Lahri had been in the Royal Castle for perhaps two days when she realized she wasn't exactly loved by the other women in the place. Concerning women, the king had a wife, two daughters, two sisters, and two sister-in-laws in the castle. The older women had the decency to at least pretend they appreciated Lahri's existence. As for the two daughters, Prince Vansoth's sisters, they tended to give her the most unpleasant looks. Lahri didn't say anything about it. She didn't think she could do anything about it.
But on the morning after the second day, she found out that all of her gowns had been cut to shreds, cleanly cut, as if someone had used a pair of satisfyingly useful scissors.
Tarabell pitied her and gave her a gown. "Never you worry, Sister," she said to Lahri, patting her shoulder, "I'll report this to the queen."
"We don't know who did this," Lahri countered.
"Is that so?" Tarabell put her fingers over Lahri's destroyed clothing and pinched up a few strands of black hair. "Both of the king's daughters have black hair, Sister."
Tugging on one of her fingers, Lahri said to Tarabell with a hushed tone, "The queen herself could have done this."
"Nonsense!" Tarabell said as she started combing her hair.
Later, just when all the women had finished eating breakfast, and when all the dirty dishes had been handed to the centaur servants, Queen Chiana Lenzyn Geitana told all the women to remain at the table. The centaurs on the other side peered at the women with pitying eyes. Lahri held her baby closer to her body. Her teeth gnashed. What in the world was this powerful woman going to do?!
The queen very elegantly rose from her cushion on the floor. Her face was seemingly blank, but Lahri thought she detected some vexation in her eyes. Her bare feet pressed on the lavish mats as she quickly went to the open walls. She closed all of them, hiding everyone from the men. Then she closed locks over the tight gaps.
Her skirt and sleeves fluttered as she whipped around.
Then she shuffled right between her two daughters, knelt down, and put her clawed fingers and stiff palms on the backs of their heads.
And she rammed their faces right onto the dining table. The thick, painful noises had everyone else gasping and quivering. There was blood!
Then the queen literally threw her daughters into a wall and told one of her husband's sisters to, "get the cane."
The queen had never needed a cane for walking ... so ...
Lahri got to her feet and backed away, gently rocking her screaming baby. Her sight was fuzzy, but she could tell that nobody was doing anything to stop the violence.
She reached behind herself and blindly searched for a groove in a wall so she could open it. Victory was found. She pulled the wall, retreated into another area, and closed the wall.
Perhaps half an hour later, during which there was a great deal of screaming, Lahri found out that not only were the young princesses beaten, but they were also expected to compensate their brother's favorite maiden. Expensive, colorful silks and the like would be taken from the royal treasury, where many other rare and costly items were stored. Then, with their aunts taking turns to supervise them, the princesses would use these fabrics to sew together replacement clothing. Each finished garment would be inspected by the aunts, then by Prince Vansoth, and then the queen herself.
Well, of course the young princesses had to be given enough time to recuperate from their injuries, but as soon as they were able they would sew. They wouldn't be allowed to socialize with any men. They wouldn't even be allowed to show their faces to them. There would be no other pleasurable activities, either. No walking in the gardens. No dancing. No singing. No playing music. No reading. No writing. None of that until all the clothing was finished.
There were even temporary restrictions placed on their diets. No desserts, of course. Nothing particularly spicy either. And no meat nor fish. Their new "punishment diet" would consist of foods such as plain gruel, plain boiled eggs, raw cabbage and sprouts, boiled pasta with no sauce nor seasonings, dry lentils, and whole nuts.
A few more minutes after the beating, Queen Chiana sought Lahri out, tapped her shoulder with a perfectly manicured hand, and gave her a calm yet somehow intimidating smile. All Lahri could think about at that time was how violent the woman could be. She trembled under the queen's gaze and shielded baby Meia's head with her hand.
Prince Vansoth's mother was such a tall woman too!
"Come, Little Darling," the queen said. "We'll have a journey in the gardens."
Lahri forced a biting grin.
She watched the queen tie a pair of bright stockings on her legs. Then she put on a set of pliable shoes. Lahri was already wearing footwear even though all the other women thought that was a strange thing to do in this weather while indoors.
The queen led her to an exit door. That door led to a smooth, shiny pathway of clean stone. The pathway was kept under a tall tunnel of openwork metal. Essentially, it was a long cage with an arched roof. There was enough width in the path for three average women to stand side-by-side.
And there were plants, of course, right outside the cage. Trees, bushes, flower beds, all with an astounding variety, and flowers weren't the only pretty things. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and herbs were available for admiration. Lahri remained a few steps behind the queen as they walked down the path, and she listened to the regal, frightening woman speak about the previous events.
"I am highly embarrassed, Lady Lahri. My daughters seemed to have assumed you were not worthy of their brother's attention because you are not a native." Her well adorned yet mature hairstyle shimmered in the daylight as she looked back at Lahri with a rather ... knowing smile. Her black eyes were not very loving. "Such useless and unjustified haughtiness is unwelcome in this family."
With a bow, Lahri said very seriously, "Yes, Your Majesty." She stroked her child's head. Meia was strapped to her again.
"I should apologize to you," the queen said as she halted to look at a pretty blue flower. "I imagine I was not a good mother to my daughters, and that is why they became so disagreeable."
Shaking her head, Lahri said, "I must respectfully object. I believe that even a flawless parent could have a disobedient child, and I'm certain that your daughters have learned their lesson very well." Meia made a particularly funny gurgle. Lahri smiled at her, but the smile died quickly. "In fact ... " She looked back up to the queen. " ... oh, I'm concerned that Her Majesty would be angry with me."
Queen Chiana's eyes slid in her direction, but her head didn't move. "Speak to me, Darling."
Lahri swallowed nothing. Then she said, "I was imagining that Her Majesty might be so kind as to put a drop of leniency towards her daughters. Perhaps ... they could be allowed to eat meat and fish?"
The queen's eyes went back to the flower. Her voice was so cold that Lahri wouldn't have been to surprised if a layer of frost killed the delicate plants. "You wouldn't question my judgment, would you?"
Immediately, Lahri blurted out, "Oh, no! No, Your Majesty! I ... I suppose I felt some pity for your daughters. To go on without meat and fish when you've been raised with it seems very harsh to me." Actually, the physical punishment was what seemed harsh to her, but she wasn't about to give an opinion on that matter. This suggestion concerning the food was only an attempt at making the princess' situation less severe.
Queen Chiana turned to face Lahri. There was a smile on her face, but Lahri didn't trust it. "Darling ... you should braid your hair." She stepped closer to the younger woman, and to Lahri's discomfort, the queen put her fingertips under her chin as if she wanted to look at the redhead's face much more clearly. Her smooth fingers were warm. "A bit of rouge on your lips would enhance your eyes."
Lahri turned her eyes away. The queen's dark stare was both judgmental and frightening.
The queen moved away. "And you should try to smile more often. You have a pretty smile."
As Lahri watched the queen walk away, she exhaled and wondered how strict this woman could be.
***
Concerning the recent misbehavior of the two young princesses, Vansoth agreed with his father, brothers, and uncles. It was shameful. Vansoth did pity his sisters, however, when he learned that their noses were broken. He couldn't ever remember those girls ever having a broken ... well ... anything. His mother must have been furious.
But, at least, he understood why she was furious.
There wasn't much to be done for it, though. Those princesses had disgraced themselves and their family, especially their mother. The rest of their punishment seemed reasonable to him. Certainly, they should make new clothing for Lady Lahri. Of course they would be confined and have restricted diets. Even a caning on their backsides seemed fine to Vansoth.
But broken noses?
Oddly, it had him thinking of miserable war scenes he had experienced, but he told himself not to worry, and everything was actually moving along the way he wanted.
On the afternoon after the beating incident, Lady Lahri watched from her kneeling position in the women's quarters as the queen played a flute for everyone's pleasure. The men watched from their space, of course.
Lahri looked different, but still beautiful. Vansoth's chests tingled and swelled as his eyes cherished her appearance. Her red hair was set in four looped braids, two crossed and looped on each side of her face. There weren't any ribbons or precious materials in her hair, only wooden clasps; it was very plain. It was also lovely, framing her innocent face and enhancing her features.
Still, he was planning on giving her some hair ornaments.
Her lips seemed pinker than normal. Was that some rouge? How adorable!
Some time later in the day, Vansoth asked Lahri for a private moment with her. She bowed and looked for a certain long handle of wood. Then she clicked this handle inside a hole in her baby's box bed so she could pull the bed along. Little wheels had recently been attached the the box's bottom.
When the couple had found a quiet, empty area, they both rolled and locked walls to keep them separated. Then, with baby Meia a few inches away from her mother, the couple started a pleasant little chat. Vansoth gave her his gift a few minutes in the conversation. It was a lacquered case that contained gold wires, a tortoise shell comb, a thin pair of pliers, and shiny gemstone beads, violet and blue spheres that any princess would love to have.
Lahri's cheeks flushed every bit as pink as her lips, and she turned her head to look down at the wiggling little Meia. "Oh, Your Highness, I'm so humbled."
Vansoth was still holding the opened case out to her. "I'd be honored, My Lady, if you would place these ornaments in your beautiful hair."
Meia made a happy little squeal as her mother stroked her tiny lips with her fingertip. "I suppose it would be unmannered to refuse you."
His tail perked up as a bit of creativity sparked in his brain. "I'd love to assist you. I could thread the jewels and put the wires in your hair."
