From Betrayal to Joy - The Novella

The king's honesty caused Wanda to giggle. "I can't say as I would blame them."

The king laughed as well and followed by saying, "I don't care the political fallout. She is not getting an invitation to the wedding."

"Wedding, Sire?"

"Yes."

King Rupert fell to one knee and asked in a quavering voice, "Angel, will you marry me?"

"Of course, Sire, of course!"

The king rose to full height again and stated softly, "I had hoped that you would." From his vest pocket the king withdrew an ornate key.

"First, off with this." The king reached around Wanda, parted her scarlet hair and placed the key in the lock to her collar. In a moment, it fell clattering to the floor. Before Wanda could reach her neck and feel again the once familiar skin, King Rupert grabbed her left hand, "And on with this!" the king slid a huge diamond on the third finger of Wanda's left hand.

"It was my mother's. I surreptitiously had your finger measured and had it resized appropriately."

"Oh, Sire!" cried Wanda as she gazed at the ring that adorned her finger. It was far more beautiful than her old wedding ring and, already, this one meant far more to her. She was so focused on the wonderful bauble that she almost missed the king's next words.

"These shall be your quarters until the nuptials. I am having your clothes and possessions transferred here. There are a thousand and one things to do. Among other things, you must be prepared to meet and rule my people. We will tour the country together. Winning an unwanted war has made me enormously popular, I am overdue for the congratulatory tour. You shall make it at my side. I am positive my subjects will love you as much as I do."

"Oh, Sire, this is almost too much to take in all at once."

"I suppose it is rather sudden, but all my life, I have believed that when I found the woman who was perfect for me I would know. My harem was, in part, an experiment to see if just any beautiful woman could turn my head. While I built up something akin to affection for some of your seraglio sisters, none stirred even a tenth of my passions as you do. You're suitable in other ways as well, you know what a soldier's life entails, so you will not begrudge me the time I spend in the field with my troops. Also, as a former disciple of the goddess Selene, our union will make us the most talked about couple in this and in every surrounding kingdom. Your officers gave you away expecting that I would foully debase you and discard you after a few flings, but you subverted their plans with your innocence, honesty, confidence, and understanding. Your wearing the crown of authority as my queen will pay back those heartless generals who saw only a pretty but barely adequate soldier in ways they could scarcely imagine. I suspect that, at the very least, your general Willow will be court-martialed, and your sister will be most irate. They tossed you away, but you shall ascend to a point far above them. You shall have the last laugh, Angel, isn't that marvelous?"

"Indeed, it is, Sire!" exclaimed Wanda as she fell into King Rupert's arms and showered him with kisses.

The changes in Wanda's life were immediate. Her few possessions, all gifts from the king, were brought to this new room. Into the room across the hall Wanda's two new ladies-in-waiting were stationed. The two young women were well versed in royal protocol and court intrigue. The two women, one of whom, despite her youth, reminded Wanda a great deal of Huldah, gently yet passionately, began to school their future queen on her role and responsibilities. Wanda liked them both immediately and the three became fast friends. There was SO much to learn, yet Wanda found herself rising to the challenge. Learning in the Sisterhood stockade was never this much fun!

The royal seamstress was summoned to create some more conservative gowns for Wanda's public appearances. Despite the prim seamstress's objections, King Rupert insisted that each gown include a slit up the right leg to reveal Wanda's tattoo. The older woman was almost apoplectic as she exclaimed,

"But, Sire, to display so much flesh is immodest!"

The king shot back, "This is MY kingdom, the woman shall be MY queen, she shall be clad as I wish, now complete your task with no more grumbling!"

The only thing that Wanda found frustrating about her new living situation was the fact that she and King Rupert had to greatly curtail their lovemaking. With her new schooling, gown fittings, and energies devoted to keeping fit, there was simply less time. Also, the public expected a patina of respectability and decorum. No matter that Wanda had entered the king's life as a harem girl, she was the future queen now, so the public, as ridiculous an expectation as it was, demanded an interval of celibacy for their new rulers. This was why, a month after being moved to a separate wing of the castle, Wanda and her ladies in waiting were exiled to a manor house owned by a family friend of the king. Wanda's new home was a respectable carriage ride distance from King Rupert's main castle. It was very nice, but Wanda missed the king dearly. It also began to sink in that her life with Rupert also belonged to the public. She realized, with an ache, that their quiet moments together in the past, might never occur in the same way again.

After two months of splendid isolation, Wanda and King Rupert began their tour of the Kingdom of Tirana. Clad in her beautiful new gowns with their daring slit and a beautiful new tiara, Wanda was quite nervous at first as she stood next to her tall royal intended and waved at the assembled crowds. Her butterflies were fleeting however when King Rupert told her that she looked smashing and that the public clearly adored her. In the press accounts, Wanda realized that the king's pronouncement was true. The reporters extolled on Wanda's beauty, poise and fashion sense. "Already, there is word from seamstresses across the nation, that women of all sorts requesting that their gowns be altered in the matter of our future beautiful queen, Angel of the Sisterhood. The women are not going so far as to ape the former warrior's tattoo however, instead placing a coy garter high on their right thigh." Wanda read in wonder. The thought that women were seeking to imitate her had a profound impact upon the still shy woman. All her life, Wanda had been compared unfavorably to others, that she was now a trend-setter was scarcely believable. Wanda was very careful however for it not to go to her head. All her life she had been waiting for the other shoe to drop, she saw no need to change her expectations.

The next several months were spent in a whirlwind of visits, dinners, handshakes, public pronouncements and gift giving and receiving. Some of the baubles Wanda received were quite breathtaking, others simply practical. She found the simplest the most endearing. One of her favorites was an ornately bound scrapbook from the young girl's organization of Tirana, containing clipping of nearly all her press appearances from the small notes that a member of the Sisterhood of Selene had been offered as tribute, to the multi-page, full-color, Sunday supplement pages of recent tour stopping points. Along with the scrapbook, which obviously was a labor of love, was a sincere note from the girls' representative stating how excited they were for their kingdom to be gifted with such a beautiful and unconventional future queen, as well as a note as to how inspirational Wanda was to girls of all stripes, "One of our members, a girl from a troubled home, who felt life was hopeless, chose not to end her life when she heard of you. ""Our beloved Angel ignored orders to end her life and became far more than she was. If I were to kill myself now, I would miss the glory of her wedding and the joy of having an Angel for my queen,"" she told me. This girl now has no desire to harm herself and has found new joy in life. All because of you," read Wanda with tears in her eyes.

Wanda returned to King Rupert's main castle just once, to witness the dismissal of his harem. Sitting next to King Rupert, not on a throne, but in a simple yet ornate chair, Wanda witnessed how her future husband sent his former lovers on their various ways. One by one, they were led in and their collars removed. All were permitted to take their clothing and any jewels King Rupert had gifted them. Each of the women who had come from foreign lands was given an escort and luxurious passage to their original countries. Many of them eyed Wanda enviously, a few were apparently blasé. Only Min looked at Wanda with a twinkle in her eye. Wanda whished that she could have a final conversation with one of the few women who had befriended her, but she knew that decorum demanded her silence. Wanda bit her tongue. With her new life would come new restraints. No one she realized was ever truly free of laws and consequences. Every former resident of the seraglio went away rich, but some left richer than others. Those who had shown kindness to Wanda were gifted far more generously. The petite blonde who smuggled in the dagger, left the least rich of all. How the king had such detailed knowledge of the inner workings of his harem was. At first, a mystery to Wanda, then Canter and Huldah entered.

"Canter, old boy. It looks like you are out of a job," stated Rupert.

The eunuch bowed and replied, "With your permission, Sire. I would like to take up a similar position in the kingdom of Lateria."

"Do you know the language?"

"I have been practicing, Sire!"

With a laugh, King Rupert stated, "Permission granted."

At last, grey-haired Huldah curtsied before the king.

"Huldah, what would I have done without you? Your retirement is well-deserved, and I shall reward you handsomely."

"All well and good," interrupted Huldah, "I will take a brief vacation, but, unless I miss my guess, before long, you and Angel will need a competent and reliable nurse. Reward me any way you want, Sire but I served your father and I have served you faithfully, but I am not going to let you simply pension me off."

Both Wanda and Rupert laughed heartily at Huldah's forthrightness.

"No, I suppose that I cannot simply pension you off! When you return from your vacation, and you may take as long as you like, your new bailiwick shall be the royal nursery."

Huldah bowed low and replied, "Now you are talking, Sire!"

Wanda was as happy as she could be, but she was very anxious for the wedding to occur so that she and Rupert could resume having sex. Celibacy had never been a part of her life since becoming an adult and it was quite a difficult expectation to live up to. Giving herself relief at night, alone, under the covers with her hands was simply not the same. Now that the genie of intimacy with King Rupert had been let out of the bottle, there was no way to get it back in. To make up for his physical presence, King Rupert sent wonderful and occasionally quite explicit love letters. Wanda collected these in a satin-lined box. She wrote to her future husband of her desires and needs as well, but she simply could not match Rupert's gift with language.

Wanda was being fitted for her wedding gown when she realized that every paradise contains a serpent. She was standing in a large room, clad only in a corset and stocking before a full-length mirror while the seamstresses altered the dress when a tall, blonde maid entered, carrying a tray. Wanda spied the maid from the corner of her eye. She seemed eerily familiar. Then, the maid lunged at her with a dagger and Wanda recognized her sister Bonnie in disguise! There was a scream from one of the seamstresses. Wanda raised her hands defensively at the last minute. Bonnie's death lunge was partially parried, still, Wanda felt the blade of the dagger enter her shoulder.

Viciously, Wanda and Bonnie fought. Ordinarily, Wanda was no match for her stronger taller sister, but on this occasion, she fought with a ferocity beyond her stature. The cries of the seamstresses brought the royal bodyguards into the room, but not before Bonnie was able to open a gash on Wanda's chest as well. The royal bodyguards, after a furious struggle, were able to get the dagger away from Bonnie, but she continued to resist with the desperation and determination of a wildcat.

"You bitch!" cried Bonnie, "Do you really think the Sisterhood would let you become a wife of a patriarchal asshole? You should have offed him when he first took you to his bed, failing that you should have offed yourself. You are the shittiest soldier ever!"

At last, the royal bodyguards were able to pull Bonnie and Wanda apart. The seamstresses rushed in with bits of cloth to staunch the flow from Wanda's wounds.

"King Rupert loves me and has from the first!" shot back Wanda, "What do you and the Sisterhood know of love? General Willow gave me away! I never claimed to be a great soldier, If the Matriarchy wanted Rupert dead, they should have sent a soldier far better than myself!"

"You always were a pathetic, worthless cunt, Wanda! I should have left you behind instead of escaping with you to that stockade!"

"Gag her!" cried the chief bodyguard. In short order, Bonnie was gagged and trussed up. The chief bodyguard took his dagger and sliced up the skirt of Bonnie's stolen maid uniform, revealing the tattoo of the Sisterhood.

"This is an act of war, your Highness," he stated flatly to Wanda and all the guards.

"That is a matter for the King to decide," returned Wanda.

Rupert's first thoughts on hearing the news was concern over Wanda's health. On being informed that her wounds were serious but not life-threatening, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He rushed to Wanda's side and kissed her deeply. Shortly thereafter he informed Wanda, "I am going to interrogate your sister. Would you like to come along?"

"Without question, Sire!" shot back Wanda

At a military stockade not far away, King Rupert was briefed by a Colonel as he entered the interrogation room.

"Clearly, it was intended as a suicide mission. We took the liberty of rendering her unconscious and found a cyanide pill secreted beneath a false tooth. Only the gag prevented her from activating it. There was a second pill secreted in her sex. We also found a needle hidden in her hair filled with snake venom. We believe that was to be the primary weapon to be used against our future queen. The Sisterhood obviously wanted the Lady Angel to suffer a horrific, painful death, but our would-be assassin apparently felt more comfortable with the dagger."

"I see," stated King Rupert. "Bring her in."

The door swung open and between two hulking Military Policemen came Bonnie. She was clad in a skirt short enough to reveal her tattoo and a brief halter. King Rupert's noted Bonnie's great beauty, even with the defiant scowl on her face. Bonnie took one look at Wanda and spat in her direction.

"Repeat that behavior and I will have your tongue cut out!" barked Rupert.

Bonnie deigned to look at King Rupert and stated contemptuously, "All I need say to YOU is my name, rank, and, serial number. What I have to say to HER has already been stated."

"For the sake of my future wife, I am trying to find a way to preserve your life."

"For HER sake? Don't do me any favors, jerkwad!"

Rupert ignored the insult and asked, "Why did you try to kill Angel?"

"Angel? That's a good one. If you can't figure out why I tried to kill the woman who USED to be my sister, then you know nothing of the Sisterhood of Selene."

"What you did is an act of war."

"I prefer to look at it," returned Bonnie, "as a dispute between siblings. Like always, the whore who USED to be my sister failed at everything. We knew she was a type that would appeal to you, so I agreed with General Willow that Wanda would be a perfect bit of tribute. As incompetent a soldier we knew her to be, we figured the worst that would happen, if she didn't kill you or kill herself, would be languishing in your harem. Out of sight and out of mind, written off as a dutiful soldier with a star on the memorial wall, but she could not even do that right! We cannot allow one of our own to be wed to a patriarchal parasite such as you. I volunteered for this mission because I offered up Wanda in the first place. I fully expect the noose and a failed assassin's anonymous grave. If you declare war on the Sisterhood, you know that you cannot win it. If you think this is the last mission against that redheaded whore, think again. Others will come, and we will keep coming until we succeed. Enjoy your strumpet while you can, she is not long for this world."

"Is there no way to divert the Sisterhood's antagonism?" asked the king.

"Return her to the Sisterhood under my authority. We will see that she is court martialed and convicted. In exchange we promise her a painless death."

"You know that is impossible." Stated King Rupert levelly.

"Then we both have our answer, don't we? Asshole."

"You realize that I must sign your death warrant. That your sister's injuries will be explained away and word of your attempt on her life will never be mentioned anywhere?"

"Of course. When I volunteered to eliminate that cunt, I knew I wasn't coming back. You can't afford to keep me alive. I go to a hero's death into the arms of Selene. My former sister, when she dies in a short time, will be exiled to the deepest reaches of space, away from the sun, the moon, and, the earth. Her death will be a pervert's death."

King Rupert sighed heavily, he turned first to Wanda and then to Bonnie and asked, "Is there anything at all you have to say to each other?"

With tears in her eyes Wanda stated, "I forgive you, Bonnie."

Bonnie gazed contemptuously at Wanda and spat, "Fuck off!"

Wanda cried long and hard into King Rupert's shoulder after the interview with Bonnie concluded. The realization that her own sister had been instrumental in giving her away, even though it had a happy ending for Wanda, was deeply troubling and painful.

"You realize that she must die." Stated Rupert at one point.

"Yes, Sire. Still, it troubles me greatly."

"I understand that, my love. She is wrong about one thing however, now that we know the Sisterhood has you in their sights, we will ramp up the protection around you. You my dearest Angel, shall live a long and wonderful life. When your time comes, you shall be a very old woman surrounded by loved ones, among them, our children and grandchildren, entering the next world with a smile upon your still succulent lips."

"You don't know the determination of the Sisterhood, Sire," replied Wanda.

"On the contrary, you forget, my dove, that I am the only person to have defeated them. I shall not fail in protecting you." And then King Rupert hugged his Angel tight and they kissed for a long time.

Knowing that the Sisterhood would not bargain for Bonnie, King Rupert set her execution for the end of the week. To prevent Bonnie from cheating the hangman, she was kept naked and in restraints when she was not eating or exercising under close supervision. Despite everything, Wanda still held a fondness for her sister. They had, after all, grown up together and had shared most of their life experiences. In a gesture that she felt would be lost on her sister, but which she felt she was entitled to, Wanda sought to make Bonnie's final hours as fitting a warrior of the matriarchy as possible. Probing her future husband's connections, she found an attractive bisexual prostitute. Prevailing upon King Rupert for this one last favor, Wanda arraigned for this woman to spend Bonnie's final night with her.

"If one of your men were to face death in the morning, there is nothing they would have appreciated more than a last evening with a willing woman, so it is with my sister."

"What you are requesting, Angel, is highly unusual, however, because I love you so much, I will allow her this final nicety even though she hardly deserves it. Do not be surprised if she rejects your offer," stated the king.