by Robin Roseau
“I have an unrelated question for you.”
“Sure.”
“Was your bed lonely last night?
She snorted, but didn’t answer.
* * * *
Major Hollsard was right. Mariya put herself on my schedule two days later. We sat down together in my office. She smiled nervously, but then slid a sheet of paper across the table to me. There were three names on it.
“I presume you are recommending promotions.”
“Yes, Princess.”
I read them. “These three women will remain on our squad.”
“Yes, Princess.”
“How much did you tell them about future plans?”
“I told everyone everything. Everyone is staying, unless you want changes.”
“If you want changes, I’m sure you’ll bring them to me.” I smiled. “Sergeant Henra Holeth will be good. These recommendations are approved. Renishta will have paperwork.”
She added three sheets of paper to the sheet in front of me. I laughed and then took my time signing everything. I smiled after cleaning the pen.
“That feels really good to you, doesn’t it?” Mariya asked me.
“Having this authority? Like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Are you sure I wouldn’t believe?”
I laughed. “Maybe you do. Mariya, guide me. Is there a ceremony?”
“A small one, only within the squad,” she said.
“I believe conducting it is your responsibility,” I said.
“Thank you,” she said. “I’d like that. Princess, there’s a tradition.”
“I’m all about tradition.”
“I’ve noticed that about you. It is customary for the squad to have a night on the town. It would not be customary for us to attend, although if we happened to stop by, we can offer congratulations. I don't see any reason for us to do so.”
“They won’t take you with them?”
“Henra will take them,” she said.
“Are you going to miss that?”
“A little, but I suspect for the most part, we’ll remain the tight group we’ve been, and I’ve gained in other ways. Princess, it is customary for you and I to each host a round of drinks. Normally that just means we slip Henra twenty crowns each.”
“Um. I suppose they’re not going where I might normally go.”
She laughed. “It’s just going to be beer, Princess. Twenty crowns will buy three pitchers.”
“They definitely aren’t going the places I normally go.” She laughed again. “Mariya, could I ask you something? It’s personal.”
“Of course, Darfelsa.”
“Did belonging to me for a few days help?”
A smile came over her face, and in front of me, she looked soft and sweet, about the last two words I’d ever have used for her. “Yes, Darfelsa. It was exactly what I needed. It helped me put my full focus where I want it. And… The other parts were good, too.”
“The other parts? That’s what we’re calling it?”
“I’m closer to the household,” she replied. Her smile turned a little shy, of all things. “I’m taking your advice, Darfelsa. I don’t think I could have, if, well…”
Her slight awkwardness was cute. I waited to see what else she would say.
“Even after you freed me, but you had claimed them, they included me,” she added. “I don’t really understand why Tess wanted an extended duration, but that seems to be working exceedingly well.”
“Tess has confidence problems larger than any of the rest of us have,” I explained. “I think she wanted to literally feel like she belonged to me, and I suspect if she could, she’d make this permanent. I’m guessing, but I think she believes this is what she needs to be considered a permanent member of this team.”
“She was the only woman from the embassy in Gandeet you added to your inner staff.”
“Yep,” I said. “I think she also feels that I needed her to do this so she could prove her loyalty, which is poppycock. I accepted because it was what I felt she needed.” I paused. “And, I suppose, because Valsine had good points, about bringing some of the Ressaline customs south with us.”
“I don’t understand that part,” she replied. “I mean…”
“You enjoy those customs, but you don’t know why I care if Flarvorians know a thing about them?”
“Yes, I suppose.”
“Well, I personally love the Ressaline style of greeting, and I like that it seems to be spreading. In Flarvor, we rush greetings. We’re in a hurry to move from one to the next, even in quite formal settings. But that greeting, done properly, slows things down. It forces you to give proper attention to each person. I’ll be frustrated if anyone ever tries to just do a quick cheek slide and think that’s enough. One should linger.”
“I hadn’t even thought of that. You’ve got all of us doing it, and sometimes it’s frustrating, because I just want to get on with things.”
“And so?”
“But you’re right. It’s a little bit of personal and intimate connection between two people.” She smiled again. “And I think that’s part of why I feel more like I’m better-connected to everyone. Well, on top of everything else that happened since we left Charth.”
“For the other customs… Some of it’s quite selfish. If we have close relationships with Ressaline, then it’s more likely I’ll get to head to Charth more often, and I like spending time there, for all the obvious reasons.”
“I don’t blame you for that at all.”
“Part of it is because having a strong trading partner is good for all of us. Right now, they’re a trading partner, but they’re weak. I want them stronger, and I want them selling to all of our mutual neighbors.” Then I grinned. “But I want our relationship so strong, they do most of their buying from us.”
She laughed. “A good plan.”
“And then it physically hurts to think of people not getting enough food. These are friends, and friends of friends, and they worry about having enough food, and the right kinds. I can’t stand that, and I want to help. I can’t do that in a fashion that hurts Flarvorians, but if I can do it in a way that helps all of us, then absolutely, I want to do it.”
“How does sharing customs help with that?”
“It may not, but I wouldn’t mind if more people began thinking of Ressaline as somewhere interesting to visit. And while this doesn’t necessarily help our country, and it doesn’t help moderate the gender imbalance we’re still facing, we have an excess of people. There is opportunity north of our border for individuals, opportunity that women of Flarvor may never be able to pursue down here. To our north, a woman’s success depends entirely on her ability coupled with her willingness to work hard. Here, there are too many men standing in her way. Allium Cuprite should have been the Minister of Transportation, but because she’s a woman, she’s not.”
“I would argue she’s far happier where she is.”
“You’re right, but that was luck, and politics played by Lady Olivia.”
“I don’t understand.”
“She landed in front of Lady Olivia, who then played politics with Father to get an embassy opened, and to appoint Allium the ambassador.”
“I wasn’t aware.”
“Most people probably aren’t. That happened because a woman had enough power to make it happen, and it was the best thing that could happen for Olivia and has been very good for both countries.”
She said nothing for a moment, but then offered a half smile. “We’ve never talked about things like this.”
“You’re an officer now, Mariya.”
“I’m fairly sure that has nothing to do with it.”
I grinned. “Well then, how about this: I’m quite pleased that we both consider you an integral member of the household, and this is exactly the sort of conversations I have in my household. What do you think of that?”
“I think I like that a lot.”
“Good. So… Am I invited to
this ceremony?”
“Yes.”
Henra was shocked, but the other women were quite effusive in their compliments. And, hey, I got a long hug from my new sergeant.
* * * *
Rosaniya and Lyeneru left. I was sad to see them go, but we needed to send a shipment quickly to beat the snow. The plan was for them to send it here, and then Allium would bring it north with her.
Tess came to me that evening. It was Sha-shi’s turn to pamper Mother, and I was alone in my room, sitting in bed with a few papers I was going over. Tess came in and knelt beside the bed, laying her head down on the covers.
“Do you miss your sister?” I asked. She nodded. “Do you want to cuddle with me?” She nodded again, so I opened my arms.
She crawled up onto the bed and into my arms. I set the papers away and focused on her. “Tess, I want to tell you a few things. The first is this: I want you to be happy. I’ve never asked why you left your family’s orchards. Do you want to tell me?”
“I wanted adventure,” she said. “Well, and I was jealous of Rosaniya.”
“You have similar skills.”
“Father provided similar educations for us. But she’s older, and she got the duties. She’s very good at them, Darfelsa.”
“But you felt there wasn’t a place for you.”
“Yeah. And I did want adventures. Until she went to Ressaline with us, I was the only one in our extended family who had ever been outside Flarvor. Some of my cousins handle transportation, but only domestic.”
“So you’ve had a few adventures.”
“Gandeet wasn’t as big of an adventure as I thought it would be. Oh, it was a grand adventure when I first arrived.”
“But you weren’t given any real responsibilities.”
“I was, but I wasn’t given any authority, and I wasn’t going to be given more opportunity than I already had. I could be there twenty years from now and still wouldn't have grown my position. I’d be known as the best at what I did.”
“But when it was time for promotions, they would have gone somewhere else.”
“Yeah.” She looked up into my face. “And then you took me with you.”
“How do you feel about that?”
She snuggled tighter, which I thought was an answer in itself. “You have Renishta and Terla and Selzen.”
“Before I respond to that, I need to ask: do you want to leave my service?”
“No!” she said firmly. “Never!”
“Is that the resin talking?” I brushed her arm.
“No. I mean. Well, even if I wanted to leave, I probably couldn’t consider it right now. But I wouldn’t have asked for this if I was thinking about leaving you.”
“Well then, good. Because I don’t want you to leave. Tess, you’re right. I have Renishta and Terla and Selzen. And Tess and Talitha. Who had the answers when I needed an expert on all things Lorafar Region? Who introduced us to her family? Who was included in every single conversation, and always had important things to say?”
“Is that why you took me on? Because you knew where I was from, and you needed an expert?”
“No. I made use of the expert I had, because that’s what I do. I had already decided I wanted you on my team.”
“Really?”
“Really. Renishta came to me because I needed a personal assistant and secretary, and she’s very, very good at it.”
“She is.”
“Terla and Selzen came to me for the mission in Gandeet, but now they’re more interested in remaining on my team than remaining in the foreign service. Talitha came to me for reasons not all that different from the way you did.”
“We all like the way you treat us.”
“Good. And you came to me because I need someone I can count on, someone whose loyalty I can count on, someone with abilities and the capacity to learn more.” I hugged her. “And someone who I personally like. Tess, I decided in the first half hour we met, while you were giving me a tour, that I wanted you. I spent the next few weeks deciding if my initial impressions were accurate.”
“You did?”
“Yes.” I kissed the top of her head. “Tess, did you do this because you felt you had to?”
“No. I wanted to.” She paused. “I like the way everyone is treating me. And I think I’m closer to the others now, too. I mean, we became a little closer after we left Gandeet, but they’ve been with you a lot longer.”
“Mariya feels more like she belongs now, too.”
“I really like her,” Tess said. “Is it okay if we sometimes…”
“Yes, Tess, it is.”
“Will Sha-shi be upset if she sees me here?”
“No. Shalendra might, but Sha-shi will wonder if we can all play.”
Tess laughed. “I suppose that’s true.”
“And I think Shalendra is learning that I intend a comfortable relationship with the members of my household.”
She lay for a minute but then said, “There’s part of me that wants you to keep me like this.”
“I know,” I said gently. “But it’s not legal.”
“There’s not one rule in Flarvor about it.”
I chuckled. “And yet, on things like this, we’re going to follow Ressaline laws. I don’t care to be arrested the next time I travel north of the border.”
“They wouldn’t.”
“They should,” I said. “I’m not above the law.”
“The next time we go, will you do this to me again?”
“If you ask, and if I’m sure it’s only a small part that wants it to be permanent.”
“Valsine says most slaves are happy to remain slaves, and it’s only after we recover that we decide we have more complicated goals.”
“Well then, no making decisions about things like that.”
“I know. Darfelsa, will you touch me?”
We were touching, but what she meant was rubbing and stroking. And so, I did, one hand caressing her back, the other her arm, reaching what I could reach. She made a little mew of pleasure, to repeat from time to time, but otherwise was completely settled in.
That was how Sha-shi found us. She came to the side of the bed, her eyes alert, smiling. “Is this a present for me?” she asked.
I smiled. “Sha-shi, please put these papers on the dresser, then help us under the covers. Tess, are you expected somewhere else?”
“No. May I stay?”
“Yes.”
“You sleep better when you’re wearing less,” Sha-shi said.
“And yet, you’re going to work the covers over us then climb in on Tess’s other side.”
That’s what we did, and she cuddled against Tess, adding her touches, sweet, comforting touches.
I’m not entirely sure how it happened. I wasn’t really paying attention, but somehow pampering Tess turned into pampering me, and that turned into bare skin and two giggling slaves. We didn’t make love, but they pampered me right to sleep.
The last thing I remember was both of them telling me they loved me.
Grandmother
I freed Tess and placed her in Renishta’s care. Sha-shi and I had a truly decadent evening, and in the morning, I freed her.
They both cried, clinging to me, but I smoothed the tears away and told them I loved them.
Allium freed Valsine. If they shared a decadent night, I don’t know about it.
Gionna, of course, happily kept Ahm, as that was permanent.
I kept Shalendra with me for another two days, but then in the morning, we sat down. She was doing better and had initiated a tickle fight before breakfast, so I was pretty sure she was back to normal.
To be clear, she started the tickle fight, but I won. Just to be clear.
“This looks like a serious conversation.”
“It is. To start: do you intend to continue your suit?”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“No.”
“Then yes. I’d like to know how long this might last, t
hough?”
“A while longer, but not forever. Mother and Ahlianna both want to spend time with you.”
“Is that a good sign?”
“Yes, but there are also a few bad signs.”
I told her about Grandmother. Her lips tightened. But in the end, she said, “This is politics.”
“Yes, and while I hate it, dealing with it is part of what it means to be associated with any member of the royal family.”
“When do they get here?”
“I don’t know. They may not even come.”
“What are the chances?”
“Almost none.”
“Do you have a choice?”
“I don’t know. I mean… there are always choices. I could run north and ask to become a subject of Queen Lisdee. I presume Olivia would find some duties for me.”
“How about if we limit ourselves to choices that might be worth considering?”
“If Father were insisting I marry horribly, you can bet I’d consider that,” I said.
“But he’s not.”
“No, Shalendra; he’s not. If I want my intended role for him and later for Ahlianna, I have to do it in a way that ensures support for my sister.”
“I suppose… that’s quite important.”
“I thought I was going to have to marry some lord’s son to buy support for her. She refused to let me consider that.”
“Would you have?”
“If he weren’t truly horrible, yes.”
“Darfelsa,” she whispered.
“But that’s not the path. Grandmother, much to my shock, offered women this time, and she’s ready to support me, and to support Ahlianna.”
“And if you can buy support for your sister, you’re going to buy it.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Where does that leave me? I suppose you’re removing me from your list.”
“No, Shalendra, I’m not. Grandmother will offer her support, and I will offer these women their opportunity. And that’s not fair to you.”
“But if I’m the right person, then I’ll support you while you support your sister.”
“I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “Help me understand the rest.”
“I have to give them a fair opportunity, but Shalendra, one of the earliest conversations is going to be about my intended life. They’re coming here expecting a sweet princess, ready to look pretty and produce children, and they think that’s the life they’re going to live. What do you think they’re going to do when I tell them we’ll be going to Ressaline, and explain, in detail, the requirements to do so?”
