Chapter 3: Rising Action
Come the morning, I feel the empress rise from the bed and begin preparing for her day.
"As empress, I'm sure you'll wear some gaudy necklace anyways, but be sure not to let on about the one I gave you last night. Do you understand?
Elaya blushed, then responded. "Of course, master. I am no fool. Besides. In spite of my new ...accessory, I still hope to get something out of this arrangement."
I smile at her. "I will warn you. If you get what you want, it may be more that you expected."
She narrowed her eyes at me as she continued to get dressed. "How so?"
"Every child of our family has several traits in common. First of all, they are always male. Second, they are always dominated by three desires. Adventure, freedom, and sex. Yeah, sounds like every boy ever, right? But you don't understand. I watched my father debauch his way across the lands, and I swore I'd never be like him. Yet when I became an adult, a fire arose in me." I stare at her, nearly finished dressing. "Even now, as you prepare to go about your important tasks, I consider ordering you to come give me some proper morning attention."
The empress froze. If he ordered her to, she knew she would obey. Even if it meant calling in servants to help her change again, she would take care of him in any way he asked.
Her grip tightened on her clothes, unsure if she should attend him or not. When he said nothing else, however, she simply continued getting dressed.
"You are not wrong. I do have important business to attend to today. Once we found you, I had hoped to spend a few days focused on you and the possibilities you presented, but some things cannot be put off. Even for something as important as you."
I smile, knowing she would put whatever it was aside if I ordered her to, but I had wanted the opportunity to explore a bit today on my own, so this would be fine.
"Perhaps" She said. "I could send you a serving maid to take care of you."
I chuckle. "I was just balls deep in an empress last night, and you want me to settle for a serving girl today? No, I would rather spend my morning on more important things. My family has long dreamed of returning to the palace." I rise from bed as well, my morning wood at full attention. The empress shudders at the sight, though from excitement or fear, I can't tell. "I won't be needing any escorts today, either. I'll be fine on my own." I say pointedly. She will obey my direct orders, but I don't know how loyal that makes her.
She looks at me and nods. As she glides toward the door, I call out. "Elaya, I changed my mind. Send me two serving maids, please."
Her back stiffened, but she didn't turn around. She simply gave a curt nod, then left the room.
I quickly gather my things, then sit on the edge of the bed, holding up the medallion. Such a simple thing. To most people, it would seem a mere decoration, but I could feel the magic inside. It resonated with me. Getting this alone would have been worth bowing my head, but now I didn't have to thanks to the bed.
The door suddenly opened, admitting two young women. The queen had sent two of the plainest maids she could find, perhaps out of jealousy. But a plain palace maid was still prettier than many of the women in the countryside. Besides, a plain maid in the palace was practically invisible, perfect for what he had in mind.
"Ladies" I said, rising from my seat still naked. "Thank you for coming. It looks like I could use a hand making my bed." I smiled widely at their embarrassed looks. Yes, they would do quite nicely.
-
A couple of hours later, I looked back into the room as the door was closing. Both maid were diligently cleaning the room. I hadn't used the bed on either one of them. I'd known it wouldn't be necessary. They were both quite happy to spend a little free time with me while we gossiped about the things happening in the castle.
They were both well versed in castle life. The empress was well liked by the servants and people in the city, but there was plenty of intrigue. A woman leading the kingdom, unwed, it made her quite the tempting prize to many nobles foreign and domestic.
But the empress did have real power. She turned them all down. I suspect that more than just the inheritance, the empress may be looking for one more excuse to turn down suitors.
The actual intrigue was mostly amongst the other nobles vying for power in court. With the bed alone I could disrupt the entire court
I had much to think on as I head out the explore the castle. I wasn't sure what else I might find, but the stories made it sound like the options were plentiful.
I wandered through the labyrinthine halls of the castle, increasingly aware of the value of the power I now held.
It wasn't lost on me the importance of my position; I was one of the chosen few who possessed the bloodline of the great Indral. With each decision I made, I felt the weight of expectation bearing down upon me.
The corridors were lined with portraits of former rulers, their faces stern and imperious. I couldn't help but wonder what stories they would tell if they could speak. And what secrets they might guard.
I suspected that any artifacts the castle had were probably in the treasury. Any obvious artifacts, that was. I was looking for something specific. The necklace and obedience was said to be just the beginning. That you could do more if you found more pieces. I didn't know for sure what I was looking for, but they'd be discreet, like a piece of jewelry. Some if my ancestor's companions were known for having extremely ornate necklaces, and they weren't just to be pretty. Too bad none of their portraits were hung on the wall.
I stopped. Their portraits weren't, but after they were gone, there's a good chance their jewelry was passed down, or even copied. I returned to the hall of previous rulers. The earliest paintings showed men and women wearing necklaces with large metal triangles hanging from them in patterns. They showed up most often out of any of the designs, so maybe that was something worth looking for.
I held the medallion in my hand as I investigated the castle. I couldn't say for certain that it would make my search any easier, but the idea of one day holding this ancient artifact had filled my dreams for so long, and it couldn't hurt to hold it close.
As I walked down the grand hallway, I noticed a small, unassuming door tucked away in a corner. It was different from the others, with no grand carvings or intricate handles. It seemed out of place in this opulent castle.
Curiosity piqued, I pushed the door open, revealing a narrow, winding staircase leading downwards. The air was damp and musty, a stark contrast to the rest of the castle. I descended carefully, the medallion clutched tightly in my hand.
The stairs led me to a long, dimly lit corridor.
The walls were lined with ancient tapestries, their once-vibrant colors now faded with time. I could make out scenes of battles, feasts, and mysterious rituals, all depicting figures bearing unfamiliar artifacts. I felt a sense of familiarity, as if I was being drawn deeper into my ancestors' past.
At the end of the corridor, I found a heavy wooden door, reinforced with iron bands. It had no obvious handle or lock, but as I reached towards it with the hand clasping the medallion, the door began to glow a light blue. Holding the medallion out, I began to run it over the surface of the door. When I reached the spot I would have expected a handle to be, the mediation seemed to stick in place. Pulling didnt budge the medallion, but when i twisted it, I heard a soft click and the medallion fell free into my hand.
The door glided open quietly, despite its obvious age and lack of maintenance. Inside, a light flickered to life, then a few more. Finally, the entire room was illuminated by a constant blue glowing light.
What was inside the room filled me with excitement. Books. Shelves and shelves of book. Old ones, but well preserved. Some of them look like personal ones, maybe like journals. Could I have really gotten so lucky? I loved a good adventure because of the excitement of discovery. But if I could have the answers written out for me, I wouldn't complain too much.
I wanted to start grabbing books, but first I needed to look around the rest of the room. This seemed like a personal space, so I didn't expect any traps, but best to be safe.
No traps, but I found a row of metal plates on on shelf. They had no words, but there were a number of symbols on each one. Unsure what they did, I continued my search.
Finally, it was time. I looked through the books and grabbed a couple that looked interesting, then sat down in the plush chair to take a look at my prizes.
It only took a few moments to confirm my suspicions. In my hands, I held a journal from my ancestor, the first king of Indrial. These were true treasures, an I wondered how it was that they had been left alone in this room for so long.
Over the next several of hours, I continued to read through the journals and other books. Apparently, my ancestor had come from another world. He'd been blessed with an incredible amount of magic, and had brought his knowledge from that other world to improve this one. He was inflicted with a skill titled lust, and, as it implied, it left him with an overwhelming libido, but gave him increased skills and strength based on his conquests.
Based on his other worlds knowledge, mixed with his studies into magic and his unique skills, he created tools to help increase his powers.
It seemed that a part of that had been passed down through his line. The libido was certainly there, and we had always been strong. Just not on the levels I was reading in these books.
But the tools he had left behind. Many of them centered around the bed and collars produced from it. And the medallion had been created to be passed down to his children. Several had been created, in fact.
The medallions acted as an identifier and activation key that responded to his family, concentrating their latent mana to activate his tools, although if one had enough mana on their own, it was possible to activate them without the medallion.
This was exactly the treasure trove that the queen was looking for. It detailed weapons of defence for the capital, weapons that could be activated and equipped on soldiers. All the emblems of power that my family had never had, or we would never have been cast out from our seat of power. That part honestly didn't bother me.
My pull to adventure, my wanderlust, it made the thought of ruling a kingdom very uncomfortable. But I could gain strength while I'm here, and maybe even make a base of operations for myself in the castle. I smiled to myself as I continued reading.
One of the books I had grabbed was filled with notes on his magic and experiments.
I smiled as I read through the notes. He spoke of this room, and how it was his personal space, away from all of the stress of ruling. No one could see the door in the upper hallway except him, and the second door required the medallion, even for him.
There was a section of notes on the necklace and its accessories as well. It turned out I had already found the pieces he was looking for.
I turned back to the shelf of metal plates and pulled one out. It had a row of circular faces along one side, each with a different expression. Beside each face was a plus and minus symbol. At the bottom of the sheet was a row of triangles that could be torn off, three per metal sheet. Several of the sheets had the faces, then there were others that had other pictures and symbols.
From what I had read in the notes, this one with the faces was where I wanted to start, so I kept the one I'd grabbed and left everything else where it was. I had been gone for quite some time, so I pocketed the medallion and stuck the metal sheet in the back of my shirt. It wasn't large, but I didn't want anyone to see it and I had no where else to put it.
It had been quite some time, and I wasn't so foolish as to believe that no one would be looking for me, despite what the empress may have ordered. I had been brought to this castle for a specific reason, and the necklace didn't make the queen care for my well being, only obey me. Perhaps I should have had a longer conversation with her this morning rather than letting her leave so quickly. My excitement to explore was going to come back to bite me. She couldn't say anything about the necklace, but as I left the private office, I realized I could be walking out into trouble.
I stepped out of the door into the hallway. I made sure to put some distance between myself and the hidden door before I started whistling as I sauntered down the corridor. It wouldn't be long now.
As I rounded a corner, I saw two guards walking towards me. Looking back, a couple more had appeared behind me as well. They looked young, inexperienced. I could fight them and escape, but this wasn't the time for that.
I grinned as they stopped in a circle around me. No swords were drawn, so I simply waited, continuing to whistle softly.
Eventually, a man in a red uniform arrived. He scowled at me and said "sir Oshra, we have been looking for you. The empress would like you to return to your quarters immediately."
"And will the empreas be joining me?" I asked, smiling at the man.
The man glared in response. "The empress has little time to spend on the likes of you, and has asked that you br confined to your quarters until she has decided what to do with you." He grinned. "She says she may have no further use for you, in which case I would be responsible for removing you from the castle. In the mean time, you will stay put."
I laugh out loud. "She thinks one round in the sack is gonna get her what she wants? Ha! We true sons of the empire have plenty of stamina, and can handle any woman, but if it were that easy, I assure you that I wouldn't be the last heir of our first king."
The guardsman, at least a captain, had a look of rage flash across his features. His hand went to his sword as he bellowed, "you will not speak so casually of her majesty. She has chosen a horrible path for the sake of her kingdom, but know this. You are merely a means to an end, and once that end is achieved, you will no longer be needed."
I raise my hands. "Alright then, lead the way."
The captain stepped forward and shoved his hand in my pocket, pulling forth the inheritance medallion. "You were given this as a means of ensuring your cooperation, but it has been decided that you cannot be trusted with it any longer." He pocketed the medallion then turned to lead the way back to the room I'd stayed in the night before.
The guards opened the door to my room and I walked inside. As I passed him, the captain made one last remark. "If it were up to me, you'd be sleeping in a cell. Be grateful for her majesty's benevolence."
"You know, I haven't actually committed any crimes. I was invited here -" the door slammed in my face. Well I doubted we were ever going to be friends.
Over the next week, it became obvious that, while not a prisoner in name, they had decided to treat me like one. I was rarely allowed out of my room, and when I was, it was always with armed gurads. Simple food was brought to me twice a day, amd no one was ever allowed to be alone with me.
This was better than the treatment I had been expecting that first day they had dragged me in here, although it would have been nice to spend a little more alone time with the maids.
I spent my days exercising and trying to focus my magic. My father told me I had greater magic than he did, but I had never been able to cast any spells of even the most basic kind. So trying to muster up enough free mana to try and activate the bed without the medallion was tiring. I'd never spent much time practicing, so this was by far the hardest part of my incarceration.
I now knew there were multiple medallions, so maybe I could find one of the others. And now that I had held one, I knew what to look for. What to feel for. When captain dickhead had taken the medallion from me, I'd still been able to feel it's presence as he'd walked away. I didn't know how far I could sense one, but if one were close, I could find it.
The second week, they let me out walk the palace courtyard. The fresh air was nice. I continued to be careful and not make any overtly hostile actions. If I could have a moment alone with the queen, this could all be cleared up. However, she seemed to be aware of what might happen and was avoiding me. Well, if her goal was still to have a kid, she'd have to come to me eventually.
In the meantime, the palace was providing my room and board. Nothing too luxurious, but better than many places I'd stayed.
The third week, the captain started prowling around with a scowl on his face. The queen must have learned she wasn't pregnant yet. Every time I caught him pacing, I made sure to smile and wave.
At the end of the fourth week, as I sat in my chamber, the captain entered, followed by another, older man.
"I am chancellor Arvin." The old man began. "By now, I'm sure you've surmised the queen's state is...not what she'd hoped for."
"You mean she isn't pregnant? Yeah, I surmised from our mutual friend here. He's been pacing like a feral cat in heat." I chuckled. "So, when do I see her royal majesty again?"
"You don't," the old man said. I stood in surprise. "She's given up then?" I asked. "I thought she had chosen to do this for her people. That doesn't seem like very strong resolve. Didn't she need the first king's power?"
"Her majesty decided that she was incapable of continuing after your first encounter," the old man said, drawing out the last word. "Instead, she said you had already grown fond of a couple of her serving maids, Alya and Termina. When approached, they both volunteered to bear your children, then her majesty can raise one of them as her own." He paused. "They won't bear the blue hair of the royal family, but they can be married off to a child of the extended family. The lines will be woven together, and none will be the wiser."
I felt a little worry, as I doubt I fell in the circle of trust allowed to know the secret. But I could still make this work. Whether it was an effect passed down from lust, or a talent cultured by our great ancestor, no one in our family had ever created a child unless he chose to do so. I would have my fun with the two maids, and we'd see where things went. I knew an opportunity would arise.