Chapter 9 - Reaping the Harvest
The next day was a blur for Elli. She doesn't really recall much of it in fact, and has to ask her maidservant to recount yesterday's events over breakfast the next day.
"The Queen had a couple of the brunts," that was their latest nickname for the larger of the monster species that functioned as guards and muscle, "carry you back to your room. I suspect that was after someone used a cleansing spell on you, because I saw that mess they dragged off to be burned in the fire pit, and there's no way you hadn't had a bath or something."
Elli nods, remembering mostly that she'd slept in between fits of passion, and she's pretty sure she got to rub herself all over a gargantuan version of her king's already enormous shaft. But that might have been a dream.
"I made sure you got some fluids and broth in you, but you two were still going at it yesterday morning, so you hardly even woke up except to beg for the chamberpot. It was absolutely surreal, the amount of... well... I shouldn't talk about that while you're eating. But anyways, other than the Queen and the royal physician stopping by to make sure you hadn't actually died, things were quiet. My friend who's a court crier said the King looked like he'd been out drinking all night or something. They sped through the day's agenda and..." The maidservant, Saph, paused, "Promise you won't say anything to anyone about this? I don't know what'll get me or my friend beheaded with the new regime. But..."
Elli nods again, savoring the simple taste of porridge as she slowly eats.
"I heard he fell asleep a few times on the throne! And he was late to Court because you'd kept him up all night. I couldn't tell if the Queen was annoyed or amused, but I've never heard of anything like this happening, even if you count the drinking that the Holy Knights used to do after coming back from campaigns."
The concubine grimaces at the soreness settled into her thighs and lower back, "I hope I'm not in trouble, I didn't expect to be allowed to sleep all day when he had to keep working."
"I'm sure they'd have canceled court or let one of his ministers handle things, but with the Tourney to be held in just a few hours? Oh! We have to get you dressed. Even if you're sore, they'll be expecting you to be in the stands with the Queen."
"I'm not sure I can stand that long." Elli sighs, pushing away the nearly-empty bowl before attempting to get out of bed. With a little assistance, she makes it onto her feet.
Saph snorts, "I've heard it's a pain in the ass to sit on the benches all day. Some of the ladies would tie pillows under their dresses for cushioning."
"Just how long do these things last? I've never even sat that long!"
They don't make it to the wardrobe before a knock at the door interrupts them. Saph opens the door to find a grunt wearing a blood-red skirtlet. The small creature grunts and holds out a package wrapped in sheer gold fabric with a note on top.
The maidservant inspects the note briefly before dismissing the demonic servant. "It seems that there is a dress code for members of the King's entourage." She unfolds the fabric to reveal what is clearly a mistake.
"I..." Elli stares at the glittering contents, bright yellow gemstones sparkle before her, connected by gold that snares the light of day from her room. "I can't wear such things! I've never... That's... That's enough to buy a kingdom!"
Saph snorts, "Hardly, this'd make a decent bride price for a lesser noble, maybe. I'm sure the Queen's been gifted diamonds or something. This is just topaz, even if some of them are impressively large."
"And gold..." Elli holds a breath, recalling how she was first presented to her new king. "I don't suppose they're going to let me wear a dress, are they?"
The servant girl sets the assemblage of precious stones and gold onto the sitting table before shaking out the fabric it was wrapped in. "Oh, there's a dress. Of sorts."
It's longer than Saph is tall, at least in the back. Elli takes a moment to inspect the gold gossamer. It has a lovely sheen, but more importantly her new shifts leave far more to the imagination. The robe is open in the middle, and oddly similar to the ones her master and his allies wear, just practically see through.
"Let's get you dressed, at least it comes with a belt to hold it shut?"
"Do you think, perhaps," Elli pauses to lick her lips as dirty thoughts plague her mind, "maybe he'd prefer it if I wore only the metal parts?"
Saph gives her a look no other maidservant would dare give her lady, "Just put on what he's given you and hope your legs can handle walking to the stands."
"You're right," the concubine slips her arms through the saffron sleeves, "I probably can't take that sort of excitement today."
"Says the lady who was nearly screwed to death the night before last. Are you sure you're not half mermaid?" The servant girl rambles as she helps Elli cinch the metal belt and adorns her with the bracelets and necklaces before starting on her hair. "My old man used to tell us some raunchy stories about them, and you blew those wet sluts out of the water just by telling me about the whole temple thing."
Elli muses as the comb tames her hair into a passable updo of blond waves. "I don't think so. My mother's line has wind magic, not water, so maybe we've a silpheed ancestor somewhere?"
Saph just tuts at the unnecessary response, tugging a little too harshly to get the hair pinned in place.
The royal procession includes a brief ride through the city to the hastily constructed tournament grounds. While Elli and Saph ride on an ornately carved platform carried on the broad back of a horned, otherworldly beast, Arisselia and her ladies sit on a gilded one before hers. Even further ahead, King Orduzell and his generals sit astride more nimble, reptilian beasts that looked eager to devour the crowd of surviving Aescasterites. The rest of the procession following the concubine's open-air palanquin consists of the King's other advisors and the few human nobles that had insinuated themselves as useful in the new regime.
Most of the people that the former serf could see looked both awed and apprehensive as their conquerors rode past, though Elli wonders if most of the awe is reserved for the new Queen in her resplendent glory.
Arisselia radiates beauty unconcealed by the see-through blood red robes adorned with black crystals that catch the early morning sunlight. Her pale skin glows all the more for the contrast of dark colors, lending her an etherealness fitting for the once holy city.
The servant sitting beside her subtly nudges Elli's side to remind her not to stare at the captured goddess.
Thankfully, the ride is short, and the view of the ocean from her seat is almost as captivating as the view ahead. Looming up before them is a vast open arena surrounded by raised structures of wood and stone and cloth, easily surpassing the acreage of the fields she grew up on.
Elli dismounts at the silent urging of the grunt handling the beast below her, and she and Saph are quickly flanked by two of the larger tusked brunts and led to the largest of the viewing platforms.
