Entwined and Enraptured Pt. 01

Jesters circled around the nobles, nestled away from common folk by elegant fencing. The jesters plucked coins from behind the noble children's ears, before prancing into the commoner crowds to place them in the hands of the less fortunate. Music belted proudly from the other side of the field, close to the front-row seating at the base of the castle's eastern wall. The eyes of the seated and standing were fixated on the tall balcony several stories above, where within an alcove of fine stone battlements and lace curtains sat the prince and his close court.

Prince Kesh; son of the late king Dharn and queen Verena. Kesh was thrust into matters of sovereignty rather abruptly with their passing around 5 years ago, but through the support of his late parent's advisors, his friends in nobility and a few of his more reliable siblings, he and the kingdom had stood firm throughout these changes.

Now it was only a few weeks to his 24th birthday; today's function, a meeting of royalty, had seen him meet the one who may soon become his wife.

He exchanged goodbyes with her as she and her entourage departed. One of his advisors scurried in just as they left, a perplexed look plastered on his face. The man's name was Deneb; he was scrawny and tall, a rather thick head of hair on his head covered by a round cap.

"Your highness," he began curtly, with a bow. "It would appear you have a visitor. She claims to have known your father and requests an audience."

"My father?" Kesh responded promptly, a bit startled. He took a sip of his wine, eyeing Deneb out of the corner of his eye. "Your thoughts on this visitor?"

"Advisor Vorkal and Lady Benning claim that they remember her," he continued. "They said that she's a medicine woman from the western plains who is quite well received in several of the townships there, and that she did in fact meet your father sometime over twenty years ago."

"That's quite the long time ago," Kesh muttered quietly. "I can attest to Vorkal's memory, though I do recall Lady Benning forgetting her youngest son's name once."

Kesh chuckled quietly at the memory. The advisor couldn't help but laugh a bit himself.

"Indeed, your highness," he continued with a smile. "If it aids your decision, some of the castle workers who hail from those parts seem to recognize her too."

"They say that she's helped their families out on several occasions," he went on. "On various matters from herbal remedies for common ailments to marital advice. They spoke well of her."

"Interesting," Kesh replied, getting up. "Very well, I don't see the harm in an audience, take me to her, Deneb."

Deneb bowed slightly before opening the door for his liege.

---------------

The doors to the royal hall were opened as Kesh and Deneb entered. There, standing near the base of the throne and facing him, was a cloaked woman.

The color of her cloak was a light mint green, giving way to a leaven green dress underneath that ended around her knees just above tall leather boots; a well-woven leather satchel was tied around her waist. The woman's face was tan, of an almond brown complexion, a common shade among those from the villages who spent much time in the sun; it was several shades darker than the prince's as he spent most of his time behind the castle wall's. He'd always been more fond of scrolls and studying than roving adventuring.

That was more for his siblings, much to his chagrin; most of them were out by the border's at this very moment, hunting for monsters and busy with other miscellaneous shenanigans.

The woman was taller than Kesh; a common occurrence for him as he wasn't that tall for his age and the women of the kingdom were quite tall on average. A small gold ring piercing hung prominently from her septum, and thick black curls of hair poked out from under the hood of her cloak. Her sharp eyes were outlined with some form of body paint, with small lines of red and dark brown streaking away in well-defined spirals and symbols; her brows were neat and well defined. A similar coat of dark maroon paint covered her lips, which were spread wide in a warm smile.

Kesh smiled back subconsciously. There was something about her, a form of pull, that was unfamiliar to him yet so enticing; he was almost dragged towards her as he somehow overtook his advisor and stood before her before the confused Deneb could even announce him.

"You must be Kesh," she spoke, her voice warm and friendly, almost sticky to the mind of Kesh; it was as if it was all he could hear.

"Yes," he replied promptly. He was a bit flustered; he realized he didn't know what else to say in the moment.

Deneb, now having caught up, looked perplexed as to why the prince hadn't taken insult at her informal tone.

"My apologies for this sudden visit, especially for such an old matter," she continued, turning to Deneb. "And for the informality of my tone."

She turned back to Kesh.

"You just resemble your father so much," she said, folding her arms as she did.

The sleeves of her dress slid away slightly, revealing tattoos of black and red that ran down her fingertips and along her wrists, growing more sparse as they approached her still veiled elbow. Kesh caught images of wild animals, glyphs and various patterns, yet the details were too minute for a cursory glance to divulge; he didn't want to be rude and stare.

"Quite a bit smaller than him, if you'll permit the observation," she grinned. "Not a bad thing for me mind you."

Deneb seemed to have taken offence again leaned in to speak, but Kesh made a calming gesture to still him.

"No offence taken," Kesh smiled. "The circumstances are strange, but if you did know my father as you claim then I am quite pleased to make the acquaintance."

"The feeling is mutual," she replied, her gaze on him still firm and intense. "The details of that meeting are what I wish to discuss with you."

She turned to Deneb.

"In private, I must insist," she said politely, with a slight nod.

"Now madam, regardless of your acquaintance with the late king I'm afraid we can't just-" Deneb began to protest, until Kesh made another gesture to ease him.

"I think it will be fine," Kesh comforted him.

He was somewhat concerned as well by the request, but his curiosity and - somewhat embarrassing - newfound infatuation overtook it.

"Though we must insist in return that my guard be posted outside the door, an indignance that will be needed only this one time, I'm sure," he added politely.

"That is acceptable," she replied with a slight bow.

Deneb, somewhat defeated, respected the words of his liege and led them to the heavy-set doors of the nearest meeting chamber. Runes of silence marked the door in indents, gems of magical power embedded in them to power an enchantment that would render the room private for any inside.

Alongside them were decorative sigils for each successful negotiation that had been conducted in each chamber. Most were added by Kesh's father, many more by one of his younger sisters and a few by Kesh himself over the last year. He hoped by the end of today he would get to add another, and that his worries about this meeting would be for naught.

---------------

Kesh shut the door slowly, turning to see the cloaked woman make her way to the desk at the room's center. She undid her satchel, placing it on the table before sliding of her cloak and hanging it on the nearest chair. Her form was larger than his and rather curvy, yet she moved with impressive agility and poise. She was muscular; almost definitely stronger than him, he thought to himself. He grew a bit nervous and imagined a dagger emerging from her satchel at any moment. He cautiously kept one hand on the door handle.

He tightened his grip as he watched her undo the clasp of the satchel. She reached inside and pulled out a clutch of papers. Kesh's grip softened, his concerns once again giving away to innate curiosity. Paperwork was familiar, comforting.

She turned towards him, smiling.

"I promise you once again Kesh, I mean you no harm," she said softly, holding up the papers and moving towards him. She passed them to him and moved away, seating herself on one of the chairs.

"Twenty-five years and two moons ago to this day, I helped your father with a matter of pressing economic concern," she began recounting, crossing her legs.

To Kesh's surprise she began to unzip her boots, and before long had taken them off and placed them by the side of her chair. More tattoos emerged, running down from the base of her dress and along firm calves all the way to her toes; an ornate moon was visible on the top of her foot, with an exact copy in the same place on her other foot. Kesh looked away, his face a bit flushed. She seemed to notice and grinned slightly.

"Those documents hold the details, but to summarize," she went on, reclining with her hands on her knee. "I helped your father locate what you now know as the eastern mines, along the far east hillocks of your family's territory."

Kesh's eyes widened in surprise. The mines have been the lifeblood of their kingdom for the past two decades, having been discovered shortly before he was born. Coincidentally, just around when she had previously been seen in the castle.

"The documents hold all the details," she repeated herself, leaning over the table to rest her head on her palm. "Including all the formalities of your father's courtly proceedings."

That was a bold claim, Kesh thought to himself quietly. But the more he looked at the documents the more it seemed that what she said was true; he rifled through a few pages, eyeing the sigil of his family stamp on several of them. The magic within each seal made it shimmer the royal colors of indigo and teal when he tilted it this way and that, while filling his senses with floral scents of the countryside; it was magic that was incredibly difficult - practically impossible - to forge at this level of detail.

"You have indeed met him then," Kesh finally added, now at last feeling a bit relieved. His father wouldn't have given this level of credibility away to just anyone. "I apologize for our earlier caution."

"As I said before, no offence was taken, though your politeness is well received," she said, ending with a soft laugh. "It is indeed strange I'm sure for me to return to the castle after such a long time."

"It is simply the time when I wish to collect my reward, the one promised to me by your father," she added, smirking.

Kesh's face hardened. What could she have asked in return for a find as immense as those mines?

Also, if she helped his father over 20 years ago... how old does that make her? Kesh would have guessed she was barely into her twenties at a glance; he couldn't help but wonder if her occupation and lifestyle as a druidess affected her ageing to some extent.

"The summary is on the final page, the final paragraph," she went on.

Curious to see what it was, Kesh flipped through the pages quickly before finding the last one. He began reading the paragraph and... froze immediately. His face reddened in moments, his eyes widening.

The mysterious visitor was grinning from ear to ear.

"Upon the successful discovery of a significant mineral vein, with the employ and assistance of Kala, a sanctioned druid of the western plains," she spoke, paraphrasing the exact words of the paragraph. "She will gain the divine and lawful right to claim a child of the king, when they are of age and at the time of her choosing, as her consort."

"So was the condition agreed to by the king, your father," she finished. Kesh looked up at her, blushing, to see her wide grin and sharp eyes digging into him.

He looked away from her; he clutched the papers to his chest in embarrassment. Questions were racing through his mind. Many, many questions.

Why would father agree to terms like this?!

Well, the situation back then was dire, with the kingdom on the throes of bankruptcy, Kesh admitted to himself.

He also noted additional clauses in the previous page that detailed the manners in which the consort must be protected, how the affairs must be kept private if the consort wanted, and how they will be given full freedom to carry out their royal duties even if the position of consort places the chosen below the druidess in rank....

"This is..." Kesh finally spoke, quietly, stuttering intensely. "I will... I will have to recall my siblings, so- so that you can discuss and make arrange-"

"No need," she interjected, her fierce eyes still fixed on his. "It's not one of them that I chose."

Kesh stared at her, aghast. He lost his grip on the papers and they fluttered to the floor. There was a pause of several seconds where all he could do was stare at her as even his ears reddened in embarrassment, until finally he could speak again.

"Me?!" Kesh muttered abruptly, rather loudly.

Kesh couldn't believe what she'd just said; I mean his older brother was much better built than Kesh, who was rather petite in comparison. The man could march in full plate-armor for days, and every brothel wench in the city would agree that he'd definitely enjoy a consort's 'duties'.

Kesh, on the other hand, only had one romantic interaction to his name so far; he had his heart broken by a barmaid once and.... that was it.

The same that could have been said of his brother's looks could be said for his sisters as well, as well as at least one of them in terms of enthusiasm towards the task at hand... he recalled somewhat sadly as a vivid memory of his sister and Kesh's beloved barmaid entwined together in the castle pantry surfaced in his mind momentarily.

Most of his other brothers were plenty well-built and attractive themselves. Kesh didn't consider himself wholly unattractive just... why him?!

I mean she was far from unattractive herself, the thought wandered into his mind.

"Me?!" Kesh spluttered again. "Why me?! I thought you wanted to pick my brother!"

"I have my reasons why I picked you over any of your brothers," the druid Kala spoke, twirling her foot as she did. "And over your sister, Neem," she continued with a grin. "Though that was momentarily very tempting."

The thought of his sister getting swooped away by an attractive forest druid was a strange one, which simply added to Kesh's embarrassment at this situation. He had to admit however that part of him was relieved that none of his siblings would have to deal with this utterly bizarre scenario out of the blue. He couldn't think about things further as he noticed Kala looking at him rather sternly.

"I will tell you why, but for now," Kala said firmly, her face hardening slightly. "Lock the door and walk over to me, Kesh."

Kesh paused for a moment, weighing his options. He sunk his gaze to the floor, his hands twiddling their fingers in embarrassment. In his mind he grappled with the situation. He couldn't help but admit that he did find her incredibly attractive from the moment that they'd met, yet to immediately become her consort? What of the princess who he'd just been frolicking with on the balcony? The future of the kingdom!?

The papers were splayed by his feet, the indigo and teal light given off the seals bouncing off his robe. He eyed them and sighed.

He turned and locked the door with a swipe of his hand on the door handle; he took a tentative step towards her and then a few more, till he was standing in front of her seated figure. He ventured a glance upwards and saw her, smiling, her piercing gaze still on him. Even seated, her head and his were almost on the same level. His arms swayed and moved around, uncertain of what to do.

"You have chosen to honor the agreement?" Kala questioned firmly. There was a sudden edge to her tone that somewhat frightened Kesh. It wasn't aggressive so much as it was incredibly assertive.

"Ye-" Kesh began to speak with his head still lowered and froze, taking a breath. "Yes, your- your assistance to the kingdom will be honored, Kala the druid."

Kesh felt a finger on his chin, which startled him. She tilted his head so that his gaze was forced to match hers. Her expression was stern, fierce. Kesh felt as terrified as he was enraptured by her.

"You have chosen," she said firmly. "To honor. The. Agreement?"

She spoke each word individually, marching the hardness of the words home.

Kesh stared ahead at her and steadied himself.

"Yes," he said, his voice unbroken now, yet still shaky. "I will be your consort."

They stared at each other for a few seconds, until Kala finally smiled. Her finger glided up from his chin along the side of Kesh's face, caressing his cheek gently. Kesh shuffled on his feet, not sure of what to do; he crossed his legs slightly and hoped she wouldn't notice. She opened her mouth to speak.

"You are safe with me, Kesh," she said softly, her face suddenly much gentler. "I will take care of you, and I won't let anyone hurt you, I promise."

The words eased him, slightly, while her touch began to dredge up urges and affections that had been mostly foreign to him so far in life. The words he had spoken were dawning on him; imagined scenarios of the two of them together blossomed in his head. As terrified as he was, he had to tighten his body to control himself.

Kala slowly pulled her hand away, reclining into her seat once again. There she rested for another few seconds, seemingly soaking in the sight of the fidgeting prince before her. She smiled before continuing her speech.

"There is one more, lets call it a formality, before we can conclude for now," she spoke, the assertiveness returning to her figure again. "And to proceed to that point, I would like you to put your robe away and sit."

The rather abrupt command slightly shook Kesh from the trance her fingers and words had left him in, as he slid the robe that covered his tunic off and hung it on a nearby chair. As and turned to pull the chair closer he was startled to hear a slight sigh from her.

"Tssk tsk," Kala tutted in a firm tone, pulling Kesh's attention back to her. "Not there."

She didn't say anything further. Kesh was confused for a moment, until he noticed that she was pointing at the floor in front of her with her toe. She stared Kesh down as he blinked rapidly in surprise, his eyebrows raised.

"The- the floor?" Kesh was taken aback. That was horribly cruel to do to anyone, even a commoner, yet to ask that of the crown prince was absurd. "That is a bit rude don't you-"

"Are you talking back to me, prince consort?" she interjected, fresh harshness in her tone. Words caught in Kesh's throat, and he couldn't finish his sentence.

"Do I need to discipline you so soon? To remind you of your place in this arrangement? Sit."

She weighed the last word, emphasizing the fact that it was a command.

Kesh wanted to interject, to argue against her or call his guards in. Yet as he eyed the door, all he could see were the papers. All he could see were the royal seals and the glimmer of expected honor.

Though what was worse was when he wondered whether he was using honor as an excuse, as a way to hide from the shame he felt towards himself as he began to realize something: for some reason he was growing more and more attracted to her with everything she said and did.

It bothered him to think of how unbecoming such emotions were of royalty.

Though, perhaps, the fact that he was just honoring an agreement was one way in which he could hold himself together throughout all of this while retaining his pride as a prince.

He sighed slightly; he relaxed his fists, which had clenched subconsciously.

Slowly, he began to lower himself to the floor, coming to rest on his knees in front of her ornately tattooed foot. She truly towered over him now, her fierce, marked figure making even his status as crown prince seem so distant now.