“Hi, Nissa. How long have you been with the Queen?”
She touched the collar at her neck in reflex, and let her hand drop when she realized what she’d done. “Going on three years.”
“You weren’t raised a slave.”
“No.”
She obviously didn’t want to talk about it, so I didn’t push. She picked up speed again, and I matched her because she seemed to want me to walk with her, and not behind.
We made two more turns before she said, “The castle was designed to be confusing, so no one can find their way around unless they do so daily. Don’t rely on a stained-glass window or a decorative column as a landmark to tell ye where to turn — these things change frequently. Only a handful of people are taught how to find their way to the Queen’s private quarters. If ye’re caught in one of the hallways near her suite without a proper escort, the guards will treat ye like a convicted criminal unless Her Majesty intercedes and stops them.”
“You’re a proper escort? You know the way?”
“I do, which is another reason I believe ye may be assigned to me. Our Queen has taken a special interest in ye, and she’ll likely want ye brought to her at least a few times a week until she tires of ye.”
In that moment, I determined to do whatever was necessary to keep her from tiring of me. I’d be exactly what she wanted, and I’d give her so many orgasms, it would be my name on her tongue when she needed or wanted release.
We turned a dozen more corners, but when we finally rounded one and I saw two uniformed guards standing watch outside huge, intricately carved doors, I was certain we’d arrived. They impassively watched us walk the final thirty yards to them. Their faces showed no emotions. Their entire bodies still, as if they were made of stone.
“This slave is known as Little One,” Nissa said when we stopped before them. “Her Majesty is expecting her.”
I stood naked in the hallway while everyone else was clothed. Every castle has different rules about where to look during different circumstances, but it’s usually safest to look down when in doubt, so I focused on the men’s belts. Technically, I’m supposed to look at their cock, but belts can make me just as happy.
The make-up person had rouged my nipples and lips with a bright red almost the same color as my hair. She’d smudged dark eyeliner around my eyes and painstakingly put mascara on every lash. Sometimes, I feel self-conscious being the only one nude in the room, other times I’m proud of my status as pleasure slave. Mostly, how I feel doesn’t matter. I’ve never been anything other than a slave. My station in life is to be of use to my owner.
“Look me in the eyes, Little One,” ordered one of the guards.
I obeyed, but his look was so intense, I had to force myself not to look away.
“What are your intentions with the Queen?”
“To make her love me.”
The words came out before I meant to say them, but he didn’t seem surprised.
“You’ll do, then. Go with peace.”
I looked to Nissa, in shock. This guard could pull the truth from people.
“Our Queen rules by both love and fear,” Nissa told me with a gentle smile. “Some do as she says because we love her and want to do our best to make her happy. Others do so because they fear her. Nearly everyone allowed close to her falls into the first category.” She touched my shoulders and ran her hands down my arms. “Walk through the sitting room into the bedroom. She’s expecting ye.” She adjusted a stand of my hair. “Ye’ve pleased her. Just keep being who ye are, Little One.”
The guards opened the doors with a flourish. I walked through a sitting area and into a huge bedroom, took ten steps into the room, and dropped to a graceful kneeling position. The queen was riding a man on her bed and looked as if she were moments from a spectacular release. I’d cleared less than a quarter of the distance across the room, but no way did I want to disturb Her Majesty’s pleasure.
The doors closed behind me seconds after my feet moved from the cold stone floor of the hallway to the wood floor of the Queen’s suite. Plush area rugs were scattered around, but I went to my knees on the wood.
I didn’t know what to do, so I’d wait patiently until given orders.
I assumed a position I was used to — my butt on my feet, knees apart, and my arms at the small of my back. I focused on the intricate designs in the rug ten feet in front of me while the Queen rode herself to an orgasm.
Her release seemed to energize her, and she climbed off the bed and stepped across the floor as if in a dance.
“Little One, I trust you’ve had a nice day?” She wore a black corset, but only her torso was covered, with her breasts and pussy bare.
“I have, Your Majesty. What can I do for you, my Queen?”
“August is a rabbit shifter. What do you know of the bunnies?”
“I’ve heard rumors, Your Majesty.” Also, everyone knew the rabbits were aligned with The Summer Queen, so I wondered why one had broken off and was in bed with The Winter Queen.
She chuckled, and the happy sound made me love her all over again. “All likely true.”
The man stood beside the bed, and I stole a quick glance before looking back to the floor. No collar, so he was a free man. Also, his cock was scary big.
He stepped behind the Queen and pulled her to him with a familiarity that told me these two were close.
“Enjoy your new toy. I’ll see myself out.”
The Queen leaned into him as he kissed her neck from behind. He took a few moments to put his pants and shirt on, and I felt his gaze on me while he dressed.
“She looks terribly pixie for only being a quarter blooded.”
“Yes. Perhaps I’ll let you taste her soon, but not tonight.”
He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Goodnight, Your Majesty. I look forward to the next time I see you.”
She waited until the doors closed behind him before returning her focus to me. “Tell me what you’ve learned today, Little One.”
“Your people love you, Your Majesty. I mean, your people in the palace. Everyone outside the palace is terrified of you.”
She chuckled. “Oh, there are plenty inside the palace who fear me, but you’ve been around those I deem trustworthy today. Are you still as afraid of me as you were this morning?”
“It’s a different kind of fear now, my Queen. This morning I was afraid of what you’d do to me, or that I wouldn’t understand the rules here and would mess up. Now, I’m afraid I won’t please you and I’ll be sent away.”
“You’ll find three whips on the chest near the large tapestry. Look them over and tell me which you prefer, and why.”
No one had ever given me a choice in what I’d prefer to be whipped with.
My most recent Master would’ve wanted me to ask permission to rise, but the little time I’d spent around Her Majesty told me permission was implied, since it was the only way for me to look over the whips. She was a no-nonsense Queen, and I respected her for it.
Her gaze felt like a physical caress as I walked across the room, and I fell back on my training so I could walk as gracefully as possible. I didn’t take too much time looking the three whips over before I lifted them, felt the leather and weight of each, and carefully thought my answer through. I hate making decisions, but I’d learned Her Majesty expects an answer when she asks a question.