The doctor was a tiny woman with a buff complexion and bright black eyes. Her gaze was intense to a degree that would not be socially acceptable in Middewold or Alatir.
Initially, Luvenia was reminded of her father, the way his eyes pierced through her.
This notion vanished within the first few sentences of their consultation.
"Her majesty is well now? No more suffering from the brutal sex with his majesty?"
"N– no more suffering," mumbled Luvenia, her cheeks burning.
The doctor cackled. "Because no more sex, huh?"
"I... I just don't want to hurt her," muttered Gorogon. He and Luvenia were in silent competition for reddest face. "You understand."
"Yes, yes, very." She clapped her hands. "And you are here because your fear makes your penis shrivel up. Is that not so?"
Was it possible, Luvenia wondered, to die of embarrassment?
"It is known to be so in my country, where we learn the science of the body. There is no shame in it." The corners of her eyes crinkled. "But it is only when you try to enter her, huh? You can still achieve erection?"
Gorogon's answer was barely intelligible.
"Good, good! Then you can still make a child. I have a method that is just right for your majesties."
Luvenia managed to find Gorogon's hand and squeeze it gently without looking at him at all.
"May I ask how long you have been the royal physician?"
"Her majesty worries because I am foreign, huh?" She waved away Luvenia's protestations. "It is good that you ask. When I saw you before, you were so much in pain that you talked not at all! Now you are well, you must know whose hands have been on you."
"Dr. Danacy came here three years ago, when my father was very ill." He sounded less embarrassed now that they were off the subject of his genitals. "The physicians in our kingdom said he would die within the month. I was desperate to save him, so I sent messages to every amicable kingdom in the hope of finding a doctor who could help."
"And I came and helped! From distant Khitines I came with my science!" She patted Gorogon's head. "And the science told me that the old king would die, but not so fast as that, because I was there to help. The doctors here, they are not true doctors—they are like priests of a god that they invent!"
"My father lived for three years under Dr. Danacy's care, and he had very little pain."
"These doctors here, they say pain is a thing that happens. I say pain is a thing that is made to happen and can be made to un-happen!"
Dr. Danacy continued ranting about the inferiority of Middewold's doctors for a bit. Luvenia didn't always understand the points she made, but they seemed sound enough.
"So! When did you last menstruate?"
"Er... this morning."
"Good and very good! Then you will use the method in two weeks, on the..." She did a swift calculation on her fingers. "...twenty-eighth. Yes, and then your majesties must work together to make a baby, but not in the same way as before."
As Gorogon and Luvenia listened uncomfortably, the doctor explained the importance of "the arousal of the woman" to the process, offering a plethora of tips on how to satisfy the queen. Luvenia fervently wished to be elsewhere.
"Then his majesty must please himself, and catch the seed in his hand." Dr. Danacy showed no sign that the subject was awkward for her, nor that it titillated her in the least. "And then with the fingers–"
"We understand," blurted Gorogon. "Thank you, doctor."
She harrumphed, but with a twinkle in her eye. "You will thank me with a healthy child! And I will take care of her majesty while the baby grows."
"Of course, doctor. Thank you very much."
They had nearly made their escape when the doctor called after them:
"This method, your majesties—you must use it every day for seven days! Good luck to you both!"
Her cackling followed them down the hall.
"I'll meet you in the study shortly," Gorogon said quietly, staring into the middle distance. "I just... need some fresh air."
"I understand. I need a bit of a break myself."
"Right. See you later."
He nearly walked into a door as he meandered away. She hoped he'd be all right without her, because there was absolutely no chance of her going after him.
***
"She just came right out and said it?!"
Luvenia nodded slightly, the motion made somewhat difficult by her current position: slumped over her vanity table with her head on her crossed arms.
"Huh." Hanna rested against the doorframe. "She wouldn't happen to be from Khitines, would she?"
"I think that's what she said."
"I might have met her, three or four years ago."
"That would be quite a coincidence."
"I was wandering through the Hinterwilds. I'd made two whole marks, so I got myself a room at the best inn and had a real dinner with meat and potatoes.
"I wasn't cloaked back then. I'd sat down to eat when this very little woman appeared across the table and started asking me about my face."
"Rude!"
"That's what I thought, too, but she didn't seem to be speaking out of cruelty. In the end, I told her about the beating I'd taken.
"She went off on a rant about how whoever treated me wasn't a real doctor, just–"
"–like a priest of a god that they invented?"
"Exactly! It must be her, then."
"Would she recognize you now, do you think?"
"Only if I showed her my face. It was only a few months after I'd left Othmar, and my body hadn't changed much by then. I'm shaped completely differently now. Even my voice has changed."
Something about what Hanna had said bothered Luvenia. She wasn't sure what, but it felt important.
"Anyway, I'm glad that doctor is taking care of you. She had offered to fix my mouth, but I couldn't afford to pay her, and I was afraid to accept her help for free. Now I wish I'd said yes."
"If it bothers you, we could ask her to do it now."
"I don't think it would work. Back then, the scar was less than a year old, so she was confident she could cut and reset it without any further damage. After all this time–"
"Wait." It came to Luvenia in a flash. "If it was less than a year old, you would've been... sixteen, right? And that was three or four years ago?"
"Yes...?"
"What age will you be on your birthday this year?"
"Twenty."
Luvenia had straightened up almost without noticing. She stared at Hanna with wide eyes.
"Madam..." Hanna averted her gaze. "Is something wrong with... my age?"
"No, not at all! I just..." Luvenia bit her lip. "I'd assumed you were a lot older than I, but we're only a few years apart. It's a surprise—a pleasant surprise."
Hanna looked up anxiously. "I heard you just came of age this year."
"Yes, I did. Why?"
"Is it really so important for you to try to have a child? You're hardly more than a child yourself..."
Luvenia's chest tightened. "I stopped being a child on the day my mother was murdered."
A tense silence stretched out between them.
"I'm sorry," said Hanna at the exact moment that Luvenia said "Never mind." They looked at each other and laughed.
"You didn't say anything wrong, Hanna. It's just been a very long day, and it's not even over yet."
"I understand. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Luvenia thought about it.
"Kneel for me."
With a bemused expression, Hanna knelt carefully on the threshold. Luvenia rose and went to her.
"I'm tired of looking up," she murmured, taking Hanna's face in her hands. "I want you within my reach."
Hanna gazed up at her with open adoration.
"Anything you want," she breathed. "Just say the word."
"What do you think I want, my sweet Hanna?"
"Your majesty, do you want to kiss me?"
"I do."
She leaned in close. Hanna's breath hitched.
"My darling Hanna, do you want me to kiss you?"
"I do, your majesty."
The kiss they shared was perfect. Their practice had really paid dividends.