Chapter XI: The Maid's Closet

The following morning, First Knight Lady Carmella burst through the door with Emilia on her tail. "Good morning!"

I jumped and fell out of bed. Which was inconvenient because Meryl was still entangled around me. We had eventually changed positions. Three or four times that night. Meryl whined and batted at me sleepily. Emilia sat on the side of the bed. "So, how was it?

"It was enjoyable. He's definitely the best man I've been with." The queen responded, patting me sleepily on the head. I could not understand why they were talking about me like I was not there, but they never really asked me my opinion. I just got up, threw the blankets on top of Meryl's head, and started getting dressed. Emilia's eyes never left me while I did. I got dressed faster. I also did not understand how they could be so cavalier about naked people around them. But Emilia was weird anyway. She was wearing a blue version of her maid's costume. I was sure she bought the same dress in seven different colors just so she could have one for each day and subsequently torture me. They had apparently realized that I was listening to them talk because they had started to whisper quickly between one another.

Carmella looked me up and down and grinned. Meryl also looked at me appraisingly. I frowned and walked out of the door. The half-elf maid followed me. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know. Hopefully, somewhere where people remember that I'm in the room," I responded absently, trying to fight back a yawn. Emilia wrapped her arm around mine and squeezed it. She directed me down a hall and took the lead. We stopped in front of the library. "I think you should study today. I'll be here to help."

"Help or distract me?"

She pouted and leaned in, pressing her chest against my arm. "How could I ever distract you?"

"Right. Distraction it is," I responded simply. I found a comfortable seat and saw my massive pile of books. I sat down and started reading. Emilia wandered around the library, taking down more books and adding to my stack. "What are you doing?"

"Ryllie says that you are supposed to report back to me every time you finish a book, and I disagree with some of her selections. So we're going to broaden your interests some. It might even keep you so busy that you don't read smutty romance novels." She grinned down at me.

"If last night is any indication, that romance novel helped me immensely."

"Oh?"

"It lets me know that she likes it when I'm... a little more direct."

"Aren't we a good little boy," Emilia said, cupping my face and squeezing it. "Doing whatever is necessary for a bit of praise."

I rolled my eyes and got back to reading. After a while, she sat down on the arm of my seat. She kept shifting and sighing dramatically. She had her own book but had barely made a few pages while I had finished an entire diatribe about court etiquette. She kept looking over her book at me. It was honestly really distracting. Eventually, I broke down and said, "Can I help you, Emilia? Do you need help sounding out the words?"

"You're different," she said, meeting my eyes. She was still sitting on the arm of my chair, forcing me to look up at her.

"Yeah, a few things have changed."

"Oh, like what?"

"Well, for starters, I'm more comfortable here," I said as I leaned into her thigh. She rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Ryllie is that good, huh?" She asked, stroking my neck. I leaned into her hand and sighed.

"Mm," I muttered noncommittally. "There are a few benefits to being here."

"Like what?" She asked, her fingers trailing over my scalp. I shuddered and tried to keep my eyes open. It was difficult. Especially as she drew my head down into her lap.

"The food is nice," I murmured absently. "Get plenty of exercise."

I didn't have to look up to know she was thinking about something; considering me. She wanted me to say something here. I didn't know what it could be. I wasn't sure. But I wrapped my arm around her dark thigh and squeezed it lightly. "And the people are unlike anything I've ever experienced in my old life. I've never met anyone like them."

"Oh?" She asked, her hand pausing.

"Yeah," I said, my muscles reclaiming their strength. I raised my head and picked up a book, flipping to another page. "There's Meryl. So smart and so capable. It's scary how she can just get what she wants. She doesn't make demands. People just want to help her. She's amazing. Being around her just causes change. Causes people to... want to be better. Makes me want to... want to be worthy of her."

"Yeah," Emilia replied, smiling dreamily. Her hand rested on my shoulder. She continued to brush my neck with her fingers. I forced myself not to shiver, not to give in.

"Then there's Carmella, sorry. The First Knight Lady Carmella," I said, emphasizing her title. She had earned it. It's kind of weird. I should call Meryl by her title too. Queen Meryl. But I think that would distance her from me. She'd hate it, but First Knight is such an essential thing to Carmella. She's earned it. Fought for it. When I came out of my thoughts, Emilia stared at me, waiting. "She does make demands. She will get what she wants, and anyone in her way be damned. And I never thought I could love someone like that."

"But you do?"

"I..." I realized I hadn't said it out loud before. To any of them. When I thought about them, my heart raced, my stomach lurched, and I realized that this ridiculous fucking situation aside, I would do anything for them. I also realized that I wasn't thinking about leaving. I tried to imagine myself back in my forge. Well, it had never really been my forge. It was my mentor's, James Sturr. I hadn't thought about him in a while. Or his wife, Stella. She's probably pretty upset. The forge getting used was one of the only things that kept her going. But the original thought came back. I whispered, "I... I do love them."

Emilia was frowning at me and started to pull out of my embrace. I gripped her leg, and she stopped. I met her eyes and considered her for a moment. Her face was hard, and she was trying to hold herself high. My mind flooded with thoughts and considerations. And just like with Meryl and Carmella, I realized I couldn't picture my life without Emilia here. And without consciously doing it, I muttered, "I love you."

Her mask shattered, and her lips parted a little. I didn't pay attention to this much, but she was wearing makeup. Her lips were a dark reddish-brown, and her eyelids were shadowed with a similar brown color, causing her light red, almost pink eyes to stand out even more. A thousand little details stood out that I realized I hadn't memorized. She proudly displayed her ears, not using her red hair to cover them. She closed her mouth, took a few deep breaths, and then said, "Is that what you think I want from you?"

"I-I honestly don't know what you want. What any of you want," I said honestly. She considered me for a moment. She then crawled off the armrest, putting a hand on my chest. Her legs slid to either side of me. I tried to scoot back but found the opposite armrest and was trapped. She pressed herself into me.

"What is it that you want?" She whispered against my lips. A floodgate of thoughts opened and options flooded my mind. I sputtered underneath her and tried to collect my thoughts. She watched me, very close to me. I tried to shift, and she gasped and pressed down harder on me. Her nails pressed into my shirt, and I could feel them press into my flesh. "Now, now. Use your words."

"I don't think... I don't, uh," I paused, still not having the clearest head. "You probably shouldn't let me decide these things."

"Tell me what you want," she reiterated.

"I just want to make you happy."

"That's a cop-out," she replied immediately. Her voice was low and soft but firm. "What do you want?"

"Why does it matter?" I asked, trying to shift the conversation to anything else.

"Because I want to know," she whispered against my neck. I shuddered and tried to pull away, but there wasn't anywhere to go. She nibbled into my neck, teeth trailing over the flesh lightly. "Tell me."

"You," I whispered. She stopped. I thought I could feel a smile spread on her lips against my throat.

"Me?" She asked, pushing her chest against me. I could feel her breasts compress against me. "I'm right here. So, surely, that's not what you meant."

Frustrated, I reached up, my arm wrapped around her back and found her ear, and stroked down it with a gentle finger. She moaned in my ear, loud and hungry, which did not help alleviate any of the pressure I was currently feeling. I tried to continue it, trying to get any leg up on her. But she grabbed my hand, pulled it away from her ear, and pinned it down next to my head. I could have resisted and maybe even won, but she didn't give me a chance to. She pushed herself fully onto me. "I don't think you understand what's happening here. This isn't an exchange. This isn't something where you have control. You're going to tell me what you want."

"Then..." I swallowed. "Then what?"

"Then, we'll see," she replied, grinning at me.

"I-I want to..." I tried to sit up, but she pinned my arm to the sofa we were sitting on.

'No," she reasserted. "Tell me what you want. I'll decide if it's good."

"You're just tormenting me."

"If that's what you want, I can do that. I'm sure I could find some whips, some chains. But you're the one making this harder than it has to be. All you have to do is what I'm telling you to do. Now, are you going to be a good boy for me, like you were for Ryllie, or not?"

"You're much more aggressive than usual."

"Am I?" She asked, pouting, her chest pressed against mine, her legs tightening around my hips.

"Yeah, you've never been this forward before."

"You would've gotten scared and ran away before," she said. "But now that I know you're in love, you won't. You're mine."

"So, you've been waiting for this?" I asked, still trying desperately to focus on anything else.

"Yeah, but I've been growing more impatient. Both Carmie and Ryllie have played with our new toy. Now, tell me what you want." I ran through my options. It was really tough as she constantly adjusted herself against me.

"T-take me somewhere private," I muttered. Emilia grinned at me. In one smooth motion, she pulled herself off of me. I got up unsteadily, my poor trousers stretched out obviously. Her eyes widened at it, her grin breaking out into a full smile; she grabbed my hand and dragged me down the hall. We went to a different part of the castle. It was one that I hadn't really had a chance to explore. It was kept just as clean as the rest but wasn't as decorated. The rooms were also closer together. She stopped in front of a nice, if simple, single door, opened it, and went inside. I followed her and looked around. The floor was just stone covered in a small carpet. There was a writing desk, a bed, a nightstand, and many stuffed animals strewn about the room. But it was apparent that love and care went to the organization. It was about the size of my entire first floor at home in the village. Which meant that it was much smaller than my room. I mean the room Meryl let me stay in. "Where are we?"

"My room," Emilia said simply. She pointed to the bed. "Sit."

I took a few steps into the room, looking around; little paintings were hanging from the walls. I was fascinated; I didn't sit yet, just taking in everything; Emilia reached over and undid my belt in two swift motions. I danced out of the way as she tried to pull my pants down, and she narrowed her eyes at me, pouting. I smiled at her and turned in the room. She wrapped her arms around me from behind and pressed her head into my back. She only came up to my mid-shoulder. I dragged her behind me to the bed and grabbed one of the plush animals, a small, black cat with a yellow moon sewn into its head. She looked through my arm at it and then up at me. There was something defiant in her eyes, daring me to say something. I gripped it and turned to her, sitting down on the bed. "Why is your room so much smaller than mi-... than Meryl's guestroom?"

"Are you seriously asking me why a maid's room is smaller than one meant for dignitaries and royal guests?" She asked incredulously, patting the head of the little animal. She tried to take it, but I clutched it to my chest.

"No. I'm making friends." She looked at me curiously. "And kind of? You're her lover. Her Inya Nute."

"Yeah, and I share her bed most nights. Or did it before you came around, taking up all of her attention. This is more of a closet and a place to keep my stuff than anything. I... don't really feel comfortable sleeping alone." I considered her for a moment, then looked around at the different things she had collected. She had a point. This room didn't look lived-in. While I was distracted, she stole the little cat plush, put it to the side, and crawled on top of me again, gripping my neck with stubby but nimble fingers. I stared up at her, wide-eyed. "But we're here for a different reason. Tell me what you want."

"I..." I leaned up a little, swallowing, and reached up and gripped her neck back. She leaned into it, grinning down at me.

"You?" She asked. I started to pull her down into a kiss, but she resisted. "Use your words. I want you to tell me what you want."

"Words," I began, breathless. Mostly that was me trying to suppress the annoyance in my voice. The impatience. "Are hard."

"Yes," she whispered playfully, pressing herself down onto me. "And so are you. But you're not getting anything until you ask for it."

"And what if I just took what I wanted?" I growled playfully.

"You couldn't," she responded absently. "I can take what I want, but you can't take me."

She muttered something I didn't understand, and her pink eyes glowed for a moment. There was a tingle around my body, something wrapping around my body. My entire body. I tried to look down at myself, but my head wouldn't move. I tried to move my arm, but it wouldn't either. I could breathe, and I could control my eyes. But that was it. She sat there on top of me, eyebrow raised.

"What... did you... do?" I managed to struggle out.

"Hold Person. You are under my control, Johann. You'll do what I say." I tried to resist the spell she'd cast on me to no avail. I couldn't so much as wiggle a finger. She gripped my hand and pushed it above my head again. Her other hand passed over my stomach as she pushed up my tunic. Her nails trailed gently over my flesh, and I tried to shudder, but I couldn't. "You've been bad, trying to resist me. I could just leave you like this."

"I... I'm sorry," I managed. Emilia grinned at me and pushed my clothes further up, her lips following behind her hand, up my chest. I tried to shiver. I struggled against the invisible bonds around me but couldn't break them.

"You really are a good boy, aren't you?" She cooed. Her mocking praise and hot breath on my flesh definitely got the reaction she wanted. Hold Person or no, I was stretching out my trousers. She had pressed herself firmly into me. My breathing became ragged. "Because you're so adorable like this, I'll give you one last chance. Tell me what you want. If I think it sounds fun, I may even acquiesce."

My body, trapped in this awkward position, ached for her. Again, my mind was awash with so many possibilities. I couldn't decide. But my tongue had. Without making a conscious decision, I spoke, "Kiss me."

A vulpine smile overtook her face, and she leaned down and pecked my lips before leaning back, pressing down on me. I whimpered and struggled more, to no avail. "More. Kiss me like I'm your... uh, Hanwa Nute."

She stared at me for a moment or two before leaning down again. She gripped my chin, her finger running through the beard I had grown and pressed her lips into mine. Her breathing was shallow, and her tongue poked out and slipped into my mouth. My tongue slid softly, tentatively, against hers. Her hand rested on my chest as she continued to explore my mouth. Her body started to grind against mine absently. A moan grew in her throat, and she broke the kiss, her hand resting against my bare skin. I watched her chest heave with deep breaths. Despite her control, I could tell she was just as desperate as I was. She wanted more. Which gives me an opportunity. If she thinks she can just control me, she's wrong. After a moment or two of watching her, I asked her, "C-can I see you?"

"Was my kiss so good that you've gone blind?" She replied, giggling.

"No, I mean... Could you strip down for me?" She watched me, biting her lip. She then threw her leg over and walked off for a moment. I could see my lust fully extended through my trousers. The tip was wet. Probably from both sides. She turned her attention back to me, letting me drink in her maid outfit. It was a lacy blue thing, designed more for titillation than actual function. It tied around the neck, wrapping around the bosom and circling around to cover her ass. It was split in two on either leg, the cut ending high enough to be sure if she was wearing underwear. I knew that she hadn't. There was no back to the dress. It also had a window on the chest I had often caught myself staring into, wanting to clutch her breasts. To massage them. To experience them fully. The only other thing she wore was stockings that ended most of the way up her thigh.

She bent over and started running her hands over the stockings. I groaned and tried to reach out. Her dress rode up, and I could see the hint of her gender. She grinned at me and let her hand crawl over her ass, revealing more of her dark tan skin, the dress following her hand. Just as she was about to show her pussy, she let it fall and turned to face me properly. I couldn't stop staring down the window into her cleavage. She bent over far enough so that her chest hung heavily, and I could trace the whole shape of her chest with my eyes. She pressed her fingers to the fabric covering her sternum with one hand and reached behind her neck for the other. Her fingers twisted, and the tie around her neck fell loose, only being held up with the hand against her sternum. She walked closer, putting her knee between my legs, and leaned over me. "Do you want to see them?"

"Yes," I whispered.

"Yes, what?" She asked. I wanted to buck against her demands, but I wanted her more.

"Please, Emilia."

"When I'm in control like this, you will call me Cher'da." She leaned over, and I watched her chest struggle to escape their loose bonds. "Say it."

"Cher'da," I whispered, over-pronouncing it some. She shivered at the title. "What does it mean?"

"Mistress," she responded. My mind reeled. In a way, she was my mistress. I was betrothed to Meryl. And I had something with Carmella. But in the exact same way, I had something with Emilia. In another way, I was also beholden to her. She was in control. Not just now but in general. My feelings were a complex web of contradictions. But I wanted her and wasn't entirely opposed to the idea. But she'd also learn I wasn't a pushover.

"My Cher'da," I began, and she grinned. "Let me see them."

Her hand slowly drifted down, revealing more of her chest. She showed her full breast, larger by at least a handful than Meryl's. Much bigger than Carmella's. Her areolas were darker than her deep brown skin; they were cute, petite, and pointed in the sky. She let the dress front hang. It was still tied around her waist. But I could see the top of her stomach. Carmella was all wiry muscle. Strong and defined. Meryl's was flat and smooth. Emilia was different; she wasn't fat, but she was much curvier in some respects. Her waist was thin, but her hips and chest stuck out further. She reached over with her hands and pulled my trousers down. I couldn't have resisted if I had wanted to. And when my lust, pointed out to the sky, popped out, and I watched her eyes track it, It was so embarrassing. She pulled off my trousers the rest of the way, leaving me bare from the chest down.