Malomar Ch 01

A peek into the world of Malomar, a place where women rule with absolute power.

*****

The morning sun snuck through the bottom of Baroness Lixtis's windows when her chamber maid entered on the third day of spring. The finely crafted white curtain frill caught most of the light, but a few rays snuck through onto the lady's bed. Erin smoothed her serving gown's smooth green cloth and closed the door quietly behind her.

"Your grace, your waking time has arrived. Your breakfast of ham, eggs, and fruit has been prepared and your tea will be ready soon." Erin spoke soothingly, knowing her mistress would be upset all day if she were woken abruptly.

"Erin, you are not near as soundless as you believe yourself to be." The voice rose from the baroness's bed as silken as a spider's web and as dangerous as its bite.

"Apologies, your grace," Erin sputtered, her hand covering her heart in an attempt to calm herself. "I did not mean to wake you in an unsatisfactory manner."

"It's no matter, I woke before first light." The baroness spoke, watching the curtains above her bed while her servant prepared her clothing for the morning. "Today does not greet me well, but I have every intention of lifting it to all it can be."

"I am happy to see you are hopeful this day, your grace." Erin had finished laying out the cotton gown her mistress would wear during her breakfast and until the bath she would require before her planned lunch with Duchess Daguer. It was the one with red velvet around the cuffs and neck line; this always seemed to raise the baroness's spirits when they were down. She walked over to her lady's bed side, "allow me to help you out of bed."

The baroness accepted Erin's outstretched hand. Her hand was soft and clammy in comparison to the slender and rough hand of the serving woman. With Erin's help, Lixtis sat upright in her bed before taking to her feet. Erin turned to retrieve the garments she had set out, but found herself stopped. She turned back to see the baroness holding tightly onto her hand. Her hair had fallen across her right eye in the turn and she brushed it away with her fingers. "What," she blurted before remembering her manners, "What is it, your grace?"

Lixtris was not looking at her; she was starring toward the floor. No, Erin realized, she was looking at her legs. They were not stately legs, just thick enough to help her push the barrels in the cellar, neglected for lack of a husband and bony as they came. She crouched to draw the baroness's attention to her staring. The lady's gaze was drawn upward, but slowly, drifting across the surface of Erin's emerald gown and flour white apron. As the baroness's eyes reached Erin's face, they blinked, breaking the spell that had beset her. The corner of Lixtris's mouth curled upward slightly. She let out a breath.Erin realized, her mistress had been embarrassed, she hadn't meant to stare. "Your grace, if you'll allow me to fetch your morning attire." She didn't need to finish, Lixtris had already released her hand and was blushing with embarrassment.

The baroness covered her blossoming smile with an alabaster hand, while Erin lay the morning gown on the bed. Erin deftly unknotted the cords that held her mistresses night gown and drew the cloth off her pale shoulders. She turned back to the bed, leaving the baroness to finish removing the clothes. "Am I beautiful?" She heard from behind her. She stopped. "Erin? Am I, beautiful?" The intonation of the baroness's voice was woven with complexity, weakness? Or a cruel trap? Her purposes for this question were a complete mystery to her chamber maid.

"Your grace?" Erin spoke, turning back towards her mistress.

"I want to know what you think, am I beautiful?"

Erin struggled, not knowing the purpose of the question, but knowing the penalties that had been dispensed for displeasing the baroness. She decided merely to answer honestly, hoping that if her response was incorrect, at least one of the other servants might take pity on her.

"You are the baroness of Estershire, the richest barony west of the Nadrils. Your farms feed all your tens of thousands of subjects. Your iron mines provide for the needs of the entire province. Your artisans' skills are renowned; throughout the kingdom people speak of Estershire blades and Estershire glasswork with the highest respect. You have added more land to the barony than any since Isabel the Wise."

"Nonsense!" Lixtris snapped back. "The only other barony west of the Nadrils is Chesnee and that's just barren land 'claimed' by Lady Chesnee. And the barony only grew because Yeadertown was gifted to us due to its unruliness. Anyway," the baroness's voice had been reduced from that of a noble woman to that of a testy child. "I asked," she said drawing her toes backward across the floor, "am I beautiful, not, am I powerful."

"Of course, your grace, but power is an aspect of your beauty, adding to your beauty as much as elegance or poise. If you would like though, I could speak of your physicality."

"I don't buy that first bit at all," Lixtris said with a chuckle. Her voice dipped diplomatically, "but please, continue."

Erin looked her mistress up and down. The parted dressing gown revealed the body of a well formed royal woman. "You are quite young among royal ladies; your skin is taut about your muscles. Your legs are long and your hips curve in a way that would make many other ladies furiously jealous. Your butt is rounded, neither large nor small. The skin of your shoulders is pale white and the cords of your neck appear only as you turn. The features of your face are soft, though your chin is angular. Your nose has no crook and no curve. You have no scars to speak of, and rarely a blemish or wrinkle appears. Your right arm holds a birthmark in the shape of a tulip. Your eyes are the blue of midday sky. Your hair is golden and bright to shining. Your hands are dainty and skilled with a pen. Your nails are well kempt, and you are adorned each day with the finest incense. You are undoubtedly, quite beautiful."

"And you," Lixtris spoke slowly as she turned to her servant, "are you beautiful too?"

Erin gaped, and then took a few mouthfuls of air. She hadn't expected the questioning to go this way. What was she to say?

She thought of herself, was she beautiful? Her skin was made of hide compared to Lixtris's softness. She had nothing but angles where Lixtris had curves. Her chin was soft, but beyond that she was as cushioned as a wall. Her feet no doubt stunk. Her unruly red hair had been constrained to a makeshift bun only with the help of two other serving girls. It curled wildly in places they hadn't been able to force into obedience. She stood a half a foot shorter than her mistress and all of that seemed to come out of her legs. While Lixtris always had trouble getting dresses on due to her bust, Erin was passing for a boy only a year ago. Her face was covered with unfortunate freckles that had run out of space and begun melting together. She certainly had no land or wealth to speak of.

"No, your grace, I am not beautiful." She said it resolutely, but also intoning some humor, expecting this to be a humbling message from her mistress.

"Really?" the baroness said. She discarded her dressing clothes, dropping them to her right, revealing herself to her maid. "That's not what I think." She stepped into Erin, putting her left thigh on the outside of Erin's leg and drawing close enough to feel her breath. She looked into Erin's eyes, reading them as the bounced around her body, comprehension, nervousness, surprise. Discomfort? Of course she would be uncomfortable; she had not expected her mistress to show affection toward her. "Don't worry, Erin," Lixtris whispered low to her, "it's all right."

Lixtris's hand moved deftly, pulling up the left side of Erin's dress. It glided across her upper leg. Finding the center of the panties it had been exploring it quickly jumped into work. The curling hair of the maid was pushed this way and that as the fingers slid in the base of her pelvis. Lixtris drew breath hurried by her excitement. Her eyes jumped about Erin's face, hoping to draw out every detail for her memory. She felt the soft tenderness she had been seeking and drew in another breath filling herself with energy. Upward she went, feeling wetness she would bring out to stimulate her lover. She slid her fingers back over the softness between her maid's legs. She looked for appreciation in Erin's eyes.

She saw nothing but terror.

"No!" Erin said. She took a step backward with her left leg, pulling Lixtris's right arm away from her. "It's not all right, baroness."

The baroness's face fell. It felt as if it were made of stone. Had it all happened so quickly? How?

Erin hurried away from Lixtris, only stopping once she was several meters away. "You have no right to treat me as your property!" She said in a voice filled with shame and admonition. "You may dress yourself, Baroness Lixtris. I will be leaving your service. Farewell." The door slammed as Erin left.

Lixtris continued to stare at the space where she had been. She wondered what she might have done wrong. She wondered why she had been so defeated. She wondered why anyone had signed the Dunair Papers.