*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 again, begin with Part 1.)
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Orchid work up in the dark and felt a brief moment of panic before she realized that she wasn't bound. A cool breeze blew in through a large open window, the moon shining brightly into the small room. A thin, soft sheet covered her naked body, and when she looked around she immediately realized she wasn't alone -- another figure lay in bed next to her, facing towards the window. A female, by the hair and shoulders.
Orchid shifted her body to slip quietly out of bed, but when she moved her legs she gasped in agony. Her pussy ached from the humiliation the King had inflicted on her the night before, and when she moved the dull throb became a sharp pain. She reached down to touch a soft pillow that had been wedged between her thighs, and the motion stirred up the scent of mint and aloe from what she realized was a poultice intended to soothe her tender skin.
Her gasp made the other girl twist under the sheet and face her. "Orchid, it's ok, you're safe," she said sleepily. Her hair was a very pale blonde in the moonlight, and her eyes barely cracked open.
Orchid was pretty tired of waking up in strange places in the dark, but there didn't seem to be any immediate threat. If anyone had wanted to hurt her, they'd have already done it. "Who are you?"
The girl reached out and touched Orchid's hand. "I'm Lily. I didn't want you to be alone tonight, after what you went through. There's some water on the nightstand for you."
Orchid pulled her hand away from Lily to grab the cup of water and guzzle it before collapsing back onto her pillow. What was that faint aftertaste? "Lily... --"
"Hush, it's ok, we'll talk in the morning," Lily said, gently laying Orchid down and brushing her hair away from her face. Lily laid down beside her and murmured quiet reassurances as Orchid drifted away.
---
When Orchid woke up again she was alone and a heavy curtain had been pulled across the window. She winced a little as she sat up in bed and threw back the curtain to reveal the sun already high above the palace rooftops far below her tower room. People scurried below on their morning errands, and thin trails of smoke rose from the chimneys of the surrounding city as the workday began. She hadn't slept this late since she was a child, and her body felt refreshed and invigorated. Even the soreness between her legs had faded to an uncomfortable twinge thanks to the poultice she pulled from between her thighs.
Orchid stood up naked and stretched in the sunlight. The poultice was wet with her blood and she threw it into the smouldering fireplace. If there were enemies here, she wouldn't make their jobs easier by leaving her blood lying around. She coaxed the fire back to life with the poker and watched as it consumed the poultice and the blood before dying back out.
The room had a closet and a small vanity, and Orchid spent a few minutes taking stock. Makeup, brushes, toiletries, and a small selection of diaphanous gowns, dresses, blouses, skirts, slippers, and even pants. Pants for a woman? Bizarre. None of the clothing looked fit to be worn in public by a modest young lady, but apparently that wasn't her anymore -- and she didn't think she'd be out in public anyway. Orchid took her time washing, brushing her hair, and doing her makeup; the tattooed flower on her left cheek was still sore, but no longer red and throbbing. It's beautiful swirls belied its grotesque nature. She donned a green gown that covered her from neck to wrist to ankle but was so thin and translucent that she hardly felt clothed at all.
By the time she was done dressing her tummy was growling furiously. Half-afraid the door would be locked, Orchid pressed the handle down as quietly as possible and peeked out into the stairwell. Her door shared a small landing with three others, and stairs spiraled up and down. She wanted to get her bearings before snooping around, so she descended on slippered feet past several other landings and numerous small windows, finally stopping before an open doorway at ground level -- the next room was full of people eating breakfast. The stairs continued down below the palace, but Orchid's tummy decided that this was the place to stop.
"It was a disgusting spectacle," a female voice declared. "The King is a barbarian."
"Don't talk about King Eradis like that," said another girl... Lily? "He only does what he has to --"
The first voice cut back in sarcastically, "Yes, his majesty makes such sacrifices for his people. The kingdom would surely collapse if the poor man wasn't so dedicated to fucking his enemies' daughters."
