A few days after the Synners had left, Meliss carried a tray to the queen's bedroom, where morning light was seeping through the curtains in front of the vast windows.
She set it on the bedside table to the right of the sleeping beauty. She did so carefully to avoid awakening the person still sound asleep in the oversized bed. Under the thick, red covers to her left lay Leona, the queen.
She slept on her back, and her fair black hair strewn across the goose-feather pillows made her face look like the night sky had swallowed it. Meliss double checked the tray to ensure it was filled with the best breakfast treats before stepping away from it.
Fresh bread from the bakery, toasted with a small cube of butter on the side, scrambled eggs, and a green apple were the order of the day. She returned to the small basket she had brought and picked up the small pot of tea.
I really hope she's up before her food and tea get cold, she thought as she gingerly poured some into the cup.
Just as she completed her thought, Fulco stepped through the door with a look of disappointment, startling her in the process. "Come now, Meliss. This is not a reasonable time at which Her Majesty should be sleeping," he said loudly. Meliss felt embarrassed that she had done something wrong, and looked down at the ground in silence.
"Your Majesty, it's almost lunchtime, and you still have guests here in the castle that you must attend to," Fulco grabbed her shoulder to shake her gently. When that didn't work, he sighed in frustration and moved toward the large curtains, pulling them aside with a jolt of force.
"Agh, I heard you the first time," Leona grunted, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight. "Then, with all due respect, you should have shown a sign of life when I shook you," Fulco said with a mild sigh. "I'd rather not wake up and deal with those below," her eyes squinted and squished as she turned to bury her face away from the source of her distress.
Fulco, with another sigh, opened the second set of curtains on the far side of the room, removing her shield from the bright light entirely. "Alright! I admit defeat," she rolled onto her back, smacking her hands against the covers. Her eyes opened but a little, and her pupils shrank from the sun's intensity.
"I hope you're happy, Fulco, as it pains me to be woken in this manner," Leona said with a raspy grunt. Had she not been so beautiful, one might have assumed it was the voice of some disgruntled dwarf. "I wouldn't have to if you weren't trying to imitate a hibernating bear, Your Majesty," he answered wryly, watching her rub her eyes with her knuckles.
She sat on the edge of the bed for a few moments, staring at the food Meliss had brought her. She grabbed a slice of the toast and took a few bites out of it, but quickly put the remnants of the now violated bread back on the tray as she washed down the rest with the tea.
"Your Majesty, where are your manners?" Fulco asked, appalled at her demeanor. "I thought you said I was out of time, Fulco. Besides, where are the other rulers or members of the court?" she asked with a sneer just as abruptly, prompting him to shake his head.
"Oh, you don't see any here among us? So then tell me why I ought to act like a queen if I am in the confines of my bedroom, because I see no reason to do so," she said with an air of arrogance and frustration. Fulco scratched the back of his head and looked down at the floor.
Leona smiled, knowing she had won the small argument and continued eating breakfast.
"My dear Fulco," she began with a genuinely warm smile. "Please do me a favor and summon Clare so I may dress," she said. "Right away, Your Majesty," he bowed quickly and left the room, leaving Meliss in the same position she had been in since Fulco had called her out.
This is awkward, Meliss kept perfectly still hoping Leona wouldn't notice her presence.
"Has anyone ever told you that you would have beautiful children?" Leona asked as she wiped her mouth, setting the remains of her food down on a plate. "I beg your pardon, Your Majesty?" Meliss asked, startled by the question as her complexion went from a pale white to a bright red instantly.
"By the Graces, Meliss, there's no need to be so embarrassed," Leona said playfully, after staring at her body momentarily. "It was a simple question from one woman to another. Now, please, answer the question," she continued playfully. "I do not believe I've ever heard that before, Your Majesty," Meliss replied, getting a chuckle from Leona.
"Come now, you don't need to reply so formally," the queen said with a warm smile. "Imagine I'm just a regular person, difficult as that may be. As I have said before, there are no other lords or ladies present," she said in an attempt to make her feel more comfortable.
Meliss pondered the reason for this new form of treatment for a few moments, but found none. She looked back at her queen. "I don't think anyone has had the guts to tell me so, except for you," Meliss finally replied in an extremely thick accent.
"I beg your pardon? I barely understood what you said," Leona's eyes widened in surprise. "Your accent is definitely not one from the Continent. If I were to guess, I would say it is from the Gramm Isles," she concluded.
"And you'd be right," Meliss chuckled. "My family is from there, and they brought me here to the Continent as a wee babe. Pa died when I was about six winters old, and ever since I can remember, I've helped my Ma tidy up other people's houses," she shrugged.
"Work had been regularly scheduled for us and then, one day, we found ourselves cleaning Father Mourtis' house. That was the day Fulco found us. He admired our work and offered us positions here at the palace," she explained loosely. "And what an excellent job you have done so far," Leona said without sarcasm, giving her a grateful nod. "Thank you," Meliss' eyes widened, prompting her to quickly bow.
"You said your Pa died when you were only six, which makes you how old, now?" Leona asked. "I have eighteen winters behind me," Meliss replied brightly. "By the Graces, you don't look your age at all," Leona's jaw dropped. "You're much more of a woman than I was at your age," Leona said through a curt giggle.
The sound of footsteps resounded from the bottom of the stairway, and Leona heard them clear as a whistle. "That must be Clare, the heavy old goat that she is," she said, pursing her lips. "Listen, Meliss, it was really nice to get to know you a little, and I look forward to learning more about you," Leona said. "Thank you, my lady," Meliss replied with a curt bow.
Just as she was getting back up, Clare walked through the door with the queen's robes for the day. "Forgive me for taking so long, Your Majesty. Those stairs are always a challenge for me," Clare said with her chest rising and falling.
She was at least twice Meliss' height and weight, and had her light brown hair tied up in a bun. "I was having a discussion with Fulco regarding what you should wear today, but we could not come to a conclusion. So, I brought a few of my personal choices, much to his disapproval," she explained.
The sweat dripped down from her brow and rolled over her round cheeks, and the whites of her hazel eyes and button nose were red.
Ah, she's been drinking again, Leona sighed.
"I see," she took note of Clare's composure. "Well, it doesn't matter. Let's get this over with," she shook her head. "Yes, of course, Your Majesty," Clare replied promptly, laying her various options out on the bed before her. Leona regarded them carefully, then looked out the window to see what the weather was like, and reached for a blue dress.
"Ah! An excellent choice," Clare said excitedly, knowing it was the one Fulco had disliked the most. "Here, let me help you into it, Your Majesty," she walked over to Leona, who was observing her gait.
That's not the straightest of lines she's drawing on the floor with her feet, she thought.
When Clare got closer, Leona could clearly smell the alcohol in her breath, and soon found herself gasping for a drag of clean air. "Your Majesty, I need you to turn so I can unlace your gown," Clare said. "Oh, my apologies," Leona curtly said, trying not to let too much air escape from her lungs. "Is everything alright?" Clare asked after clearing her throat.
Her breath went straight into Leona's face and nearly made her gag with the smell. Thankfully, Leona's court training took over to help her maintain her composure.
I'm not sure I can hide the fact that my eyes are watering, though, Leona thought with a pained smile before answering the question.
"Y-Yes," she managed, turning around to do as Clare asked, blinking away the tears as best she could. Meliss, who was now directly in front of her tried to figure out what Leona was trying to tell her.
She drank eel vodka, Leona mouthed to her. What? Shrank a sealed froth cat? Meliss raised an eyebrow subtly in absolute confusion, causing Leona to shake her head in frustration.
No, no. She. Drank. Eel. Vodka, Leona mouthed the words slowly. Meliss's eyes widened when she finally understood. Ah, Eel Vodka, she nodded.
Leona snorted in a desperate attempt to stifle her laughter, but the subtle rising and falling of her shoulders made Clare's shaky hands falter momentarily. The tears that welled in her eyes with stinging disgust were quickly transformed into those of subdued laughter.
"Hold still, Your Majesty; I'm almost done," Clare stood up once more with a grunt, then tugged on Leona's shoulder to turn her back around. "There, all done," she said, and the waft of eel essence and vodka went back into Leona's eyes which teared up again as a result.
Meliss did her best to keep her own composure, but her face still scrunched in disgust as she, too, got a whiff of the vodka.
"Get that off of you while I get the dress," Clare stepped aside to grab it from the bedside. Leona followed the order and shrugged off the gown she had worn all night long. Her slim, proportionate body in combination with silky, smooth skin made it no surprise that she was frequently sought after by nearly every lord in the kingdom.
She did not bother hiding her breasts, after all, there was no one else in the room besides her two servants. The windows were too high for anyone to see into the room from the outside, so there was no risk of her nudity being exposed.
Clare came up behind her, swathed her in the blue dress, and tied up the laces. "Come, see how you look in the mirror," she pushed the mirror towards her.
Leona faced the mirror and smiled brightly. The dress followed the curves of her body as though it were a second skin she was wearing. The dip in the fabric near her breasts was a little more promiscuous than what she usually wore, but due to the warming weather, it seemed appropriate enough.
"You were right, Clare. This is a beautiful dress," Leona said, turning and twisting to watch how the dress flowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty," Clare smiled from ear to ear.
Leona was now fully awake, especially after the magic the eel vodka had worked on her eyes. "I'm sure my husband wouldn't want me to tarry any longer than I already have," she said dryly. "Of course not, Your Majesty," Clare agreed, watching Leona give her dress one final twirl in the mirror, and begin to walk towards the door, following behind her with Meliss.
A few moments later, she was in the throne room, where Truls was having a small debate with Elhael, Mads, and Bashir, who was there with his son Bashaa as they discussed something inaudible to her.
"Ah, and there she is!" Truls exclaimed, spreading his arms widely. The others near him turned around to see who he was talking about. Their eyes were so glued to her slim figure that they might as well have been like a dog to meat.
Pigs, Leona thought through an outwardly pleasant smile.
"Come, come! We were just talking about having a feast later on this evening, and we were wondering what sort of theme it should have," Truls reached out for his wife's hand. She didn't allow her hesitation to show, but took the king's hand and stood at his side.
"Well, I don't know about a theme, although I do know what I want to have for supper," Leona said in a practiced voice. "And what might that be, my sweet?" Truls asked, causing her to shudder slightly.
She looked at the other lords for a moment, but had slight difficulty taking her eyes off Bashaa. "Zebura," she said with eyes still fixed on him. He had bright green eyes, a gift from his mother, making them look like they glowed in the morning light that beamed through the upper windows.
"I'm not one to question her choice, however, I was expecting something much less commonplace," Mads shrugged. "I could always change my mind, King Mads," she replied, smiling gracefully.
"Zeburas are known to be eaten as a sign of peace between kingdoms. With this being the first time in nearly a century that our countries have been in unison over a common cause, I see no reason why we shouldn't indulge in it," she explained.
Mads let out a hearty laugh, prompting the other lords to join in. "A very astute observation. Does anyone disagree with Her Majesty?" he asked cheerfully. "No complaints here, Your Majesty," Bashaa smiled at her brightly, causing her to almost lose control over herself as he looked at her.
Not the time, she finally caught herself and gave a brief chuckle.