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She smelled of beast and autumn leaves, sweet vanilla, soft cedar, and the sweat of hard labor; a rugged, rich scent that bubbled and crackled over my tongue and on my skin. I couldn’t get it out of my head as I struggled to find my way to the seamstress’s apartment. The smell of her and the shape... As she pulled off the creamy linen shirt, I could see the taught skin of her back and the curve of her waist and hip. The doublet hid her feminine shape and as she combed her long fingers through her curly red hair, I’d squashed an urge to pull her back and tangle my fingers in it. I’d wanted to part her lips. But before that, she’d scared me nearly to death. One moment she’d kissed my hand and the next she’d almost kissed me. I had been powerless to prevent it, not that I’d wanted to, but the intensity of that moment rattled me to the core.
Dignitaries and advisors passed me, their blue eyes questioning when their gazes fell on my skin. I wondered, as I glanced at their curious stares, if they’d ever seen someone like me; if I was as much an intruder in their world as they were in mine. A little worry tugged at the back of my mind, but I dismissed it. At last, I found the winding staircase to the seamstress’s chambers.
Through the door at the top I emerged in the same hall though it looked different now. All the doors were open and serving girls rushed this way and that carrying armloads of laundry. A very young maid rushed past me and I asked her where I could find the seamstress.
“The last door on the left, Mistress,” she curtsied, her armload swayed in her little arms and then she was gone, hurrying off through another door further down the hall. I frowned, not understanding why she addressed me so but I had no time to think of it for when I rapped lightly on the door she’d shown me, Lottie’s face appeared.
“We’ve been waiting for you!” she sang as she pulled me into the room and closed the door. She tugged me into a chamber with a triangle of mirrors against the far wall and bales of fabric on shelves lining the white washed walls. “We have one that may fit but Mistress asked me to tailor it.” She spun me around and unlaced the white gown. In disgust she said, “you will never wear that hideous maid dress again.”
“What about this one?”
“It was fine before but now as an attendant you will wear finer things.”
“I will?” I asked as I stared at my reflection.
“You’re an attendant, didn’t you realize?”
“No.” She turned me to face her.
“Oh, dear,” she tsked, “you have a lot to learn. Put your arms up, please.” She slipped something cool and buttery yellow over my head that swished softly and pulled it down to my feet. After lacing the bodice, she turned me to face the mirror closest to us and startled me by cupping the sides of my breasts and lifting them.
“Uh...” I stammered.
“Hmm,” she replied thoughtfully, “it’s not too bad. I’ll need to tighten the bodice, but you’ll look stunning.” She disappeared behind me.
“Should I look stunning?” I asked her uncertainly as I admired the dress. It tightened around my upper torso and flared out beneath my breasts in soft saffron folds. White lace embellished the cap sleeves, and bodice.
“You have to look good,” Lottie answered as she disappeared behind me again. I turned to the left and right, watching the light play over the shimmering fabric. It wasn’t as fine as the dresses worn by the Queen’s Ladies but I wouldn’t look out of place among the highborn.
Lottie worked quickly and silently to pin the bodice to fit me tighter. My breasts felt weightless and I blanched at my reflection. “If I make one move false, the entire kingdom will see me.” Lottie’s face appeared by my arm and she smiled at me in the mirror.
“You’ll be fine. You have a natural grace.”
“But—”
“It’s the fashion, dear,” she sympathized.
“Modesty must be lacking among the nobles,” I muttered. Lottie laughed, I hadn’t thought she heard me.
“The others will be worse, you’ll see,” she said in her sing-song voice. “They’re all trying to catch Princess Destiny’s eye.” I frowned as she untied the lacing and pulled the dress down. I stepped out of it and stood awkwardly by the mirrors in my small clothes. “It’ll be in your room before you’re needed tonight. I’ll bring it myself and dress you.”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary, Lottie. I can dress myself.” She stared at me for a full minute before shaking her head.
“It is necessary,” she said finally, “but I thank you for the thought.” She rolled up the unfinished gown and started to walk away but stopped when I called her back.
“What am I supposed to wear? I can’t go back in my under gown.”
“And you can’t wear the maid dress; Mistress wouldn’t dare send you back to the Princess in formal servant garb... Let me see if we have something that will do until Mistress finishes your wardrobe.” She went through the door and I was left alone with many worried looking reflections of myself.
I don’t know how I made it back to my quarters without breaking my neck. The dress I was given was made of a cream and emerald floral pattern with a swooped neckline. It had no sleeves, just finger-width straps that hung limply over my shoulders. My breasts were pushed up by the bodice and bounced embarrassingly with every step I took. Face hot, I hurried through the few empty halls I passed–anxious to return to the safety and isolation of my room where I could at least remove the slippers. I stumbled and tripped so often that by the time I reached the royal suite, I was profusely grateful for having survived.
* * *
DESTINY WAS STILL IN the tub when the outer door opened and closed. She repositioned herself so that her ankles were crossed and her feet were propped up on the edge of the white tub. She spread her arms along the ledge and leaned her head back. It had been so long since she’d enjoyed a long hot soak. Baths were few and far between on the battlefield and if the men weren’t able to relax in a tub she didn’t allow herself that luxury.
She was home now even though home was different; she was different. She scrubbed her arms absently as the clang of steel against steel sounded in her ears. The roar of man and beast, the pillar of fire that seemed to have come down out of the sky; she remembered the screams of her comrades as they were cleaved by the bronze swords and spears of their enemy, she remembered the barbaric cries of her foes as their blood painted her father’s sword red. Destiny shuddered as the smells of blood and smoke filled her nostrils. She sucked in a breath and turned her head away from the memories. There was no pride or glory in war, only nightmares. She pulled out of those memories when the gentle rapping echoed off the polished wooden door. Mia’s brown eyes peeked around the dark wood, took in Destiny’s naked body and a blush colored her cheeks.
“Do you need me?” she asked softly, her eyes firmly on the marble tile beneath her feet. The blush deepened and Destiny had to smile. She tilted her head to the side, enjoying Mia’s obvious discomfort.
“Aye,” she replied as she sat up, her breasts covered by the cooling water, “if you don’t mind...”
“Not at all.” She stepped further into the room and closed the door behind herself. Destiny swallowed heavily and tore her eyes away from the swell of Mia’s breasts as she sat forward. It was a different dress she wore. Destiny would have to remember to compliment Irma on her fine tailoring.
“Could you wash my back and hair?”
Mia nodded in answer, her lips pressed together and she walked stiffly around the tub. Destiny heard the swish of her dress as she knelt. The hand that touched her thigh was not her own and she stopped herself from gasping in surprise. She had to steady her grip on control if she was to be the victor of this game.
“My apologies,” Mia murmured softly behind her.
“It’s all right.” She found the cloth and the bar of soap and handed it to Mia. She had to bite her lip when Mia began to scrub her back.
“Is the water too cold, Your Grace?” Destiny frowned to herself at the appellation.
“It’s fine for the moment. It’s not my desire to be boiled.” Her breath rasped between her teeth and she gripped the edge of the tub tightly. Mia was not hard of hand, but each pass of the cloth over Destiny’s lower back sent ripples of carnal sensations tingling up and down her spine.
“I’ve finished, Your Grace,” she gave Destiny the cloth and her skirts swished madly behind Destiny’s head. She turned to see Mia rummaging around in the cabinet.
“The vanilla one,” she offered. Mia made a sound of acknowledgement and closed the cabinet.
“You have a lot of vanilla scented things,” she said. Destiny nodded as she leaned her head back on the edge of the tub. She shuddered as Mia’s fingers gently combed through her wavy hair.
“I enjoy it,” Destiny answered. Mia massaged the washing oils in Destiny’s hair, her nails raked across Destiny’s scalp. She moaned aloud at the pleasure of it and her eyes snapped open when Mia stopped. “Don’t, that feels blissful.” She scratched for a while longer.
“May I ask a question, Your Grace?”
“Only if you forget the appellation.” Destiny sighed as Mia rinsed the oil and soap from her hair.
“In the garden, you said you learned to take care of yourself after being away from the castle,” she began, “but why did you leave?”
“It’ll be my twenty-second year this coming summer,” she said slowly opening both eyes. “Six years ago on that day, I beseeched the Council for their approval of my future plan as ruler.”
“Future plan?” Mia frowned. Destiny nodded singly.
“It is my desire to marry a woman instead of a man. I can barely tolerate the thought much less consider having a man in my bed. Do you understand?”
“I think so,” she whispered. Destiny could almost see the wheels inside Mia’s head spinning. She greedily drank up the expressions crossing Mia’s nymph-like face. Her breathing dropped–fantasies danced behind her eyes. Destiny would have given anything to be able to see what they entailed. Mia blushed and cleared her throat suddenly.
“Is something wrong?” Destiny asked her. She lowered her eyes and dragged her plump bottom lip between her teeth.
“No, please continue.”
“After hearing my request, the Council convened for three days and came back to me with an answer. It could be so, that I would be Sovereign of Caunica with a bride at my side in the place of a husband as long as I met their demands.”
“Demands?” Her fine eyebrows pointed down in an adorable frown.
“Yes, they called them tasks.” She paused as Mia again rinsed her hair and toweled it dry. “The first was to show I had the strength of–if not more than–any man. It was easy enough to do.” As she stood, she smiled inwardly with pride as she watched Mia’s eyes trail down her well-muscled arms and legs. She was highly amused by Mia’s blush as she tried very hard not to gaze at Destiny’s nakedness. She held another towel open as Destiny stepped out of the water.
“The second was to prove I had the love and support of my people in this. That was also easy.”
“Why?” Mia asked.
“You truly don’t remember?” Destiny countered. She looked down at the floor, color at once flooding her cheeks.
“If I could remember I would never have been so insolent.”
With a mental shake, Destiny let herself be wrapped in the towel. She let the other fall from her head.
“We both were in error,” Destiny decided, “we didn’t know each other. We’ll leave it there for now, yes?” Mia nodded once. “Now to answer your question, in my younger years it was said that any man chosen as my husband would be very unlucky. He would face competition from me when it came to mistresses. He would find them in my bed more often than his.”
“I see.” Mia held open the door to the bed chamber and Destiny shuffled through. She passed the bed and sat at the empty vanity table.
“The third task was to prove I have immeasurable courage and bravery. To prove this, I was to serve four years in the Caunican guard.”
“You must be very brave.”
“Most of the time I was in the General’s tent discussing battle strategies and pouring over maps, but on those occasions when I stood alongside my men and fought against the enemy, it was extraordinary. There in the moment, despite the death screams of allies and the cries of slaughter from foes, it was glorious to behold, Mia, to see all of us united for one common cause.”
“All of us?”
“The halflings—mixed-race citizens,” Destiny explained. “They’ve only been allowed to join the army for the last hundred years but we stood together in the face of death...I gained much more than the respect of my soldiers, I gained much more of myself.” She found Mia’s eyes in the mirror and was touched by the look of wonder on her face. She returned to her earlier mood, a smile curling over her lips as she let her own eyes trace down Mia’s form.
“Nice dress, by the way,” she winked, “very nice. It suits you.” Mia ran her hands down the bodice and played with the folds at her hips.
“Thank you. Miss Irma thought so, too.” She lingered in the doorway, watching as Destiny rubbed vanilla scented cream into her arms and legs. “May I?” Destiny looked up and Mia had crossed the room. She scooped a small dollop into the palm of her hand and rubbed them together. She disappeared behind Destiny’s back and massaged the cream into her shoulders and back.
“I’m beginning to think you have magic hands,” Destiny murmured, “are you a nymph?” She grunted in pleasure and leaned forward. Mia chuckled, her fingers working their way up to Destiny’s neck.
“I could have been in my previous life,” she teased. “May I ask what the fourth task was?”
She hesitated only for a second but the hesitation still troubled her. “To find a worthy bride.” The silence was deafening and Destiny worried if she should have told Mia the truth. It was better for her to know lest she get some ill-conceived notion in her pretty head. She could see the fascination in Mia’s eyes every time their eyes met. It was her youth and her innocence, she looked on Destiny as if she were a handsome prince. Well, she could be many things for Mia except that. Too much hinged on Destiny’s sovereignty, she didn’t have time to entertain a young infatuation. She would have what she wanted from Mia and then...
“Once you’ve done all of those things, you’ll be crowned Sovereign of Caunica? King Destiny or Quee—”
“No, dear Gods, I shudder to think of anyone addressing me as Queen Destiny and ‘king’ isn’t appropriate.”
“I suppose not,” Mia agreed with a soft chuckle. “How does one address a sovereign, I wonder? Will I have to call you ‘Master’?” Startled, Destiny laughed nervously. That particular word on Mia’s lips...
She shivered involuntarily as a ripple of pleasure spread throughout her body; more aware of Mia’s hands on her naked flesh than she had since Mia stepped into the bath chamber. She reached back and touched Mia’s wrists.
“Thank you, Mia. That will do. Anymore and I’ll fall asleep right here.”
“My pleasure, Master.” Mia giggled as she walked towards the door, “only practicing. Call if you have need.” Destiny could only nod and was thankful Mia didn’t look back as she closed the door. She could hardly draw a breath.