The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

She had to agree with Sylanna in one respect: Veil spells certainly had their uses.

They were a useful tool for much of a mage’s work. They let one slip from notice and, occasionally, slip into notice. Years before, Bryana had used such a spell to catch the eye of Prince Kudan of Kressin. Once, the man had been part of the same plot to corrupt Neral Jaye to kill her queen and plunge Erette into chaos that had eventually involved Bryana herself. Once she’d turned, she and Deres had systematically snared, used, or undone all involved. As long as justice was brought to the people that would never see it otherwise, all was as it should be.

Kudan was once a brash slave to his own urges, namely drink, women, and reveling in his own ego, Royalty was often the same in that way simply because they could afford to do as they pleased, as the only real accountability for an unfit sovereign was a blade clean through the neck. And, as much as subjects could grouse about taxes, corruption, or the royalty over them being poor examples of humanity, they would tolerate a great deal over a long period of time before they reached their breaking point.

Bryana simply shifted his slavery from his own urges and penchant for ego masturbation to her, and quite successfully, if she were giving a brutally honest appraisal of things. She had demanded of what was hers that he change the course of his life. No more was he some part of drunk most days, now only taking alcohol when ceremony required it and nothing beyond that. She had demanded that he grow his power and his reach and he had done so carefully and thoughtfully. She interceded indirectly from time to time to make certain that he was growing his power not at the expense of others, and to see to it that the people prospered as much as himself.

Even though she kept him within her reach, it wouldn’t have taken a spy to know that he had recently ascended to the throne following the passing of his father or the fact that he was set to soon marry who was, by all accounts, a stunning young woman. When Bryana knew that she might make use of him, she sent word that she wanted his complete, to-the-minute schedule for the foreseeable future and he had been anxious to comply. Knowing where he would be and when, she walked the street in a black dress with red lace trim at the neck and cuffs. She wanted to stand out in the crowd and made sure that she would. People in the street let their eyes linger now and then as they passed and smiling politely, with some of the men letting their gaze linger a bit too long, as this new face was also exceptionally heavily painted, as it was the night she took him. He had served well and she had not visited personally since that night, so, she decided he had earned at least that much for his obedience.

So, she simply enjoyed the walk along the main thoroughfare before the castle, pausing for the occasional gaze into the shop windows. She didn’t often buy baubles such as those offered in shops such as these. She had always been a practical woman and most of them served no purpose beyond being pretty, and, spending much of her life traveling the world alone, moving from contract to contract, there simply wasn’t room for such unnecessary baggage in her life. But they were pretty and worth appreciation if not ownership.

Aside from that, there were more than enough such things in her home already and no more were needed, Neral enjoyed them, as did Khylen. The little one liked the small bits of crystal or glassware that caught the light and Neral seemed drawn to anything small, fragile and with etching, carving, or anything else that displayed attention to detail. Bryana and Deres always thought she was drawn to them because a soldier’s life could be a harsh one and they were expressions of the gentleness in the soul that crafted it.

Her ears catching the rhythm of her footfalls she realized she was marching. It was a bit more casual, of course, but too much time walking with the woman who spent her life marching took its toll. It had its advantages though. Once she took that stride, the distractions of the occasional polite greeting disappeared entirely, all seeing her as someone who wasn’t searching for such niceties.

Reaching the buffer between the city and the castle that was the outer gardens, she began the task of waiting patiently, finding her own path around those exploring the gardens with her so that she remained unbothered by others. The timing for the trip was nice for this aspect at least. She found some lovely and unusual variations of color among the flowers that horticulturists in Erette hadn’t seemed to manage and in another week or so the fragile things would be transplanted indoors, so she would have missed them. Deres would appreciate them and she suspected she’d have little trouble convincing Kudan to gift them to her.

She knew Kudan was returning well before she ever bothered to look up, the sound of the hooves of the horses that carried his escort beating against the street and the rush of air as people hurriedly moved past her to catch a glimpse of their king returning from a meeting with a gathering of nobles. They didn’t know the why, of course, they only knew that there was the chance to glimpse him as he went by and perhaps be noticed with a wave or a smile. After allowing two children to run past her so quickly she suspected they were hoping to fly she moved with purpose to the street.

Then she could hear the wheels of the carriage moving with the usual rhythmic squeaking as she moved behind several others. The street was the usual crowded for a royal city near noon, so that meant that, while there was no shortage of onlookers, she was able to mostly pick her place, and she did so just outside the outer gate, though she did have to push past several others to find that place, ignoring their looks of annoyance at her rudeness. Such things were forgotten anyway as the carriage drew closer, none of them wanting their king to see them frowning.

She locked eyes on where the center window would be when it passed her. Bryana didn’t have control over him to the point that she could simply think the thought and will him to take an action like looking in her direction, but, even veiled, she could always rely on her belief in herself as an immutable force of nature when need be in order to draw attention to herself. Between that and the dress that was crafted to stand out, she had no doubt of her ability to be spotted.

And spotted she was. He surveyed the crowds with interest, eschewing waves of his hand in favor of smiles and nods with his eyes scanning and pausing, making it look to them that he was making personal contact with them with his betrothed at his side, head turned toward her window arm extended. Bryana could tell that she was waving energetically. From what she knew of Keyla, she seemed much more a woman of the people. His eyes scanned the street and found Bryana’s and she saw his features go from that practiced amiability to shock and excitement. He stuck his head out the window just to get that much closer to try to prove to himself that he wasn’t daydreaming of her as he often did.

But she was there. She was truly there and when she smiled at him and gave him a small wave, the sun emerged through the clouds for him even though the actual star was still under a thick patch. He would have noticed her in any event with so much her being so much a part of his life she was even without her physically in his presence. She’d been in his mind and he hadn’t been able to escape her since their one night together years before when he was a lesser man.

That person disgusted him now. He was a vile thing concerned only for his immediate desire for gratification and giving no care for the safety of his kingdom or future of his people. So much so that he was willing to hatch a plot to indirectly attack Erette by depriving it of its queen and hoping to gain from the chaos. He told himself it was for Kressin, but, even before that night, he knew it was for himself His father’s health had been failing even then and he had seen the possibility of being king, using the turmoil to expand Kressin’s reach if not its land.

But that was before he met Annissa. When he first saw her, it was as just another in the stream of endless whores in the river of endless bars. When he met her, he had to have her simply because she was beautiful, beautiful enough to be a courtesan to nobles and not some bar trash receptacle for drunken men with money left at closing. So he did what he always did when he met women he could use: he met them, groped them, and made arrangements to meet at one of the many rooms available for such rendezvous.

He went there already half drunk to meet and fuck a whore, but, when the sun rose the next day she had changed the direction of his life. The sex was thrilling; the stuff of erotic dreams. She knew how to pleasure a man better than any woman in the world, that he would wager every bit of his wealth on. It was so much more though. Between bouts they talked about what seemed like everything. She was as intelligent and articulate as any ten of his advisors, and she could see through him. She could see past all of his lies and self-delusions and forced him to see the truth about the world around him and about himself, as painful as that was. She showed him that he owed his people decency and dignity, and that he owed those things and had to give them to himself as well.

And she was right. She was right about everything, and, with the sun, he resolved to be the man he could be and the one his people deserved. But now he was that man and he was proud of it, and hoped she would be as well. She traveled the land, not the type to stay somewhere for long, but he knew their shared night moved her as well. Annissa had stayed in touch, sending messages or sending friends to offer counsel in her name, and they were, to a soul, as wise as she. Her advice was truth and taking it had put Kressin on a path to prosperity and steered it away from tragedy. Kudan had reached a point where he knew he would probably never see her again in the flesh, but he had made peace with it because that night lived in his mind every day and with each message and each small request made of him, he knew she still thought of him and Kressin and valued both. Yet, there she was again and life was perfection. He tracked her until he passed beyond the gate, heart threatening to break at the thought that she might vanish once again.

With contact made, there was an added glide to her stride as she passed the guards at the outer gates. Bryana knew that ideally there would be a few minutes worth of procedures required to make sure the king was secure and that guardianship had been properly handed off to the castle guard before he would be allowed to roam the grounds, though Kudan was probably chafing at that and the usual time that took would be cut shorter. That still gave her time to put herself in position to be seen again and perhaps amuse herself along the way.

She knew eyes were on her now that she was within the castle walls, but all they sought was what obviously didn’t belong. Move like one was meant to be there and they didn’t arouse suspicion and, stand out in some way and they aroused even less. No one wishing ill will tried to be easy to sight and track. Walking up the dark, weathered steps that led to the main entrance Bryana couldn’t help but look at all the grandeur the all the royals embraced while her kind had to sneak from one abandoned place to the next. There was no anger in the thought, as it was just the order of things, even if she did occasionally dream that it could be more.

The portcullis was raised and an aide stood between two ceremonial guards in gleaming silver armor, all looking their parts with the aide in green and gold that was strategically padded at the shoulders and chest to add the appearance of bulk to his slight frame, his long hair nearly matching the gold. She watched him skim through the leather bound book to find the name of one of the man and woman before him. Those that weren’t known to the castle by sight were, of course, in the book. If they weren’t, he could direct them where they needed to be. There was one man between the aide and Bryana and she waited patiently at the gate until his practiced smile reappeared just for her.

He blinked quickly as if to be sure of what his eyes were telling him, but recovered quickly. “Greetings on behalf of king Armis Kudan and the Kingdom of Kressin. How may I be of assistance to you this fine day?”

She looked up at the mostly cloudy sky, “It’s not so fine this day.”

He’d learned long ago to enthusiastically entertain almost any opinion offered by those who stood before him. “Perhaps not, but winter has yet to settle in, and I am happy for a few extra days to be able to be outside to greet those in need. Now, in what way can I help you best this afternoon?”

Bryana looked away and back, appearing to be suitably put back on track. “Oh, yes, of course. I’m here for a private audience with King Kudan.”

He paid a bit more notice to her with those words and, not recognizing her, he opened his book to the proper entries, “And you would be?”

“Annissa.”

He waited a moment before prompting her for more. “Annissa...”

“Just Annissa.”

He glanced down, already knowing what he wouldn’t find there. “I’m sorry, I don’t see your name here. I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding of some sort, but without that I’m afraid it will be impossible to grant you any sort of audience with the king.” His head tilted in a show of concern and thoughtfulness, “Perhaps if you were to tell me why you need to see the king I could direct you to someone who could be of more immediate help to you.”

“I don’t need help at all beyond an audience. He and I have been friends for many years and I thought his impending nuptials would be the perfect time to visit and give him my congratulations.”

A look of relief passed across his features, believing the solution was at hand. “And the kingdom shares in your enthusiasm and joy at the impending union between King Kudan and Princess Stevya of Draleth, and, with that being the case, there is no shortage of friends of the king who are thrilled to send their congratulations and well wishes. If you wish to leave a message or a gift for the king or the couple, I’m sure you noticed the spot for all citizens to leave them just outside the main entrance.”

She glanced back in that general direction “You know, I did, and those are so lovely, but I think we would both prefer if I met with him in person.”

“I’m afraid that...”

“Annissa! Annissa!” Kudan’s voice cut through the air, causing many heads to turn to see the king taking long strides on the path, eating up so much ground that his normally sedate and near invisible guards ran to catch up.

She turned and waved furiously before turning back to the young man who seemed well on the way to confused and bewildered. “There he is. Please excuse me.”

She hustled down the steps as he bolted up them, taking two and three at a time until they finally met. He took her hands in his, gripping them tightly for fear that she still wasn’t real or might slip from him again. The euphoria at the opportunity to feel her again beyond dreams could not be described by the greatest of poets and he said so. “Annissa, there are no words.”

“You look well,” she said, and she meant it. He was still very tall and very lean, but a love of alcohol and nights that could last days took their toll, even on a younger man such as he. Having given that up, his cheeks and his frame filled in a bit, making him look stronger and healthier than she’d remembered. His beard was darker and more full, but it was still neatly trimmed close to the skin.

Neither of them knew if he was still breathless from the run or from the chance to be near her again. “You haven’t changed in the slightest. You are still as beautiful and vibrant as the night we met.”

“I’m surprised you still remember. You were quite drunk that night.”

The shame he felt at that dissipated almost at once with the realization that it was a tease and not any sort of admonishment. “That was a different man, and one who would still be here without you,” he told her, oblivious to the truth of the statement. “I am in a perfect place in life and I would very much like to introduce you to my bride-to-be.”

“All I did was speak to you about who you were and who you should be, Armis. You have done wonderfully for yourself and your kingdom. I have heard much about your choice in mates and I wish to meet her. I would have come in order to do so soon anyway, but time is something of a commodity just now. Truthfully, I am here because I need your help.”

“Anything.” He meant nothing more completely in his life.

“Is there someplace we could go and talk?”

The thought of being able to be her hero was enough to make him willing to face an army single-handed. “Of course. Come with me, Annissa, please.”

Before he could head up the steps, his cock hardened as her breath tickled his ear. “You should also leave word for your princess so that she knows where to find us.”

“Yes. Yes, you’re right, of course.”

He offered his arm and she took it, escorting her back up the steps and to the aid who now stopped talking to the woman before him as though she wasn’t there once he felt his majesty’s gaze upon him. “Yes, my king?” She could tell he still wasn’t quite over the display of moments before and neither were some of the citizens, trying no doubt to glean what was going on.

“When you see her, please inform the princess that we will be in the east study.” He knew she would be along. She’d been shocked by his sudden departure and, in his haste to find Annissa he had told her nothing of why he had to depart beyond seeing someone he thought was familiar. That level of excitement was unusual for him and, honestly, in anyone she’d ever known but, before she could inquire, he was already gone.

“Of course, Majesty.”

He led her down the main corridor, “Is this your first visit to the castle?”

“It is, in fact, so I’ll let you tell me all about it.” Her smile nearly made him swoon. “Let’s just make sure that we’re not disturbed.”

So Kudan spent the next few minutes on the way talking about its history, its features, and its architecture, dismissing several aides and advisors with needs along the way. She allowed him to go on and allowed him his pride. She asked a polite question or two, but she mostly preferred to be led to where she needed to be while she thought of what was happening out of her sight. Two minutes of shock at his bolting toward the castle and perhaps looking to the guards to find out why that might be. Another two to make it to the portcullis to find out where he’d gone and with whom. And we can probably cut the remaining time in half because, if it were me, I would be stomping rapidly the rest of the way to find out what in the name of the Goddess was going on.

Reaching their destination, he opened the door for her and allowed her to step inside before him to reveal a study larger than many homes that carried the deep green with the gold black accents that were imprinted upon much of the castle. A fire roared at the other end of the room near a desk made of dark wood so lacquered that it reflected the firelight like glass. She entered and surveyed the room. Without yet turning back she told him what she needed first. “Leave the door unlocked. I expect your princess will want to join us shortly.”

Anything that she wanted was what he wanted. “Of course.” He stood there simply basking in the fact that she was before him again. Each step toward her that followed was reverential, waiting for any command from her at all while she smiled that smile that told him that she knew he loved her and that was the way it should be until the end of time. His fingertips caressed the cheeks that felt like the finest silk. The touch of her sang to him and when she deigned to return the gesture his eyes closed just long enough to revel in the sensation.

“I need your help.”

When he heard those words, his eyes snapped open once again, “What can I do for you? Name it.”

“There is a man, a very powerful businessman whose interests and resources reach through both here and Erette, and his name is Etan Strannix.”

The name registered at once. “Of course. That’s a name that’s into...shipping, antiquities, and general vice.”

“You’re familiar with all of his businesses then?”

He nodded. “Enough to know that he keeps a balance in things better than his predecessors so he’s allowed to run his houses, both whore and gambling. Corruption is inevitable.” His voice carried sadness at the truth followed by the desperation of a plea, “I was an example of that. I try to do better. I try to live and guide Kressin in the ways that are true and right, as you have shown me.”

She patted his cheeks and gave him that disarming smile once again, “And you have pleased me.”

“But it will always be there. As long as his ilk are watched and the corruption as contained as can be, then that is the best that can be done.”

“He is no longer contained,” she said, her voice finding an edge that sharpened as she spoke. “He is a threat. His power has grown to the point where he believes he can do anything and threaten anyone and there will be no consequence that he cannot endure. He must be driven out of every business that looks legitimate, as well as every gambling den, drug house, and whore house that feeds his wealth and power. He has to be removed as an example to anyone else that they will only be allowed to go just so far.”

He took a step from her and his spine straightened and resolve formed in his belly. She was right, of course. The darkness happened regardless, but if they chose not to respect a balance they had to be removed. Aside from that, it’s what Annissa wanted and what Annissa wanted to happen would happen. A hard and fast series of knocks announced the arrival of Bryana’s expected guest who opened the door without waiting for an invitation.

Bryana couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear as she met the princess for the first time, finding it like looking into a mirror and seeing this form. Stevya had the same long hair with similar high cheekbones and the same proud without being overbearing jawline. They could easily have been mistaken for sisters and it explained the aide’s subtle double-take at the portcullis.

He beamed at the sight of her, rushing to her side. “My darling.”

She eyed the two of them, her guard giving way a bit, as neither of them were any part of naked, nor did they seem caught, as though they had been doing anything that they wouldn’t want to be seen doing. “Armis, is everything all right? You rushed off so quickly without a word I thought something terrible had happened.” She found a diplomatic, yet not wholly insincere smile for Bryana since she hadn’t found them writhing together or something. “Who is your lovely friend,” she asked, making note of the resemblance in her own way, and puzzling over the fact that she was in the midst of unbuttoning and rolling up the right sleeve of her dress.

Kudan fairly brimmed with excitement, “Yes, yes, yes, everything is wonderful. This is the woman I told you about, the woman who changed my perspective, and the course of my life.” He told her much of that night, except about Annissa’s line of work and how the two spent much of the night as he remembered it. Looking to one and then the other, “Annissa, I present to you Princess Stevya Irina of the High Kingdom of Draleth, and my bride. Stevya, my heart, this is a Annissa.”

Bringing the sleeve up to the elbow, she then approached, extending her hand. The veil spell could easily have obscured the markings of her guild as well as the runes put to her skin to focus and enhance her power and she decided they would have uses here. Bryana bowed deeply, then proffered her hand.

Stevya puzzled as to the why of the woman raising her sleeve beyond that there was something that Annissa wanted her to see so she looked down at her arm, seeing the sharp, dark lines that tapered to tips at her wrist and reminded the woman of blades. They were well done for what they were, but simple. She had certainly seen better examples of tattoo artistry. “Very nice,” she offered, maintaining her diplomatic tone.

“Thank you, Princess.” She maintained her grip, beginning to let her power flow, not allowing the two of them to break contact. “I enjoy them very much. Look at them closely.”

Stevya tried to pull her hand away, but the grip was like iron. Throwing diplomacy to the wind, she decided that if she couldn’t break herself free perhaps she could convince the other to let go of her own volition. “They are fairly simple and unimaginative, all things considered.”

Annissa was untroubled by the bite and power still flowed. “Truth be told, Princess, I hear that often, but that’s true only if you give them only the most cursory glance. Look at them closely, Stevya.”

She looked down again with the full intention of letting it be just another glance, but something caught her eye. Was that something moving under the skin? No, she decided, but the blades did seem to move. “What sort of artistry is that?”

“They are among the oldest, most time-honored markings that can be made on a body. They are layered things. See how they move, Stevya, if you look at them just so.” She moved her arm slowly to the left and the right, left and right, and back again, as Stevya watched. “The tips move. The blades move. Do you see the rhythm?

As she watched, she didn’t notice that she was no longer trying to extricate herself from the other’s grip. Watching the movement became so much more interesting in and of itself.

“Look deeply, Stevya.”

She did.

“Breathe deeply and look deeply”

She filled her lungs and let it out slowly, feeling tension and care leave her body with the air within

“Breathe deeply and look deeply. Do you see?”

“I see; those black blades against her fair skin.”

“Do you see why these were put to my skin? It’s not just the blades though, Stevya. There is the blackness, too. Do you see the blackness?”

There was left and right and blackness; left and right and blackness.

“Breathe deeply and look deeply. Breathe deeply and look deeply at the movement of the blades and the blackness.” Bryana was patient. There was as much time as there needed to be. A slight flick of her power and the lock on the door was set. It was a nice tell as to how far the young woman was slipping. If she had flinched at all it was doubtful that it would have brought her back to the now enough to begin to overcome what was happening, but she hadn’t moved at all. She just breathed and stared downward.

“Can you hear me, Stevya?”

“Yes.” That one word was a slow drawl.

“What do you know about blades, Stevya?”

Her face screwed and knotted subtly. It was a question her fogged mind could not contend with.

“You know they are powerful, don’t you?”

That was much easier. “Yes.”

“Blades are sharp, and lethal, and powerful.”

“Yes.”

“You see my blades, Stevya. Look deeply, breathe deeply, see the blackness, and feel their power.”

“Feel the edge of the blades. See and feel the edge of the blades flay your resistance. Do you feel it?”

‘Yes’ was the easiest word, the truest word. “Yes.”

“Look deeply, breathe deeply, see the blackness of the blades, and feel their power as they peel away layer upon layer of resistance. To the left and a layer of resistance falls away. To the right and another bit of desire to fight is sheared free. To the left, then the right.”

Stevya could see it in her mind’s eye. Left and right, and left and right, the blades slicing away at the wondering of how this was happening. Left and right, and wondering why or how this was happening floated away. Left and right, and wondering who this woman was caught the breeze made by her exhalation and that curiosity disappeared as well. Left and right, and right and left and right, and breathing so deeply with the air feeling crisp and clean in her lungs, making them tingle as she filled them. Left and right and all the fight and confusion within her was being whittled away, and, with each slice of the blades, she found it harder to muster the ability to care.

“Look deeply, breathe deeply, see the blackness of the blades, and feel their power. You know the tips of blades can pierce, don’t you, Stevya?”

“Yes.” Her voice trembled at the thought of their power...of being pierced and being helpless to prevent it.

“Their power could pierce your skin, your heart, and your mind and you would be helpless to prevent it. You know that, don’t you, Stevya?”

“I know that.” The rest of herself that remained wondered what it would be like.

“Look deeply, breathe deeply, see the blackness of the blades, and feel their power. See the blackness, Stevya.”

There was no choice now. Her eyes began to burn because she hadn’t blinked for so long, but she did not care. “I see it.”

That darkness is the massing of my power. You know that, don’t you, Stevya?”

“Yes.” The answer was hushed, as though she couldn’t muster strength for more. Bryana enjoyed the response of her body as much as her voice. She was swaying with the blades now. Would you like to see more of the marks of my power?”

“Yes.” That was less distant now. Indeed, it was the least ‘empty’ her voice had sounded in some time.

Bryana let her hand slip away, but it mattered not to the princess, who followed those markings as they went to her collar and began undoing the buttons of her dress, teasing her with glimpses of the marks on her shoulder “Look deeply, breathe deeply, see and feel the marks of my power. You are drawn to them.”

“Yesssss.”

“Look deeply, breathe deeply, see and feel the marks of my power. Come to my power. See it. Touch it. Let it open your mind and your soul.”

They pulled the young woman to them. As she drew closer to them they filled her vision. When her fingers touched them, she gasped. She felt the power. She felt it slip inside her. But there were more of the symbols to see and more of the power to bask within. Without a command beyond her nearly painful need, she began to peel the dress from Bryana’s skin, revealing more marks and runes; long single lines with sharp angles that reminded one of lightning that began under her shoulder blades and carved a path to her inner thighs.

The viper below her navel that twisted downward, its body winding to cover her hairless cunt before coiling down her left leg was so exquisitely drawn that the eyes seemed to follow Stevya with a glint of life and hunger With all the power around and within it, it might be alive. she thought before the blades that still swung in her mind took it away. The runes, large and small, seduced her. The power they represented seduced her. The blackness of them all called to her and the compulsion that came with tracing them was rewarded by the sensation of the other’s power slipping inside with a sensation that were the most erotic of kisses. Whimpers escaped her as she touched the marks over and over again

Her excitement only grew at her skin meeting the now cooling touch of the air. The only thing that managed to pull her gaze from those marks of power was looking down to see her breasts exposed as the firm, small examples of the feminine they were; only large enough to add contour to her form. It was enough to give her thought again. Yes. Naked, yes. She shimmied from it, looking at the viper as she did so, imagining it renewing itself in the same way. She had no more than stepped free of her dress when Bryana’s arm hooked her waist roughly and pulled them together as Armis did when his cock was so hungry there was nothing else. The little kisses were all over Stevya now and her eyelids fluttered in response.

“That’s a good girl. That’s a good little princess. You like it, don’t you?”

“Mmmm.”

“Well, little princess, I expect you’ll be fond of this, too.”

Stevya cried out when she felt Bryana’s thigh force itself between her legs and press against her clit. Looking down, she saw the viper there. It was alive. She could see the scales and the body of the serpent move as her cleft pressed against them. It was so good that there were no words. There was nothing to do but to loose cries of pleasure and let them fill the room, to let them so overwhelm her that when Bryana put two fingers to her chin to lift her head so that their eyes could meet she saw Stevya weeping as her hips ground faster and faster, grinding with ever more abandon.

“The power is inside you. My power is within you. Even the tiniest taste you are given is too much for you to bear. Impressed yet?”

All she could do was nod and grind herself, but that was more than enough. Bryana embraced her tightly and looked over at Kudan to find him motionless before the sight of them. “You like this, don’t you, my king? You remember that night. You remember the truth now and not the web of lies I spun for you that night. You remember my power now, don’t you?”

His “Yes, Mistress.” was the rough snarl of a caged animal that was desperate to be unleashed as his handler wished. He recited the words that he would hear in dreams from her voice, words that would awaken him feelings of warm, relaxed submission and a cum-drenched cock. “I am in your mind and you cannot escape.”

“That must happen to Stevya now. Do you want that for your bride? Do you want her to be owned by me as you are?”

His hand went to the long, slim cock between his legs, pressing his hand into the fabric between them because he craved it and she didn’t forbid it. “Yes, Mistress. It doesn’t matter what I want, but if it does, take her. Make her yours as I am yours. Shape her as you wish. She needs to understand as I do.”

She was amused at the slow rubbing of his crotch. “That is the point of today, Armis. Do you wish to aid me in it?”

“Yes. Anything.”

“I would ask if you wished to rut again as we did that night, but, I can see that that’s already the case.”

He rubbed himself faster in anticipation.

“Strip. Strip so you can help me make your woman my woman. Strip and aid me, then we will rut again. Years of obedience has earned you a proper reward; strip and wait.”

She trusted him to do as she commanded and turned her attention back to Stevya who was grinding roughly against her now slick thigh and thought a nice tease would be in order and set to whispering filth into her ear “You grind well, my dear. I’ve watched women being paid a small fortune to fuck that don’t snap their hips to and fro with such enthusiasm.”

“I saw how you looked at the viper, my dear. You like it. Many lovers like to caress and kiss it. My lady love rubs her cunt on its open mouth. while I feed it power to give her pleasure. Can your mushy mind picture it?”

“Uhhh.” Stevya hugged her close like she would a long lost loved one, hands freely roaming Bryana’s back.

“She likes to position just so, so that her clit grinds exactly between the fangs.” Playing into the moment, she decided that they may as well all have a little fun. “So does my man with his cock now and then.”

“You have pleased her. You have pleased a symbol of my power. It’s slipping inside you. Do you feel it?”

“Yessss.”

“Filling you. Filling you like no man has ever filled you; like no man ever could. My power writhes inside you, touching places no one else can touch. Grind, princess. Help it.”

Stevya kissed her neck as she humped away like the helpless whore that she felt like. Faster and faster, with more and more abandon, feeling the serpent slide into the deepest parts of her, each thrust of it that seemed to go deeper still.

Deeper and deeper.

Faster and faster.

Deeper and faster until she vaulted over the edge, her nails digging into Bryana’s back and drowning her mind. When the sensation finally receded, she couldn’t believe she was still standing. But at least now she had some sense of where she was standing again, even if her vision still had some haze along the edges like she was viewing a dream. The power was still inside her. She could feel it, even if she didn’t understand it, acknowledging to herself that understanding at all was something of a feat in itself. So much good. So much power. So much dreamy, mushy, good in her mind.

Bryana lifted her chin again and studied her carefully. The fine sheen of sweat, the nearly drunken smile and the eyes that told her someone was in there enough to have a little fun with while taking. Enough remained that Bryana was surprised by her simple question. “Why?”

She’s a strong one. It didn’t surprise her. If he were looking to marry ‘Annissa,’ he would not have sought out a quiet, submissive thing. “Why what, dear? Why is this happening? Because I want it to. Because it needs to. Because there are things that I need done that need to happen now, but I would have paid you a visit anyway. I decided that it wouldn’t do for me to perhaps need him to do an unusual thing only to meet resistance from his queen who might question his wisdom and, at worst, make trouble for him. Life and need just accelerated the timetable.”

Bryana took Stevya’s hand and led her to the desk, the sight of which made her clit sing to her brain. The glossy black reminded her of the other woman’s power coursing inside her and she let Bryana’s hand go to the back of her head and push her shoulders down on the desk, it cooling her skin to the touch, though, to be fair, touching anything short of an open flame would have cooled the heat of her skin at that moment.

“Come, my slave king. Come help put me inside her mind so that she can never escape.”

He stepped up, cock proud and ready. He groaned when Bryana took firm hold of it to position him as she wanted him, just between the thin-lipped, pale pink entrance to her pussy. My Goddess is literally leading me by my cock. When she touched it again, this time tracing patterns upon it, he whined like a hungry dog. “Listen to my words, Armis. Listen to me talk to your woman. You will know what I want you to do and when. Do it. Help me put me inside her mind.”

“Yes, Annissa.”

That same finger began drawing runes up and down her spine, from tailbone to the base of her skull. “Do we have a little fight within, Stevya? Bring it out. Bring it out so that I may kill it.”

Her mind was so muddled that the princess couldn’t be sure if the anger that was trying to build inside her was her trying to shake herself free or because Annissa wanted it so.

“A piece of Princess Stevya wants to be free. I can tell because many men and women would have crumpled to the floor after that taste, but not you. By the time your prince first filled my mouth with his lust, he was mine, but you have a bit more squirm to you. Do you want to be released, princess?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to be free of me?”

Her resolve was firmer now, even if her voice didn’t reflect it. “Yes.”

“It’s too late for that. Let that anger well. Let that will that sits in your heart try to break you free. Try, so that when you feel the truth, you can let that will die.” She continued to trace, layer upon layer, up and down. “My power is already inside you. That delicious pleasure you feel that you’ve never felt before is my power. What is inside you that makes your mind weak is my power.”

Bryana orbited the desk with a dancer’s grace until she was opposite the princess, and, with equal fluidity she lifted herself to the desk and turned. Raising herself by her elbows, Bryana put Stevya inches from the serpent and her open legs. She gave Stevya a knowing smile when her jaw dropped noticeably. She is one of the finest symbols of my power. I know you see that. Look at my power; it compels you to look at it.”

Stevya’s eyes looked left.

“She compels you to look at her.”

“Look at her eyes alive with hunger for you.”

“Look at her.”

Unable to get the sight of it from her peripheral vision, her eyes were drawn to look at it dead on.

“You feel her hunger for you, don’t you? You feel her need to consume you.”

Time stopped, then her lips moved in the affirmative even though no sound emerged.

“Kiss her, Stevya. Kiss her mouth so her fangs may bite into your soft, tender tongue and allow her inside.”

Her head jerked, trying to force herself to look away again even as her body moved closer to it.

“Yesssssss, princess. You resist, yet you can’t. You have brought your will forward to surrender it to mine. Kiss the serpent.”

“Please.” The word was barely audible.

“Kiss it and be comforted to know that I am a kind Mistress. Tell her, Armis.”

His enthusiasm pleased Bryana and thrilled her. “She is kind, Stevya. I am better now. I am better than I ever would have been without her. You will be, too. She lives inside my mind and I cannot escape. I don’t want to. You won’t either. I wasn’t given a choice, but if I had known what awaited me, I would have begged for it. Kiss the serpent, my love. Choose it.”

“She has no choice, either,” Bryana corrected. “She will become mine because she must.” Stevya drew close enough now to scent the femininity of the viper. “The difference is that you simply woke as mine. Stevya gets to experience becoming. Kiss it Princess. Kiss it knowing it waits to bite. Kiss it now.”

Stevya still didn’t understand the why of it all as her quivering lips touched its open mouth and she felt the bite as power did not just drip an ooze into her as before, but rushed into her like the first break in a dam with the force now pushing against the weakness around it all at once.” She kept kissing, then closed her eyes and let her tongue be driven by memory and trace the serpent’s fangs.

“Yesssssss.” Bryana liked the rush herself, the connection between them completed and the power flowing. She bit her lip and looked to Kudan, “Feel the viper coil around you.”

Kudan grabbed her waist firmly and Stevya wiggled her bubble ass in response, bleating when she could not break free.

“Feel the viper move between your legs. Do you feel it, Stevya?”

The kissing paused for but a moment. “I feel it.” Unbidden, she reached back to touch it and she found that it was there, not with the ethereal realism of a dream that faded with the intrusion of reality. It was real. In that instant, she knew the viper was real and undeniable. The power it held was real and undeniable. She paid tribute to it and it had embraced her. She felt it rest itself just inside her.

“Now feel it fucking take you.” Bryana pushed Stevya’s head lower and the kissing continued in earnest as the viper began sawing inside her, filling her as she had been minutes before, taking her insides, Annissa’s power flowing like a current, shorting out and dulling her mind. Stevya had never touched a woman in such a way before now and, as her mind began to surrender, hope sprang within that she pleased.

“The viper is inside now, Princess. My power is inside you and it will never leave you. I live within Kudan and he cannot escape. The symbol of my power fucks itself into you as you squirm like a whore to take it deeper.” Bryana hissed and pulled Stevya’s hair while she sighed and fucked back. When Bryana pressed her cunt to Stevya’s mouth, she drove in deeply, her numbed mind exciting itself, believing it to be the viper’s venom.

“It fucks your body and coils around your mind.” Bryana’s body demanded that she pause. “That’s right.” She collapsed onto her back, and looked at the intricate vine pattern on the black curtain before her while her hips and Stevya’s tongue worked away. Bryana let herself feel the connection flow from her, through Stevya, and Kudan, and back again in a continuous loop of energy and ecstasy that Bryana knew was suffocating what will Stevya had left, and that, in turn, drove her to peak pleasure, her sounds of climax driving the other two to what sounded like glorious climaxes of their own.

Finding strength in her arms again, she lifted her body and pulled herself closer to a sitting position. Kudan continued to thrust, no longer a proper, dignified king, but a sweaty, heaving mass of flesh living in that moment to fuck other flesh. Stevya’s eyes were locked to the eyes of the viper in lust and need so strong it made her heart break even as she had her palms on the desk to brace herself to give Kudan with the same ferocity she was getting. Bryana liked what she saw. There was no fear. There was no fight. There was no blankness. She saw what she hoped and expected to see: a thrall waiting to please her with Bryana’s juices smeared all over her face. She decided to test that assumption.

“Are you there, Princess Stevya?”

The smile was filthy now, in addition to still looking a little drunken. She stretched herself to kiss the serpent with divine reverence. “Yes, Mistress.”

“Where is my power?”

“Within me.” She listened to the smacking of his body against her ass and it made her happy. “Fucking me. Your power is coiled around my mind and fucking me forever.”

“You will obey.”

“I will. The pride in that was unmistakable.

“I live in his mind and he cannot escape. The serpent is part of me, and it is therefore part of him. Your love for him is boundless because I am within him, just as I am within you. His love for you shall be boundless because I am within you as I am within him. You are united with one another in that, and your love of service to me.”

It was always true, she just didn’t realize it until now. “Yes, Mistress.”

“When I return to you, or send others in my name, you will obey in all things, without doubt or question.”

“Without doubt or question, Mistress.”

“Very good, Princess. There is still much to teach you before I go.” “Stop, Armis. Stop and pull that cock from her.”

He complied at once and Stevya was pleased. “Princess, I promised your betrothed that he could fuck me as a reward for his obedience.” Looking to him, she crooked a finger, “Come, Kudan. Come and rut as you please.”

The princess envied Kudan. He had been obedient for so long, and that made her all the more anxious to truly begin her service. She paid it no mind when he stepped to Bryana with such force that he took her off balance, pushing her to the side. It was right for her to be pushed aside as if nothing when he would fuck Mistress because, compared to her, the princess was less than that.

He sank himself into Bryana in a single thrust, knowing that no feeling could match the feeling of being inside her, though he knew that, from this day forward, Stevya would come so close now that

they were both chained irrevocably to the same soul. She commanded him to rut as he pleased, so he did, fucking her with the same ferocity as he used to fuck all the nameless whores that had never mattered. He fucked her with the same ferocity as she commanded the night she made him her tool.

He yearned to know what she would teach Stevya and the commands she would leave on their minds, but that would come in time. For now, he fucked. He fucked and, while watching it, for the first time in Stevya’s life, she envied a man his penis. He could fuck, Mistress. He could be wrapped in her wet folds and use that flesh to make her make those satisfied sounds that came from her now.

“You look lonely over there, Princess.” Bryana noted with whimsy. “You may stay there and pleasure yourself as you please or you my climb on onto this lovely desk and I will allow you to feel what my love calls ‘the viper’s kiss.’”

She could not climb the desk fast enough.

When her clit nestled neatly between the fangs and she began to rock gently up and down as she felt the first tingles of Mistress’s power began to flow, she knew even the Goddess Herself could not be so kind and benevolent.

Or feel so good.

The young woman dabbed the tears from under her red, swollen eyes and cleared her throat, trying to compose herself, with only partial success. It had been so since she had sat before Court and began telling her story, answering the questions asked of her to the best of her ability, even if recounting the things that she had seen and heard in her short years of service was nearly torture for her. The only thing that brought her any comfort was the fact that she could see sympathy in the eyes of most of the heads of the great Houses that comprised it.

She sat in a chair before the table that formed a semicircle and served as the focal point of the room. The walls were an eggshell white and adorned with gold leaf. The heavy columns evenly spaced throughout gave it a sense of power and importance, even without the fact that this single room had been steeped in centuries of history. A kingdom had been born within these walls. Wars of all kinds had been fought within these walls. It was said that if Erette was a ship, this would be where you would find its rudder.

“I realize this is difficult for you, Ms. Colls,” Pan Baylor, head of another of the Houses, assured her, doing his best not to pressure her, but wanting to conclude his questioning with his remaining time, moving through yet another of the heinous acts noted in detail in Strannix’s ledgers and explained in detail by his lead servant, Kav. “Can you continue?”

She cleared her throat a second time and nodded quickly. “Yes, I’m fine. I apologize, Lord Baylor.”

“That’s quite all right.” He scratched his smooth cheek. “And you know that your employer is responsible for trashing the store of the glass merchant Lokis?”

“One night, uhhh, about two days after it happened, I was asked to serve drinks to him and his friends in his study. I don’t know their names. I’d never seen them before that night. It wasn’t a normal part of my job, but one of them thought I was appealing and just wanted me there.”

“Anyway, I was pouring a drink and Mr. Strannix congratulated this man on the fire, saying that his life was now considerably easier thanks to it. He laughed that people were still talking about it.”

Baylor puzzled, but pressed on, “But what made you think that Mr. Strannix was responsible? It’s certainly in poor taste to revel in another’s misfortune and look forward to the ways that that misfortune might benefit you, but what made you believe that Mr. Strannix was actually responsible for it?”

“Because the man laughed with him and told him, ‘You paid me for noticeable, you get noticeable.’”

Several of the Lords and Ladies exchanged looks. This one told similar stories to the others in his employ. As did they did the direct testimony of his victims who felt emboldened by his absence and the inquiry to come forward and tell their stories. Some, like this, were typical thuggery, but they had heard stories from families that knew they had lost loved ones to the man in gruesome fashion just to feed his want, and even young women forced into sexual servitude to repay their debts, a family’s debts or, in some cases just because they were pretty and he could do it.

It all conspired to paint a picture of a man who embodied the worst of Erette, but did so in finery. Some of the testimony had been so wrenching that they had visibly recoiled from it. This was one of the easier to endure stories, as she had told much worse, but it just added to the weight that they had all been forced to bear of late. Each worker in that house could make some part of those ledgers live; give them face and voice.

“They just said this in front of you?”

“It wasn’t uncommon,” she told him. “He treated us all like fixtures. He didn’t care what we knew. It served him. If we knew what he could do to us, what, umm, he would do to us if we talked about what the things we’ve seen and heard, you learned quickly to keep your mouth shut.”

“But not now?”

She dabbed her eyes once again. “When he left and the days start to stretch and he’s not this...permanent darkness all around the home, you start to see the light.” Devin went to the one witness that most would find unassailable. “You start to hear the voice of the Goddess inside you telling you what the right thing is and that it has to be done. I think about the glass blower and his family. They had to leave and start over. I often wonder if they were able to do so. I wonder about all of them that I know of, and I wonder about all the ones I don’t know of. When I go to be judged, I at least want Her to know that I followed the path She has set for me to the best of my ability.”

“My silence is a wrong and I can’t bear anymore.”

It was now time to strike where they lived, “When I heard of the inquiry and that it had started because Kav couldn’t bear anymore either, I knew it was a sign. It was a sign that She decided to use you as Her instruments of justice.” She met each of their gazes in turn and she saw several of them puff their chests outward with pride, liking the idea of heroism with little risk very much.

“We are all Her instruments. I can only tell the truth as I know it, and I have done so. You can be Her righteous voice in the world by taking the ill-gotten wealth of a man like my employer. We all have greed and we will all do much to get more of what we need or want, but is there no limit? Is there no point at which someone has done too much for power. I’m no one, but you have listened to me with love and compassion. I know that my queen and her court are the ones to say that that line is crossed. I know that you won’t allow anyone else to be hurt, used, and abused as he has done.”

She shook her head, and her eyes looked off into the future, “I am uncertain what will become of me after I have done Her will here, but I look forward to it, content in the knowledge that, when truly called upon, I have followed the plan She has set for me, and that you will as well.”

Queen Evaline sat on her throne at the center of the table, hair piled high and in among her most regal attire to impress upon all the seriousness with which the proceedings were taken. She had spent the previous days enduring the testimony of the lives harmed by this soul. Evaline was hardened by years in royal politicking and did not show her feelings as some had, but she was no less repulsed by what she’d heard. The fact that some at the table dealt with the man for anything at all beyond the legitimate face he put upon things tarnished their image in her mind, but she comforted herself with the belief that no one at the table today was so vile that they would have associated with him for the worst of what they heard.

At least it was a belief, and not one she wanted to test.

As it was, they all knew it was the wisest course to have taken this case from the lower courts and deal with it themselves. Once the extent of Strannix’ business became public, any hint that the High Houses knew or might have known would be, to put it mildly, poorly received.

Evaline’s resolute tone made it clear where she stood on the matter, “The records turned over to this body speak for themselves, and the witnesses have added their voices to it. While there are more witnesses to take statements from and examine, should this body choose to, I am of the belief that the horse is dead enough and needs no more flogging.” Two of the nobles chuckled at that despite themselves.

“Enough evidence exists before the court to at least begin debate. Does anyone disagree?” When no one did she finally let some of the tension within her go. “Then I ask that you do so.” She looked to her immediate right to the two seats occupied by House Jaye. Neral sat slightly behind her mother A’marin who often spoke for the House at court even though she had formally relinquished her title as Head of House when her daughter had been named commander of the forces of Erette, feeling that her then higher public notice and prestige would be of greater benefit to the family if she carried that banner as well. Neral wanted very much to be part of the hearings, but didn’t dare trust herself to speak. It had taken all her discipline over these days to keep silent.

“General Jaye, if you would attend, there are matters of state that need our attention.”

The last thing Neral wanted to hear in any event was anyone even attempting to defend or minimize the conduct of that man even though she believed it quite unlikely to happen. She knew she probably couldn’t manage it without leaping the table for the throat of the defender. “Of course, Majesty.”

The guards at the back of the room took the cue and opened the doors for her and Neral to pass and for two others on the other side who began escorting them at a discreet distance as they made their way through slightly more narrow, but no less opulently decorated corridors than the public spaces, remaining silent until they reached the main hall to the queen’s private offices. As they passed, each pair of guards evenly spaced through that hall, stoic as columns themselves, paid her no mind and would not unless she addressed them directly.

Once the pair was safely ensconced within the office, The queen’s personal assistant Bae appeared seemingly from nowhere, her tone somewhat somber given the circumstances, but not unpleasant. “Can I get you anything, Majesty? General?”

Neral shook her head, though the queen had a desire. “Something with which to scrub my brain clean of the things that I know about my fellow souls that I wish I did not.”

Bae sympathized, “I have no such tonic, but a letter opener through either ear until handle meets bone will likely take care of it.”

“Do not tempt me today, Wyla.” She pitched the brooch that stood as the symbol of the royal house and her power onto the ornate desk with it stopping just before the opposite edge, wanting nothing to do with her status and royal formality at the moment. “People are disgusting.”

“I can tell you stories.”

She looked to Neral, not wanting to have dredged pain with regard to recent events, “Of course you can. The thought of Khylen in the clutches of someone like him.” It chilled and angered her to think that the children she would have one day would be targets simply for being born. Hearing that Neral’s child was safe after the events of that day caused her to sink into her couch and thank the Goddess.

The two had been friends since childhood, more than long enough for her to read the expression on her naturally rosy cheeks. “I didn’t mean that, though yes, that. I only meant that soldiers, over the course of a career, tend to see the worst of humanity.”

She nodded and tried again to cleanse herself of it. “How do you live with it?”

“I tend to focus on my family and the good aspects of humanity and, no matter the horrible things I have seen, I know that they are an aberration. Most people simply want to live their days and raise their families in peace.” She shrugged as she straightened her uniform, “And I occasionally drink copious amounts of alcohol.”

That perked her up. “Wonderful idea. Sadly, I cannot partake until the verdict is reached, the sentence set, and a royal proclamations made. Fortunately, it won’t take long. I sounded out all the Houses before this began and it was clear enough that if the evidence and testimony were what they were rumored to be, no one would waste time before seizing his assets.”

“And part them out amongst themselves.”

“If they get something out of a righteous act, I can’t make myself worry too much about it. It’s enough for me that his ilk are excised from Erette.”

“Others will take their place,” Bae noted.

“I’m no fool, Bae, I know that. People will gamble for something to do, or in the hopes of becoming rich. Women have spread their legs for profit since the first one realized she could get on all fours of her cave, let a man fuck, then get a meal. And men have been profiting from that trade almost as long. People will always want the things society tells them they can’t have and someone will provide those things. That’s the order of things and I couldn’t change it if I tried, so there’s no point.”

“All I would do is turn the land into Idros, a city that pretends it is clean while weaponizes its piety against all within earshot, but has just buried the order of things so far underground that they can pretend they never have to contend with it. Then, under no sunlight at all, the dark turns to rot and festers. The only thing that keeps the dark from festering there is the fact that sunlight exists in the form of soldiers of Erette who police the city for them.”

Neral teased, “Not your benevolence?”

She almost laughed for real. “Hah. Yes, my benevolence and not the fact that, so far from the capitol and its eyes and hand, that eventually the rot would be so that I would have to impose martial law and spend years cleaning it up. No. Better ultimately to have my general police it beforehand.”

“So a soft martial law it is.”

Evaline ignored the snark, mostly, but her eyes twinkled for a time before thoughts of Strannix took her cheer away. “But there are limits. Some things are simply too brazen and too vile to be ignored once brought to light. And, if that weren’t enough, anyone in such a position long enough that they believe that they can attack a noble family with impunity, then the criminals believe they are more powerful than the government and that cannot be allowed to stand.

“Others will replace him, but, for the foreseeable future, they are likely to be lesser, less organized evils who will know what will happen if they overstep.”

Moving beyond the topic, she wanted to discuss something that actually pleased her. “May we now discuss something more pleasant, Bootsie?”

Neral sat, welcoming the respite herself as well as the use of the queen’s childhood nickname for her which told her that any remaining royal status was gone. “What’s on your mind, Evie?”

“My wedding weighs heavily, of course. Winter will come and then fade before you know it. Then there will be the Spring Festival, and, with it, my wedding. I’m just wondering if you have seen the seamstress about your gown. As Maid of Honor, you have responsibilities.”

Some annoyance reemerged, and not because of ceremony. In her position, she had to embrace more than a little pomp and ceremony, but she imagined all those frilly, dainty bits and what she took to thinking of as posh and circumstance and cringed inwardly. “I have not. Can’t I just get away with my dress uniform?”

Evaline pretended to consider it, “Why not? Black with gold trim and enough medals and marks of service that if the day is sunny you will blind thousands will not at all clash with a bridal party in white.” Her voice dripped comic disdain. “I have always known you secretly wish to upstage me.”

Neral circled her forefinger around her chest, “No one will be able to see past those with you in your dress for me to have a chance to upstage you.”

“I thought giving you something to look at during could be my gift to you.”

Neral was unmoved. “Tessa’s are bigger.”

Evaline bristled in good nature. “Hardly.”

Neral grumbled. “I just hate all the lace and all that. It just feels pretentious and gaudy to me. Not that I think you look that way to me, it’s just not me.”

“Even if you would look beautiful?”

It was Neral’s turn to bristle and her dark brown eyes narrowed. “I don’t always look beautiful?”

“You do. It’s just different. I would love to see you in that lace and all fussed over and..”

“Gah. It’s an official function and I’d feel chained into that thing.”

“Even as a gift to me?”

Neral winced hung her head. “Low blow, Evie.”

She pouted. ’C’mon, Neral.” Then she paused as an idea struck. “What if we split the difference? You and the seamstress can come up with an official uniform in white, something that compliments, but is...you and something for the masses to see. But, as a personal gift to me, you wear that lovely dress for the reception.” Evaline began to smile when she saw the wheels turning behind Neral’s eyes, knowing that look well enough to know that she was about to yield.

She would only have to feel awkward in front of a few hundred people instead of thousands. Sometimes half a victory is all you can manage. “While I coordinate with you, of course, I approve the uniform, not the seamstress. It is still military, after all.”

Evaline jumped to claim the victory and pressed on, “Done. Now, about the hair...”

Deciding that she needed this moment with her friend and to focus on something that actually made her happy and that was more important than personally bearing witness to the debate which was set to do nothing but rehash Strannix’ business dealings in gory detail, even if form required her to be there to moderate if necessary. “Bae? Would you mind standing in for me during deliberations for the time being. I’m in the midst of a critical diplomatic negotiation.”

Bae was pleased to see the queen happy. “Of course, Majesty.”

“They fear you more anyway.”

She gave it serious thought. “That is probably true. I serve at the pleasure of my queen, not them, and that works in my favor quite often.” She gave a slight bow before leaving the two alone, “I shall return when I have news.”

With that, she departed and, when she returned roughly two hour later, she found the two still engaged in casual conversation, having evidently completed their negotiations regarding the wedding and now just trying to pass the time. Upon closing the door she turned to face her queen, looking relieved, though only those that knew her well would see the tells in her demeanor. “It is done. They await you only to hold the formal vote and then your proclamation.”

Her mood dampened a bit given the gravity of the matter before her, but she didn’t quite lose her cheer. Etan Strannix was about to feel her wrath and the wrath of Erette. She rose and stepped behind her desk to open a drawer to retrieve the formal text of her proclamation, reading it one more time on top of the dozens of times that she already had. Looking over at Neral, she saw her rise and settle into her ‘at ease’ stance, feet apart and hands clasped behind her back.

“Soon, dear friend. Within fifteen minutes, the kingdom will begin ridding itself of his public face and then you can spend the evening smashing your sword through the rest of what he owns.”

“Fifteen eternities.”

“Pfft, you’ll be working before you know it. Besides, I’ve already worked out the verbiage of my direct orders to you. You’ll like it. It’s noble, and powerful, and will get the blood flowing.”

Neral deadpanned. “I’ll love minute sixteen more.”

“Let’s get you to work, general.”