Chapter 5
I could not recall how I made my way back to the temple that day. My mind had been utterly adrift. And now, to-day, Father Sorin sent me on yet another errand. But deep within, I sensed the truth. It was her doing again. And I was not mistaken.
Midway to town, I was intercepted. Princess Yseldra's carriage had taken me to a shop I had never entered before, nor would I have dared. Upon our arrival, she led me inside, and I saw at once it had been reserved entirely for her. We were alone. Her royal guards stood outside the door in silence.
I did not know where to look.
On every wall and every table, there were things. Artificial manhoods, polished and displayed in every conceivable size and shape. Others were tools, objects I could not name, but whose uses were suggested plainly enough by their dreadful form.
I felt the blood rise to my cheeks.
Then she stood before me, smiling with that same wicked glint in her golden eyes, and in her hands she held a modest brown chest.
She opened it.
Inside, five gleaming silver instruments lay, all shaped in the same design. Smooth at the tip, gently curved, each swelling into a rounded bulb before narrowing again into a slim stem and ending in a flared base.
She reached into the box and selected the smallest. It was no longer than three inches, and no wider than half an inch.
"This is a rectal dilator," she said with unholy delight in her tone. "Some use it for their health, some for pleasure, and some to train their tight little arsehole to take a proper cock."
At her final word, I broke into a fit of coughing, my hand flying to my mouth. She merely laughed and gave my back light pats.
"This particular set," she continued wickedly, setting the chest upon a nearby table, "is designed for training. One begins with the smallest and gradually works up to the largest."
She returned the smallest one and reached for the largest. It was monstrous. Nearly six inches long and so wide at the center I thought I might faint from the sight of it alone. My knees grew weak.
She set the dreadful thing back then took the tiniest piece into her hand again and leaned close. "Would you like to try?"
"N-no thank you," I replied, mortified.
---
I sat in quiet shame as I had each day since, pushing my fork half-heartedly through the mashed potatoes upon my plate. All around me in the temple's great dining hall, the other servants of Ombrithar dined and spoke with contentment, their laughter soft and proper, their spirits unburdened.
"Naevia," Sister Alethea said, her brows drawing together as she slid her lamb chop onto my dish. "You have eaten less and less since the day you delivered Father Sorin's letter. You are flushed near constantly, and your figure has grown worryingly thin. Are you unwell? Shall I fetch Father Sorin?"
I could not answer. I kept my gaze low.
---
A new day broke, and after breakfast, I was once again sent on an errand. And once again, halfway upon the road to town, I was abducted by Princess Yseldra.
I found myself in a secluded part of the forest, inside a grand tent. There, without warning, a cluster of royal maids stripped me of my habit and began to dress me in a most striking riding ensemble of white and gold. My coif and veil were taken, and my hair was pulled high into a ponytail.
My heart fluttered wildly. I had no notion what Her Highness intended for me now.
I stood uncertainly in the center of the tent, pulling at the sleeves of my new attire as the maids quietly departed.
Then she entered.
Princess Yseldra wore the very same uniform, though hers was fitted more boldly, and her boots bore a sharp heel. Her crimson hair had likewise been drawn into a ponytail, revealing the length of her graceful, pale neck.
"What a rare sight," she murmured, coming before me. Her lips curved with pleasure. "Your hair is beautiful. A pity you keep it hidden from the world."
My cheeks warmed under her gaze.
"You are utterly adorable," she went on, "even your small breasts."
I wanted to hide. I had never thought to measure myself by such things, but now, compared to her own generous figure, the truth was plain. Mine were half the size of hers.
"Have you ever ridden a horse?" she asked.
"N-no, Your Highness," I stammered.
She leaned in slightly. "What about a person?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"When one rides a person," she said smoothly, "you straddle their hips. Grind down against their cock-"
"Your Highness!" I cried out, burying my face into my palms. The shame was unbearable. Heat surged up through my ears and pooled in my chest, burning.
She laughed aloud, utterly delighted by my misery.
We did not ride horses. I could not bear to face the world after that exchange.
Instead, I collapsed quietly onto the floor of the tent, cheeks still aflame, and she so casually rested her head upon my lap. She withdrew a scroll and began to read to me from yet another ancient and indecent text, pausing now and then to glance up with a wicked smile.
---
The day was fair and warm, and I was seated upon a soft blanket laid out within a quiet glade. Around us were fine dishes arranged in charming order, and before us stretched a vast lake that caught the noonday sun with a shimmer like glass.
Princess Yseldra sat next to me, pouring tea with graceful hands. Though her royal guards had withdrawn, I felt certain they lingered not far.
"When I was a child," she said with a note of nostalgic cheer, "my parents would often take me on outings such as this. Now," she chuckled softly, "we are all far too occupied to even take supper at the same table."
I hesitated, then asked the question that had lingered quietly in my mind. "Your Highness, forgive me, but… are you truly at peace with your father taking a second wife?"
She cast me a light look. "Are you still troubled by that?"
"A touch, yes. I suppose I do not quite understand how you are not."
"Rather than fretting over politics," she said as she took up her knife, "I would far rather learn more about you."
Then, most wickedly, she added, "For instance, have you ever touched yourself in secret?"
"Y-Your Highness…" My cheeks burned. I turned my gaze to the lake, appalled and flushed. She always spoke of such shameless things.
"Is that a yes?" she asked, glancing toward me with that teasing little smirk, her fork poised above her steak.
"N-never!" I replied hastily. "I harbor no such desires."
"Would you like me to teach you?"
"No!"
She laughed. "You know, the day you caught me in the nave… I had my guards bar all the entrances. But they overlooked the one you came through. That error turned out to be divine. The moment I saw you, I knew I was gone. I fell for you at once, and after you fled… I came harder than I ever have in my life."
"Y-you need not say such things," I whispered, hands clutched tightly in my lap. My heart pounded loudly.
"Ah, I must confess, I do possess rather a debauched spirit," she said with a smirk, lifting a piece of steak toward my lips upon her fork.
Before I could think, I parted my mouth and accepted it.
"I suppose," she continued, placing another morsel between my lips before I had even swallowed the first, "if you truly wish for me to cease my teasing, you must eat more. You are becoming thinner by the day."
Then she placed another bite upon that same fork and guided it into her own mouth.
"T-that…" I stammered, startled, my mouth still full. "That fork has touched my lips…"
"I cannot help myself. I wish to kiss you, but as you are not ready, I must steal a taste of you in other ways."
My heart fluttered violently, the words stirring something warm and unsteady within me.
In desperation, I turned the conversation. "The young woman I saw with you at the toy shop… is she your personal slave?"
"That is Nerissea," she replied with ease. "Yes, she belongs to me," she leaned in slightly, "have you fallen for her instead? Not for me?"
I turned my face away, too flustered to meet her gaze. "I-I simply thought she was very beautiful."
"She is," she said, placing another piece of meat into my mouth.
"I noticed she was dressed finely and kept very clean," I said between chews. "Thank you, Your Highness, for treating her with such care. Most would not."
She paused at that. For the first time, her gaze shifted.