Gift of Flesh

by Diane Lau

  They lay on the floor for a minute, catching their breath, no other sound save the crackling of the fire. Then Naissun stirred and said, “Did I teach you well, Mia?”

  Miakaela replied with a kiss.

  * * *

  Morning dawned brilliantly, with a brightness possible only when the sky clears after fresh snowfall. A ray of light from the window in Naissun’s bedchamber fell across their pillows, and the two lovers woke almost simultaneously.

  “Good morning,” said Naissun with a smile, brushing a strand of hair from his eyes.

  “Good morning,” replied Miakaela, smiling back. “I trust you feel less remorse than yesterday morning, my Lord Naissun?”

  He turned to squint at the bright window. “Less remorse than there are clouds in today’s sky.” He settled his head back on the pillow and regarded her sleepily. “Would that we didn’t have this chore ahead of us, I would call upon Faisli to serve us breakfast here.”

  Miakaela took comfort from the lighthearted way Naissun spoke of their appointment ahead.

  “Faisli…” continued Naissun. “I’m sure she’s already arrived to make breakfast, and as I recall we left a bit of disarray downstairs.”

  “Oh dear—what will she think?”

  “Probably something fairly close to the truth. Ah well, it will all be moot in a few hours. We’d best get up and face the day.”

  Miakaela returned to her room and dressed, but she followed Naissun’s instructions and did not put on the gown the King had sent. Instead she put on one of her own dresses. She met Naissun in the dining room where Faisli had set out a light breakfast. Naissun arrived a moment later, attired in a rather dramatic dress uniform that far outshone Mia’s gown for elegance. It was black and silver with royal blue accents, cut in a way very flattering to the Envoy’s lean physique.

  He saw her looking him up and down. “It’s my dress uniform from my days as a captain in the King’s army. I’m hoping to remind him of the several favors he owes me from that time.”

  “It’s very dashing,” she said with an approving smile. “You outshine me today, Naissun.”

  “It’s best if your shining be kept to a minimum, but I fear it cannot be concealed,” he replied.

  After the meal, Miakaela dressed in the same cloak and veils she had worn on the journey. Meanwhile Naissun donned a beautiful long cape in royal blue, trimmed in embroidered eagles, the royal symbol of Royoun. The two went outside to the lane, which had been cleared of snow by Stowan. He had hitched a covered surrey to Naissun’s horse, and when Miakaela sat inside, she saw Faisli had boxed up King Regit’s gifts and placed them on the seat. What must the servants think concerning what was going on? There was also a squarish leather bag packed tightly with some sort of documents.

  Naissun paused and addressed Stowan before the steward took the drivers seat. “Stowan,” he said in an earnest tone, “our business with the King should be completed in an hour or two, depending upon how long we must wait for audience. If I do not return to the surrey by eleven, bring it back home. If that should happen, I will send word to you what to do next.”

  From where she sat, Miakaela could not see Stowan’s face, but the tightness in his “Yes, my Lord,” made plain his reaction to this instruction.

  So Naissun climbed in the surrey, and settled them in with the lap blanket, and they were off to the palace.

  “Naissun,” said Miakaela quietly, “you said I will need to testify…what do you wish me to say?”

  “It will be simple: tell the truth, as will I. We have justice on our side, although my hopefulness is placed not so much in that as in the politics of the thing. Let us hope the presentation is well attended; the more lords and ladies present, the better for us. At any rate, after it’s over, I will explain anything to you that you wish to hear, but for now I’d rather not cloud your mind with unnecessary concerns.”

  “All right,” she agreed.

  “You’re a very intelligent woman, Mia,” said Naissun, touching her arm. “No circumstance will arise that you can’t handle, trust me.”

  It wasn’t far to the palace, a huge and imposing complex that had a much more serious and militaristic look than its equivalent in Taelorea. They left Stowan and the surrey and entered at a main gate, Naissun carrying their various packages.

  The Envoy led the way with the confidence of having been at court regularly for many years. Miakaela herself lost track of the various hallways and turned corners. Finally they reported to an anteroom where a number of people were waiting, attended by a clerk who sat at a table strewn with parchments, registers and such like. Naissun and this man seemed well acquainted and conversed in a familiar but professional fashion. Apparently King Regit was quite anxious to receive them and they were to be announced at once upon their arrival.

  A heavy brocaded curtain hung in one end of the room, with a man guarding it who served both as sentinel and herald. They waited briefly, until the guard determined the time was right, and pulled back the curtain. He stepped into the doorway and in a well-modulated, strong voice, announced, “The Royal Envoy, Retired Captain Naissun and his charge, the Most Fair Tribute Miakaela, a Gift of Flesh from the Monarch of Taelorea.”

  Naissun gave Miakaela a smile and took her arm, leading her through the doorway.

  They were at the rear of an immense audience room, furnished resplendently with tapestries and chandeliers, and absolutely crammed with people. Evidently the presentation of a Gift of Flesh was a major social event in Royoun. Miakaela and Naissun paused to turn down the center aisle and Mia took the opportunity to peel back her veils. Then she saw at the end of the aisle the raised dais where King Regit sat, flanked by several advisors in lower chairs.

  She wanted to get a good look at the King, but of course custom called upon her to lower her eyes and let Naissun lead her. There seemed to be some sort of consternation going on in the crowd, which she surmised related to her appearance. Miakaela wasn’t at all comfortable attired as she was on such an occasion, but she would have felt worse bedecked with Regit’s gifts.

  They arrived at the foot of the throne and there Mia fell to her knees. Next to her, Naissun offered a low bow and waited in silence.

  “Captain Naissun,” said the King gruffly.

  “Your Greatness,” replied Naissun, his voice steady and sure.

  “This is…irregular,” commented Regit. “Were my gifts for the Tribute not received?”

  Naissun was pleased to find the King was not already in a towering rage; apparently it was one of his good days. The Envoy wondered if he might indeed find good fortune this morning. “King Regit, I will explain to you the situation. I know you are a man well versed in the law, so forgive me if I sound condescending in my explanation, but I want to make sure the matter is clear to all those present.” He gestured at the gathered throng. He didn’t want Regit to forget for a moment that a good share of the most important members of Court were in the room.

  “Go on,” said the King, clearly perturbed. He had dark silver hair, a black beard, and heavy black brows, which at times such as this lowered threateningly. Regit was not a tall man but he was sturdy, and despite being well past his youth, maintained an imposing figure.

  “Your gifts were indeed delivered to the Tribute, my King, and she was pleased to excess with your generosity and good taste. Let all present know that the gown the Tribute was to wear today would have brought great honor to this Court. But I am required unfortunately to return these gifts to you, for reasons I will now explain.”

  With these words, Naissun took a step forward and handed the boxes to one of the King’s aides. He retained under his arm a leather bound book and a rolled parchment, and when he stepped back to Miakaela’s side, he took the book in his hands and opened it. “Sadly,” he began, “according to the laws of the land, the Lady Miakaela of Taelorea has lost her status as a concubine, and therefore cannot serve as Tribute, nor is she fit to be presented thus to this Court and to you, my King.”r />
  Behind them there was an agitated murmur. Naissun kept his eye on Regit, knowing that if the man rose to his feet, the task ahead would be much harder. For a moment the King seemed to be preparing to stand, but then he leaned back in the chair instead, fixing the Envoy with a stern stare. “I’m sure, Captain, you will enlighten me on this sorry turn of events.”

  “I beg your patience, King Regit,” said Naissun, and looked down at the page before him. “Let me begin by presenting to the Court the laws of the land regarding this matter. From Codicil 24, governing issues of property, Section 36, on the subject of concubines, I read:

  Should a concubine willfully give her body to a man who has no right to it, she forfeits her status and the protections and privileges thereof. She must throw herself upon the mercy of he who holds her as property, and he is granted sole right to determine her punishment for this rebellion, even to the extremity of taking her life.

  And unfortunately, Your Greatness, the Lady Miakaela is guilty of this crime, having given herself to a man of her own choosing, when she was dedicated to serve only you according to the will of the Monarch of Taelorea.”

  Naissun had known Regit for a very long time, and served under him in every possible circumstance. Therefore he well knew every manner and gesture of his king, no matter how subtle, and it was clear to him that the prospect of bringing Miakaela to an unpleasant end appealed to him as much as retaining her sexual services. There was a hot glint in the King’s eye and no doubt his imagination was already running wild with the possibilities. Naissun raised his voice to be heard over the astonished muttering of the court.

  “My King, obviously it is not fitting that you should take to yourself such spoiled goods as this, and no doubt the Monarch of Taelorea would agree. Therefore it would be an insult for me to relinquish ownership of this lady to you.”

  The color left Regit’s face. In spite of Naissun’s compliments to the contrary, the King had never had a head for law. As the Envoy had expected, he had completely forgotten that Naissun still retained ownership of Miakaela.

  Now King Regit stood, not with confident authority, but with the unsteadiness of a man unsure of his next move and thinking fast. “Captain Naissun,” he said, “let us not be hasty. In the interest of justice, we should give the Lady Miakaela a chance to defend herself. This is a matter of some seriousness and she should be allowed to speak.”

  Regit stepped forward until he stood before Mia. “Fair Tribute,” he said with hopeful gentleness, “you will find that Royoun is a country of justice but also of mercy. Although you are but a slave, we trust you to speak honestly on the matter of these charges. Deny them, and we will take you at your word and spare you all shame and punishment.”

  It was all Naissun could do to stifle a smug grin at this speech. There was no one in the room who did not know these words to be hollow, for Regit’s reputation was one of swift and merciless punishment that assumed a man guilty until proven innocent. He clearly was begging the concubine to lie, that he might salvage his opportunity to retain her. But of course, she would not lie….

  Miakaela raised her face and then replied, in a high, clear voice: “Great King Regit, the accusation is true. I did indeed give myself, and most willingly and on two occasions, to a man to whom I was not promised. You may trust the testimony of Envoy Naissun, for he is the man.”

  Needless to say, chaos erupted in the room. The color returned to Regit’s face; in fact, he went crimson. Fortunately there was too much racket for him to speak immediately, when the first blind rage was upon him. In the moments after that, he no doubt realized he had no viable options and went tongue-tied. One of the royal guards pounded a staff on the floor to demand quiet. Throughout all this, Miakaela continued to kneel before the King, her face raised quite proudly.

  Naissun tucked the book back under his arm and unrolled the scroll. When the noise began to taper off, he again addressed the King. “Your Greatness, the situation is most unfortunate, but not irreparable. In our country’s case law there is precedence, for you yourself so wisely judged in a similar situation but three years ago.” Naissun glanced down at the scroll in his hands. “There was a man charged with the task of transporting a herd of goats from the farm of the seller to the farm of the buyer. As usual in such matters, during the journey this envoy was given possession of the goats. Sadly, the entire herd fell ill with the gray mange while under the envoy’s care. It was our King’s most wise decision that the envoy make restitution to the buyer for the herd which he could not deliver, and thus all accounts were satisfied.”

  Naissun cast his eye around the room, to be certain his listeners were attending to this. How such a ticklish situation might be resolved was apparently of as much interest to them as the scandal that created it, for all present listened raptly. The Envoy continued, “So Your Greatness’s wisdom may be applied likewise here. I shall return to the Monarch my envoy fee. And to you I will offer six months’ service without pay to make restitution for my failure in delivering the Monarch’s gift in the condition it was intended. As for my property, the Lady Miakaela: I shall judge how best to deal with her as is my right under the law. But rest assured, my King, I have taken much to heart your speech to her concerning the mercy for which our fair kingdom is so renowned.”

  This was the checkmate moment. Of course Regit, as king, had the right to strike the chess pieces to the ground and arbitrarily make himself the winner. But the prize was only a concubine, and his political reputation was of far more value to him. It did not take him long to draw this conclusion and force calmness upon himself, although clearly he knew he had been bested by his old captain and was acutely displeased by the humiliation.

  In even tones he addressed the company, shoulders back and head held high: “We appreciate the pains you have taken concerning the just disbursement of this…rather complicated matter, Envoy Naissun. It is clear to all present that you failed utterly in your mission and for that we are greatly disappointed. Your service as an envoy will not be requested again. Nevertheless, you must, as you say, be required to make restitution for this error, and we will accept your offer of six months’ service in some other capacity. A letter shall be written in my own hand to the Monarch expressing our regret and hopefully your irresponsible behavior will not be taken as a reflection of general barbarism in the Kingdom of Royoun.”

  Naissun offered a low and humble bow. He had expected if he were successful to be thus upbraided; the King had the right to try to save a little face. But Naissun knew the courtiers felt far less concern for the good opinion of the Monarch of Taelorea than they felt amusement that the King had been thus outwitted by a retired army captain. Naissun stood up again and said, “Our King is most gracious and wise as always.”

  “You are dismissed,” declared Regit with a sweep of his hand. He turned to seat himself again, with a forced casualness. From now on he would act as if the matter had been of little consequence, which of course was just what Naissun wanted.

  The Envoy helped Miakaela rise to her feet and escorted her quickly from the room. He needed only to make eye contact with a few in the audience to know he had won their respect. He clearly needn’t be concerned with any public outcry later, when gossip spread that the fallen concubine was happily ensconced in Captain Naissun’s household.

  As they arrived back in the anteroom, Miakaela began to tremble, half with excitement and half with fear. She could not believe the King of all Royoun had truly been outwitted before his whole court…surely such a thing could not be true! She stood silently at Naissun’s side while he handed over the purse with his envoy’s fee to the clerk and made arrangements for its return to the Monarch. Apparently the clerk and all who waited in the room had somehow been kept abreast of the new developments, probably by the guard at the door, for the smile on the clerk’s face when he addressed Naissun was one of great mirth and admiration.

  The two did not speak as they made their way back through the palace halls. Only w
hen they were back in the surrey and a much relieved Stowan set the horse in motion did Mia open her mouth.

  “My Lord, how can it be true that we are not both sentenced to death by your king?” she gasped.

  Naissun laughed. “Regit is impetuous, but Royoun is built on a sense of order. He could not fly in the face of established law, at least not in such a public forum as we enjoyed at Court today.”

  “But could he not punish you more severely for your failure to deliver me? Was that not a crime?”

  Naissun gazed past her at the passing traffic, and said, “My impudence at allowing myself to be seduced by the Gift of Flesh in my charge was certainly offensive. If the scenario this morning had gone differently, that might have taken precedence over all other issues. But clearly the King had no legal right to punish you.”

  “So you dared let the truth come out because you knew it wouldn’t hurt me, even though you put your own life at risk?”

  He turned to meet her gaze again. “It was a calculated risk. But I knew if I won the favor of the audience, the game would be in our hands. There is little a king values more than the good will of the powerful, at least this king. And I’m sure he will ride me hard for the next six months. Of course, not so hard as to look bad; a lot of people will be watching. I didn’t expect this little exercise would make such a hero of me, but I think I am not the only one in this kingdom who has grown tired of his treatment of the Harem. At least I hope that’s the case.”

  Miakaela gave him a quirky smile. “Naissun, you never did provide me much detail as to what I might expect from my service to King Regit.”

  Naissun smiled back. “Suffice it to say, even on my worst days you will be better off with me.”