"I will report back to you on the conditions of the infirmary by tomorrow evening, and as soon as I have assessments of the healers, I will turn in my recommendations to you, Sir."
Malachi turned to Gertrude. "I'm sure I will have more to say to you after our tour of the castle, but at this time I don't have anything else for you. I merely wanted you, as my housekeeper, to be aware of what was going on, thank you."
Taking that for the dismissal it was, Gertrude curtsied. "Until this afternoon, Your Majesty."
"At this time I'm finished with you as well, Queen Roberta." She nodded and excused herself.
Malachi crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at Duff. He deliberately waited until the room was practically empty to deal with this problem. He did not wish to embarrass the young man any more than necessary. "You do realize I have to punish you for your transgressions."
Duff stood to his full height and said, "As I said before, Your Majesty, I take full responsibility for my actions. I have no excuses and I am prepared to accept whatever punishment you decree."
"Good, because it is a doozy." Malachi picked up a stack of papers in front of him and offered them to Duff. He stepped forward and took them. "According to Edmund's records, this is a list of everything that should be in the armory. I want you to personally verify every piece of equipment, double check with both Lucius and Richter that you have checked every storeroom."
Duff began thumbing through the papers. Though it definitely looked like it was going to take him several days to sort through the entire Armory, he had to admit he was getting off lightly. "As my King commands."
Malachi got to his feet and indicated the Healer was to follow him. Entering the Throne Room, he looked around. They were completely alone. "As long as you remain in the castle, I would like you to be personally responsible for my quarters and my office. I do not want anyone else in them when you or I am not around." He hesitated a moment and then added, "With the exception of my brother and father, they may have access to my office, but they have no business in my quarters. Do you think you would find this position agreeable?"
The slave considered for a moment. Why was he asking her whether she wanted to or not? She was his slave. She would do whatever he commanded her to do, and anyways, that was basically what she had done for Edmund, attended to all of his personal needs. Realizing he was waiting for an answer, she nodded.
"Good, I will work on coming up with an official title for you. Until then, just remember when it comes to my quarters, and my office, or anything that is personally mine, you outrank everybody but me."
Chapter 21
Stargazer Castle, Scottish Highlands
October 15, 2231
Malachi was seated in the Council Chamber an hour and a half later when Richter entered escorting a woman in her thirties. Malachi looked up at their entrance, set down his pen, and indicated a chair. "If you'd be seated, please, ma'am." He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest.
Richter bowed formally. "King Malachi, permit me to introduce Mrs. O'Shaughnessy." The woman curtsied respectfully, then did as she was ordered and seated herself.
"Richter, if you wouldn't mind waiting outside." Richter nodded and excused himself. Malachi deliberately sat in silence for a full minute appraising the woman; then he said abruptly, "I have it on excellent authority that it was you who contaminated the well. Is this true?"
Mrs. O'Shaughnessy looked stricken, then she nodded and looked down. "It weren't you I wanted to harm. It was them others."
"I am aware of that. That is why we are having this conversation in here, rather than the dungeon, which I as of yet have not visited. I would hate for the first time I visited it to be to speak with a grieving mother; but you do realize that it was not only the men you harmed by your vengeful act?" he demanded.
"I chose my vengeance careful. It has no effect on women."
Malachi cut her off. "On the contrary, it had a direct impact on the women. Were you not aware of the fact that it causes violent mood swings when used over a duration on men, violent mood swings that led to a lot of suffering, innocent women who were beaten by their angry husbands or lovers?" Malachi grimaced over his last word. He wished he would've used a different one, but too late; he couldn't take it back now.
Again, Mrs. O'Shaughnessy looked stricken. She spoke in barely a whisper. "I'd forgotten 'bout that."
"I'm glad to see you are remorseful. I hope in the future you will be more responsible in your administration of herbs, and as I have already informed numerous women and I am now informing you - I am not King Edmund, nor are my men his men. If you have a problem, report it to me or one of my men. Do not deal with it yourself. You will find that my men are fair and honorable men and will give you no problem as long as you don't give us one. Are we clear?"
"Aye, Your Majesty."
"Good. Thank you for coming in. Have a nice day." Malachi picked up his pen and went back to work. Mrs. O'Shaughnessy rose and left the room.
It was shortly before lunch when the slave entered and tapped Malachi on the shoulder. He ignored her. After two more attempts to get him to look at her, she finally gave up and said, "Office."
Malachi continued writing. After a minute he said, "What about the office?"
The slave closed her eyes, took a deep breath and glared at the back of his head. She let it out slowly. "Your … office is … ready," she said a little unsteadily.
Malachi rose to his feet. "Then let's go look at it." Entering, he looked around. It was very clean, but there really wasn't much in there. There was a desk with a chair behind it, two chairs on the other side, a large comfy looking – what he would call reading chair with a small side table next to it – and that was it. There was nothing on the walls, no rugs. When he turned back to her, she indicated the walls and floor. Picking up a slate from the side table, she wrote on it and handed it to Malachi. He didn't even look at it. He tossed it on the chair. "Sorry, if you've got something to say, better say it. I don't intend to stand here all day reading wee notes." Malachi felt a bit guilty as she looked distinctly uncomfortable.
She swallowed hard as she struggled to find as few words as humanly possible. Finally she settled on, "What … do you want?" she asked, indicating the room as a whole.
"Since I will spend most of my time in this castle in this room or my bedchamber, I would like both rooms redecorated. I would like my room made over to be more warm and inviting, a comfortable room that makes me feel like I can relax in it. This room, I would like a small table with six chairs added so that myself and more than a couple of people can sit and talk without having to go into the large Council Chamber. I would like a sofa, a coffee table, pictures on the walls, rugs on the floor; but I don't want the walls cluttered. You think you can manage that?" She nodded slowly. "Good, thank you. I know that I'm asking a lot of you, but I feel you're up to the task. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask me." She nodded and Malachi excused himself.
The slave crossed to the chair, picked up the slate, sat down, and began making notes on everything she wanted changed in his bedchamber, then she gathered her helpers and began working on both rooms. She asked Cassandra to oversee the bedroom while she concentrated on the office first, so that as soon as he was done with his tour of the castle he would be able to use it. When she felt that every last detail was how he would like it, she went to check on Cassandra and his bedchamber. When she entered his bedchamber, she found Cassandra alone hemming the new curtains. The slave looked around. With the exception of the hem of the curtains, the room was completed; she hesitated, pending King Malachi's approval. She glanced at the clock. It was a little bit past eight in the evening. She wrote on the slate, 'It is late, I'll finish up. Thank you so much for your help. Have a good evening.'
She tapped Cassandra on the shoulder and showed it to her. Cassandra smiled at her. "Are you sure? I don't mind."
The slave wrote, 'Nay, I've got it. Go have fun.'
> Cassandra smiled. "Well, I did promise a new friend if I got done early enough I'd meet him."
The slave raised an eyebrow and smiled, then she wrote, 'FRIEND or friend?'
Cassandra grinned and took the pen, circled 'FRIEND'. Both lasses laughed.
The slave seated herself and finished hemming the curtains. When she was finished, she looked at the clock. It was just a little bit past ten. She sighed and went to the King's office. He was sitting bent over his desk writing. She walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He ignored her. She wrote on the slate in her hand in large letters, 'SLEEP'. She tapped him on the shoulder again and tried to stick the slate under his nose. He persisted in ignoring her. Finally, she pressed her chest against his shoulder as she leaned over him to place her hand across the paper he was writing on and barely breathed in his ear, "Bed."
Malachi felt every hair on the back of his neck stand up as she breathed on his neck. The pen slid from his fingers as he tried not to think about the body pressed up against his. That was of no use, his mind immediately went back to his hands all over her naked body. He turned only his head to look at her. If he cast his eyes downward he could see her very nice cleavage; if he looked up he saw the line of her neck. He cleared his throat. "I still have some work to do and I don't appreciate being told when to go to bed." He turned back to his paperwork. Looking down, her hand was still on the paper. "I would move your hand unless you want me to start writing on it."
The slave did not remove her hand. She leaned forward a bit more, pressing her breasts tightly against his shoulder, shifting them slightly to give her mouth better access to his neck. Then she breathed along his neck and when she reached his earlobe she gently nibbled and said again, "Bed."
That was it. Malachi forgot any intentions he had about not having her again until she was his wife. Malachi got to his feet, quickly grabbing her thighs and lifting her off the ground. As he pressed her against the wall, she instinctively spread her legs so that now he was now standing between them. "If that's what you want, we don't need to wait for bed," he said as he started kissing her. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him back. Malachi adjusted how he was holding her so that he could figure out how to get her knickers off without putting her down, but when his hand found bare bottom, he grinned. She wasn't wearing any. After that, it only took a moment before he was where he needed to be – inside of her. He moaned with pleasure as she wrapped her legs tightly around him and they began making love. It was a quick, heated embrace, driven by carnal need. When they were both satisfied, Malachi still held her pressed tightly against the wall. He buried his face in her neck panting hard. After a minute he said, "Share my bed tonight. Stay with me? Please?" The slave remained clinging to him tightly another minute, then she released her legs and he lowered her gently to the ground. Malachi gripped her bare hips and bent forward and nibbled on her neck. "If you don't want to, just say no."
The slave shifted uncomfortably as she could feel his seed slicking her thighs. The feeling of it made her uncertain. She knew she was playing with fire. She knew what would happen if she got pregnant. He would cut my throat despite his assurances that he wouldn't. She knew he was lying. He would never allow Edmund's whore to bear his child. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. When he was near like this, it felt so good. It felt warm, comfortable, and right. He continued to squeeze and caress her bare hips. She smiled and nodded. He removed his hands from beneath her skirt, wrapped his arm around her waist and they began walking back to his room.
The slave considered as they walked. There were precautions she could take to prevent that from happening. I will have to be more determined in preventing him from spilling his seed inside of me. I will have to persuade him to let me pleasure him with my mouth more. She nodded to herself. It did not surprise her that as soon as they were behind the closed doors of his room, he began kissing and undressing her. Then he picked her up and carried her over to the bed and began making love to her. When he grew near his moment of pleasure, she tried to pull away, but he held her tighter. She took her courage with both hands and said boldly, "Let me take it in my mouth?"
Malachi gripped her hips with both hands and ground his body into hers. He pressed his forehead to hers. He watched her intensely as he pushed her over the edge and followed quickly behind as he spilled his seed. He said, "I will never release in your mouth. The only place I will spill my seed is in your belly. If you do not want to receive it, then do not ever offer yourself to me again." Malachi moved off of her and watched her. He mentally kicked himself. He knew he had been more forceful than he should have been. It was his own fault. He should have kept his desire in check and waited, given her more time to become accustomed to her new situation. Now he had probably permanently damaged any chance of a relationship with her. She was laying there shifting uncomfortably, clearly uncomfortable in mind and in body. He kicked himself mentally again. She reached across herself with her left hand and rubbed her right upper arm. He sat up to look at her arm. He had not thought he had injured her. He narrowed his eyes as he saw a gold band there. He had noticed it the first time he had made love to her, though he had not actually looked at it. Now he gently pulled her hand away. His chest tightened as he realized it was a slave band. It was a narrow gold band with a one inch circle. He glared at the thing as he got to his knees and gripped it with both hands and pulled it off her arm. She screeched and looked terrified. He examined it. It was designed so it could be squeezed around any size arm. It was not a solid circle like a bracelet. In the gold circle was Edmund's crest, written on the band before it was 'property of'. Malachi's breath began coming quickly as he glared at the damn thing. Finally, he hurled it across the room. She looked terrified, screeched and went to go and fetch it. He grabbed her around the waist and turned her in his arms. "I do not ever want to see you wearing that again," he said through clenched teeth. She nodded and still looked terrified and trembling. She didn't take her eyes off of where he had thrown it. He loosened his hold on her. "If you've changed your mind and no longer wish to stay the night, I'll understand." After a minute, she turned and looked at him, shifted so she could lay back on the pillows, pulling him down with her. She rested his head on her breast and held him gently in her arms.
Chapter 22
The following morning, Malachi was sitting at his desk when his father entered. "Might my King be able to spare a moment of his time for his General?"
Malachi leaned back in his chair. He did not miss the note of annoyance in his father's voice. "What have I done wrong now?"
"Did I say you did something wrong?"
"You didn't have to, Father, I can tell by your tone of voice you're irritated with me," replied Malachi.
"I am not irritated. I am concerned."
"Concerned about my behavior, my morals, or my life? Can you be more specific?" countered Malachi.
"To begin with, I'm concerned that you are burning your candle at both ends. You may be young and strong, but you can only do that for so long. And Broderick informs me you intend to meet with all of the farmers. I do not feel that this is a good idea. I believe you should delegate that to someone else. And Lucius informs me that you have still not made a decision on what you are going to do with Edmund's Council. I hope you intend to dismiss them from your service." When his father was finished speaking, he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Malachi, indicating he was done and awaiting a response.
Malachi ran his hand through his hair as he considered. He had to admit he was relieved his father wasn't lecturing him on his morals. Rumors of his growing attachment to the lass must not have reached his father's ears yet. Malachi shifted uncomfortably in his chair. His growing attachment to her made him uncomfortable for several reasons. One of the largest reasons was he was not sure how Alec was going to take him marrying. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair again. This was not the right moment to be thinking about that. He considered what his fat
her had said. "Your objection, General, is duly noted; however, I intend to meet with all the farmers myself. I want these people to learn I am not Edmund. And as far as Edmund's Council is concerned, you are correct. I have failed to deal with them, which I will do presently. And no, I have no intention of keeping them on; however, they might have some use. As my General, would you like to be present when I meet with them?"
Septis snorted, "Is the Pope Catholic?"
Malachi replied flippantly, "I would presume so, however, changing times and all ..." Septis snorted again and rolled his eyes. "General, would you be so kind as to have some of your men retrieve the Council from wherever you stuck them?"
"As my King commands." He started to turn, then looked back at his son. "Where do you wish to meet with them?"
Malachi pursed his lips as he considered. "I'm open to suggestions. If I meet them in my office, they will all be forced to stand, which means they will be looking down on me the whole time. I'm not sure that's exactly the presence I want to convey. If I meet them in the Council Chamber, we'll all be seated. If I meet them in the Throne Room, I'll be looking down on them."
Septis replied without hesitation, "Throne Room." Then he didn't wait for a response, he turned and exited the room.
A quarter of an hour later, there was a knock at the office door. "Enter," called Malachi.
Duff opened the door. "Forgive the intrusion, Your Majesty, but the General would like you to know that the counselors are on their way to the Throne Room and he did not know whether you wanted to keep them standing in there before you entered, or whether you wanted to be awaiting them."
"Inform the General I wish them to wait in the Throne Room. I will be with them at my earliest convenience. Send someone to inform Richter I would like to see him immediately, then return to me."
"Aye, Your Majesty." Duff left to carry out his orders.
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