have had a vision warning me not to visit the high sage, which hadn't happened. I also wanted to meet the high sage for another reason. If I was going to live in this part of the world, I needed friends and allies.

  Edgerton scowled. "I still don't like it."

  "What's the worst he can do to me?" I countered. "Drug me? Bind and gag me? Wrap me up in a carpet? Throw me over the back of a horse and ferry me across the desert? Been there and done that."

  That pretty much decided the argument. Captain Hubbard, Edgerton, Bokham, and myself, finished our dinner and headed for the high sage's palace.

  The high sage's messenger came with a wagon the likes of which I had never seen. It sat low to the ground, resting between its four wheels rather than over them. It also had a roof and walls. Inside were a pair of padded benches that faced each other. The benches were red and made from a butter soft leather. The rest of the wagon was black, except for its wheels, which were red. A driver sat on a bench over the front wheels, while two footmen rode on a running board between the rear wheels. The high sage's royal seal, a red lion, was painted on each door. A team of four black horses pulled the wagon, which Edgerton called a carriage.

  The high sage's palace sat on a hill in the center of the city. It was a large brick building with five domes, a small dome at each corner, and a large dome in the center of the building. The building's four corners were rounded to match the curve of the small domes. It had arched windows and arched doors.

  A yellow brick wall surrounded the palace. Guards in black silk pants, red silk vests, and black turbans patrolled the top of the wall. The wall's main gate consisted of a pair of heavy wooden gates painted black. A red lion had been painted in the middle of each gate. The gates were open but guarded. Since we were in a royal carriage, we were waved on through.

  The palace was more ornate than any of the palaces back in Adah. The floors were inlaid with colored tiles picturing scenes of a red lion hunting, eating, sleeping, and watching over people. Hanging on the walls were tapestries with the same scenes. The windows were made out of pieces of colored glass and displayed similar scenes.

  A large crowd filled the palace's great hall. Some were standing, some were sitting on piles of silk pillows. All of them were eating and drinking. Serving girls scurried about, carrying trays of bread and cheese and fresh fruit, as well as jugs of red wine. Dancing girls weaved among the people, their bodies covered with gold and silver but little else. Musicians strolled among the crowd, playing their horns and stringed instruments.

  "Looks like a party," Captain Hubbard said. "I wonder what they're celebrating."

  "We are celebrating the high sage's ascendance to the throne of the red lion," a serving girl said, holding up a tray filled with freshly baked sweets.

  "Didn't he ascended a full year ago?"

  "They celebrated his father's ascendance for a full year. To prove this high sage is greater than his father, we will celebrate his ascendance for two years."

  The girl moved on, offering her tray of sweets to others in the crowd. No walls around their capital city and a nonstop two year party. If Bedonna knew that these people existed, she would march Adah's armies across the desert and place herself on the throne of the red lion.

  "Wine, women, and song," Edgerton said. "That pretty much sums up the life of the high sage and his royal court."

  "This city is known as the entertainment center of the world," Bokham added. "Most people come here for fun."

  We were approached by a short slim man with a shaved head, a neatly trimmed white beard, and a long hawk like
nose. He wore a black silk robe with a red sash around his waist. He reached us and bowed. Edgerton, dressed in his usual black and white, returned the man's bow.

  "Chancellor. We received a report that you were in town." The man turned to me. "With a young woman of note."

  A young woman of note. That was diplomatic talk for, I don't know who she is, but she looks and acts like she's important and I'd like to find out what she's doing in my city.

  I offered the man the back of my left hand. "Princess Lila Marie Haran. Fourth daughter of Bella Justine Haran, the twelfth Queen of Adah."

  "Lydon Jarvo." The man paused to kiss the back of my hand. "Chief Counselor to his Royal Majesty the High Sage of Landish, Miship Boxx. You'll excuse my ignorance, but I've never heard of Adah."

  "It's easy to find. Just head east across the Great Desert. When you run out of desert, you're in Adah."

  Counselor Jarvo's dark eyes widened in surprise. Whatever he had expected me to say, that wasn't it. "I heard a rumor that Chancellor Edgerton had gone to the end of the world in search of a princess, but I didn't expect him to return with someone so lovely and refined. Truth be told, I didn't expect him to return at all. Can I ask why you decided to make this journey?"

  "If it had been up to me, I wouldn't have made the journey. But as Chief Counselor of Landish, you know better than anyone that we are often moved by forces beyond our control." That was diplomatic talk for, I was bound and gagged, rolled up in a carpet, and tossed over the back of a horse.

  "His Royal Highness, the high sage, sent me to inquire about your personage, and if it would benefit him to meet you. Since I believe it would, you are welcome to follow me."

  Counselor Jarvo set off. I fell in behind him, moving as gracefully as I could in the unfamiliar high heeled boots and too tight red silk gown. Edgerton, Bokham, and Captain Hubbard fell in behind me. We left the main room under the large dome and headed down an arched hallway toward the back right corner of the palace. At the end of the hall, beaded curtains made from rubies, emeralds, and sapphires hung in a doorway, separating the hallway from what looked like a throne room.