"My Lord, I did not leave because I did not feel well." Lied Lady Yale, feigning innocence. Her naked body was wet with the bath that she had taken in the Master's chambers. She had planned this from the very beginning. The servants she ordered to do so were scattered to the winds, afraid for their lives, because they had been tricked. She had told them to prepare the bath, and they believed her words, as she was entertaining their lord.
She made one last attempt to seduce him, he had not been her first man. Lady Yale did what she did with all her other suitors. She grabbed a towel and slowly rubbed it all over herself. She made sure to do so slowly over her breasts, massaging them. She expected the Lord to be at least interested, but he was not. He glared at her with crossed arms.
"Enough." He said with a growl. His blue eyes seemed to be grayer in his anger. It looked as if there was a raging storm within his eyes, and if she did not heed his words, she would regret it. There was no fear in her shameless behavior, for she thought her curves would save her. She pretended she was frightened by him and dropped the towel. She then slipped on a nearly see-through nightgown, and walked to him slowly. His gaze did not change. "If you value your life woman, you will leave this room." He said with conviction, and she paused.
She had never been turned down by a man before. She didn't like it, and she felt like she was being treated too coldly. "Am I not enough for you now, my Lord? What of when I sat upon your lap? Did I not entice you then?" She said confrontationally, but held her head low, caressing his chest… a thought came into her head…. Maybe he liked men? She looked at him curiously. Surely, a man of this perfect physique was not waisted? Her people were much more conservative, though the Lord didn't care who people bed as long as they did their jobs.
He sighed, he could practically hear what she was thinking by her facial expressions alone, and did not care. He did not have the patience to deal with a woman who would not listen. He was never one to repeat himself. So with 3 large strides, he grabbed her by the arm, and tossed her out of his chambers. It was enough force that she flew a few feet before crashing into a servant, who was bringing wine that she had requested. She shrieked, and slapped the servant as if it were his fault, and stomped down the hall. She didn't know where she was going, but she would catch up with her family's carriage.
The Master didn't care what the spoiled woman did, as long as it was away from him. It was all he could do not to kill her where she stood. Why was he showing mercy? He had been since he saw the slave. He had counted 4 people now that were not punished, nor killed for their carelessness. She was on his mind even though she was only the Ten knew where. He shook her from his thoughts, she was just a slave. He would have to speak with his generals in the morning, as a few small tribes would dare defy him.
It was only 40,000 men, so he had planned on sending 100,000. There would be nothing left by the end of the week. He didn't even want any of their wealth if they had any, only their blood. No one would be spared, and that thought made him content enough to take off his black festive outfit, and ordered the servants to draw him new water.
The smell of horse and cold filled Samira's lungs as she got up before the sun. At least by the horses, as much as they smelled, there was a water pump to bathe. There was a bit of horse soap too. It wasn't scented, but it didn't stink either. Someone chuckled behind her. She jumped, startled, and grateful that she had kept on her tattered dress.
"You must be the only survivor from last night's party." Said an old man with gray hair. "Name's Jim, you probably can't pronounce the rest." He said amused with himself. "If you put on them britches there, you can be my stable boy, or you can go back inside with the wolves." He said with a chuckle, but Samira was instantly startled.
"Wolves?" She stuttered.
He shook his head, "No deary, those vicious maids, and highborns. I know with that pretty face, they must treat you terribly to be down here with Master's horse, Metus." He said, pointing to the black horse. He was the only horse here, and he was probably the tallest stallion she had ever seen. "I'm surprised he didn't bite you; he can unlock himself, you know." He said while getting the horse's feed ready, and lifting the heavy load by himself.
She thought about this seriously for a moment. On one hand, she would be away from the petty squabbles and plots of servant and highborn alike. However, pretending to be a man would most certainly raise the ire of her Master, if she lived long enough to get punished by him personally. The thought of punishment made her shiver, she had already seen first hand what happens to those who displease their lord.
"No… I have a feeling that I would get in trouble if I pretend to be a boy." She said shyly and bid Jim a thank you and a goodbye. She had made it up in her mind that that was where she would sleep. No one comes to this stall, and she was thankful. She didn't know that Lady Yale was very demanding this morning and borrowed a mare and carriage to catch up with her family. If she would have slept in any other stall, she would have been the first to incur her wrath.
Samira, while still tired, made her way to the kitchens. She didn't go there because she wanted to, but rather it was the only place she knew. She was made to clean every pot and scrub the floors until her fingers got painful small cuts, but none gave her a break. She wanted to cry at the sting of the strong soaps they had her to use, but if she did, she knew she would be making them happy. They wanted her to suffer.
When she didn't sleep in the slaves' room, they assumed that she was in bed with Master. They wanted to show her her place; that no matter if it were true, that she was still beneath them. If he liked her more than just a bedfellow, he would have removed those shackles and made her a mistress. She would be placed in fine clothes, and she would be given the best food, not the scraps that she managed to find before cleaning the pots.
The master was at his meeting now. The sky, though clear this morning, was overcast again. This place was known for its gloomy weather, yet no one seemed to notice. They were hard at work in the war room, organizing attacks on the feeble, small clusters of city states that dared to oppose his rule.
The Lord was in his jeweled throne, wearing his usual black. He yawned, still tired from the night before. He wasn't listening to his generals, and they knew this. They would continue their meeting, make no decisions, and brief him later. Lord Thetas's mind was on that woman. Who was she to beguile him so? When they dismissed, he sat in the war room a little longer, and pondered this. Maybe she was a witch?
That couldn't be it, why would a woman with power put herself in such a low position she couldn't get herself out of? Could it be that he really was more than just interested in this girl he had only met one afternoon at a party? What would have happened if he gave into temptation and let her sit on his lap, instead of the spoiled noble woman? He didn't even notice the clack of heals, until he heard a familiar feminine voice.
"My Lord, my cousin, what ails you so?" Said a smiling teen with deep red hair. Her eyes were lime green, and her skin was pale as bleached parchment. She was none other than Lady Beatrix Thetas. She wore the latest fashion, and bowed deeply to her cousin. She was the daughter of his late uncle's favorite mistress, but she knew not to anger him. She held status so long as she was unmarried. The name she carried was only a courtesy, as mistresses children hold no official status. He tolerated her there because she was the only relative willing to live with him. She was the only person that could speak with him familiarly.
He didn't say anything, but he did look out the window with a grunt. He wasn't good with feelings, or in a good mood from a sleepless night. She walked up to his throne and stroked his hair. There was a glare given but she didn't retract her hand. Sometimes she felt as if she were speaking with a wild predator. "My cousin, are you still angered by Lady Yale? I heard from my little birds of her horrid behavior." She said, massaging his shoulders. They were indeed stiff, but she was not helping.
He closed his eyes. "Begone cousin, I have much to do." He said standing up, towering over her. She stepped aside and let him quietly go, hiding her shaking hands. She left out the war room as well, and went into the castle bathhouse to calm her nerves. She could sense that something was off with the Lord today. Maybe more happened than she knew. She knew of the slave, but didn't attend the party. She didn't want some high lord to see her, and take her away. Lord Thetas wouldn't have stopped it, as he would have thought that sort of thing would have made her happy. Of course, he would be wrong. As a wife, she would be a slave without shackles in her eyes.