*Author's note:* This series is my attempt at the spy genre - be sure to start with part 1. As I go, I'm going to be discussing my process in the comments. I'm eager for feedback, so please join me in the comments section.
(If you want to see my attempt at cosmic horror, check out my series titled "The Practice" - find it by clicking on my name, and be sure to begin with Part 1.)
*****
After having been kidnapped and forced to join a mysterious conspiracy, Orchid's next two days were rather mundane. She whiled away the time hidden in Genthi's tiny quarters in the warrens under the palace while the cupbearer's apprentice snuck her food and reading material. Orchid had never cared much for geography or world history, but her interest had grown rapidly since her life had come to depend on impersonating a Dalanci princess. She spent two days mostly alone, and two nights sharing a small cot with Genthi. There had been no repetition of their earlier... intimacy... but Orchid was growing to like and admire the girl. She was surprised to find herself frequently wondering how to initiate another physical encounter.
On the third day of Orchid's isolation Genthi returned earlier than usual for lunch and in a rush. She threw a sack of food onto Orchid's open book and said, "Eat up, it's time to go. I've got to take you to the Gardener - the planting ceremony is tonight."
Orchid's heart jumped. She had just began to feel a little bit safe, tucked away in Genthi's room. She grabbed the food sack and stared into it wordlessly. Loaf of bread. Wedge of cheese. Dried, spiced meat. She had no appetite for any of it and pushed the sack off her book onto the floor.
Genthi picked the sack up, set it back on the small table, and began to lay the food out in front of Orchid. "You need to eat, at least a little. Please."
Orchid nodded and nibbled on the bread. "Genthi, I don't think I can do this. I want to leave."
Genthi's mind glowed orange and green as she squeezed Orchid's shoulder - she was worried, too. "The King is in danger, and so is the kingdom. People risk their lives every day for the greater good. This is how people like you and me can serve."
"My brother is fighting in Delance right now," Orchid said, but Genthi cut her off.
"Don't tell me anything like that. You're Orchid, or we're both dead."
--
The Gardener was a skinny eunuch named Yth who spoke little. Genthi briefly kissed Orchid on the lips before leaving her alone with the man in a large, sunlit room filled with fountains and mirrors.
His first words to her were, "Remove your clothes, my lady."
My lady? He waited with seemingly infinite patience while Orchid's body trembled. She had little experience with men, and few male acquaintances outside her family. Still, this was a eunich, not really a man at all. She reached behind her back to untie her dress and then slipped out of it with a shrug of her shoulders. The linen piled around her ankles and her toes curled on the stone floor.
"Everything, my lady. We have to prepare you for the planting ceremony."
Orchid's face burned but she grasped her slip in two hands and tugged it over her head, leaving herself complete exposed. The air and sunlight were warm on her skin. Yth circled her, inspecting her body like a gem-cutter with a rough stone and occasionally sighing to himself.
Orchid glanced at her own figure in a mirror: tall, light skin, light brown hair with thick waves, and green eyes that her mother said were her best feature. All common physical traits for Denlanci royalty, as Orchid had recently learned. She pushed her shoulders back and straightened her stance, considering how she might look to a man. Round breasts, more than a handful and firm, with nipples that had hardened in the gentle breeze. A trim waist, flat stomach, and long legs. A firm butt, thanks to the hours she spent on her feet practicing magic. The hair on her pussy had started grow back into itchy stubble, but she found that she liked the look and feel of her bare lips.
"I suppose I can do something with you," the Gardener announced, and began his work.
Orchid pondered her fate while following the eunich's simple instructions. Sit here, stand there, lie down. Lift your arms, spread your fingers, spread your toes, spread your legs. Close your eyes. Get in this bath, now this one, now this other one. Put this on, take it off, wear it like this. The sun raced through the sky while Orchid lost herself in the pampering, trying not to think too much about what came next.
"Please tell me about the planting ceremony," she asked, breaking the busy silence. "Tell me about the King."
The eunich spoke without pausing in his work, gently shaving every stub of hair he could find on Orchid's pussy with a shining razor. "The King is wise and good. Everything he does is for the good of his people and Kartour. Remember that, tonight."
"And what about the ceremony?"
But the Gardener would say nothing more.
Eventually the Gardener stood Orchid in front of a large mirror and pronounced, "Done, my lady." Orchid looked at herself again with wide eyes. She had always known she was pretty, but the girl who looked back at her now was stunning. Had the Gardener used some sort of magic? Her hair glistened in the sun. Her skin was smooth and radiant. Her lips were full and moist. A green silk gown emphasized her waist and breasts and seemed to make her eyes sparkle. She twirled in the mirror and grinned despite herself. The simple young girl had... bloomed?
The metaphor stole her smile and Yth sighed again.
--
"Ladies and gentlemen, my friends, welcome. As you all know, in my grandfather King Opheron's time Kartour and Delance were close cousins. His Queen was a Delanci, a heritage I am proud to carry. Alas, in my father's days that ancient alliance was broken by Delanci treachery. Today, it is my great honor to have restored that historic relationship permanently by unifying the crowns of our two nations."
It was difficult for Orchid to focus on the history lesson while she stood alone in the center of throne room, staring up at King Eradis on his throne and surrounded by a wide ring of hundreds of courtiers. Like anyone in the capital she had seen the King from a distance many times before, and had heard him speak on holidays and other times of great import - but this was different. In this massive stone room, surrounded by the nation's wealth and trophies from his many military victories, the King radiated power and authority. The assembled nobility watched him with rapt attention. Orchid saw Vingoth the cupbearer standing below and beside the dais, and Genthi with him - neither met her eye. She recognized a few other nobles but couldn't put many names to the faces. People darted quick glances at her, the men's eyes lingering, but King Eradis commanded the room.
"Prince Opheron has taken the Delanci throne in my name and vanquished the house of the Betrayer, whose memory will be blotted out from history. The Prince sends thanks and praises to all the brave houses of Kartour who achieved eternal glory on the battlefield, and he also sends to us Delance's greatest prize," the King said, turning his eyes down towards Orchid. "This lovely flower." Hundreds of pairs of eyes turned to Orchid at once and her knees trembled. The King held out his hand to her and commanded, "Approach."
Orchid stepped forward and slowly ascended the steps of the dais while heads turned to follow her. She still had no idea what this ceremony would entail, and she hated being the focus of so much attention. When she reached the top step she dropped into a deep curtsy before the King.
Laughter hit her like a tidal wave from every direction and her face flushed a deep crimson. Was she doing it wrong? She collapsed to her knees, barely able to breathe. The orange glow from the crowd showed their anticipation, but of what?
