Nua took stock of the moment, without realizing it, her hands had come out to take his own. ‘If I were who I was before, my eyes would lower and my heart would tremble. But I am past that time. Long gone from that place beneath the stairs, hiding from everything.’ Nua met his eyes with hers to speak.
“You know what I am… know it by my body’s own lack of warmth. The coldness of my breath… you’re accustomed to women whose hearts and bodies are warm, soft, pliant, and loving. I am the granite of a grave marker. Are you sure about this, Prince of Pas’en? The temples will not be pleased.” Nua asked him with a quiet calm as her steady fingers closed around his own.
Rasgen, warrior or not, was no coward, and didn’t flinch from the question. “Yes.”
“Then… yes. I admit, I thought before I might refuse anyone.” Nua said and looked away toward the mass of slaves who were embracing waiting loved ones. “But things are more complicated now, I have to protect so much more than I once believed I ever would. If you will help me do that, then I offer myself to you, freely and without reservation.”
‘Sobella gave her body to the Tlalmok to protect all this, compared to that, what’s a bed?’ Nua reflexively touched the black strands woven into her hair again.
Rasgen didn’t notice that, as he turned his gaze to look out over the little sea of warriors and their mates and children, following after hers. “You take your duty seriously, not many think of their possessions as more than that. They pity them, sometimes. Or think of them as pets or tools, but you don’t. Some Princes see their city’s people as little different than the slaves they own. Tools meant for their own use. We have some things in common, you and I. That we won’t let anything get in the way of our duties. At the very least, that will keep us strong.”
‘Raymond… would you have approved of this? My instinct says no, but as I think about it, you would understand best of all. I have not forgotten you, I will not give up, I will not abandon my dream. I will see you rise again… and however I live when that happens… it will be enough to know that you share this world again.’ Nua barely heard Rasgen till the end of his statement, but it was enough.
She stepped closer to him, letting go of his hands.
“It wouldn’t be an auspicious beginning,” he said with a little smile that made her think he must have made a beautiful child when he was small, “if we showed less happiness than your slaves.”
“I suppose not, but that’s hardly the most romantic way to ask for a kiss.” Nua flashed him a charming smile of her own, and let him take her in his arms. His kiss was light, hardly something out of legendary romances, but it was there. Warm lips touched hers, and she permitted his arms to wrap around her. For the first time in a long time, she was reminded that despite her considerable martial skills and rare physical power, she was not particularly large. His arms went around her waist, she felt her armor press against his chest, and she tilted her head back slightly to let him taste her more fully. Her arms went around him in turn, revealing more about him than she previously thought she’d know.
His body was not hard, like that of Sado, who she’d seen flinging men around like they were child’s toys and smashing practice dummies with the greatest of ease. He didn’t have the fine curves of her Teacher, whose warmth often comforted Nua in the night, giving her a complete feeling of safety despite or because of her monstrous nature.
It definitely wasn’t like Raymond’s, lean and taut like chains of iron pulled to their limits. He had some strength, but a greater softness to his masculine form, it didn’t surprise her given that he spent more time on the throne or at a desk than on the training grounds.
The kiss passed and they straightened up and stepped apart, “I’ll be going for now, it’s enough to have your answer and you have to settle in. The public announcement will be made later and we’ll set an official date.”
“We will have to make it soon, my Prince. In one week’s time I will be taking my forces, and almost all of the servants with them, to Komestra. The city is going to be restored, and rise again.” Nua said, like she was announcing her intention to go to a cafe, and Rasgen stopped dead.
“I suspected you had some intent like that.” He said with a half laugh, “That was why I had to propose to you before Sado tried to, slave or not, he is bold, handsome, charming, and… he was a prince. I’m sure he would have offered legitimacy over the city as an incentive.”
Nua raised an eyebrow, “You knew and didn’t object?”
His wry grin looked half affronted, “Nua… I’m Rasgen the Great. You had to know I’m not one of those damn fools who fell for the, ‘Komestrans are natural slaves’ story. I grew up with Sado as one of my closest companions, the Princes of the various city-states all took turns being educated in each other’s lands. I saw the way Komestrans trained for war. I’d believe they were born warriors before ‘born slaves’. You’ll have to learn not to underestimate me, wife to be.”
“Then why didn’t you oppose me?” Nua asked, her already raised brow going up another finger width.
“Because it was more useful to me for you to succeed. With Komestra collapsed, we lost our security against any centaur tribal raids, and we lost a valuable ally in any conflict with northern minor cities. If Komestra is restored, ruled by my own wife, we create an unstoppable host against east, south, or north.” Rasgen opened his hands out at his sides as if to say it was obvious.
Nua rolled her eyes, “You sound like Sado and his dreams of a united Mict’aratz.”
Rasgen’s smile became smaller, saddened. “Almost. We can’t fight forces like the west brings to bear. That was what he wanted, and a hint of that would be disaster.”
Nua put her left hand on his heart, “Rasgen, you still don’t believe me about the western power, do you?”
Rasgen covered her false hand with one of his own and answered with a low and quiet voice. “I don’t believe you’re lying, Nua. But even if you’re right, they’re not here, and I have no certainty that they’re as strong as you believe. You can be truthfully wrong.” Rasgen replied, then perked up, “Enough of that, go, do your duty, and I will spread the word. That should keep the priests at bay from you for a little while. Join me for dinner in my home… tomorrow, yes, settle in for now. See me then.”
The unspoken offer lay in the little twinkle in his eyes, however Nua pretended not to see it. “I look forward to it… Rasgen.” She said, and they turned away from one another to return to their respective tasks.
----------------------------------------
Sado’s heart burnt to cinders within his breast and turned to ash as he watched what he’d known for some time was all but inevitable. ‘Of course she’ll marry the Prince of Pas’en, you fool. You ridiculous fool.’ His face was flint as he watched his mistress tell his oldest friend ‘yes’ and touch her lips to his. His dead heart pounded despite itself as his dreams scattered like dust in the wind. A thousand knives cut him to pieces, and from the ashes rose a visceral urge to shout at them both.
‘How dare you! You were my friend! Was it not enough to bring down my city! Was it not enough to throw me into chains! Now atop all of that heap of shit you’ve thrown on me, you marry the woman I love?!’ He only clenched his jaw, and said nothing.
Diana’s warning came back to him in a flash, he kept his hands behind his back to hide their shaking, and kept his face as blank as he could to keep the broken expression beneath the surface. ‘She turned you down twice, you fool, you’re in the last position in the world in which anyone can expect anything from someone else…’ He could only curse his blindness and stubbornness, and when the Duchessa called for them all to follow her into the grandiose estate, he did as the others.
----------------------------------------
“Welcome back, my student.” Solution said with her wicked smile on her face. “Welcome back.”
“Teacher.” Nua replied and approached the beautiful blonde maid with the thigh high metallic leggings and boots. She reached up without hesitation, and touched the pale cheek of the monster she revered and leaning closely she whispered, “It has not healed.”
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“I know.” Solution smirked, “I always know. Now get back to work, and I will help you, at least a little.”
Nua turned around, putting her teacher at her back, she waited while the rest of her servants filed into her large wide office. The warmth of the sun streamed through the window and cast its radiance over the smooth wooden floor. The line of books on the wall which had golden ink for lettering, glinted as if they were holy relics caught in the light of the divine, and one by one the servants took position in a line before her and went to their knees.
Their shadows cast toward the leather bound books and ran over one another like a strip of night in broad daylight. Nua pointed to Priceless first. “Make your report, Priceless.” She said abruptly.
“My lady, I did some public works projects to boost your reputation, employing lots of people to build small public fountains and repair some that were damaged. Lots of work is still going, but the people are praising your devotion to their city. Your city, I mean.” Priceless replied, and explained the growth of rumors and how the projects countered them. She also went over some of the thrashings that had been dispensed by some of the more recently acquired slaves, and bowed her head to put it to the floor and cast her hands forward. Her brown hair tumbled down and she said in a tiny voice…
“Forgive me, mistress. I couldn’t order them killed. I couldn’t. I know to do things like that, you would have wanted them to die… but this was the best I could do. Even having some people beaten up, no matter how mad I got, I just… I can’t bear to see anyone in pain, or even think about someone dying because of me. I used your Voice weakly… I am prepared for punishment.”
“I took care of the killing, actually.” Solution interjected, “Though if you want that one lashed, I’m always happy to help my student.” Solution tittered at the tremor that ran through Priceless until Nua cut the offer off.
“No.” Nua said as she trod the floor and crouched to put her hand on Priceless’s soft brown hair, “I lent you my voice, you made the best decision you felt you could. And you ‘built’ where I would have only destroyed. I’m proud of your hard work, it’s alright, you can rise. I’ll look over everything else later, but it sounds like you did fine. Is there anything else?”
As Priceless rose, Nua knew there was more from the wide eyed look that made an otherwise ordinary girl, utterly striking. “Yes, my lady. There’s a really bad problem that needs to be handled!” She then explained about the body that was found, why she didn’t believe it was actually their informant, and Nua was quick to reach the same conclusion.
“So we have someone against us who can be completely forgotten… that is worse than being ‘invisible’ at least with someone using invisibility, you can counteract their magic or remember the attempt. I can disappear into shadows, but if my target survives or escapes, they’ll remember. To be forgotten completely? That’s something else entirely.” Nua looked over to her Teacher, “Have you ever heard of something like this?”
Solution’s lips closed tight, “No, I haven’t. Nobody I’ve ever heard of at home has that ability, and I’m on very good terms with the Head director of the Intelligence Division, you haven’t met her, have you?”
Nua shook her head, “The demoness was in Raymond’s home once, but I can’t say we’ve truly ‘met’, why?”
“She’s got an eye for four things: guilt, strengths, weaknesses, and sandwiches. The fourth one had me visit her sometimes and we’d talk shop. If there was anyone who could so passively do that? I would know from her.” Solution said emphatically and crossed her arms in front of her chest, “My student, forget armies, forget Princes and demon-elf Queens, this is dangerous. I don’t even remember him, that means his gift had an effect on me too.”
That chilled Nua to her bones, never could she recall Solution having ever had an attitude other than cavalier dismissal of anything that believed itself strong or powerful or clever. Now rather than her arrogant smile, there were tight pursed lips and a dead stare.
“I understand… we will act with caution. There has to be some way to combat this… we need only work out what that is.” Nua said and slowly rose back to her feet.
She pointed to Diana. “Diana, how goes the development of the Starlings?”
The raven haired beauty raised her eyes and answered in her measured way, “Very well. I have twelve agents, eight women and four men, all of them beautiful and intelligent. All of them ambitious in their service, and all of them,” she held her tongue for a moment, then finished, “far too terrified to ever think of crossing you.”
Nua noted the way the bright eyed woman looked at her, a whirlwind of expectation and hope, “Good, now, have you made your own decision yet, whether you want to remain in my service, or go free?”
Diana prostrated herself, “My lady,” she said in a lyric voice, “I beg your indulgence, let me speak to you in private, please… I never ask for anything… just let me have a private few minutes with you…”
The thick emotion barely choked back by the slave’s words caught Nua off her guard, and she gave a brief nod before speaking. “Al-Alright. Granted, remain behind when all the rest are dismissed. You’ll have your moment. Is there more?”
Diana rose back up to her knees and answered, “Yes, I’ve taken to instructing Tir in how they’re managed, she works very hard, she’s as gifted at seduction as I am, but needs some work on her management skills and actually writing up useful reports. It’s a skill after all, but she is trying. It may take some time, but if there was someone working harder in this house, well…” She let a slightly proud smile form and left the sentence hanging.
“Teaching has its own reward I suppose, not the least of which is pride in students.” Nua chuckled a bit, “Nonetheless, good work. Have them brought to my office for a formal introduction after the evening meal.”
“As you wish, mistress.” Diana answered, and Nua turned her attention to Freyjin.
“My lady, I failed in the production of the three thousand books you ordered.” The long blonde haired elven woman prostrated herself, “I did my best, I swear I did. I even tried to reach out to other places to find copyists who could help. But we finished less than one in ten of what you wanted…” Freyjin was glad she was prostrate so that the depth of her worry was not obvious.
“That is a disappointment.” Nua said and strode to her desk to take a seat. “Was there anything you learned from this?”
“Mistress?” Freyjin asked without looking up.
“I gave you one copy of a book and ordered three thousand copies. You then promised me success in producing what I ordered, and you failed me.” Nua said with icy calm that froze Freyjin’s blood so much that her words were slow in coming out.
“I’m sorry! Please forgive me, mistress!” Freyjin all but shrieked in a panic.
“I asked what you learned.” Nua said in response.
“I…” Freyjin began.
“Who ordered them produced?” Nua asked.
“You did… my lady and I tried…” Freyjin stammered.
Nua cut the protest off. “Why did you fail?” She asked.
“Because there were not enough copyists in the city! I had no idea it took so long to copy a book!” Freyjin responded with her body already trembling like a leaf. ‘I’m the only failure out of them all! The only one!’ It tore at her soul like claws from a wild beast over prey.
“So, you made a promise of success before you knew if the task was even possible, didn’t you? Should I punish you for that?” Nua asked without moving her eyes from the trembling woman.
“Yes!” Freyjin shouted reflexively.
“Did I give an impossible order?” Nua answered.
“Yes!” Freyjin exclaimed, and there was a collective gasp and she felt every eye on her, her face flushed. “Not that it’s your fault! I didn’t mean it that way, my lady!”
“Freyjin… raise your head.” Nua finally said in a more tranquil voice, drawing blue eyes that twitched with fear up toward her. “I gave an order you could not accomplish, that is my fault. The lesson ‘you’ should take from this is to not promise before you know what you can do. What ‘should’ you have done, slave?”
Freyjin, now slowly understanding the intent of the lady of the house, thought it over. “I should have consulted someone who had done it before and asked how long it took, and found out how many copyists are in the city, then told you what could be done in that time… and perhaps seen if there were others available for it and asked Priceless for the money to pay for that help if it were available.”
“Good, very good. Freyjin… and the rest of you…” Nua said with sudden seriousness, “I’m not a perfect woman, I can make mistakes. That one was one of mine. Part of your job as my servants is to help catch my mistakes, not to compound them. If I give an order you can’t accomplish, I won’t punish you for failure. That’s a good way to encourage you to lie to me. If you need help, ask, if you need money, ask, if you run into a problem, report it. The fault for her failure is mine. Her only mistake was in thinking I couldn’t have made a mistake like that.” Nua gave a sardonic snort, “Believe me, I’ve made some great mistakes in my life. Having said that… Freyjin told me the truth.”
Silence hung for a moment at the admission of their mistress.
“There may be times when I must punish you, even if you should tell me the truth… but rest assured, it won’t be out of malice. And Freyjin, if you had lied to me about your… lack of success. I would have banished you from this house, sold you off to someone else with lower standards. I won’t have anyone inside these walls whom I cannot trust, I have enough mistrust out there.” Nua waved her hand toward the window that gave them a spectacular view of the city. “I won’t have it in here.” She brought her hand back and jabbed the forefinger down against the desk to refer to her household.
“Is there anything else, Freyjin?” Nua asked with a far more kindly voice.
“Ah, yes...my lady. Some of the, ah, servant women… the ones who you had Lady Solution help… they wanted to thank you personally. They’re grateful, I didn’t promise them your time, but I did promise I would ask if you would see them… they don’t expect it… they’re iron collared scullery maids and cooks and the like. But… it would mean a great deal to them if you could take a moment to look in on them.” Freyjin bowed her head when she finished speaking, and Nua did not keep her waiting.
She gave a casual wave of her hand and a passive shrug. “It’s only a few minutes, and I planned to walk the grounds once anyway, fine. Tell them all to be gathered in the central kitchen before they prepare everybody’s meals.”
“Now… Solution?” Nua asked, “I know you’ve kept yourself busy while I’ve been gone, what have you been up to?”
The casual way she spoke to the monster never failed to send chills down the spines of those who had seen the blonde creature melt or consume others as happily as a wolf tore into a wounded deer. Those chills however, were always ignored by both student and teacher alike.
“Oh killing this, torturing that, you know… finding Solutions to problems.” Solution made the pun and Nua laughed like it was a joke made by the dearest of friends. “The worst of the ones to spread lies about you have died, most of them were used in the instruction of the Pain Children. They’re getting better at their tasks, I want to send them on their first assignment in three years.”
“That soon? I thought you would want to wait until they were grown? And Veema is an elf, she won’t be ‘grown’ for much longer.” Nua put forth the objection, but Solution shook her head.
“No, three years, they’ll be ready for their first task. Trust me.” Solution said and laid a hand on Nua’s shoulder.
“Have I ever lied to you?” The monster asked.
Nua lowered her eyes, “No… no you haven’t. Fine, if you say they’ll be ready in three years, I believe you. The Starlings will be more than embedded where we need them by then, and we’ll give them every advantage.”
“That is acceptable, student.” Solution replied, and Nua stood up from behind her desk.
“I’ll expect more detailed reports later, but for now, everybody but Diana, you may go.” Nua did not present it as an option, and her servants slowly rose and made their exit.
When the last were gone, Diana prostrated herself before her mistress, who came from behind the desk and stood in front of her. “So, tell me… do you want me to let you go?”
“Not… exactly, my lady. Not exactly.” Diana said, and drew herself up, first to her knees, and then rose up to her feet, she reached out and took Nua’s hands in hers and took a long breath as if that was what it would take to lift the words past her lips, and spoke.