Princess Wars

by J. D. Rogers

  "I think she meant that you should do what you want, and not what Jarvo, or Maximillian Bedard, or anyone else wants you to do. While we're on the subject, tell me about the King of Dunre."

  "What do you want to know?"

  "What do you think he wants from you?"

  "He talks about an alliance. A great alliance between Dunre and Landish is what he calls it. He says if we act as one, we can rule the civilized world."

  "And who will be the primary decision maker in this alliance?"

  "Max says that he'll guide me until I'm old enough to make my own decisions."

  "You're old enough to make your own decisions right now," I said. "You want to know what I think?"

  "You think he wants to control me." Okay, so the kid was smarter than he looked. "Jarvo thinks so too, but I've already figured out how to get rid of Max when I get tired of listening to him."

  "How?"

  "I ask him if there's anything he needs and then I give it to him."

  "Did you give him what he wanted tonight?"

  "Of course. It's the quickest way to get him to leave."

  "Can I ask what he wanted?"

  "The same thing he always wants. A ship to transport some goods down the Istansada River."

  "And some men to crew the ship?"

  "He prefers to find his own crew."

  I recalled my geography lessons. "Dunre borders the Western Sea. Max should have plenty of ships at his disposal."

  "You think he's up to something?"

  Before I could voice my suspicions, a vision hit me. In this vision, I was standing on the deck of the Star of the Sea. It was a warm but starless night. Another ship had pulled alongside of ours, a single masted longboat.

  Through the fog, I could see its flag flapping in the breeze. The flag contained a red lion, the high sage's crest. The men on the ship were dressed like the men in Landish, wearing balloon pants and vests and turbans. Problem was, some of them were too tall and too pale to be natives of Landish. They boarded our ship in overwhelming numbers, scimitars and broadswords drawn.

  Captain Hubbard's men put up a brave fight but they were outnumbered and fell one by one. I retreated to my cabin and secured the door, but a pair of tall men in turbans broke the door down. One of them ran his sword through the Lady Tabitha's stomach, then watched her collapse. He started to approach me when the vision faded.

  I found myself back in the high sage's private quarters. He had a concerned look on his face and was asking me if everything was all right.

  "I'm fine." Before I could say anything else, I had another vision.

  This time I saw the King of Dunre. He was standing before the throne of a woman. The woman was tall and thin, with long white hair and pale blue eyes. Time had diminished her beauty but hadn't stolen it. She wore a flowing silver gown with a high collar and belled sleeves. She looked devastated, like she had just lost the love of her life, like she had just lost hope. The King of Dunre was offering his condolences over the deaths of Chancellor Edgerton and the barbarian princess, but I could see the delight in his deep set eyes.

  "Do they know who did it?" Queen Catlett had a soft voice, a voice filled with the pain of loss. Loss for Edgerton. Loss for the hope that my arrival had briefly given her.

  "All reports indicate that it was Landish pirates that attacked the ship," Maximillian Bedard said. "My navy is at your disposal, Your Highness. Even now, they're hunting the Istansada River for the longboat that attacked and killed your people. I've also sent a message to the High Sage of Landish, demanding that he do something about the pirates that have taken refuge in his city, and warning him that if he doesn't, I shall march my army into his city and remove him from power."

  The vision faded and I found myself back with the high sage.

  "I need to know how many ships the King of Dunre has borrowed from you since you came to power."

  "Six," the high sage said. "Every couple of months, Max shows up and lectures me. When I get tired of the lecture, I ask him if there's anything I can do for him. He always says the same thing. He could use an extra ship to transport some fine Landish goods back to Dunre. I give him a ship and he leaves."

  "And you've never asked what he's transporting?"

  "Of course I've asked. He's remodeling his palace and is shipping stained glass back to Dunre. We make the finest stained glass in the world here in Landish."

  "Can I assume the papers entitling Max to use these ships are signed by you?"

  "Of course they're signed by me," the high sage said.

  "Do any of these papers contain Max's name or title, indicating that he's in possession of these ships?"

  The high sage thought for a minute. "I believe they were standard bearer papers."

  So the answer to my question was no. Standard bearer papers began with the line, THE BEARER OF THESE PAPERS IS ENTITLED TO, then went on to state what they were entitled to, in this case, one royal longboat. They ended with the name of the person who issued the papers, in this case, the High Sage of Landish, Miship Boxx. What wasn't on them was Maximillian Bedard's name, nothing to indicate that he was responsible for the ships and the crews that manned them.

  That explained what the King of Dunre was doing in Istansada City. Every couple of months, he would pester the high sage. The high sage would give him a ship just to get rid of him. Max would then man the ship with a mixture of Landish thugs, enough to make it look like a Landish crew, and a few of his own men. They would head down the Istansada River committing acts of piracy.

  If any of the ships were caught, the papers in the captain's possession would trace the ship back to the high sage. Max could march in, accuse the high sage of promoting piracy, and wrest power from him, claiming he was doing it for the good of everybody that depended upon the river for their livelihood. Since the conversations between him and the high sage were private, there would be no way for the high sage to prove that Max had set up the whole thing.

  "I think I know what Max is up to," I said.

  I explained what the King of Dunre was doing and how I knew what he was doing. When I finished, the high sage said, "Why would Max do such a thing?"

  "He wants your throne, Your Supreme Highness. And he knows that if he bores you long enough, you'll give him a ship just to get rid of him."

  "And he's using those ships to commit piracy, which he plans to blame on me?"

  "The men captaining those ships possess standard bearer papers signed by you. It makes it look like you gave them the ships. It makes it look like you're promoting piracy on the Istansada River."

  The high sage made no attempt to hide the worried look on his face. "What do I do now?"

  "Give me fifty of your best soldiers. We'll sneak them on my ship then turn the tables on Max's men when they attack the Star of the Sea. Maybe we can get a couple of them to confess who's really behind the piracy." I doubted that would happen, but it was worth a shot. At the very least, we could foil Max's assassination plot.

  The high sage grabbed me by the shoulders and hugged me. When he finished, he held me at arm's length, and smiled. "Clearly the gods have brought you here to help me."

  "I thought it was Chancellor Edgerton that brought me here."

  "Chancellor Edgerton was just the tool the gods used to bring you here."

  "You need to talk to Jarvo. Fill him in on what's going on. We need to figure out a way to sneak some soldiers onto my ship without Max's spies noticing them."

  "You think Max has men watching your ship?"

  "He plans on attacking us as soon as we set sail. He can't do that without knowing when we leave."

  "And if he sees my men boarding your ship, he'll know that something's up."

  "Exactly."

  "You talk to Edgerton and I'll talk to Jarvo. Between the four of us, we'll find a way to put your plan into motion."

  The high sage sprang to his feet and offered me a hand. He helped me to my feet, then pulled me to him. With my high heeled boots on, I wa
s taller than him by an inch. He kissed me, a hard aggressive kiss that clicked our teeth together and almost knocked his turban off his head.

  "I better go talk to Jarvo," he said, blushing. He straightened his turban and scurried off before I could say anything.

  The serving girl came over, said something in her native tongue, then offered me a goblet containing an amber liquid. When I shook my head no, letting her know that I didn't want whatever was in the goblet, she pressed it to my lips and tilted it. I found myself swallowing the warm bitter liquid just to keep it from spilling down my chin and dress.

  "What was that?" I asked, sputtering and stepping back.

  The girl smiled at me and said something else that I didn't understand. My head started to spin and my body started to grow numb. What's more, I couldn't get my eyes to focus. The room and the girl became nothing more than brightly colored blurs spinning around me.

  I knew that I had been drugged because I felt like I did when Ezerra threw the white powder in my face. Like I did when Edgerton shot me with the miniature crossbow. The last thing I remember thinking was, not again.

  Chapter 17

  I woke up to find myself lying on a circular bed in a circular room. A dozen full length mirrors covered the walls. The room contained an arched doorway but no door, just a transparent green cloth that gave the illusion of privacy.

  On the other side of the doorway, I could see a large circular room full of round marble tables that sat low to the ground. A rainbow of silk cushions surrounded the tables, as did a bunch of young women. They were lounging about in groups of two and three, eating fruit and drinking wine.

  Concern swept over me when I realized that I had been moved to the harem. I struggled to my feet, despite an aching head, then noticed my appearance in the mirrors.

  My clothes were gone. In their place a single leaf made from solid gold covered my sex. It was small enough to warrant shaving me, which was a bit disconcerting. Strips of soft gold tooled to look like vines held the leaf in place. One ran around my waist, the other ran between my legs and bottom cheeks.

  The top was just as bad. Strips of soft gold tooled to look like vines secured gold rose blossoms over my nipples while leaving the rest of my breasts bare.

  The sandals on my feet contained spiked heels similar to the boots I had been wearing, except they were even higher. Gold bracelets circled my wrists and ankles. They consisted of tiny gold flowers dangling from gold vines. The flowers were actually tiny bells, ensuring I jingled when I moved.

  My hair was down. It had been pinned behind my ears with a pair of large gold butterflies. A charcoal paste had been added to my eyelashes to make them look long and thick and sooty. A glittery gold shadow covered my eyelids, while a bright red gloss made my lips look thick and full.

  To call the getup minuscule would be an understatement. From the back I was completely naked, save for a gold vine around my waist, another around the middle of my back, and a third around my neck. Not that you could see the one around my neck since my hair hid it. The front wasn't much better. The gold butterflies pinning my hair back were bigger than the rosebuds and the leaf combined. The worst part was the halter. It lifted my breasts, but provided no support, especially for someone as well endowed as myself. Every time I moved, I jiggled like I was caught in an earthquake.

  It appeared that Edgerton's fears were justified. It also appeared that Jarvo lied. They did toss women into the harem. I wondered why I didn't have a vision warning me about this, but I already knew the answer. My life wasn't in danger. Jarvo didn't want to kill me. He wanted to control me.

  I wondered how I should approach this situation. I could get angry. I could rant and rave and scream, but I doubted it would do any good. It certainly wouldn't win me my freedom.

  I knew one thing, I didn't want to stay in the harem. Being a wife of the high sage wasn't the same as being a queen, or even a queen's heir. Here, I would have no real power, I would be nothing more than a voice in the high sage's ear. If he grew tired of me, I wouldn't even be that.

  There was no guarantee Queen Catlett would want me as her heir. If that was the case, I could always come back here. Maybe if I explained to them that the high sage would be better off with me sitting on the throne of Vassa, they would set me free. Maybe if I promised to return to the harem if Queen Catlett didn't make me her heir, they would let me go. Before I could sort out my arguments, Jarvo entered the room accompanied by two guards.

  The guards were both female. They weren't as tall as me, but they were a good deal huskier, outweighing me by a good fifty pounds apiece, with most of that weight being muscle. Both had long black hair and wore red silk vests and black silk balloon pants. Both carried a scimitar on their left hip and a knife on their right. Both wore an expression that said they weren't afraid to use those weapons.

  "You're probably wondering what's going on," Jarvo said.

  "I know what's going on. You lied to me about tossing women into the harem."

  "I didn't lie. The high sage's other wives all came here willingly."

  "Other wives? I haven't agreed to marry the high sage."

  "In Landish, women have no say in who they marry. You only have to be placed in the harem and have your name recorded in the books. Once that has occurred, you're one of the high sage's wives. Number thirteen on the list, but from the way the high sage raved about you last night, number one in his heart. Trying to find a woman he likes has been very difficult. He calls his other wives uneducated peasant girls that can't speak the Common Tongue. Of course, he doesn't speak Old Landish, which is their native tongue, so you can see why he hasn't developed a connection to any of them."

  "What did you tell Edgerton?"

  "That you asked us for sanctuary."

  "And he believed you?"

  "Of course not. But he did seem a little less sure of himself when I told him how upset you were over being drugged, bound and gagged, and tossed over the back of a horse against your will."

  "What do you think he'll do now?"

  Jarvo shrugged his shoulders. "Demand to see you, which he's already done. Have his queen make an official protest. Queen Catlett might pay us a visit. Health permitting. Other than that, there's not much they can do. I doubt if Queen Catlett will declare war over a princess that she's never met."

  "Wouldn't the high sage be better off with a friend like me on the throne of Vassa?"

  "That was one of the reasons for letting you continue your journey. However, it was outweighed by the many reasons for keeping you here."

  "Such as?"

  "You're safe here in the harem. Were you to continue your journey, Maximillian Bedard might succeed in killing you, just as he did in the vision you told the high sage about. If that were the case, you'd be of no use to anyone."

  "And the other reasons for keeping me here?"

  "You're a seer. The high sage could use a seer. Plus, there's the high sage himself. He's reaching that age where he wants to assert his independence from those around him."

  "You mean you."

  Jarvo bowed in acknowledgment. "He likes you. He thinks you're beautiful. He thinks you're sexy. He thinks you're smart. I dare say, you're the first girl he's shown any interest in. More importantly, he listens to what you tell him. If the two of us work together, we can mold him into a man strong enough to rule this kingdom."

  "What if I tell him to get rid of you?"

  "I'm old, Your Highness, and my time on this world grows short. Short enough so that threats such as that no longer scare me. What scares me is that I should die with no one here to guide the high sage. He's not ready to rule."

  "He's only three years younger than me."

  "Were you ready to rule three years ago?"

  Truth be told, I wasn't sure I was ready to rule now. Not that I was going to admit that to Jarvo. "Why am I dressed like this?"

  "Dressing you like this makes you stand out from the crowd, which makes it easy for your guards to keep an eye o
n you."

  "My guards?"

  "I've ordered these two to watch you. It's merely temporary, I assure you. Once I'm convinced you won't try to escape, you'll enjoy the same freedoms the high sage's other wives enjoy. Until then, your freedoms will be restricted, you'll have your own personal escort, and you'll be dressed to, shall we say, stand out in a crowd."

  More like undressed to stand out in a crowd. "I shall take you at your word, Counselor."

  "You're not as upset about this as I thought you'd be."

  "Edgerton kidnapped me and brought me to this part of the world against my will. Now, you're holding me against my will. As I see it, I've exchanged jailers. Nothing more."

  That wasn't completely true. Edgerton may have kidnapped me, but he did take the time to teach me to read, write, and speak the Common Tongue. He also gave me a history lesson on this part of the world, and when I accepted an invitation to come to the high sage's palace, he didn't try to stop me. He treated me like a princess, while Jarvo was treating me like a possession.

  "If you were free, where would you go?" Jarvo asked. "You only know what Edgerton has told you. I can teach you things about our world that he can't. I know things about the people that run this part of the world that he doesn't."

  "I'd like to hear what you know. I'd also like to know how long I'll be on probation."

  "You'll be on probation until I'm convinced you won't try to run away."

  "Can I talk to the high sage?"

  "After you've had a chance to adjust to life in the harem."

  I studied Jarvo's weathered face for a few seconds. "He doesn't even know I'm here, does he?"

  "His eighteenth birthday is coming up. You're going to be his birthday present. I suspect you'll be the first present I've given him that he'll actually like." Jarvo bowed. "Try to relax, Your Highness. Once you've been here awhile, you'll come to enjoy it."

  He turned and headed out of my bedroom. I followed him into the harem's main hall, teetering and jingling. My suspended breasts bounced furiously in their tiny golden halter. So much so, that walking across a room was down right embarrassing, not to mention uncomfortable. I made a mental note to do as little walking as possible in this getup.