This story is categorized as science fiction/fantasy, but there are no ray guns or robots. No wizards. No orcs. It is a tale of fictional people living in a fictional kingdom in England a long time ago. There's a lot of sex, but there's also a lot of words devoted to plot and character. Isn't sex more exciting when it involves people we care about? It's my hope that King Harold, Princess Alana, Queen Mother Eunice, Sir Robert, and (especially) Sarah the Whore capture your attention. All characters are adults over 18.
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Alana didn't know how long she would remain imprisoned in the tower. She would have been dismayed if she'd known her confinement would last for months. By the time it was over, she would be unrecognizable. As a princess, she'd grown to be very stout. As a prisoner, the fat quickly melted from her frame, revealing features like cheekbones and a waist.
For days, Alana received no news about her predicament and what she should expect. On the fourth day she was visited by the man chosen to represent her in court. Edmund Scott was a well-known solicitor in Middlebury, having represented parties involved in both civil and criminal cases. He'd never been involved in anything like the case of Queen Alana - no lawyer had - and it took time for him to research the relevant statutes.
"You are charged with two crimes, Your Highness," Scott said. "The most serious offense is the assault of a commoner. Assault is a more serious charge in this case because you are an aristocrat and the alleged victim is not. When a person of privilege abuses someone of lesser status, the charge carries the possibility of greater penalties."
"What penalties?" Alana said. "What could happen to me?"
"Majesty, it is not clear," Scott said. "The King's intolerance of aristocrats who abuse his subjects is well-known. There has only been one case in recent years. It involved three aristocrats who were convicted of offenses nothing like the charges against you. They received very harsh sentences."
"What sentences?" Alana said.
"One man was sent to the gallows," Scott said. "His co-conspirators are currently in prison."
"The gallows?! Prison?!" Alana said.
"That case was nothing like yours, Majesty," Scott said. "It involved a Lord named Sir Albert, who owned a magnificent estate just west of here. It was learned that he and his two sons habitually abused young daughters from the families that farmed his land. The girls were taken to Sir Albert's manor, where he and his sons forced themselves on the poor victims. This happened many times to many girls.
"The king was outraged. He personally oversaw Sir Albert's trial and handed down a sentence so severe it would deter other aristocrats from abusing the king's subjects. He confiscated the estate, ordered the execution of Sir Albert, and sentenced the sons to hard labor. It was not long ago. The public hanging happened just before you came to this kingdom, Your Highness. The King is still trying to decide what to do with Sir Albert's estate. There are gossips who claim the action against Sir Albert was a ruse contrived so King Harold could seize the valuable property for himself. It's a delicate matter that remains unresolved."
"You said I am charged with two crimes," Queen Alana said. "What is the second?"
Scott looked away. He was embarrassed. "You are accused of neglecting your duties as queen."
"What duty have I neglected?" she asked.
"It pertains to your unwillingness to provide an heir," Scott said.
"What!? How can it be a crime for a woman to refuse to spread her legs?"
"It is a crime when that woman is a queen," Scott said.
Alana had been frightened before she met with her lawyer. By the time Scott departed, she was terrified. As a princess, Alana was a rather dull child who indulged in play and satisfying her endless appetites. She was encouraged to study history and statecraft to prepare her to be queen, but she'd never done so. She merely assumed that when she was crowned, she'd be able to do anything she wished. Being locked in the tower gave the young queen a sudden education into the fact that even royals must follow certain rules.
Sir Robert advised King Harold to abstain from any involvement in Queen Alana's trial. "You must avoid doing anything that suggests you might be using your influence to make her sentence either lenient or severe," Sir Robert said. "Let the court handle this. Resist the temptation to attend the proceedings."
"I never want to see that vile woman again," King Harold said. "As soon as her trial is over, this marriage will be annulled. Our union was never consummated, so the church will surely free me from her."
Sir Robert grimaced. "Sire, I beg you to keep an open mind. Anything could happen. If circumstances unfold in a way that makes it possible for the kingdom to get an heir, you know how much that would mean."
The king looked at Sir Robert through narrow, angry eyes. "Nothing could ever persuade me to fuck that beastly woman," he said.
Sir Robert grimaced again. In part, it was unsettling to hear Harold so willing to forego such an important pact with the kingdom of Catacan. In addition, Sir Robert was a refined man who never used coarse language, and he found it difficult to hear anyone utter the word "fuck." Hearing that word pass from the lips of King Harold was almost as unsettling as the many times he'd heard it spoken by the queen mother.
"Sire, I'd like you to consider a suggestion I've weighed carefully," he said. "The attack by the queen cast light on an issue that has become worrisome. Sarah has no official role in your circle. It wasn't a problem when she was merely your private companion. But now she is known and beloved throughout the realm. She presides over a weekly prayer service attended by hopeless people who want to believe she is blessed by God. And now she is at the center of a vexing legal dilemma. Something must be done."
"I have no idea what you are suggesting," the king said.
"Make Sarah your consort," Sir Harold said. "Give her the title. Make her a member of your court. Elevate her to a position that befits the esteem in which she is held so widely. It will settle any unresolved questions over the fact that a commoner has such a prominent place in your majesty's heart."
Harold had never considered the idea. "Is it legal to make a commoner my consort? I thought that only an aristocratic woman could hold that rank."
"That is easily resolved. You have the power to make Sarah an aristocrat. Give her a title and the estate confiscated from Sir Albert after he was convicted of abusing so many young women.
"That settles two troublesome issues. I'm sure you appreciate the seriousness of the charges made by your enemies, who like to allege that the only reason you sent Albert to the gallows is that you wanted to seize his land for yourself. If you give the estate to Sarah, it will shut their mouths forever. None of those cowardly traitors have enough courage to challenge anyone as popular as Sarah."
Harold was dumbfounded. The idea seemed preposterous, but he could find no flaw in Sir Robert's logic.
"It's an intriguing suggestion," Harold said. "Have one of your lawyers review the relevant regulations. There's never been a consort in this kingdom. If we do this, we must scrupulously avoid making a procedural error that might plague us someday."
The review yielded an outline of the legal steps needed to proceed. In the fullness of time, Harold made his way to Sarah's chambers carrying a large gold ring bearing the royal seal.
She was stunned when Harold got down on one knee and presented the ring. "Sarah, I want you in my life forever. I want to be able to say 'I love you' publicly. I want everyone in this kingdom to know the depth of my regard for you. Please, make me the happiest sovereign who ever lived, and be my consort."
Sarah agreed, of course. Harold explained that the first thing she had to do was participate in a ceremony in which Harold would name her Lady Sarah and gift her with the estate formerly held by Sir Albert.
"It's a fine, beautiful holding with a marvelous manor house. The farms produce a substantial annual income which you can spend any way you pleased," the king explained.
"I lack for nothing, Harold," Sarah said. "My every need is being met already. What could I possibly do with an aristocrat's income?"
Harold laughed. "You can do whatever you want! It doesn't matter! Ask Sir Robert. He usually has good answers to questions like that."
She gave the idea some thought, and at length she discussed it with Sir Robert.
"I would like to use my new estate as an orphanage," she said, explaining that she'd seen many poor orphans in the streets of Middlebury and elsewhere. She imagined it would be a simple matter to fill the many large rooms with beds for the homeless boys and girls who need food, clothing, and shelter. She proposed using part of the estate's income to provide teachers who could help the children learn to read, a skill possessed by few commoners; when the orphans became adults, their literacy would provide employment opportunities closed to the majority of subjects. Assigning them to do carefully supervised chores would teach them the skills needed to be farm hands or workers in the king's creameries.
Sarah wasn't trying to be politically astute. She was simply trying to solve a problem no one had corrected before. But Sir Robert saw that her proposal was brilliant. None of the king's detractors could possibly object to Sarah's plan. When it was announced, it made the complainers look stupid and self-serving.
Inevitably, it did much to elevate the fondness Harold's subjects had for Sarah.
