Heir, page 20
part #5 of Ressaline Series
“That is quite common.”
“Even when born to this,” Gionna said, “the first time can be difficult.”
“I made mistakes,” I said. “I shouldn’t have done what I did. I needed a few more days. But that was my mistake.”
“I wouldn’t have allowed it except for what you said,” Olivia replied.
“Yeah. What I said. Was I right?”
“I don’t feel it was necessary, but yes, in a way, you were right.”
“I do hope word hasn’t reached Father, not with those sorts of details. Or Mother!”
“If he has spies reporting to him, they live in the embassy. I trust everyone else who was there.”
“You couldn’t possibly know everyone.”
“There were people from a limited number of groups. There were people born in Ressaline City, most of them citizens, plus a few daughters and Gionna, and of course, a few of their slaves. There were people born in Charthan. Most of them are now slaves, and I personally know and trust the few that are now Citizens.”
“Daughters?”
“Any daughters who remain subjects were babes when we annexed the country. They are not Flarvorian spies. So no, I don’t personally know everyone, but I know there were no visitors from Flarvor, excepting you and the other members of the embassy. And I believe they are loyal to Allium.”
I nodded. “Thank you for reassuring me. I’ll be explaining things to my parents, but I will be glossing certain details. They may guess those details, but they won’t hear them from me.”
She inclined her head. “Wise.”
I stood. “Olivia, I am and remain your friend, to you and to your country.”
She also stood. We hugged, and she whispered, “I’m glad.”
We separated, and I said, “I hope you’ll come to Barrish again. We’ll spend more time than we did during your first visit.”
“It won’t be often, but I’d like that.”
“All right then. I’ll see you for dinner in two nights, if not before.” I held out my hand, and Gionna and I stepped from the room.
* * * *
We walked the streets, eventually reaching one of the greens. We found a bench and sat down. We hadn’t released hands, and we wouldn’t for some time.
“Now, the real answer,” she said. “How are you doing?”
“A little overwhelmed, and Allium said I’m probably still susceptible.”
“Almost certainly. Mother loved how obedient I was, and she was happy to take advantage of it.” I laughed. “It wears off. For me, Mother didn’t give me opportunities to assert myself, so it took longer than it should have. But you seem to be doing fine.”
“Thank you. I’m feeling okay. I miss her.”
“You will. For a long time. You’ve seen Allium and Lisolte together.”
“It’s been nearly two years for them.”
“Yes. You’ve seen Claary and Olivia.”
“Claary stands up to her all the time.”
She laughed. “That’s Claary. But she’s also entirely in love, and Olivia loves her.”
“So do Bee and Dee.”
“Yes. Dee is also in love with Allium. But of course, she’s deeply devoted to Olivia.”
“Those two are something,” I said. “So, when you suggested you might find some time, I presume that meant in your mind you were using the term ‘inseparable’.”
She laughed. “I could handle that.”
“Good. I want you to seduce me.”
She grinned. “I think that might not be too difficult.”
“I’ve overheard the guards at home using a phrase, when they didn’t know someone with tender ears could overhear them.”
“What’s that?”
“A sure thing.”
She laughed again. “Ah, the duties of a princess. They’re rough.”
“Just so we’re clear,” I said. “This was my idea. There weren’t any First Pleasure Slave mind games involved. We should have finished this first, but I got caught up. That was a mistake.”
“I don’t think the rest was.”
“Maybe not. Kiss me.”
She didn’t require any additional encouragement. We leaned together, and we shared a long, slow, sweet kiss, and then we cuddled on the hard bench. “I wish you could go to Barrish with us.”
“So do I. But Mother will let me visit. It may not be this year. You need to understand. When I started this, it was a diplomatic mission, and a chance to prove myself to mother. No one thought it would work.”
“That I’d let you seduce me?”
“Ahlianna.”
“I get it. We hadn’t met. You were aiming at friendship.”
“And diplomacy and understanding. Mother really wanted your mother to come. She still does. But I think how things have turned out is significantly better. Just getting one of the princesses here was good, but now you’ve had your First. Your sister spent months here, and unless things change, she’ll spend years. She’ll have her First. You’re talking about coming back. Aside from seduction, the three of us have become very good friends. I’m very good friends with the ambassador.”
“I would hope so, if you were doing to her the things I was doing for Holliahta.”
She laughed. “She’s been my favorite playmate here.”
“When you say that you mean practice challenge playmate?”
“Yes. I should have been more precise. That first time.” She laughed. “I expected an easy, nearly trivial win. She entirely outmaneuvered me, from the first moment, and that naughty little slave helped her.”
“Dee?”
“Yes. I’m not willing to risk my reputation, but it is possible Dee could beat me. I’m not sure. And she’s been teaching Allium.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“Of course. Yes. I’ve been getting practice challenge experiences I should have been getting at home, but wasn’t, and I’ll be having a pointed discussion with my mother about that.”
“She’s been shielding you.”
“I was being coddled. I’m the last person in this country who should be coddled. She may as well have announced to the world she thinks I need coddling.”
“Ouch,” I said. “You know, it’s just as likely the challengers you’ve had were the ones doing it, and your mother may not even be aware.”
“If she wasn’t aware, it would be because she wasn’t paying attention.”
“She’s dealing with queen things, and from the things you’ve said, she’s not necessarily the most nurturing. Maybe she didn’t worry beyond making sure you were safe.”
“Yes, well. I was on a path to overconfidence and becoming a permanent slave. How would that look for her?”
“Bad?”
“Yes. Bad. The queen’s daughter a slave? I would write her and tell her I prefer to remain in Charth, but I had a point.”
“A point.”
“This started as a mission to prove myself. I took a gamble. I begged for the opportunity to work to bring your mother here. No one else was giving it a serious chance. Remember, this isn’t about us as friends.”
“I get it. Neither of us can entirely forget who we are.”
“I succeeded, as far as I’m concerned. Mother rewards success with more opportunities for failure.”
I laughed. “I understand.”
“But I’m going to make sure that she knows my preference is for those opportunities to be here, or even in Barrish. However, if she sends me north to deal with something, I’ll go and see it as an opportunity.”
“Do you hope to be named Queen after her?”
“No. That isn’t my future, but I can do far more for my country than let myself become someone’s slave, or look pretty at events.”
“I understand you entirely. Our situations aren’t that different. In the past, the women in my position have become queen, but they haven’t become the ruling monarch. That would be my future husband. I won’t have it, and Father supports me.”
“Good.”
“My country isn’t ready,” I added. “But Father is helping to prepare me.”
“Good,” she repeated. “So, when did you want this seduction to happen?”
“I presume you’ve already begun.” I smiled. “I also presume you’ll lure me to a bed sometime this evening. Does that schedule fit your available openings?”
“I can make that work.” She returned my smile.
“Gionna, answer me honestly. Is this diplomacy?”
“Do you doubt me?”
“I sometimes doubt my judgment.”
“This isn’t diplomacy. It’s lust. And some love.”
“As long as it’s lust,” I said. “And some love.” I paused. “I made another mistake.”
“Asking me to seduce you?”
“No. I should have asked Allium to arrange musicians.”
She laughed. “Oh, please. The first words out of her mouth were, ‘Could you arrange musicians for two nights from tonight?’”
“We’ll play that game.”
“Yes. The chances I’ll win you are slim.”
“Maybe they’ll leave us alone.”
“There’s not a chance of that,” she said. “Not a chance. But you aren’t obligated to go home with anyone, and I’m not.”
“I want dance lessons. We have three afternoons.”
She laughed. “You intend to be a hunter.”
“I want us to be a team.”
“Oh,” she said. “Oh, I like that plan. Who are we going to catch?”
“I don’t know. Dee and Bee?”
“They would kick our asses.”
“So, who else?”
“Your guest list was short,” she said.
“Hmm. Then perhaps we should stop by the embassy and tell Allium we want the game, and we can let the ambassador figure it out. What can we do about lessons? We can appropriate a musician from her staff.”
“We’ll need dancers.” She stood, pulling me with her, and together, still holding hands, we hurried through the streets.
Chapter Twelve
There were nine of us gathered in the ballroom at the embassy. Part of me would have liked to have kept our plans secret, but we had limited time for subterfuge, and so we would have to share at least a portion of our plan.
Olivia had sent Bee and Dee, and they came with a third slave wearing purple. Zee was a musician, a pianist. I asked Dee, “Is she Lady Olivia’s?”
“Zee belongs to Gigi,” Dee replied.
“It is common to borrow specialized slaves,” Gionna added. “Loaning pleasure slaves is very rare, but it is far more common to loan a slave such as Zee.
“Loan, or rent?”
“Ah. That is also common, but when the woman doing the asking is my mother’s daughter, and the request is from the duchess asking her close friend, Gigi, it is almost certainly a loan. We would have made an offer to rent her if this were a continuing relationship, but it is only a few afternoons.”
“Right.”
“This was your idea,” she said.
“Right. Allium, thank you for offering this space.”
“Of course,” she said. “Am I welcome?”
“Absolutely. I asked Gionna if we could arrange a few more lessons. She began teaching Darfelsa and me to lead, but I want more practice. I’m glad we have partners. And, as long as we’re here, I also want to better understand the hunter and prey game.” I looked around. “Is everyone here to learn to lead, or are some of you here as practice partners only?”
“I’ll be whatever you need,” Renalla said. “But I would like lessons leading. I know your time is limited, Princess Ahlianna, and I can learn to lead later.”
“That is kind,” I told her. “I think we should alternate. If anyone is only here as a partner, that is fine, but anyone who wishes to lead should have opportunities.”
“I will serve as a practice partner,” Allium said. “Except when working on the hunter and prey game. Then I will rotate like the rest.”
I turned to Gionna. “You’re our teacher.”
“Gionna,” Allium said. We all turned to her.
I don’t know how they communicated, but Gionna nodded and turned to me. “You are leading this,” she said to me. “I will help to teach, but you are running this.”
I didn’t argue with her. I could see what they were doing. “Let’s see a show of hands. I want to know who here feels she can lead at all, even if she’s weak.” Most of the hands went up, but not all. “Okay. I think we should spend perhaps a half hour dancing, rotating partners. We’re going to just get a little warmed up. Gionna, are Bee and Dee your co-teachers?”
“Yes, if they’re comfortable.”
“We love teaching,” Dee said, clapping happily. “What do you want us to do, Ahlianna?”
“We’re going to rotate around. I want the three of you to be follows. You will assess your students. This is not teaching; this is dance. Those of us who feel we can lead at all will be leads. Let’s see how that partners up. Join Gionna if you do not feel you can lead at all.”
Allium stepped over as well, and so we had five and three. “Well, that didn’t work out evenly. Allium for this part, I would like you to also lead, so we have four and four. Every lead, choose a partner, and let’s take our original places.”
I gathered Mendari, the head chef. Everyone partnered and then I said to the musician, now at the piano. “I want you to play for perhaps two minutes, and then we will switch. Can you do that?”
“Yes, Princess Ahlianna,” she said. “Tell me when to begin.”
“We’ll do this until every lead has danced with our follows twice, so eight times total. Follows, remember where you are. At the end of each two minutes, bring your leader back to this point, and then the leaders will progress one partner to the left.” I gestured. “Remember where we started, Mendari.” She nodded, and I said, “Whenever you are ready, Zee.”
It was only a moment, and then she began playing. She was a beautiful pianist. I listened, gathered the rhythm, and then began dancing with Mendari.
“This is nice,” she said, partway through our time. “Thank you for allowing me to come.”
“Everyone else is welcome, too,” I said. “But I won’t interfere with how Allium runs the embassy.”
We danced our two minutes. I thanked my partner as she led us back to our starting point, and then I shifted, finding myself with Bee.
In this fashion, I danced with everyone twice. It was amazingly pleasant, and even in those few dances, I felt more confident.
But we had completed our rotations, so I said, “Teachers, do you believe you had sufficient opportunity to form an opinion on your students?”
The three looked at each other and nodded, so Gionna said, “Yes.”
“Okay. I think we should start today with basics. Mendari, unless you have little interest, I believe you should take this opportunity to learn.”
“I’d like that.”
“You, too, Renalla.”
“I’d also like that.”
“Okay. Teachers, I believe we should start with the beginning. But I believe it is time for you to teach.”
“The beginning,” said Gionna. “Will you start us?”
“Yes. We begin with the embrace. Mendari.” Dee held her hands up as the follow. Mendari stepped into it. Dee explained the embrace, and then she switched.
Bee stepped over and made adjustments as Mendari took Dee into her arms. The woman was smiling broadly. I couldn’t blame her.
She was holding Dee, after all. The woman was a walking symbol of pure joy.
“Good,” Dee said. “Everyone should take a partner. We have four and four.”
I found myself with Allium. It felt strange, but I offered to lead, and she stepped to me. We came together, and I smiled. “I am unaccustomed to holding you this way.”
“It feels nice,” she replied.
“We are going to begin with very simple walks. Most of you understand, and I will speak quietly to Mendari. May we have three minutes of easy music, Zee.”
“Yes.”
She began playing. Walks were easy, and so I led Gionna around the room, stepping in time to the music.
Then the music ended. “Okay, good,” Dee said. “We’re going to rotate. All four of our follows know how this should feel, so you should help your lead.” I found myself with Bee. And then Dee said, “If you know a few very simple steps, you should incorporate them. But we are focusing on the embrace, on listening to the music, and on listening to your partner’s body. Do no steps you cannot do well.”
And so, with Bee, we walked, and she was a delight to hold. And yes, I added a few simple steps. And she whispered to me a few times.
And that was how we spent our first hour.
* * * *
“Is it time to talk about hunters and prey?”
“I think so,” Gionna said. “Bee and Dee, you are both quite good when operating as a pair, but I haven’t seen you play this game as individuals.”
“We aren’t at all as good as you are,” Dee said.
“We’ll start at the beginning, then.”
They taught us the rules for leads, and they demonstrated the most common ways to steal a follow, and how to try to counter them. We spent the rest of our time together practicing, rotating between leading, following, and trying to steal. People began giggling with the fun, win or lose.
None of us was able to keep Gionna from stealing from us. Bee and Dee were a little easier to avoid, but not significantly so. But for the rest of us, stealing attempts were running less than half.
“Stealing tends to be more difficult than defense,” Gionna said. “Excepting when two people partner, or there is other interference, a good lead can fend off a good hunter far more often than not.”
Before we finished, I said, “I’d like Bee and Dee to also teach us some of the things they do when working together.”
They grinned, and we spent the last twenty minutes that way before I said, “Let’s have a few more songs, just dancing together. I am happy to follow for a while.”
I found myself in Dee’s arms. I waited until we were dancing and then whispered, “Will you keep a secret? Tell Bee but no one else.”
