Chapter
29
Tolian, surrounded by her new
retinue, climbed the long spiraling stairs towards the top of the highest
tower. She moved there in numb
shock. They had been walking for hours
it seemed. Capreesh and Delotti walked
next to her. Two other faeries went
before her spreading white rose petals and jasmine on the steps. Behind them followed a collection of faerie
women and three male warriors, who did not seem at all happy about their
assignment when they received it from Dowbreth.
No one spoke. The silent
procession wound its way higher and higher.
At length, they reached the topmost
suite. One of the warriors went in first
and a moment later returned. “It is
secure,” he announced. “The Goddess may
enter.”
The flower girls went in first,
spreading a profusion of potpourri on the threshold. Tolian stepped forward into a room large
enough to be a great hall, but was clearly a parlor. The servants and her “bodyguards” filed in
behind her and instantly spread out, some disappearing into other doors from
this main room.
“This was the Queen’s private
suite,” explained the warrior who had entered first. He was tall, not a giant like Dowbreth, but a
looming presence. A narrow face, with
close-set eyes, and a serious cast. A
distinct brooding quality hung over him, but he was clearly attempting to be
genuinely welcoming. “You should be
quite comfortable here. I am sorry for
the long walk, but the Queen only came here when she wanted to be alone, so we
are somewhat isolated from the rest of the palace. We are all assigned to you as your personal
servants. If you require anything whatsoever,
you have merely to ask for it, Divine One.”
As Tolian looked about, one thing
was immediately apparent; it was the most expansive, most luxurious room she
had ever seen in her life. The walls
were completely covered in tapestries, depicting one continuous scene, which
gradually changed from forest to seascape to sky as she watched. She redirected her attention to the faerie,
knowing that she would have plenty of time to explore her new apartments.
“My name is Kreel,” he said. “I have been assigned the honor of being your
chief body guard.”
You didn’t seem so honored when you
were given the assignment, Tolian thought, but she said, “It’s nice to make
your acquaintance, Kreel. I’m sure we’ll
get along famously.”
The faerie smiled in spite of his
evident conflict over the situation. He
gestured to indicate the other two guards.
“This is Mesdor and this Gredalon,” he said by way of introduction. The two faeries looked even unhappier than
Kreel, but they bowed nonetheless.
“One of us must always be in the
same room with you, Great One, without exception; on Lord Dowbreth, your
betrothed’s, orders.”
“Even when I’m going to the
bathroom?” asked Tolian indignantly.
“I am afraid so, Holiness,” replied
Kreel. “We have been entrusted with your
safety; we shall be as discrete as is possible, but there will be no opportunity
for you to do anything foolish. Beyond
this you have few restrictions.”
“Oh, I find that difficult to
believe,” the princess said.
“You have free access to this entire
suite. Upon request, with suitable
notice and approval, and on special occasions, you will be permitted access to
other areas of the palace or Faerie.
This is primarily to protect and insulate our world from the effects of
your Divine Lunar Energies and the magick that transformed you.”
“What exactly are you people afraid
of?” she asked plainly. She kept hearing
people talk about ‘her influence on the fabric of Faerie.’ What did it mean?
He seemed surprised by her
question. “Beings who are charged with
magickal or divine energies forever retain them. In Faerie, such energies are infused into the
surrounding environment. People and
things here begin to absorb these energies.
It changes them. That is why you
are being quartered here in the highest tower.
The isolation should minimize the effects.”
“What about you and everybody else here with
me?” she asked.
“The females should suffer few
negative effects from exposure to you.
We,” here he indicated Mesdor and Gredalon, “will most likely be
significantly affected by our continual proximity to you. But, we are Dowbreth’s most loyal men and we
are honored to serve. We are prepared to
accept the consequences.”
Consequences. Tolian still wondered what they might entail.
“Is that it for the rules then?”
Tolian asked with a yawn.
“There are a few others,” answered
Kreel. “You must remain in a state of
purity, both to protect your status as a virginal goddess and as preparation
for your upcoming wedding.”
“Well, it may be too late already,”
said Tolian triumphantly. “I am
certainly not a virgin.”
“Have you ever had sex with a male?”
“No.”
“By our laws you are still a virgin
then.” He said it flatly without
emotion. “And lastly, you are never
allowed outside, or near a window, if the moon is out. These are the only restrictions I was advised
of. Beyond that, you are free to do as
you wish. Anything that you require, or
simply desire shall be brought to you.
Now, allow me to introduce the remainder of your new servants.”
She stood there politely, smiled,
and nodded at each of the faerie women who came before her. She was beginning to get exceedingly tired,
however, and she retained no one’s name.
When they all had been
presented to her, she looked over at the small assemblage, cleared her throat,
and addressed them as a group.
“Well,” she said, “here we are. I want us to understand each other. The way I see it, we are all basically
prisoners here, together. I’m sure none
of you want to be stuck up here anymore than I do. That said, I hope we can all get along, until
such a time as I either manage to escape, or you do. If you must treat me as a goddess, so be it,
but understand that I do not regard myself as such. Now, I am tired and quite hungry; probably
you all are as well. Let’s do something
about that.”
Capreesh stepped right up and took
charge, “You heard the Goddess, let’s get supper ready.”
Once again, the servants scattered
throughout the suite and busied themselves.
Kreel leaned forward. “Would you
like to see your bedroom? We can show
you everything else later.”
“Sure, that sounds fine, Kreel. Let’s go.”
She followed him across the parlor
and through a door into another grand room.
It contained the largest bed she had ever seen. The canopy and matching bed spread and sheets
had a starry sky motif. As she gazed
upon it, she noticed shooting stars moving here and there across the pattern. The walls of the room around the bed were
white marble, dotted with columns, large panel mirrors and a few tapestries
hanging there, mostly depicting garden scenes.
Of furniture, there were a considerable array of dressers, bureaus, and
wardrobe closets. There was a large
ornate desk, several comfortable looking sedan chairs, a small breakfast table
and chairs, and behind a silver curtain, a balcony of considerable size.
Tolian was dumbfounded. She stood there with her mouth hanging open
and gaped. When she had conquered her
sense of grandeur, she did manage to say, “This is amazing.”
“Yes,” agreed Kreel. “The Queen likes her luxury. Now, all this is yours. You should try and enjoy it. At least you have that.”
She appreciated his compassion. “Well, am I allowed to look out the balcony?”
Tolian asked.
“Yes, it is still daylight out and
the moon is not in the sky,” replied Kreel.
She strode across the room, her
dress still shooting off sparks as she walked.
After all the walking she had done that day, she had mastered walking in
the high heels. The swinging glass doors
were opened, so she stepped out onto the balcony without obstruction. She was greeted by the kiss of the cool
evening air, refreshing and deeply sensual.
She held tightly on to the railing as she looked out. She was shocked at how high up they
were. Faerie was spread out like a
child’s model. Towns, castles, lakes,
forests, mountains, and rivers stretched out below her, tiny and most
unreal. Wisps of clouds moved around
her.
She felt her guard move closer to
her.
“How is it possible we are this high
up, Kreel?” she asked. “We climbed a lot
of steps, but not enough to account for this altitude.”
“You are correct. Like most things in Faerie, the stairs to
this tower are magickal. Without the
magick, it would take the better part of a day to get up here. As it is, it takes a little more than an
hour.”
She stared below her, straining for
details, held in a state of marvel. She
did note, however, that clearly there was no means of escaping this way.
Delotti came out and joined
them. “My Lady, your supper is ready. Would you like to take it out here?”
“Oh, that sounds wonderful. The air up here is so invigorating.” Tolian turned to her bodyguard, “Given that
you have to hang around me anyway, Kreel, would you care to join me?”
He looked surprised. “Of course, my lady, if that is your wish, I
would be honored.”
He was already more relaxed, less
conflicted, Tolian thought. They walked
over to the wrought iron table and chairs.
Kreel politely held the chair for her.
She smiled and was seated. He
tilted his head in a semi-bow, returned her smile, and sat across the table
from her. He had a nice smile. Despite his delicate faerie features, there
was a definite masculinity about him.
She caught herself looking at his strong jaw, broad shoulders and well-muscled
arms. It was the first time she had ever
looked at a man like that. What on earth
was happening to her? She felt a sudden
physical attraction to Kreel. She found
herself wondering (just for a second) what it would be like to... No, she had
to stop herself from thinking like that.
She could not believe that she was having thoughts about having sex with
a man, faerie or not. A man. Since she had become a woman, she had equated
her sexuality in terms of her relationship with Brythia; it was something
special that they did together. Thoughts
of Brythia made her yearn for the druidess, her wife. She felt a pang of pain at their separation. But they were separated, that was the
fact. Probably forever. The realization came to her that the entirety
of her female sexual experience had been with Brythia. They had always satisfied each other’s
desires completely. She had never even
masturbated as a woman. And now, her
hormones were starting to make her want things she would never have imagined
that she would want. Despite herself,
she wondered what it would be like to have Kreel inside her. She felt herself moisten at the
prospect. She felt guilty immediately.
She was distracted from this line of
thinking by the arrival of their food.
It was the most unusual plate of food she had set her eyes upon.
“What is this?” she asked.
“It’s chicken and mushrooms with
pasta in a creamy tomato sauce,” answered the girl serving her.
“Well, I know what chicken and
mushrooms are,” she said.
Kreel chuckled, “I don’t believe
pasta or tomatoes have been discovered in your world yet. You are in for a treat, Lady. But first, a toast, if I may?”
“Please,” offered Tolian. She batted her long eyelashes, without even
thinking.
Kreel raised his wine glass. “To the most beautiful woman in Faerie,
Daughter of Heavens, Empress of Clouds, who reigns from on high.”
“That’s nice,” she commented softly,
“but I’m not going to drink a toast to myself.
Where I come from, that’s bad luck.
And I don’t mean the Moon. But
since we are both essentially prisoners here, let’s toast to freedom.”
His eyes twinkled. “To freedom then.”
“To freedom.”
They gently tapped their glasses
together. Tolian brought the wine to her
lips. She paused for a moment as she
took the first sip of the rich, dreamy faerie wine. She remembered the last time she had tasted
that particular vintage. It reminded her
of her kidnapping and her present situation, and served to cool her building
passions somewhat.
The food was the best she had ever
tasted. The new tastes filled her mouth
with delight. They ate, drank their
wine, talked, and laughed. They talked
about battles they had fought, as two veteran warriors might. Tolian stared into his eyes as she listened
to him tell of a particularly nasty battle against the Goblin hordes. She found herself focusing on his maleness,
almost unconsciously examining those things about him that were acutely
male. She was getting aroused again, and
she knew it. In fact, it gave her an
idea. If she could seduce Kreel and have
sex with him, she would no longer be a virgin, and therefore, she would be of
no further use to Dowbreth. It might
work. Yes, she would feel acutely guilty
if she betrayed her marriage vows to Brythia, but if her plans worked, she and
her beloved would be reunited once again.
In her mind, she begged Brythia’s understanding. Please forgive me for this my love,
she thought.
Still, she was too intoxicated by
the wine to think clearly. There was a
nagging thought she couldn’t pin down.
Some flaw in her plan. She took a
deep breath to help her think straight.
It didn’t help. How much had she
drunk? Two bottles between them. Nonetheless, she was determined to begin her
plan. She allowed herself to freely
submit to the power of her feminine desires.
She flipped her hair and gently stroked one of her breasts absently.
“Do you like to dance, Kreel?”
Tolian asked.
“Dancing is considered one of our
greatest arts,” he answered, “and one I am fond of. I was not aware that the warrior-folk of Lorm
danced, however.”
“We’re not barbarians, you know.”
“That is obvious, Lady.”
Was he feeling the attraction she
was feeling? She could not tell. Everything was different now that she was a
woman. She had no idea how to read a
man’s signals.
“Would you care to dance, my Lady?”
Kreel asked.
“I’d love to, but what are we going
to do for music?” she asked.
“That’s easy,” he said. “First, however, I’m afraid we must go inside
and draw the curtains. The moon will be
rising soon.”
“Rules are rules,” she said
agreeably.
They both rose from the table. Kreel escorted Tolian back inside. He suavely placed a hand on her back to guide
her. She felt a surge of electricity
from the contact.
Once inside Kreel said, “Okay, now
wait right here, and I’ll get the music.”
Get the music? How was he going to do that, she
wondered. How many of the servants were
musicians?
Kreel returned carrying a small
copper chest. “What sort of music do you
want to hear? Something fast? Something slow?” he asked.
“Something romantic,” she said
without missing a beat.
A sly, half-smile graced his
face. He commanded Capreesh and the
other girl who stood in attendance to leave them. He set the box on a nearby table and opened
the lid. A wall of music rose from the
box. It was as if two-dozen invisible
musicians had entered the room and instantly began playing. Lush, vibrant tones filled the room.
Kreel bowed and extended his hand,
“My Lady...”
Tolian stole towards him, but
paused. “Ut-oh,” she said. “It just occurred to me...I don’t know how to
dance like a girl.”
Kreel laughed, “I’ll help you. It is hard to believe, to look at you, that
you were ever a man.”
“I guess those druids did a good
job,” she remarked.
“A good job,” he echoed. “Come on, come here then, if we’re going to
dance,” Kreel offered.
“All right then, it’s easy,” he
insisted. “Stand there. Good.”
He stepped up next to her. The
proximity was enticing. “Now give me
your hand. “ He took her hand in
his. “Now put your other hand on my
shoulder. Good. Now my hand goes here just above your
hip. The rest you know, right?”
That depends on what you mean by the
rest, she thought. They danced for
some time. Tolian had no idea for how
long. She was having a good time. It felt good pressing her breasts into his
torso and having his arms around her.
The music flowed around them as
darkness crept into the room; more candles lit themselves one by one. There was a powerful magnetism at work
between them. That was obvious. She couldn’t figure out two things. First, why had she never felt this kind of
attraction to a man before now? It was
powerful. Very powerful. And second, it was
Then they kissed. She felt his tongue slip inside her
mouth. She was burning with hot lust for
him. She had to have him right then. She broke their kiss and pulled him towards
the bed. She was wild with passion for
him. She wanted him inside her. No, she needed him inside her. She smothered him in sweet kisses and he her. He tossed her, almost roughly, onto the bed;
the candles dimmed automatically.
Tolian kicked her shoes off, pulled
her gown over her head, and flung it to the floor. The shower of sparks that resulted
illuminated the room. She lay there
naked, waiting for him. She had the
passing realization that she had drunk too much. It seemed to be taking him a long time. In the dim light, she strained to
see him taking off his shirt. He stood
still.
“Oh no,” he said. His voice sounded strange and panicked. “Damn, too late.”
“Kreel, what’s wrong?” Tolian
asked. “Aren’t you coming to bed?”
“There’s no point,” Kreel said. His voice wavered in almost a falsetto. “Lights.”
The candles relit themselves. Tolian’s eyes went wide in horror (and to be
true, disappointment).
Standing where Kreel had stood was a
tall and comely faerie woman with her shirt off. She was staring down at her breasts, a look
of surprise and dismay playing on her features.
“Damn,” she
said.
“What’s going on?” Tolian asked. She sat up
at once, her eyes searching for her lover.
“What’s going on is that my plan to
free us both has failed. I never
expected to be so effected by your power,” the faerie woman explained while
still unable to take her eyes off her own breasts. She slipped her hand into her trousers, a
look of sorrow taking hold of her face.
Understanding filtered in through
the dense clouds of heated passion and alcohol in her brain. “Kreel?” Tolian asked. She hoped that she was mistaken.
“Yes,” said the woman. “It’s me, Kreel. I hope you can forgive me. I lit lust incense in here when I first came
in, and I had the girls cook more of the lust drug into our food. The drug makes a person extremely sexually
attracted to the opposite sex and willing.
We drew straws. I won. We thought that if I could seduce you, you’d
be no more use to Dowbreth and we could end this mess, before...well, before
this happened.”
“If it makes you feel any better I
was willing to seduce you for the same reason,” confessed Tolian. “Wait, it could have been the incense.”
“Probably,” agreed Kreel.
“How long will this drug last?” Tolian asked.
“Too long, I don’t want to have sex
with Mesdor and Gredalon, though actually right now, maybe I do. But, apparently, you won’t be able to
anyway. They’ll be simply transformed in
your embrace as I was. I’ve only been
female for two minutes; I’m not ready.
I’ve got to get that antidote.”
She put her shirt back on, and
yelled for Capreesh, who entered immediately and stared at Kreel in
surprise. Kreel looked so uncomfortable
asking her to fetch the antidote. Tolian
normally would have been quite amused by Kreel’s discomfort at her new
femininity. She had gone through that
herself. But, she had wanted him so
badly. She ached still to have him. To make love to him. And, now because of her, he was a she.
“Kreel,” asked Tolian, “are you sure
I couldn’t try to have sex with either of the other two? Maybe if we skip the dancing and dinner, we
could do it before he...”
“My Lady, I am so sorry to do this
to do to you. Capreesh will have the
antidote here in just a moment. Please
try to wait for it. You can try after
that if you still want to. How’s that?”
Tolian reluctantly agreed. Capreesh returned with two small cups of
liquid. The two formerly male women
drained the cups. After
a few minutes, Tolian’s intense desire eased.
As Kreel warned her that the draught, combined with the wine they had
drunk, could result in drowsiness, Tolian fell asleep.
Copyright 2004, 2015 Diana Hignutt
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