The king’s concubine.
In her honored naked state, the rest of the festivities passed Mare in a blur. Every event, the flowing wine, the never-ending platter of food, the never-ending beat of the drums, and the sound of the horns. She remembered standing beside the king’s seat looking out as the days bled into days.
She remembered the king’s command to his eunuchs to get her started on a beauty treatment. She remembered fighting off the courtesan beautician, a eunuch named Hegi. She remembered the feel of his flesh under her nails when she scratched his face, the warmth of his blood on her hand. She remembered the sting of the king’s hand across her cheek and the cold press of a sword on her neck for her defiance.
“Break her if you must but when the beauty treatment is done I want a sublime concubine, not this wild cat!” Vallezarii commanded the eunuch who, glaring at Mare, grabbed her and shoved her roughly through the place halls to the West wing of the castle where she would be kept for the next three months.
For all his hatred for Mare’s defiance, Hegi appreciated her beauty. His practiced eyes sought out the best treatments to bring out the glow of her skin. He put her on a diet that softened the hard muscles gained from years on the fields. He taught Mare how to eat like a lady and walk like a lady with her hidden in the sleeves of her gowns while resting on her midsection. Even though he could not get rid of her Baryn accent he taught her to speak less brashly.
Mare fought him even then. Her defiance did not go unnoticed by Vallezarii and every time news got to him of the troubles she caused he had his soldiers beat her until she bled. But as the months passed Mare's spirit broke and she became mellow.
Three months of care under Hegi changed her from a slave girl in threadbare tunics to the king’s concubine dressed in silk and satin and with the manners of a queen. But deep in her heart Mare was Baryn. She didn’t forget that. Just as she didn’t forget her friends. She wondered how Veren and Llod fared. She hadn’t been allowed outside her chambers in the West wing. She was confined like a prisoner only allowed outside when Hegi was with her and he never came without his whip to beat her when she walked with her black slumped.
Of all the things Hegi liked about Mare, he liked her hair the most and he spent extra care making the glossy strands even more shiny. But as much as he loved those glossy tresses it was his means of punishing her when she misbehaved. If she so much as glared at him during a session of her training he pulled her hair so hard her scalp bled at times.
Finally when three months were over with her mannerisms tuned to a sharp, refined point Mare was presented to the king.
A concubine dressed in finery, she mused at herself in the mirror. Hegi had chosen the soft lush pink kirtle she wore, the satin veil on her head had been Hegi’s own gift to her. Soft slippers she wore cushioned feet that were now free of cracks and hard skin. Gone was the smell of heat and horse and misery that clung over her throughout her life, now she smelled of rosewater and jasmine.
Mare scoffed cynically. A glorified slave.
But as much as she suffered and endured what her future must be in the palace she knew that the rest of Baryn suffered even more. The king’s declaration had made their already miserable lives even worse. Arlankis and Sefers alike preyed even harder on them. They raided villages and raped men, women and children. Their burdens were heavier, their days on the fields longer.
Mare stared at herself in the looking glass and could not help the guilt that assailed her. She remembered her father's words.
“You are born for greatness,” he would say and touch her hair gently, lovingly. “But sometimes I cannot help but imagine your greatness would be your doom.”
Now she understood her father's words. But alas it wasn’t just her doom, her actions brought a worse fate for her people.
Maybe the prophecy was a lie after all.
There was never a prophecy.
“The king is in the king's hall, the court is waiting. You must remember all that I have taught you. Wipe that stubborn look from your face!”
Mare glared at Hegi.
He sighed exasperatedly. “Mayhap the saying is right, you cannot overflog the horse,” he said under his breath. “You do not realize the position you are in. The king would never behold the sight of a Baryn but you he chose as his concubine.”
“I am honored. The girls of Baryns are throwing themselves at the castle doors to be in my position.”
Hegi’s face crinkled into a look of disapproval at her tone. He shook his head again and murmured, “You are a lost one. But the king would not take kindly to your tone as I have, you must bridle your tongue lest you find yourself standing on the gallows. This time the king would not show you mercy.”
Stretching her lips into a sardonic smile Mare responded. “I truly appreciate your mercy, my scalp glows because of your leniency.”
“I am only doing my job. Now, if you are quite done sharpening your tongue again, making a mockery of my efforts on you let us present you to the king.”
Despite her distaste at her current situation, Mare held her hand in front of her midsection, straightened her back like Hegi taught her to, and stepped noiselessly out of the chambers.
The halls were the same as she remembered. Funny to think that three months ago she had walked these halls in disguise on a mission to kill the king and save her people. Now she was marching to be presented as his property. She was the king’s property, bought without a price.
She ground her teeth to stave off the tears burning behind her eyes. So what if the prophecy was wrong? What if Baryns were condemned to eternal slavery? What if they could never escape the cruel power of Vallezarii?
Her father always said nothing happens without a reason.
Her being a concubine was nothing short of a divine intervention. If she couldn’t kill the king as a slave would she not have the chance to do so as a concubine, damning the consequences?
For her humiliation alone she would drive a knife straight into his heart. If she was to die for it then die she must but his death would bring the freedom her people needed. Let his lust be his demise.
Her resolve firm in her heart she turned the last corner aware of Hegi’s presence behind her, aware of every guards’ eyes on her, aware that they were ready to thrust a sword into her if she so much as missed a step.
She came to the door of the king's hall and it was thrown open to reveal the expansive hall lined with red curtains, coat of arms. In the crevices of the wall, she knew archers watched. The great table in the center of the hall held 12 chairs and one gilded chair at the head where Vallezarii sat with a lecherous smile on his face. Five of those chairs were occupied by the heads of the king’s court. Dymas Milelot’s seat was unoccupied. There was no sign of Veren and Llod either.
She could feel the lust in the room as they beheld her. Their eyes fixed on the low-cut bodice of her gown.
She held her head high.
“Ah,” Vallezarii breathed and she heard the satisfaction in that simple word.
She stopped just before the table and bowed as Hegi told her to.
“Even a slave can be made to look like a queen,” Vallezarii said. He snapped his fingers as he stood up and a servant hurried to hand him a wrapped package which he unwrapped as he came to tower before her. Before she could think he clasped a heavy metal band about her throat. “But a slave will always remain a slave.”
Mare’s head snapped forward at the weight of the collar. Dazed and confused yet she didn't miss the line of chains that was attached to the back of the metal collar and when he pulled, her head snapped back until she was looking into his cruel face. His eyes were cruel icy blue slits, his nose broad and though the lower half of his face was half hidden by his light brown beard she could see the mean slit of his lips, lips that turned up at the corners into a cruel smile as he tugged at the chains.Rows of blunt ridges lined the inside of the collar, pressing against the delicate flesh of her neck.She coughed and choked. The metal collar was so tight she could barely breathe.Vallezarii’s hot breath fell heavily on her face as his eyes took in the sudden fear in her eyes. No matter how much she tried she couldn’t conceal the fear. She had not expected that he was going to put her in chains.He laughed. “You did not think for a moment that I would not consider your hotheadedness? These
An anguished cry tore out of her throat as pain seared the lower part of her belly. Her maidenhead gave way with a burning sensation. He is going to kill me, she thought. Hegi had taught her all that the king would do once she officially became his concubine. As someone with no experience in the matter at all, he had only informed her based on the stories he heard from the knights when they boasted about their sexual conquests. What little he could garner from the women serving as servants made him offer her conflicting lessons about the act of sexual relations. But none of the stories he told her warned her of the immense pain. Vallezarii didn’t seem to notice her discomfort. Even if he did, Mare did not delude herself into thinking that he would stop for her sake and ask if she found comfort in it. If anything he would seek to hurt her more and she would not give him that satisfaction of knowing that his intrusion into her body ached like hell's fork in her back. So she bit her b
Dymas Milelot. He pledged his loyalty to his king and for his king, he slit numerous throats. He was known for his mighty conquests before the age of thirty but before then…he couldn’t remember his less-than-stellar childhood. He chose to forget a past when he had been a weakling. All that Veren knew about his new master was that he commanded the Arlankis army with an iron fist. It was one of the reasons he was so respected and also one of the reasons he was so feared and hated by the other soldiers. Even by the king’s court. No one understood him, no one spoke to him unless absolutely necessary. He was a man of few words. Large, tall and muscled. But he had not always been so. Dymas had been born a weak, scrawny child with feminine beauty. He had a head of dark blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and the face of what his mother called an angel. She always said he should have been born a girl and so did his father but the latter was not an endearing statement. His predicament was made even
Mare stared up at the ceiling thoughtlessly.Whatever balm Hegi used was effective indeed. She could barely feel a thing in her loins. When she drew her legs close to peer at the damage done her brows furrowed at the injuries that marred the top and bottom of her thighs. The inner part of her thighs had purple bruises and stitches. Sighing she drew her legs down and covered herself with the bed covers, laying there for a few moments more until the early dawn aged into a clear, sunny day.As the rays of sun seeped through the curtains, she instinctively followed said rays with her gaze until she was looking at the doors of her chamber. It was open a crack.“Someone stood there last night,” she muttered to herself.She hadn’t expected anyone to be in the room with her but when a voice suddenly said, “Who?” she nearly jumped out of her skin.Hegi came round the side of her bed as she lifted herself on her elbow to frown at him. She had thought he left her the night before. Was he the one
Even the servant squeaked on her behalf. The full force of anger on Perci’s face…Mare silently cursed her tongue but her pride would not lead her to admit her hasty speaking. Instead, she assumed a false expression of defiance while her heart secretly thudded with the fear that her tongue or her head would be demanded for penitence.“Hand me my sword.”It was the sudden depth of his voice that made Mare actually squeak. Was he going to chop her up then?His servant was taking it out of its sheath with trembling fingers casting her a look caught between fear and amusement. The former was the most prominent.“What are you going to do with it?” she squeaked. The cheese slice she was holding slipped from her fingers missing the platter and landing on her dress. She didn’t notice this.“Slay insolent pests.”Pushing back the chair, she rose shakily from her head to her toes. “I am the king’s concubine!” she protested.“It is a title you take great pride in," he said, disgust coating his w
Mare looked out at the training ground. The corners of her mouth turned down with contempt.“Is his being born not enough loyalty?” Mare asked over her shoulder.Before Hegi could respond there was a yell and a thud as Perci swiftly unarmed his opponent and kicked him hard. The thud was a result of his opponent falling.“Uhn,” Mare commented. “The prince is good with his sword.”“He has been training since he was a child.”“To walk in the footsteps of his father. I have no wish to know more or see men best each other with swords. I am sure there are far better things I could do with my time than bore myself with this. Who knows? The king might be in my chambers now waiting to claim my body again.”She started to move away when Hegi walked to stand in front of her. She raised her brow at the man who was a lot shorter than she was. He was looking at the training ground then he turned to her with a cunning look in his eyes.“You may have your answer right in front of you.”“I do not reme
Mare forced herself into a good mood which was near impossible when it was so late into the night and she was on her way to seduce a man. Perci had trained most of the day away and while that happened she thought about her plan and realized she was nervous.The only sounds to be heard that night were the snores of those sleeping, the servants in the kitchen, the drunken noises of the soldiers, and the chirping night insects. Well, there was no better time than now to hatch her plan. The dead of night provided the perfect cover for her to sneak along the halls. With the light from a single lamp Hegi had dressed her in a sheer attire, her hair cascaded down her neck in thick dark waves, her lips were reddened with dye, dark enough to make a man weak in the knees. She only hoped her target, Perci prince of Arlankis would be weak enough to do her bidding.Who would have thought? She who had preserved herself for the man she would call husband one day was now scheming to bare herself sham
She was bare beneath the gown. Her body was young and perfect. Long, graceful neck met slim, broad shoulders, her breasts were full with dark nipples puckered under the night draft. Her willowy form tapered into a slim waist before broadening into full wide hips with a dark patch of hair shadowing her core. Surely the prince would not refuse her.He frowned. "What is it that you do?""Offering myself to you?""At what cost?"It was Mare's turn to frown at the tone of his voice. It wasn't what she expected. Where was the lustful voice she readied herself for? Hegi had confided that young men like Perci were ever hungry to throw themselves between the legs of a willing maid and satisfy the craving of their loins. Perci was not trying to satisfy the craving of his loins, he was not tossing her on the stone floor to have his way with her. Rather he watched her as though she was possessed of a new kind of madness. Maybe she was possessed of madness, the kind that eventually caused death be